The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1898-03-17
FRANCES NEW NAVY.

She Hn, Provided for Expanding 8IGI,~
100000 on IL In Eight Years.
Washington Post.
The appropriation Of $5O,OOO,OOO by |
Congress for the purchase of war ship |
and for other like purposes lends fresh |
interest to the outbreak Of navy fever |
in France. For weeks the Chamber of |
Deputies listened to attacks on the |
French Navy. 1t was asserted that
half the war ship were unfit to 20 to
sea because of defective boilers and
WORKOUT machinery. The armament,
too, was said to be obsolete. As a re-
suit, the nation has been committed to
the expenditure Of $lG1 $4,000 for ma
val vessels in the next eight years. The
annual expenditure is rs per cent.
higher tLan ever before. At the same
time Russia has made an appropriation
OF $i3,750. 600 outside of the extraOrdi-
nary appropriation of $7O,OOO,OOO just
maue for new construction this year,
which is 20 per cent more than ever
before. lt has been asserted by the
highest naval authorities in Great
Britain, including Lord Charles Beres-
ford and Admiral COlOmb, that Eng
land must have more and better war
ships than France and Russia or any
combination of powers could pit
against her. They believe that naval
construction is cheaper in Great Brit
ain than elsewhere.
France Is to have nine armOred cruis-
ers completed before 1901. They are
to have a speed of II knots and to be
powerfully armed and provided with
unusual capacity for coal. One of
these, begun,In October, 1896, the jean
ne d'Arc, has a fighting strength al
most as great as that of a battle-ship.
Her Tonnage is go, with %, 500 horse
power and maximum speed of TWEEN
ty-three knots. Her cost, without arm
ament or artiilery,is estimated at $4,-
100000. Her coal capacity is 2,1OO tons,
which would enable her to steam at the
rate of 10 knots for 1850 miles WITH
out cOaling, or 1000 miles at full speed.
She will be ready for her trial trip IN
the spring of 1900. Her cost will be
1906 800 more than that of the United
Ssates battle-ship Illinois, now under
construction at Newport News. Her
speed will be seven knots faster than
that OF the Illinois. In addition to the
nine armored cruisers, France has five
other first-class cruisers in various
stages Of construction. They are to
have protected decks and are inten de d
TO act as commerce destrOyers.
According to the New York Tribune
new type of water boiler, somewhat
of rash experiment, is to be used for
the new French naval vessels. The
boilers are expected to insure an i'm.
mense saving in weight and a conse-
quent increase of speed. Ii the expe-
riment succeeds, the advantages will
be enormous. Naval designers the
world over are awaiting the trials OF
the Jeanne d'Arc and the Chateaure-
nault. Among the six French battle
ships now in course of construction
the most formidable is the lena, the
most expensive in the world. Her es-
timsted cost, exclusive of guns and
armament, is $5,4S3 .O6O, or s., S33, OGC
more.than the United States battle.
ship Alabama, now being built a,
Cramps. France will also provide fol
eight new torpedo destroyers and Al
new first-class torpedo boats this year
The latter will have a speed of twenty.
four knots. Besides all this, ten bat.
tle-ships and five coast defenders are
to be brought up to date.