The San Francisco call., 1903-12-14

machinists were appointed, and this
number has steadily increased, num-
bering now $50. The chief of the Bu-
reau of Navigation recommends fur
ther increase of fifty, which is likely
to be authorized.
WARRANT MACHINIST CORPS.
The warrant machinist has to large
extent taken the place of the Annap-
oils graduate engineers, and the sue
cess with which the duties have been
performed proves that comparatively
uneducated but practical men are as
qualified for service in engine rooms
as highly educated officers with less
practical experience 1t is not to be
expected that the corps of warrant ma
chinists will always be content with
their status and pay, but will in the
near future den1afid and obtain such
rank and emolunlents as their respon-
sble. duties entitle them to. Already
they have organized a society for the
purpose, as is alleged, of improving it's
members through research and dis
cussion Of professional subjects This
is but the initial and proper step to-
ward improving the condition of the
corps, and it will not be long before
the warrant machinists corps will take
the place of the defunct engineer corps,
and the history of the thirty years
war, prior to 1899, between the line and
engineers will be on again.
Two concrete drydocks begun less than
two years ago at Kiel are approaching
completion, one being nearly ready for
service. They are located side by side
with an intervening space of seventy
five feet. Each dock is 574 feet in
length, with an entrance of 9S feet and
with twenty-five to forty feet depth of
water over the side. according to the
stage of the tide. Considerable en-
gineering difficulty was experienced in
the construction, as the docks are built
for two-thirds of their length in deep
water, no piling being used, and the
structure rests directly on the clay sub
soil. AS the great depth, from forty
to seventy feet below water level, made
1t impossible to use any method Of
copperdam construction, recourse was
had to the pneumatic process, using a
suspended caisson. The completion of
this work will give the Kiel dockyard
six docks, and there will be like num-
Der at Wilhelmshafer. where three
NSNNo "a ul1utI
AN UNLUCKY VESSEL.
The. British cruiser Hermes, which,
according to dispatch last week, was
seriously damaged by fire at the De-
vonport dockyard, has been an unlucky
ship. Completed in 1885, she was sent
10 the' North Atlantic station, but re-
turned in less than a year with her
Belleville boilers irreparably injured
and the engines in such bad condition
as to necessitate the expenditure of
$l0O.00O for repairs. The ruined boilers
were taken out and Babcock & Wilcox
boilers substituted and during the re-
cent maneuvers these boilers gave sat
isfactory results as to steaming, but
because of the great volume of smoke
which they emitted they were, not
looked upon with favor by the fight
ing branch of officers. The ship, at
the time of the accident, was prepar-
ing for race with the Hyacinth to
test the comparative efficiency of their
respective boilers, and the damage to
the ship and machinery has caused
postponement of the intended ocean
race.
The armored cruiser Berwick $500
speed, was placed in commission No
vember q last. The ship was built by
the London Glasgow Shipbuilding COM
pany on the Clyde, her keel being laid
In April. 1901. and the time of con-
struction has therefore been only 2
years and months.
The three new battleships to- be built
at British dockyards, while of the same
displacement Q6250 tons) as the five
ships of the King Edward VII class
now under construction, will have
greatly increased armament and are to
carry four 12-inch, eight 92-inch and
six 6-inch guns. This is an increase
of four 9.2-inch and reduction of four
6-inch as compared with the previous
ships. The 9-inch arraor belt is to be
carried from end~.to end instead of
stopping short at the after barbstte
and S-inch. side armor is to protect the
entire battery above, instead of mount
ing the guns in. easement. A longi-
tudinal bulkhead Of aFnor. plating is