The San Francisco call., 1904-03-07
STRIVE EAGERLY PROVIDE FOR THE STATES BETTEENT
BY PERFORMING THE WORK THAT NECESSARY TO MAKE THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES M
BATTLESHIPS PURCHASED FROM CHILE BY GREAT BRITAIN
REMARKABLE FOR SPEED ATTAINED ON LIGHT TONNAGE
Naval Officers and Experts Are Dis
cusSing This Achievement of Sir
Edward Reed, the Designer.

The purchase by Great Britain of the two small
battleships caused discussion among naval
officers and the Continent regard
ing the merits and remarkable ships
as compared with other somewhat similar vessels The
London Engineering a devoted less than
twenty-five pages this subject and the critical com
paratve Of the worlds battleships and armored
cruisers valuable because OF their ac-
c,,racv and the manner in which they presented.
Experts are agreed what constitutes typical
battleship Size armament protection speed ana coal
capacity which compromises must be made
but taking Russell type, battleship of $4,000 tons
knots for comparison the designer Of the
Chilean ships succeeded in attaining 1880 tons
a speed twenty knots with only slight sacrifice
protection and still retaining battery power equal to
that Of British designs.
There is one interesting connection with these
two ships generally known. They designed by
Sir Edward Reed formerly chief constructor in the
British navy with the Whitworth & Arm
strong The long and successful career Of
Edward Reed naval architect has made his name
familiar throughout world, and ships of his design
have at found in nearly all navies during
he past forty years. born in 1880 and after
apprenticeship as shlpwrlght at Sheeres COCK
yard passed the naval school Portsmouth and
then Government service. In 1868 he was offered
and accepted the position of chief constructor in the
British navy held that office until 1870, when he
resigned the admiralty contrary his advice.
had Captain Cole build ship which Reed contended was
unseaworthy his resignation the ship
Captain capsized, drowning its designer and
over 400 officers and members OF the crew In ADDITION to
the designing and superintendent building
sells and steam yachts during succeeding years Sir Ed
the books theoretical and
practical ship-buiding, when Philip Watts left the
Armstrong company in 1902 become director of
construction IN the royal navy Sir Edward Reed took his
place architect Elswick Now, the age
three he has in designing
two warships which are admitted TO be the best com
promise all essential qualities. less displacement
by nearly 80 cent and reduced cost than other
builders have done
FRENCH CRITICISM OF OUR NAVY.
The French service journal, Armee Marine good
naturedIy crcizes the yellow papers in the United
States which declare that American navy
in the world This practice it is cOnended, is reprehen
sble in that if gives the general public erroneous
idea Of the relative merits navfes. The ct
Marine admits that United States vessels
lent. contends other powers
good ships and instances the records
sarge ana Gauois An important point in this connec
this. that ship years than
the Kearsarge and launched before the
begun. Their dates OF completion February. 1898
and February, 1900. respectively.
The battleship Rearsarge good
year across the Atlantic, establishing, believed,
new worlds record. To England the distance
$500 miles, which made speed 1862
knots an hour Returning from Portsmouth, England to
Frenchnans Bay. Maine the distance
miles made average speed 1872
IS ms record "s IL appears TO nave been beaten by
The French bateshp Gauois which trip across
the Atlantic last June covering 1884 miles
1t average speed Of l4S knots thus beating the
sarges average speed by knots two ships are
nearly Of the size the Kearsarge having
ment fully loaded OF 1905 and the GauIos 1867
tons The maximum horsepower and trial speed of the
two ships 1884 and 1876 knots the Kearsarge
and 1s,5oo and is knots for the Gaulois.
REDUCING POWDER CHARGES
The frequent accidents of late to guns
prompted Ordnance to issue an
ORDER FeOucng the srnOkeeSs charges
in the 1t virtually that bureau of
its lack of confidence the guns powder nanufac-
tured under its supervision and the upon per-
sonnet officers and depressing There is
nothing more destructive 10 the efficiency
ship than the suspicion that the dangerous
those who handle them, for with shaken the
and all hands spirit and NAV become
thoroughly demoralized. navy disastrous ex-
perence Of this kind in the Civil War when during the
second attack Fort Fisher, prema
ture explosions ships killed wounded more
men than the enemys fire. The gun accidents during
the past three have fortunately been without loss
OF lfe but the blowing off Of the two eight
inch guns/on the Iowa while practice might
have been highly disastrous occurring
during a battle at reported that the
board OF inquiry discovered that the forgngs
bursted guns had at time been condemned and an
investigation is going to ascertain the responsibility
for this act Of whether premedtated
due to blunder. There be guns of that
kind board ships; defective Shells causing premature
explosions have been in evidence trouble
seems TO be with the smokeless powder navy
permented with this powder for many years but not
until the Spanish American it introduced in the
nearly ten after it had in prn-
cipal European navies. 1t is conceded by naval
authorities that this destructive
than the brown common powder, its use
abroad has been attended with serious results
in navy.