The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-01-21

The adage that preparation for war
is the surest guarantee Of peace has
been very deeply grated into the
minds of modern German rulers. In
deed, it has become an axiom With
German statesmen that, however costly
the sacrifice, neither expense nor labor
must be spared to attain that goal at
least The realization of the underly-
ing dream of German supremacy In
wolves the ultimate shaking off OF eve
ry vestige of dependence upon foreign
ers during the critical periods sure to
occur in her future development. Her
burden of empire has been, during the
last few decades, such a rapidly IN
creasing quantity that one can put
marvel at her forethought and resource
! in meeting the attendant and equally
Increasing requirements A further
stage in carrying out the double pre-
cept of Germany for the Germans
and deutschland fiber allies" has just
been reached by the actual commence
ment of two immense dry-docks for the
use of the imperial navy at Wilhelms-
haven.
| The latest service rendered by the
German government to maritime indus
try is the report which has just been
issued by the German admiralty. A
SPECIAL committee was appointed few
months ago for the purpose OF gauglng
| the abilities. Of the various German
shipyards to construct the vessels
which were recently voted at cost of
forty-five million pounds as an addi-
| ton to the German navy. This report,
now procurable, will doubtless prove
| most effective national advertisement
of German technical ability in ship
building, and will attract many foreign
riders which formerly went to Eng
land. 1t shows that thirty-five thou
sand trained workmen are permanently
employed, the larger proportion In
dockyards on the Baltic, where ship
building has principally developed, al
though the shipowning interest there
has lost in Importance, having been
mainly transferred to Hamburg. The
six principal Baltic yards employed as
many workmen as all the other Baltic
and North Sea yards together. In 1898,
about seventy-five thousand tons OF
shipping, representing one hundred and
fifty thousand indicated horsepower,
We're constructed. The ! year 1899
showed still better results, viz, three
hundred and sixty thousand tons COM
pleted or still building in these six
yards. The construction of vessels of
war was also more extensive in the
Baltic yards than in those of the North
Sea. being, in 1885, eighteen for German
account, and sixteen for foreign gov
ernments, while in the North Sea yards
but four for German account were I'M
der construction.
To return to the construction of the
two new dry-docks at Wilhelmshaven,
it is estimated that five years will be
required for their completion, which
will involve total outlay of twelve
million marks, of which ten and a half
millions will fall upon the empire.
The remainder is a contribution of the
North-German Lloyd at Bremen, in
consideration Of the imperial navy's
foregoing rights, acquired in March
1892, to precedence over all vessels of
the German Mercantile marine as re-
CARDS use of the company's dock at
Bremerhaven, at present the largest of
the kind on the continent. This renun-
citation of imperial precedence applies,
however, only to times of peace. The |
preliminary works at Wilhelmshaven,
for which five hundred thousand marks
were granted by the Reichstag, have so
far progressed that the task of excava- |
ton can now be commenced. Running
parallel to each other on the norther |
side of the dockyard basin, they will be
separated by division twenty-five |
metres in breadth. Both docks will |
extend one hundred and seventy-five |
metres lengthways, and, as the Germen
men-of-war of the largest class, the |
Wittelsbach series, are only one hun |
dred and twenty-six and three-fourth |
metres in length, it is assumed that |
these dimensions will suffice for many |
years to come The beam of the class
of vessel just cited measures 20S me-
tres, whereas the docks will be twenty
five metres across. AS a naval dock |
has to take into consideration the pos
sibility of severely damaged ships be-
ing sent in for repairs, with several wa
ter compartments run quite full, or
even in an almost sinking condition,
and requiring immediate docking,
bottom depth of rs metres under the
normal water line has been given to
these docks. The water line of the har-
Dor basin being 1916 metres above the
normal a total depth of eleven and
one-fourth metres Is afforded. The
largest men-of.war have generally a
lraught Of 76 metres, SO that the dock
will provide accommodation
FOR vessels exceeding that draught to
IN extent of $50 metres. Gigantic
pumps will be able to empty these
locks, two similar to which are also
Under construction at Kiel, in two and
4 half hours.--London Times Cores
oondence.