The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-15
TORPEDO WILL
 PROTECT SHIPS Prof. Harnach Discovers Book of Third Century MINISTRY ATTACKED German Ministers Agreement With France Has Made Them Unpop-
 ular With the People-Rhine
 River to Be Improved

Berlin. October 14.-The navy depart ment has succeeded in improving the torpedo net for the protection of warshlps to such an extent that all the newer yes, sels are to be provided with it as soon as possible. Hitherto few ships have been protected in this way as 1t had been found that speed was diminished by the attainment of nets and also that the old style of net was not available at all while the vessel was under way. A recent invention made by naval offi- cer. whose improvement has been Kept secret, has overcome these difficulties, and permits the vessel to steam at un- diminished speed while the net is fully spread
 Professor Hanack the famous church historian of Berlin university, has an- nounced the discovery of an old manu- script of much interest to students or the early history of Christianity. A Greek professor of the University of Athens, pr Diohouniotis found an old document of the tenth century in the Meteoron mon astery short time ago. He sent Il 10 Professor Harnack. who decides that 1t was written by Origen, one of the earliest
  dates from the third century. and con- sists of a commentary on the Book of Revelations up to chapter 14.
 The decision of the chief points of the Moroccan controversy has brought with it a fresh crisis in the shape or many-sided attack on the German mln- istry and more especially on the foreign secretary. Herr von Kiderlen-W rrt. xx-itl I, ItroY dissatisfied all quarters. The Pan-Ger- mans are bitterly disappointed because Germany has not obtained share of Morocco, even had it been at the price of war; the national liberals and conserya- tives, because Germany policy in their opinion. has been too conciliatory; the socialists, because the country has from their point of view been led perilously near to war over a matter which was not worth the risk. The non-partisan press is adding to the outcry by con- demning loudly the mystery which sur rounded the negotiations from beginning to end.
 How Herr von Kiderlen- will extricate himself from his unpleasant sit- uation remains to be seen. It is certain that he will be the subject of fierce attacks on the meeting of the reichstag, and his resignation may be demanded.
 One of the most important engineer ing undertakings now engaging atten- tion in Germany is a plan to make the Rhine navigable from Basic, Switzer- land, to Lake Constance. Three south German states and Switzerland are interesting themselves in the matter. While it has not yet been definitely decided to carry out the scheme, three companies now building dams for power purposes on the stream have been ordered to put in locks of at least 295 feet length to accommodate the large barges that are expected to plv on the stream. The most difficult technical problem in the way of carry
 ing out the scheme is to overcome the rise of about so feet at the Falls of the Rhine at Schaffhausen. Here it is proposed either to build two locks oi about 40 feet rise each, or put in a ship elevator similar to the one al ready in use at Hinrichenburg, on the Dortmund- Ems canal, where barges are run into huge tanks, and these then lifted by hydraulic pressure to the level of the higher stretch of the canal. Another difficult point is at Laufenburg. some IS or 20 miles east of Basic, where the river rushes through a gorge and has fall of about 45 feet: and the water here is three times the volume at Schaffhausen. A dam is already building here and will be completed in a few years, develop ing about 50,000 horsepower.
 A number of other power plants Of smaller proportions will be built at various points along the stream to overcome rapids; finally very large one will be built some 10 miles below Basic by the Alsatian manufacturing city of Muhlhausen. Manufacturing towns will spring up, it is believed, or both the German and Swiss sides oi the river
 The total cost of the undertaking is estimated at about s10,00O,000, appar- ently, not including dams now build Ing. Of this sum the three German states of Baden Wirttemburg and Ba- varia are to pay s4,600,0O0; Switzer' | land, $4o00 900. and Austria, 1,40o,oO