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1899.] MARINE REVIEW. SO ALL THE NEWS OF THE NAVY. INTEREST AGAIN AROUSED IN PROPOSED GOVERNMENT ARMOR WORKS--A NAVAL ENGINEER'S OPINION OF THE TURBINE VESSELS-- OTHER WASHINGTON MATTERS. WASHINGTON Orrick Martina Review, 1345 PRNNSYLVANIA AVE, Wasuineton, Dec. 20, 1899. } Congress will devote considerable attention to that part of the report of the secretary of the navy which relates to the establishment of a.factory for the manufacture .of armor plate. There is a general agreement that the new ships shall be constructed with the best armor obtainable. Since the revival of the subject there have been many calls for the report of the armor: factory board which was transmitted.to congress on Dec. 6, 1897, making a comprehensive statement on the subject with specifications and estimates for such an establishment.. The-factory board estimated that the cost of a plant having a capacity to manufacture 6,000 tonsa year of nickel steel, face-hardened and reforged armor would be, exclusive of land for a site and of freight on building material or expense for piling foundations, but including an open hearth department for the production of nickel steel ingots, $3,747,912.11. It is said that. owing.to the market increase in the cost of structural material since the date of the factory board's report the estimate given should 'be increased not less than 30 per cent, bringing the estimated cost now up to, $4,872,285.74. It is de- clared that the cost of a plant to produce Krupp armor would not ma- terially differ from one to make Harvey armor, as all the principal fea- tures are common to both, but the output of Krupp armor would: be less than that of Harvey armor. It would probably be 5,000 instead of 6,000 tons. , One feature of the report which causes concern among those who are really anxious to establish.a government factory is the following: "A government armor factory not. connected with an establishment. engaged in other branches of the steel industry would depend for its success and economic administration upon constant demand for an output nearly ap- proaching its full capacity. If the government should establish an armor factory the efficient and economic maintenance of working of that factory would necessarily: depend upon a constant yearly appropriation for ships to be provided with armor, because the armor produced at any time must be specially designed for and fitted to those ships. Any failure to appropriate for such ships in one year would require the cessation of work and the laying off, indefinitely, of the skilled experts and laborers that had been trained to this industry. A resumption of work at a later period would require the training, at a considerable expense, of a new set of men. In the meantime the progress of the art would perhaps have been such that difficult and radical changes would be required, which under continuous working might have been gradually and easily made." The only government armor factory which the American government has information of is the Russian plant at Kolpino, near St. Petersburg, known as the Tjora Iron Works, but from the fact that Russia buys armor in the United States it is inferred that this factory does not meet the requirements of the Russian service. ENGLISH TURBINE DESTROYERS. Lieut, Harold P. Norton of the navy, who is inspector of machinery for the United States cruiser Albany at the Armstrong ship yards, New- castle-on-Tyne, England, has been having a hard time trying to get some detailed information about the torpedo boat destroyers Turbinia and Viper, which have been advertised as the most wonderful vessels ever designed in regard to speed. He was permitted to inspect the engine and the boiler rooms of the Turbinia, but not to see them while the vessel was tunning, and he had to he satisfied with walking around the outside of the building 'where the turbines for the destroyers were being built. He was not even allowed to look through the doors. Lieut. Norton was promised by Mr. Parsons, the inventor of the turbines, that he should have .a chance to witness a run of the Turbinia or one of the large boats, but the promise was subsequently withdrawn. Lieut. Norton managed to get considerable information, however, which is contained in a report to the engineer-in-chief of the navy. The turbines, he says, are placed very low down in the Turbinia and all the platforms are above them and very much cramped. The heat being all below the platforms, makes the engine rooms very uncomfortable. He was informed that it was almost unbearable. The air pump is driven by an ordinary steam engine, which is not of good design, and whenever the boat has 'been in use it-has caused a great amount of trouble. The thrust is taken up in collars instead of the turbine case, working in an oil bath with forced lubrication. There is a small Worthington pump, the same. as used in the United States service launch, for circulating the oil and keeping it cool. The turbines will not reverse and this difficulty, has. caused some accidents in the case of the Turbinia, as it is impossible for her to go astern. Lieut. Norton had a-chance to examine the boiler very care- fully and he expresses the opinion that a large part of the success i the Turbinia is due to her having a boiler that. could furnish all the Steam that the turbines could use and considers that, nearly as Bond, if not quite as good, results could have been obtained with the sere boi er and a well-balanced reciprocating engine. Mr. Parsons furnished some figures about the Turbinia, in part as follows: . Total weieht of engines, 3 tons 18 hundred weight; total weight machinery and pola ee shafting, tanks, etc., 22 tons; weight of hull, 15.tons; coal and water, (72 tons; total displacement, 4434 tons; maximum mean speed on the meas- . : nse: i ES; ured mile, 37.76 knots; speed maintained for four consecutive hou 34 1-3:knots; calculated propulsion horse power at 82 knots, 980. Beppe 4: : sate Mr. Parsons con- - Lieut: Norton includes in his report a letter from oe d ini : : i destroyers now building an taining a comparison of the United States uy '1 the United States the two British turbine destroyers: '"I'notice that in th : : destroyers," says Mr. Parsons, "a horse power of 8,000 is specified with : have guaran- a total weicht of heading of 190 tons. In our destroyers we p teed 9,500 i and' expect fo reach 12,000 with total wets of nee ae tons. Our boilers are about 10 per cent net less iad is See ne a grate