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-- MARINE REVIEW. 7 Making Big Claims for the New York. Admiral Meade, commanding the North Atlantic squadron, and Capt. Robley D. Evans of the cruiser New York, have sent reports to the navy department making big claims for the performance of the New York on a trial which occurred Jan. 12 while that vessel was en route from New York to Hampton Roads. Admiral Meade's endorsement on Capt. Evans' report is very flattering to the cruiser. It reads: 'Approved and for- warded, except that I do not agree with Capt. Evans as to the ship's pro- bable speed of 22 knots. I think 21 knots the very outside limit, and that with the ship's present force could not be sustained for many hours, owing to the difficulty of serving rapidly the furnace fires." The official report of Captain Evans is as follows: 'I have the honor to state that on Jan. 12, 1895, I gave the U. S. S. New York, under my command, a full speed, natural draught trial, and submit the following report: The bottom of the ship was clean, she having been recently painted at the New York navy yard. The weather was clear and cold, with light, variable winds, mostly from east to southeast. The sea was smooth, with a long and at times heavy ground swell from the eastward. The engines were started ahead and gradually worked up to full speed at Passed-Assistant Engineer F. J. Schell also made a report on the per- formance of the engines during the trial. His report reads: "I have the honor herewith to transmit the data of the trial of this vessel, made on the 12th inst., and to make the following report: The period covered was from ll a.m.to8p.m. During this time half-hourly observations were made as far as possible. The average indicated horse power for the main engines is 7,180.78. The collective indicated horse power for the main engines, air and circulating pumps is 7,212.78. In obtaining the average for the main engines, the cards were taken as a basis, as the revolutions of the engines then approached the average number quite closely. The horse power of each cylinder was increased in the ratio of the cubes of the revolutions for the average indicated horse power. The following auxiliaries, in addition to air and circulating pumps, were in use: One electric light engine, one ice machine, four ventilating engines, one flush- ing pump, three main feed pumps, four engine room bilge pumps, one auxiliary condenser, one steering engine. A portion of the fire room blowers were run by direction of Chief Engineer Lowe during the first part of the trial; those in No. 1 fire room, where the draught was poor, on account of the ventilators being masked bya screen on the bridge, CAPTIVE LOOKOUT BALOON ON BOARD A FRENCH BATTLESHIP. 10 a. m,, when near the Sandy Hook light-ship. A course southeast was steered, in order to get deep water as soon as possible. When twenty-five miles off shore the course was changed to southwest by south, and the run continued until 8 p. m., when we were up with Winter Quarter shoal. The average speed for the run was 18 knots, the maximum being 19.6. The machinery worked wellin all parts,and the fire-room force was ample for the purpose. The fire-rooms were cool and the men seemed to enjoy the work. The swell was of such a nature that she took water over her stern and onto the forecastle deck in small quantities, enough only to keep her forward deck wet. The run of the coal from the bunkers was used as directed by regulations, and no assistance from the deck force was found necessary in handling the same. The coal used caused con- siderable clinker, and after four hours it was found impossible to remove the clinker from the back of the furnaces, as the slide bars would slide up over it. The fronts were kept clear. With Pocahontas coal and sim- ilar conditions I believe the New York could maintain an average speed of 19 knots under natural draught and probably 22 knots under forced draught. In my opinion the trial above recorded demonstrates that the New York is, beyond question, the fastest vessel of her class in the world and thoroughly capable of doing the work for which she was designed. I assure the department that I feel deeply the honor of sucha command." were run until 2 p.m. 'The horse power of the auxiliaries was estimated partly from the data of the contractors' official trial and partly from in- dicator cards taken at various times. Itis not practicable to indicate them during the trial. Bituminous coal of good quality was used. The average amount of coal burned per hour was 7.85 tons. Taking this aver- age speed at 18 knots, this gives 2.29 knots per ton of coal." Captive Baloons on the War Vessels. France is the home of the captive baloon. An illustration,on this page shows the utilization of a captive baloon on board the French naval vessel Formidable, while stationed at Toulon, where numerous ascensions were made with results that are said to warrant the continuance of experi- ments. The aim is, of course, to extend the visible horizon for strategic purposes. The REviEw is indebted to the American Engineer and Rail- road Journal of New York for the engraving. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1894, the dominion government expended $1,640,483 on the St. Lawrence canals; $1,316,529 on the " Soo" canal; $3,412 on the Trent river works; $64,345 on the Lachine canal, and $1,571 on the Welland Canal.