The San Francisco call., 1901-10-28
NlCARAGUA'S
ASPIRATIONS IN
A NAVAL WAY

1 IanQ In 1906 at a cost OF $40OOUO. Sno
| is of the Camanche type, 1923 tons, and
/ when new had speed of nine knots. The
belt arnor and turrets are of iron only
| four inches in thickness. and the battery
! consists of four S-inch Krupp guns. old
| pattern The vessel struck of the
| active list twenty years ago and is en-
ttrely unfit for venturing away from her
anchorage in the harbor Of Klel. The
| price which President Zelaya of Nicara-
| qua is said to have paid for this old iron
| is $35O,OOO, for which sum our Navy De-
partment would no doubt readily dispose
of the eight monitors laid UP at League
| Island, as they of no fighting value
whatever and yet far superior to the Ar
menus in resistance to shot.
The floating dock built at Baltimore for
| the naval station at Algiers. near New
| Orleans, has been completed and has
started on its long voyage for its destina-
ton, which it may reach, barring acct
/ dents, in about twenty-five days. Another
/ floating dock, that at Havana, is slated
for much longer voyage, but the time
for its departure for the Philippines has
| not been fixed. This dock was built in
| England for the Spanish Government at
! cost of $545,000 and towed to Havana in
! 1897 at a cost of S25, ,OO0 1t was purchased
| by the United States last July for $1S5OOO.
with the intention Of locating the dock at
Z
/ structure is said to be in good condition
| and only about $50 1000 will be required to
| put il in perfect working order, but the
| expense of towing the dock nearly 1900
| miles via the Suez canal will be very
heavy. The cost has been estimated as
| low as $4,000 but as the canal dues will
not be less than $4,000 it is evident that
! COAL vessels for towing and other neces-
/ sary outlays will largely exceed this low
| estimate The dock is capable of lifting
| the largest battIeship yet built in our
navy and will eventually pay for itself by
| the saving effected in present heavy dock
! ing charges paid in Hongkong-
/
! During a race between seven torpedo
boat destroyers off Margate, October T. the
/ Angler and Salmon collided and terrible
| calamity was narrowly averted- The boats
| were within thirty yards of each other
/ when rounding the lightship, the Angler
/ being inside the SaImon's course: both
| boats were under forced draught, and it
| appeared that the Angler was in danger
| of ramming the Salmon. The latter real
| lied her peril and starboarded her helm,
| but the momentum of the Angler was too
| great and the Salmon's stern caught the
others starboard quarter, completely
| sweeping the after deck. The Anglers
propellers were thrust through the Sal
mons side, rending the thin plates like
| cardboard. Only two men were injured,
| but the boats, brought in in a sinking con-
| dition into Sheerness, will require very ex-
| tensive repairs.
/ The British third-class cruiser Fearless,
of $50 tons, built fourteen years ago, has
been repaired and refitted and made 154
knots on her commission trial. The vessel
made 1871 knots when new and, having had
| four commissions abroad, her recent per-
formance is considered quite satisfactory.
The first cost of the Fearless was $3.50, ,625
and her repairs up to two years ago
amounted to S1SS O45, showing an annual
average Of per cent of first cost expend-
! ed in repairs.
The first of the five submarine boats
! built for the British navy was launched
| October from Vicker's yard at Barrow.
The boats are of the Holland type and
are identical with those building in the
United States They are So feet in length,
IL feet inches beam and will have sur
face speed of eight knots and seven knots
when submerged. The boats will have
crew of six. The other four boats also
building at Barrow will be launched this
| year.
A new torpedo boat destroyer, the Sy-
rem, has had a twelve hours coal con-
sumption trial. Only two Of the four boil
ers were used developing 1924 horse
\
and showing a coal consumption of %
pounds per unit of horsepower an hour.
The Syren is one of dozen boats built
at Jarrow for the British navy, all of
which have given good results.
The floating dock at Dar-es-Salaam, in
German East Africa, was wrecked on Au-
gust r. During the testing Of the dock
one of the pontoon pumps failed to act
and the dock sank. The loss, which is
total amounts to $125 900, and falls on the
contractor the Howaldt shipbuiIdiers at
KieI, as the dock had not been accepted
by the colonial government.
The four torpedo boat destroyers built
at EIbing in 1S98-99 for the Chinese navy
were appropriated during the late fight
at Taku-Great Britain, France, Russia
and Germany taking one each. They are
the speediest and best all-around vessels
of their class yet built for any navy, and
will be Of more use and better taken care
of by their new owners.
The King of Portugal has purchased a
small electric launch in England. 1t is
twenty-eight feet in length, six feet six
inches beam and draws two feet Its mo-
tive power is tWenty-four large accumU-
lators, which will run the boat 100 miles
at eight knots, or at greater speed for a
shorter distance.
Thirty-fve French warships participated
in the recent review at Dunkirk, of which
six were battleships, two armored cr1is-
ers, three protected cruisers, four coast
defense ships and three torpedo boat de-
stroyers. The remainder consisted of tor
pedo and submarine boats.
The naval appropriations Of Japan for
the year ending April 1, 1902, foot I'D to
$40, ,6s1 600. of which 900 is for ordi-
nary expenditures. So, ,492 800 for extraordi-
nary expenses and s56S, 400 toward an ar
NOR plant. The total is $543,OO less than
last year.
The trials of the Babcock & Wilcox boil
er on board the British torpedo gunboat
Sheldrake were stopped after six hours
duration, 1T being alleged that the coal
consumption was largely in excess of the
L nalc11lafod