surface than yours. The displacement of our destroy about 810 to 820 tons." 13 PROPOSED PAOIFIO CABLE. The naval project for a Pacific cable connectin San Francisco Honolulu, Guam, and the Philippines gives greater foulice of practica- bility than other plans suggested to congress for facilitating commercial and military communication in that ocean, and the bill embodying its features and authorizing its construction and maintenance, which has been introduced by Senator Hale, is likely to become a law. The only cable surveys of a route across the Pacific have been made by the navy and they have enabled the naval authorities to count the cost of the en- terprise and its feasibility with confident accuracy. The army scheme for a cable to, remain always a military line has been planned wholly on theoretical considerations involving a mid-ocean landing place on a coral rock frequently submerged each year during the stormy season. The private cable companies, which have been rivals in seeking government aid, have made no surveys and their projects have savored strongly of 'speculation at government expense. The principal private company asks congress to give it a charter and guarantee a subsidy of $400,000 annu- ally for twenty years, During that period it offers to carry government messages free and thereafter will charge the government one-half com- mercial rates. Under this plan the government. would pay out $8,000,000 and in the end the company would have the cable and could sell it to England, Germany, Russia or Japan. The naval project is for a $10,- 000,000 cable plant, including submarine lines, stations and equipment, to be all laid by regular naval officers and vessels, and to be delivered when completed to the postmaster general, who will manage, operate and maintain the service in the same manner as the postal system with a simple regard for the public interest. In explanation of the appropria- tion called for it is said by Rear Admiral, Bradford, who has had charge of the matter, that $1,000,000 is the estimate of cost of maintenance for the, first year, after which the post office department could pay the ex- penses out of its receipts. |, ct COALING VESSELS AT SEA. It is generally admitted that the recent tests of machinery developed by the Lidgerwood Mnfg. Co. of New York have demoustrated the prac- ticability of coaling vessels at sea. The report of the inspection board conducting the trial with the cruiser New York and the collier Cassius is favorable to the system, while the report of the commanding officer of the New York is even more commendatory. The board found that. the -- appliances for moving the coal worked admirably and that the claim of the inventors were fully-sustained. It has been found, however, that the appliances in some respects were too light and that perhaps it would be better to have them made of heavier steel if the navy adopts the sys- tem. While the matter of coaling ships at sea has 'been experimental for years it was never believed that any apparatus would be found that would transfer coal from collier to warship much faster than the ¥essels were burning it. One expense of the system is that should the collier accom- pany a war vessel a long distance it would burn as much coal as it would supply the warship. The present system is unquestionably the best yet presented to the navy department and worked to the satisfaction of the officials.. There is not, however, great necessity for colliers with naval ships. on long voyages, except in time of war, owing to the establish- ment of outlying coaling stations and the admirable system of coal de- posits along the coast. Admiral Bradford is said to be rather opposed for the present to adopting the invention, although it may be accepted considering the trouble and expense of the inventors in bringing it to its present. state of perfection. BILLS IN CONGRESS. Among bills introduced in congress are the following: That the secretary of the navy be directed in the selection of names for nayal vessels to give the names of states only to battleships and cruisers of the first class; authorizing the secretary of the. treasury to establish a life saving staion at or near Bogue inlet, North Carolina, in such locality as the general superintendent of the life saving service may recommend; authorizing the secretary of the treasury to construct a new revenue cutter of the first class to be stationed at Newport, R. I., the price of the cutter not to exceed $200,000. A bill authorizing the construction of a cruiser to be named the Charleston to replace the vessel recently sunk off the Philippines was also introduced in the house last week. NEW TYPE OF ICE VESSEL. With the present day interest in the subject of ice crushing or ice breaking vessels it is to be expected that many modifications of the idea will be brought forward. The latest idea, that of an ice crusher to be attached to the prow of a steam vessel, for use as a drilling machine. is a product, of the ingenuity of Mr. Warrington Baden-Powell, an Englishman, brother. of Sir George Baden-Powell, M. P., and' Col. Baden-Powell, now making a creditable record in South Africa. The new ice-crushing craft will resemble an ocean whaleback, the deck covering being of steel studded with heavy rivets, the whole welded to withstand extreme temperature. At the apex of the bow will be fitted a curious screw,. somewhat, resembling a circular saw, and this will pro- ject several feet, partially out of water. At the end of the shaft is a massive point which can be operated.as a ram. The idea, of course, is to send the craft against the ice under a full head of steam, the screw at the bow working simultaneously with the propeller at the stern. The former will be electricaly propelled. The propeller will be driven 'by triple expansion engines of 1500 horse power. Oil fuel will be used. The dynamo for supplying the electrical power for the screw forward will be driven by the main shaft. The Nickel Plate road on Dec. 17, 1899, will inaugurate a new through vestibuled sleeping car service, leaving New York City via Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad at 11:45 p. m. and arriving in Buffalo at 12:10 noon, connecting there with train No. 5, on the Nickel Plate road, arriving in Chicago at 7:20 a.m. Also, No. 6 leaving Chi- cago at 10:15 p. m., and arriving in Buffalo at 4:55 p. m., will carry a through vestibuled sleeper, arriving in New York via the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad at 7:25 a. m. 185-Dec. 21