The San Francisco call., 1898-04-18
NEWS OF FOREIGN NAMES.

Over 30,000 men are employed in the British dockyards at home and the num- Der will be increased by 2000 during the present financial year.
 A motion to abolish chaplains in the French navy was recently made in the Chamber of Deputies. The argument was made that chaplains no longer existed in the army and that the navy had no more need for them than the army. Their dis charge would effect saving of 787SS francs or $15,756 yearly, but the motion was defeated by vote of 344 to 163.
 Thornycroft has recently launched a large sea-going torpedo-boat for the Ger man navy. It is 211 feet inches in length. 19 feet 6 inches beam, feet 6 inches draught and displaces 300 tons She will have twin screws, engines of 5000 horsepower, and a guaranteed speed of 271a knots with load of S4 tons. The armament will consist of five 3-pounders and three torpedo tubes.
 The Thames Shipbuilding Company of London has made application to the Rus sian Government for permission to estab- fish shipyard on the coast of the Gulf of Finland or on the Baltic. It offers to build three vessels within eighteen months, to use material Of Russian
 
 cept the office force, foremen and other experts, which are to be English. The company further offers to guarantee that no vessel, however large, shall be more than eighteen months building. From the foregoing it would appear as if Charles Cramp, now in Russia, is having formidable opponent in the Thames Iron Works.
 A new kind of 6-inch projectile from Vickers has been tried in the British navy with good results. The projectile proper has a ring screwed on to it's base, which on being fired expands and makes perfect metallic seal, fitting into the rif1ed grooves and prevents gases from passing the base of the shot. Its her metical tightneSs overcomes the injuri- ouS erroding effects which smokeless powder has on the bore of the gun and no power is wasted through leaks. With 25 pounds of cordite a velocity of 2694 feet per second was obtained, and it is con- fidently believed that with a slightly in- creased but still safe charge a velocity of 2900 feet will be reached, which is 700 feet more than is got by ordinary powder.
 The battle-ship Goliath was launched at Chatham, March 23. She is 13O0O tons displacement and is 390 feet in length. "A beam and draws 26 feet. The armo- belt is of 6-inch Harveyized steel, 196 feet in length, and extending feet below and g feet above the water-line, and terminates at the. ends with F, 10 and inch thick bulkheads. The barbettes for the four 12-inch wire-wound guns are 12 inches. and the casemates protecting the twelve 6-inch quick frers are inches, with plates at the back inches thick. The ship is sheathed with wood and the en- zines, developing 13500 horsepower, are expected to give speed of 1SA knots The coal bunker capacity Is 1900 tons sufficient for thirty days steaming at 10 knots an hour.
 The greatest apparent defect of modern navies is the lack of uniformity of the several ships of one class. Great Britain comes nearer to having uniformity which has the great advantage of mak- ing it possible to transfer officers and men from one ship to another and make them feel at home and familiar at once with their new ship. In the new German navy this system will be followed as closely as possible. and the guns and ma chinery of the classes to be built will be interchangeable. The programme provides for the building of three types or vessels, namely battle-ships, large cruisers and small cruisers. Designs are nearly completed for the large cruisers, Whicn Will De or SS60 tons, 15,OOO horSe- power and a speed of 21 knots. They will carry batteries of two 9.2-inch in turrets, ten 6-inch and ten 31a-inch in broadsde and ten machine guns of 115-inch caliber. and will also have three torpedo tubes. They will have triple screws and carry 543 officers and men. These cruisers ex- ceed the New York by 660 tons and are 13 feet longer: their batteries are much heavier and the complement numbers 59 more. The speed Is practically the same. although the horsepower is 24Oo less than l the New York's.