The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1900-07-11
NEWS Of THE MlvIEs.

ne More OF Nav 80 for China TO re-
l.eve the Victorious on that station
The unusual sight vzs recently Wit
messed or the streets of Lou6o1 81 a
sandwich man who eonspieUousey call
ed public attention TO extracts fro-n
Lord Bsrestort's speech condemaing
the British nzvy. This somewhat sen
sational and undignifed proceeding
was engineered by the Navy Leagne-
Dutch torpedo boat named the
Hydra, built BY YaEroz al Chiswick.
made her contract trial OF three hours
on May 3 and developed 8 speed ot
243 knots. exceeding the contract by
1-3 knots The HYDRA is $50 feet in
length, 1876 feet breadth and s feet
draUght- She is q single screw boat
The following Russian vessels en-
route for China were reported on May
81 at places indicated Bartleship Ad-
miral NachimoT. S574 tons. ar SpeZis:
battieship Alexander II, 1927 tons, to-
gether with torpedo boats 1l9 and 120,
were az Corfu; Zsporoyetz, gun vessel
OF 1924 tons. was ar Suda Bay. and the
Khraby. armored gunboat of 1892 tons,
was at Toulon.
Public attention is being directed in
England TO the apparent fact that the
Admiralty is practically boycotting the
noted firm at Elswick- And vet the
Armstrong company has built better
ships for foreign powers than the Brit
ism Admiralty has furnished for the
home navy. The modern ship-of-war
originated in the Armstrong yard. and
il is, therefore, Just possible that pro-
fessional jealousy is a factor in the
boycott
The new British cruiser Argonaut,
II 600 tons and twenty and three
fourths knots speed, has been listed for
some time as being attached TO the
China squadron, but she was still az
the Portsmouth dockyard two weeks
ago owing to her inability TO pass the
commission trials. The last trouble
was ''hot bearings" The trials include
twenty-four hours under 5000 horse
power. three hours under full power
and twenty-four hours under 5000, or
one-fifth power
The Italian firm of Orlando Bros. az
Leghorn has made good progress in
marine engineering. The cruiser Puglia,
for which they built the engines, de-
veloped 1000 horsepower more than the
contract called for Under six-hours'
natural draugh- trial the horsepower
average geo, giving speed of 1i.e
knots, and under one and one-half
hours forced draught the horsepower
was 1900, with 1919 knots speed
The. engineer corps in the French
navy is agitating for increased num-
bers, better pay, and improved status.
Its position is rather an anomalous
one: its members rise in rank by about
dozen successive grades from the low
est to that of the highest, and may
become chief inspectors of machinery
There are no warrant officers in the
French navy, and until the engineer on
board ship reaches the three higher
grades he ranks only with petty Off
GERS.
Navy building is very active at st.
Petersburg, there being three battle-
ships and one cruiser in various stages
of progress on the stocks OF the battle
ships the Borodino, 1866 tons and Is
knots, was begun May &c of last year;
Alexander III, of 1856 tons and IS
knots, had her keel laid September 5,
1899, and the Pobieda, 1854 tons and
Is knots, was started August l, 1898.
The cruiser Aurora, $500 tons and 20
knots. has been on the stocks since
october 81, 1896.
By decree of May is last the Queen
Of Spain has ordered number of ma
val vessels TO be struck of the list, to
be sold or used as coal hulks. floating
ammunition depots or as material for
submarine defense, by which latter
term sinking is probably meant.
Among the vessels condemned are the
cruisers Alfonso XII and Alfonso XIII.
eight torpedo-gunboats. seven gun
boats and four torpedo boats. Five
coast defense vessels dating from the
early COS are also condemned. and the
armorclads-so-c o-called-Numencia ani
Vitoria are likewise slated for perma-
nent retirement, whose boilers and ma
chinery require extensive repairs. The
majority of the condemned vessels are
old. but three of the torpedo o-gunboars
are only nine years OLD and were rated
at 19 knots. Alfonso XIII, cruiser of
5000 tons, was also built in 1891 and
had a speed when new Of 20 knots. The
Temerario, which was to intercept the
Oregon on her voyage East, is likewise
condemned, although only II years old
and had rating of 20la knots speed.
The removal of comparatively modern
vessels indicates that they had been
badly cared for and became useless.
This leaves Spain with the merest nu-
cleus of a navy, and 1t has taken that
country 500 years 20 realize the folly
OF building ships 10 be captured or de-
stroyed by other naval powers.