The San Francisco call., 1904-06-08

ID 4iblsu navy severely crltlz6S the lack
OF comfort and defects in sanitary ar
rangements in many of the lately built
ships in that navy as compared with
foreign vessels. The battleship Lon
don is the first ship in which a bath
room has been fitted for use Of the
admiral None Of the ships are pro-
vided with heating apparatus, and II
is only quite recently that bread Is
being baked on board, although such
has been in practice on American SHIPS
for more than fifteen years. quarters
for officers and crew are cramped ana
armament and machinery space taxes
the precedence of all other consldera-
tiOns. And yet British ships nave less
gun power than American ships, Whlcn
latter in addition 10 heavier armament
are far more comfortable than those
Of any other navy.
The torpedo-boat Welland. built at
YarrOw. attained a mean speed OF
1924 knots during her three hours
trial, the engines developing 1866 horse
power. The contract called for twenty
I'VE knots
The French naval authorities are
greatly alarmed over the fact that
plans of forts had been stolen and
haWked about by an Italian named
Fragola, as recently stated in news
dispatches. He had offered the plans
and documents to several newspapers
in France and England, but >Gs
his figures were too high ne
gotiations lfen through. He finally
communicated with the French
Ministers Of War and Marine with
the result that the Government re-
covered its property. NJ. Lockroy,
former Minister OF Marine. was at first
disposed 10 belittle the Importance OF
the incident, but has come to realize
the seriousness of the theft and pub
licity of the documents. There were
no less that forty-two plans OF the
batteries Of Brest, Toulon/ and Cher
bourg, with the armament of each
battery, height Of guns above the sea.
and, what is still worse, there were
detailed drawings Of the position OF
submarine mines and sunken torpedoes
of the principal naval ports. A vigor-
Gus investigation is being made into
the affair. and the Government will
be put 10 great expense in effecting
such changes in the systems Of defense
as viii make the stolen information
valueless TO foreign powers.
The French Minister of Marine is
considering the proposition Of changing
the forms Of ships turrets, making
them in the form Of half globe. The
weight. as compared with the present
shape. is claimed TO be fifty per cent
less while the curvature of the plates
would offer greater resistance TO pro-
jectiles than is now obtained with YER
tical sides.
NEW WATER-TUBE BOILER
Rear Admiral Miyabara, engineer-in-
chief of Japan's navy, has invented a
water tube boiler for which the claim
is made that IT is cheaper and simpler
- \ QlTT
vile. Niclausse or Babcock and VIII
cox boiler, and that given the same
space and weight the japanese boiler
will give slightly larger power than
the Belleville. Its durability has been
tested in a tugboat. running constantly
for two years without cleaning the
tubes, and when some orne ago an eX-
animation was made Of two tubes
located in the worst region. they were
found to be as clean inside as when
new. nor were there any indication of
corrosion. This conclusively proved
that the circulation of water was all
that could be desired.
John F. Hanscom. naval constructor
I'm the United States navy, having
reached the age limit Of So years,
which makes retirement compulsory,
was retired from active service on
Nav p last. Mr. Hanscom was the
appointed from civil life, and now all
its members are graduates from the
naval academy. Prior to 1879 all the
naval constructors and assistants were
selected from civilians assumed to
have the requisite qualifications, and
while in a few instances unworthy
persons entered the service as such
political influences, the mem
bers Of the corps were, in the main,
practical men and skilled in their pro-
fession. In 1879 Secretary Thompson
selected three cadet midshipmen-
Schock. BoWles and Gatewood-as fu-
ture naval constructors, and they were
sent to Greenwich College, England.
for a course Of study in naval archi-
lecture. They were appointed assist
ant constructors in 1881 while still at
college. Schock and Gatewood died
and BOwles resigned. but the line of
succession still keeps on and the pro-
motions have been rapid, as the older
constructors passed away and the in
creased building of ships required ad-
ditional constructors.
a QUESTION OF SKILL.
It was asserted that the appoint
ment OF naval constructors from grad
yates Of the naval academy would pro-
cure a higher skilled class Of men
than could be had from civil life, but
twenty-four years workings of the
system has not yet demonstrated this
assertion of superiority to be correct.
Practically all the ships of the new
navy afloat and building at the present
time were designed by 7. D. Wilson
and Philip Hickborn, and the work
OF superintendent of construction up
TO say eight years ago was mainly
done by constructors Of long years
experience. It vet remains to be prov
ed that the designs of battleships. ar
mored cruisers and other war vessels
since 1901 will turn out as improve
ments on prior designs, for while 1t
must be admitted that the new corps
Of constructors excel their predeces-
sOrs in mathematics and allied studies,
they have all had to learn the practi-
cal part of shlpbuilding and the man
agement Of affairs and men after they
became officers in the navy, and these