New-York tribune., 1901-08-31

have been many remarkable vicisstudes. the
improvements in the other to once more disturb
genuity to renewed ers ahd e o fbs
gun and OF the armor plate may be said to be In
holds the advantage, but the recent increase of
initial velocity OF the modern gun shows that armor
advantage The 6-inch armor plate is the ordinary
krupp armor will now keep out a 6-inch Holtzer
armor piercing projectile.
The change of distribution in the last of
years is well shown by the designs Of British bat
e5hps e5 m & The desire has been to increase pEotee
increasing the length of the broadside belt and
protection of the guns and gunners. Fifteen years
ago the armor protection of a ship consisted of
length than one-third. about 40 per cent of the
fngth b OF the s While the main ain guns
armament having only shields of from two TO three
only was the part above the armored citadel the
centre Of the ship unprotected but also the ends of
main feature of the protection vessels of the
ga dats Then the @ main 6eit was INCREASED in
and supplementary armor OF inches constructed
of the main deck 6-inch easements also inclosing
the 6-inch main deck guns. and 6-inch shields for
the introduction of the Harvey armor process was
lection this being found equal the te the old nc6
compound plate; therefore it found be possi-
BILE TO give 9,inch broqdside arrnor 55 per cent
length and In height from below the water line to
the main deck. with the 6-inch supplemental armor
In the next stage the side armOr was reduced to
inch nickel steel to the n boW oG ACCOUNT Of the
LIABILITY OF the bow being punctured and thus de
the purpose of strengthening the In the latest
types the bow armor tapers from inches to 2
over the shell plating The finch Krupp cemented
steel plate has taken the place of the 9ineh Harvey
EXPLOSIVES NOW USED.
begun In the to last sb68og T 45 all
powders on account Of their Destructive effect on
tae pores OF modern rifles. and all are tending to
ent time the powders used by the several govern
ments are as follows: Germany the nitro
France and Russia nitrocellulose entirely. Eng
land and Austria use cordite; and Italy and Norway
The initiation of modern explosives has made it
as compared with the days of black powder bring
ing into the arena of practical warfare long range
dered accurate by the of telescope sights
range nnders etc II has also rendered very great
the powder, the object fired at being practically
cally no residue left in the gun Therefore as soon
one cartridge is fired another he put in with
old powders. This also facilitates considerably
energies and more rapid rate of fire are due TO the
introduction OF smokeless powder In field opera
vantages of smokeIess powder are obvious.
Since the last annual report there has been lit
tie advance in machinery except in further trials
o torpedo destroyers driven by turbines with re-
suits which thus summed up:
Increased speed, efficiency in coal consumption
near designed speeds. absence of vibration from
main engines increased stability increased safety
10 engine room force owing to absence of recipro-
eating parts. perfect balancing of engines reduced
weights and cost of attendance, smaller diameter
or propellers reducing racing in a way and
facilitating navigation in shallow waters, are the
principal advantages claimed for the turbine. and
they may cause its use in torpedo boats and fast
merchant vessels; but the increased coal consump-
tion at low speeds will probably prevent it's in
is done at about one-half the full speed.
Foreign governments continue use and expert
ment with liquid fuel TO about the same extent as
was reported in the last annual
According 70 the press the British admiralty
intend TO renew their experiments with oil
board the destroyer Surly. Borneo oil will be
used. however, the experiments last year with
american petroleum were unSa tiSfactOry. owing
the thick black smoke produced.
The French battleship Jena has completed very
satisfactory trials with liquid fuel When oil and
coal were used in mixed combustion the engines
passed from 1000 TO $500 horsepower in a very few
minutes.
In April the battleship Kaiser Friedrich III ran
wake OF the maZut oil carried in the double bot
toms. The oil was forced out through the air re-
lieI pipe and flowed down into the fire room where
II caught fire and caused damage requiring re-
pairs TO the extent OF nearly a million dollars
IheSe compartments flooded and the flames
were smothered under the protective deck.
Ihe discussion over the relative merits of cyIfn-
drical and water tube boilers continues and espe-
caly between the various types of the latter class
with a notable disposition in all navies TO follow
the adopted American practice.