Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-09-11

. y ~ *
over the budget Of 1900. Germany comes
next with an expendi ture of SAG, So, 1872;
Italy $2S:703. sol; = ia pan. SIS, 557, 6S3; and
Austria, ss,s7s,2s6.
England will lay down during the
coming year thirty-th three ships. as COM
pared with sixteen last year. Three of
these will be battle ships, six armored
cruisers and ten torpedo boat destroy
ers. France will complete two battle
ships during the year, one armored
cruiser, seven submarine boats and four
torpedo boats. She will begin the con-
struction of one battle ship, one ar
mored cruiser and eight submarine
boats. Russia's budget for 1901 author
ICES the construction of three cruisers,
six torpedo boat destroyers and other
auxiliary vessels. Germany is continue
ing the comprehensive plan for aug
menting her navy inaugurated year
ago. During the coming year she will
commence the building of two battle
ships, four cruisers and six torpedo
boat destroyers Italy Is in financial
straits and is finding 1t difficult to keep
up with the procession. She has no def
mite plans for the year. altho it has been
decided to commence the building of
two first-class battle ships.
Spain's new navy, having been sent to
the bottom of the sea In the recent war
between that country and the United
States. general interest attaches to
Spanish naval plans. Hitherto the too
numerous personnel of the navy swal-
lowed almost the entire budget. The
present Spanish minister of marine in-
tends to devote the current appropria-
ton of $3,S60000 almost exclusively to
the building of new ships and the im-
provement of those now in existence,
and the personnel is to be reduced to
only that is absolutely Indispensable.
Spain evidently intends to profit hy the
experience of her naval engagements
with the United States and has inaug-
urated radical reforms.
A great deal of attention has been di-'
rected by foreign powers to the subma-
rine type of vessel. France Is already
committed to their use by planning
some forty-two, England is about to ac-
,quire five. Germany has the subject un-
der consideration, Italy Is about to re-.
sumo experiments with the submarine
vessel Norway proposes to add six to
her fleet, and 1t is reported that an cleo
trically propelled submarine boat is
building for the Russian government.
With the exception of France, however,
none of the European countries has ac-
cepted it as positive fact that the eff
cheney of the submarine vessels has
been proved
The naval engagements at Manila and
Ssa 10 .fatf yof ted "a ut f.f
world to the superb craftsmanship of
American gunners, and the question OF
good shooting, long overlooked IN Euro
pean navies, is now regarded as of para
mount Importance by every nation
which possesses warships. In the
French and English navies the training
in craftsmanship is most thorough.
Fuel economy continues in foreign ma
vies, as in the United States, to be an
important problem. Foreign govern
ments are continuing experiments with
liquid fuel. Satisfactory tests have been
been made in both the British and
French navies particularly in the lat
ter.
1t appears that every navy in the
world has experimental to greater or
less degree with wireless telegraphy.
From the data available it appears that
the defect of being unable to insure pri-
svacy OF messages has not yet been over
come.
The total naval tonnage of the seven
principal nations is as follows: Eng
land. i .7S6S55; France. ISL, 065; Russia,
552,54s; United States, 507,494; Germany,
45s,4s2; Italy, 22.7O7; Japan, 251.49s.
The struggle for supremacy between
guns and armor still continues, strug-
gle in which there have been many
vicissitudes. the triumph of one being
quickly followed by such Improvements
in the other as to once more disturb the
balance of advantage and urging mod
ern ingenuity to renewed efforts. The
histories of the guns and of the armor
plate are inseparably connected. AT
present the armor plate holds the adj
vantage. but the recent increase of ini-
tial velocity of the modern gun shows
that arnor makers must continue the
race to retain their slight advantage. In
the past few years all the great powers
have begun to abandon the nitroglycer-
In smokeless powders on account of
their destructive effect on the bores of
modern rifles, and there Is tendency
to some form of nitrocellulose powders.
- : T..
OF battleships, arnlored cruisers and
other naval vessels England has Az;
France. 4s4; Russia, 341; United States,
1876; Germany, 261; Italy, 231, and Japan,
1873. 1t will be noted that while France
has a greater number of vessels than
England the tonnage of the latter coun-
try far exceeds that Of France. England
has fifty battleships and France TWEEN
ty-eight; England 1O3 protected cruz
sers and France thirty-eight. France is
particularly partial to torpedo boats,
having 235 now in commission and for
ty-four building. Russia has fifteen bat
tleships, the United States eight, Ger
many nineteen, Italy fifteen and Japan
six.
FRANK sToCKToN's COUNTRY
HOME.
Frank Stockton lives at the western
base of Blue Ridge in the picturesque
West Virginia, near the storied Shenan-
doah. 1t is set in an estate of 5000
acres-once owned by Washington-and
$50 acres in its very midst is now owned
by the writer. The mansion, Clay
mont" was planned by Washington
erected by Washingtons granddaughter
and named for Washington nome
stead in England. 1t is venerable