The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-03-06

The E'reya, q German SeCOllO-C4eIoo
cruiser of $3.50 tons, is ready for sea She
made 20 knots with 10 800 horsepower
Three sister ships, named Hertha, Veto
ria Luise and Vineta, are approaching
completion.
The Russian admiralty has given con-
tract for ten torpedo-boat destroyers to
the Belgian Shipbuilding Company
at Nicolaieff and Bellino-Fouderich at
Odessa. They are to be completed within
two years, and are intended for the Ia
cific squadron, whittier they will be sent
in parts on the steamers of the volun-
teer fleet, and put together either at Fort
Arthur or at Vladivostok.
The French cruiser Protet, Of 4O65 tons
disbursement, built by contract at Bor-
deaux, has passed through her steam
trials Under full power the engines de-
welcomed $500 horsepower and a speed of 20
knots, exceeding the contract by 300 horse
mower and one knot. During the twenty
four-hour trial under two-third power the
engines developed $500 horsepower, and the
coal consumption was only II pounds.
The German battle-ship Kaiser Fried
rich III-the first of five new ships-has
been completed and made a speed of IS
knots under full power, the engines Civ
ing 10 500 horsepower. She was designed
to make IS knots with 1900 horsepower
and while the speed has been realized
there appears to be waste of power. She
was begun in 1896 at Wilhelmshafen. is
II 100 tons displacement and is reported to
have cost $3,53O,000.
OF the forty-eight ships of the German
navy in commission tWenty-three are on
foreign stations. Of this number ten are
in the Pacific, five on the African coast,
two in Brazilian waters, two in the Medi-
terranean, two in the West Indies and two
training ships are cruising. Only two ar
mored Ships the Deutschland and Kaiser,
are in commission abroad and the greater
number of vessels on stations away from
home are small cruisers and gunboats.
Lord Beresford has no confidence in sub
marine beats, and is quoted as saying:
''It is quite useless as a fighting machine,
owing to the necessary absence of morale
among a crew, which would be in q blue
funk Of it all the time" The probability
is that partly submerged boats-on the
line of the Nordenfelt, which exposes only
a small surface-wilI prove of more prac-
teal utility and be more remunerative
to the inventor.
The Hongkong and Whampoa Dock
Company has declined to accept the re-
sponsibility of docking the British bat
tle-ship Victorious, the very sufficient rea-
inches to spare at the dock entrance. 1t
Is not likely that the naval authorities
will dock the ship on their own RESPONSE
bility, and the Victorious will probably be
detached from the China station and or
dered home and another armored ship Of
less gigantic dimensions substituted The
Victorious has beam of 75 feet, while the
Oregon, now on her way to Manila. has
only SO feet beam and draws about two
less than
ship, and the Oregon will, therefore, ex-
perience no difficulty in docking and thus
maintain her efficiency.
There are two 11-inch Krupp guns in the
Ktmpai forts near Fuchau, which until
two years ago were in perfect condition.
The Chinese general at that time attempt
ed to experiment with a lot of Chinese
cracker powder, made to initiate the
proper prismatic powder and ordered one
OF the guns fired with a full charge of
3o2 pounds. The first charge strained the
gun SO that the breech-block could not
be opened. Instead of taking warning
by this he ordered the other gun to be
fired, and the result was that the breech
was blown to the rear. killing about TWEEN
ty soldiers. The Chinese did not like to
lose both guns, and they were sent to the
Shanghai arsenal, where new screw
breeches were made, and on January IL
last both guns were fired with full charges
and the guns stood the strain
France is building a number of com.
merce destroyers, one of which, named
Gutchen, is ready for her steam trials
She is S277 tons, about 900 tons larger thar
the Columbia and Minneapolis of the
United States navy, and is to make a
speed of % knots. The ship was built by
contract at st. Nazaire, begun in October
To-, t..zI ~.
tract cost is $3,059,7 25. The series of trials
include three hours under full power to
develop $4,000 horsepower and % knots
subject to penalties for failure OF speed
and excess of coal consumption, the ship
to be rejected If the speed fails to reach
Fl knots. Next in order is a trial of TWEEN
| ty-four hours durations with fire under