The evening times., 1900-02-10

The Navy Department has just issued a
300-page volume on the naval progress Of
the world during the year 1899. Il was
1 compiled by Commander Richardson
I Glover late Chief of the Naval Intelli-
: gence Bureau. who has been ordered to
England as naval attache Of the United
States Embassy II contains a dozen pa
pers on naval progress. ordnance armor.
torpedo boats target practice on ship
board. wireless telegraphy. and other sub
iects connected with the navies of the
world In his article on the Improvements
Of foreign navies as the result of the
Spanish-American war Lieutenant Com
mauder George "A. Peters, L. s. n. says
among other things:
In considering the principal foreign
navies with view of noting recent ten
denotes OF development, the most striking
feature which presents itself is the
marked effort now making by the impor-
tant maritime powers 10 increse their ma
val strength. Never before. except, per
haps, spasmodically during a naval war,
has such endeavor been more vigorous or
this be accorded willingly or unwiliingly.
it must be reckoned with. The importance
of sea power is clearly perceived. and na-
val shipbuilding proSr-' ':mes grow more
extensive and more elaborate"
Faith in BatrIeSbiPs.
Foreign powers evidently place the
greatest reliance on battleships In
France and Italy protected cruisers are
still in great favor. but battleships are
really depended upon to win naval battles.
Increased speed is also one OF the princi
pal features OF hattleSh'ps, and everything
else being equal the feet with the fastest
ships will win. Torpedo boats are still
highly regarded by foreign powers. but
just what they can do has not yet been
demonstrated. In armament the tendency
is Co smaller calibre rapid-hring guns
with smokeless powder. All officers agree
that srmor must be widely diftuscd and
cannot be restricted to the water line and
gun positions.
search lights. rapid-fre guns Of the
secondary battery. fOtillas OF picket boats
when at anchor and numerous Ranking
torpedo boat destroyers and cruisers when
under way. form the chief defence Of bat
tleships against torpedOes-
Military masts are considered impor-
jaut for battleships. The tendency IS 20
shorten them. and their development is
i'm the direction OF armored towers with
circular stairways. enabling men to 90
alOfl 10 the lighting tops and TO have am
muuition supplied TO them therein under
protection. There is communication from
the tops to the coming towers to facli-
tat, reporting ranges and signals. For
cruisers the present tendency seems 10 be
10 Use role masts.
Iu the personnel OF the fleets the
greatest attention is being paid target
practice and rapid coaling Training Of
fleets iu rapid mobilization Is also receiv-
ing much attention.
The Plans of Germany.
Lieut.. Sumner F. " KitteIIe United
states Navy. says of Germany's plans for
q big battle fleet
There Is strong desire on the part OF
progressive Germans to build up a power
rul navy TO guard and 20 further the in
terests oi German commerce and Of Ger
man colonization abroad. II is proposed,
if the consent CT the Reichstag can Re oh
tanned. 10 add 90 the navy, over and above
Jh. present building programme. which
ends in 1904 - hattleships = large cruis-
,rs and 80 small cruisers. the ConstUuc-
tioE 10 extend over a period Of seventeen
years and TO cost l.1GG coo 900 marks. II
is believed hat during this period the
population and revenue OF Germany viii
greatly increase. and that the burden as
sumed in carrying out this enormous naval
increase will not be too heavy 70 bear.
The plan includes "a corresponding increase
i'm the capacities Of the navy yards and a
gradual increase In the personnel I'D man
the ships as they are completed.
lie then gives a translation OF a pam
phler published in Berlin giving the plans
for building The feet showing how the
revenues are to be raised Tor the next
quarter of century. and comparing Ger
manys He,r with other countries.
LieU, &. O. Marsh. United states Navy.
summarizes the construction Of the nayie5
abroad during the past year as follows
"EnSlsud-In the construction OF the
year abroad England has gone in for yes
sels a. large size both battleships and
cruisers The tWeuty-seveu latest English
battleships are practically alike so far as
constituting tactical units Of homo
gcnCOus fleet.
"FraUcc-Frsnce has laid down priu-
gipaly cruisers intended for commerce de
stroyers aud large number of submarine
vessels though no craft OF the type has
been carried through trials sufficient 90
demonstrate its success.
The Russian Ice Breaker.
Russia Construction is divided in Rus
SD uItN t'I NaItlr0klD7 aNl large CRUISERS
and the Ice breaker Ermack. built in Eng
land on Russian designs, gives great pros
peCt Of keeping northern ports open during
the winter.
Germany Germany construction looks
30 work OF the high seas. the vessels be
gun consisting of four hrst-class battle
ships ana new and large type Of torpedo
destroyer of great structural strength and
going qualities.
"Itaiy-ltaly has apparently adopted Ad-
mirai Bettolos design of an armorei yes
sci OF 600 tons
'Japan-Japan s just completing her
first building programme which provides
for batueships of the largest size for
cruisers OF $500 tens. and a very formi-
dahle torpedo hOtiila."
On ordnance and armOr, Lieutenant Com
mauder W. II. briggs says that automatic
rapjd-iriuG guns are growing in favor, and
gives many interesting reports OF tests OF
new guns and experiments with lyddite.
thori,e. and other new explosives. OF the
use Of torpedo boats he says;
These boats are good, no doubt, In other
fields Of action, but as used during the
Spanish war they were an utter failure
and they would have been in tho hands