Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-16
D DISCUSSED SHIPS
King Edward and Kaiser
Noted Differences.
ARMAMENT QUESTION
PICTURESQUE CEREMoNIALs AT
DOVER FOR CURzoN.
Installation Of the English Lord as
Warden Of the Cirque Ports
Grand Fete.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star


LONDON, July 6, 1894.
A well-known parsonage who has been at
Kiel during the past week is responsible
for the statement that the kaiser has prom
Used to present to King Edward an album
containing photographs of all the ships of
the battleship and cruiser class in the Ger
man navy. The kaiser's promise arose, it
Is said, from discussion which occurred on
Monday evening last after dinner on the
difference in appearance between the Ger
man and the British warships and the
amount of upper work and structure they
carry In the discussion not only the two
monarchs. but several of their suite en-
gagged and the conclusion was come to
that in modern warfare ships should have
as little as possible in the way of upper
structure. While the matter was discussed
IN the abstract. it was left an open ques-
ton whether the British or the German
warships were the worse offenders in this
respect
But the naval officers of the ships that
formed the escort to the royal yacht have
no ScrupleS in discussing the relative sea-
worthiness and fighting qualities of the re-
spectipe navies, and the remarks since their
return have not been very complimentary
to the German naval engineers. The Ger
man ships, they say, have an enormous
bunk OF upper structure which makes them
topheavy and liable to capsize in heavy
sea and would also expose the men to great
risks in action from flying spinters But
more serious danger is that the German
ships are over-armed They carry too many
guns for their capacity.
In British ship one occasionally meets
gun in unobtrusive corners but in Ger
man ships-and this is true of the French
ships, too-one is continually running in
to them The result would be that, If
complete broadside were fired, the ship
would almost certainly capsize with the re-
coil. The men, too, would not have enough
room to work their guns; there would be
danger or the guns blowing each others
heads on and If an enemys shell got in
among them the damage would be terrific.
There is also the danger of their becoming
loose in a heavy sea and knocking
holes in the ships sides. Such are some
of the criticisms Of British sailors on the
German ships; but it would be interesting,
too, to have the German opinion of the
British. The question of armament has
long been a debatable point in the latter
navy.
The Great National Harbor.
I was in Dover last week and present at
two events Of great Importance to that
famous old town. Dover is well known to
the good" Americans who are anxious to
get away from foggy England to brilliant
Paris and do not wish to be seasick in
crossing the channel. 1t Is the shortest
crossing and can now be made under the
hour by the new turbine steamer the
Queen. All Americans who have passed
through the port during the last five years
will remember the two long arms curving
out from the east and west sides of the
harbor. growing daily into the shape Of i'm
mense piers with a connecting breakwater
in the middle. This is the great national
harbor which is being constructed at a cost
of nearly Ego, 100000
One of the events l witnessed was con-
nected with Dovers new ambition to be a
n he 81 ly
harbor facilities. 1t the arrival and
departure of the first Hamburg-American
liner to use Dover. The Prinz Waldemar,
bound for Brazil, had the honor of being
the first large ocean steamer to come along
side the new Prince of Wales pier to leave
and embark passengers. Her arrival marks
a great event for Dover, for the Hamburg
American line Will hereafter use the port,
and others are expected to follow, bringing
great prosperity to the ancient Cirque port.
This week the New York-bound Graf
Waldersee, of 1900 tons. will follow the
Waldermar, and next week the big
Deutschland will astoniSh the Doverites by
her size and magnficence. 1t is really the
turning point for Dover and marks her re-
entrance into the worlds shipping contest.
1t Is the towns misfortune, however, at
present to be served by the worst railway
in England, the slowest and most behind
the times. The train service is sonnet thing
to laugh at. and the railway carriages (cat-
tie trucks would be better name for them)
are dirty, ill-lighted and uncomforta BILE
The Southeastern and Chatham, the rail-
way in question has not yet adopted the
corridor carriage, and has nothing better
in the way of speed to offer than about
forty miles an hour with vexatfous delays
at the London terminf which are crowded
with passengers. The line has the greatest
channel traffic of any In England &C
count Of the short crossing, and does the
least of any line to improve it's facilities or
even to bring them up-to-date. On the
French side of the channel one finds ample
ONT Sf.ft nrri
compartment carriages lighted by electric
ity, and a railway speed of nearly sixty
miles an hour. The English line will have
to wake up and do something and treat its
travellers human beings and not as 80
many animals. Now that the ocean liners
have arranged to make Dover a port OF
CALL probably even the backward railway
will look up. If it does not Americans used
Southwestern railway. between London and
Southampton, will refuse to use Dover.
Installation Of Curzon.
The second event which took place on the
next day after the Waldemar arrived
the installation of Lord Curzon as
warden of the Cirque ports. The intimate
connection between the two events is APP
Parent at once. though their proximity was
accidental The restoration of the ancient
Cirque ports Importance as seaport
ccincided nicely with the ceremony of in
preside the destinies and welfare Of
Dover and its fellows
There is at least one thing which Dover
can do better than any other town-it can
recall the memories of the past with eX-
quisite dignity. and present an old
world pageant with perfect effect Tho i'm
posing ceremonial which took place on Sat-
urday is unique in England, and nowhere
else could it be so fifty carried out. The
environment is redolent of the ages AMI
the sonorous mediaevalism in all its splen.
dor seemed to bear the onlooker back for
hundreds Of years. with hardly EARRING
circumstance to impair the Illusion
The Cirque ports, the Ancient Towns"
and their limbs members" are proud
of their pomp and formularies. The five
ports are Sandwich. Dover Hythe Ron1aey
and Hastings; and Dover and Hastings still
dispute to which is the premier port Of
them all. The privileges were extended to
the ancient towns of Winchelsea and Pye
and the subordinate towns. the so-caled
limbs or members Ramsgate, Mar
gate, Tenterden, Deal Folkestonc Fayer-
sham and Lydd are proud of their associa-
ton with the institution. Each sent Its
representa- ives in all their panoply of robes
and chains and gold and silver and baubles,