The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-08-29
NEWS OF FOREIGN NAvIEs.


The British Admiralty has selected
black as the best and least distinguish
able color for torpedo boats.
The new Chinese cruiser Hai-Yung of
1850 tons, built at Stettin, arrived at
Shanghai July 20, manned by Germans
and flying the German flag.
The British cruiser Niobe of II 900 tons
has passed through her eight-hour trial
under full power and developed 16, 1874
horse power-33 over the contract-and
made log speed of 205 knots, which tall
lies with the calculated speed. The ship
was somewhat light on a mean draught
of rs feet 8 inches, the intended load
draught being 26 feet.
New FoundIand is to have a naval re-
serve. Five hundred fishermen are to be
drilled by special instructors from the
royal navy, and as ii is said that the men
are to receive $50 month while under in
struction, there should be no trouble
about getting the requisite number of
men and of the very best and hardest of
any seafaring population.
The Brazilian torpedo cruiser Tarnogo,
1898 tons, has been launched at the Ger
mania yard. Kiei. The vessel is 269 feet
in length, rs feet 10 inches and on
of COAL The engines are 700 horse power
and are to give a speed of % knots. Her
armament consists of two 3.9 inch, six %
inch, two 3-pounders and two machine
guns.
OF the 100 vessels In active commission
in the British navy one-f1fth are over 5000
tons. Twenty-Five, including 20 battle
ships and cruisers, are over 1900 tons;
II are between 1900 and $4,000 tons, Of
which are battleships; 10 are between
10000 and 1900 tons and include bat
tieships. Forty-three are less than 1000
tons. These 100 ships do not include tor
pedo-boat destroyers.
In Japan the navy is very popular. more
so than the army, partly owing to the fact
that the pay is better than in the army.
A major in the infantry receives only s27
month and has to keep a horse, while in
the navy an officer of like rank gets a
higher salary and dispenses with the
horse. There are now 295 naval cadets
at the academy and SO are to graduate
this year. At the recent examination
preparatory to entry there were 1893 ap-
plicants present from which to fill vacan-
cies numbering only 100.
The British cruiser Powerful on the
China station appears at last to have got
her machinery into working order She
made the trip from Wei-Hai-Wei to
Yokohama, leaving the former place at
p. m. July u. and arriving at Yokohama
July 80, at noon. Her first trial was Of
eight hours duration, the engines work
ing up to 1852 horse power, giving
speed of 202 knots. The second trial
lasted 215 hours, giving 21 .045 horse powe.
and POT knots speed and the third trial
of 1915 hours resulted in 10 knots speed
with 1876 horse power. The average
speed of the trip was 1711 knots.
Accidents have been rather numerous
of late in the French navy. The battle
ship Hoche ran on an uncharted rock IN
Quiberon Bay last month and had a mar
row escape from becoming a total wreck
She is now in dock undergoing extensive
repairs. The keel will have to be re-
moved for the entire length, 1913 lineal feet
Of bottom plating on each side was ripped
open and the frames In wake of the rents
have ben broken and twisted. Two hun
bred men are at work repairing damages
and while the ship is In the hands of the
dockyard men 1t has been determined to
give her a new set of boilers, all of which
will take her out of service for at least
year.
Jeanne dare, the latest French ar
mored cruiser, is claimed to be the best
ship of that type in any navy and far
superior to the two monster cruisers of
Gerat Britain. The Jeanne dare Is of
II 80 tons displacement and has belt of
Harveyized steel to inches thick, while
the Terrible and Powerful, nearly $500
tons larger, have no hull protection The |
speed of the French cruiser is to be %
knots, the three engines to develop $4,000
horse power. The battery is rather light |
consisting of two rs inch, eight 51s inch |
and twelve $50 inch in the main arma-
ment. On 26 feet inches the ship will |
carry 400 tons of coal, but the bunker
capacity is 2100 tons.