The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

tube and the third went straight but failed to carry further than 500 yards. Anchor gear trials and wireless tests were also conducted successfully. The Octopus later fired a_ torpedo from the starboard tube very success- fully. On this day the Octopus for the second time in that week lost a torpedo. They are valued at $3,000 apiece and are the property of the government. The submarine Lake was given her submerged speed trial May 21, in addition to which she was also sub-" jected to maneuvering tests. She was sent over the measured mile course three times. On the first run, with the tide and against the wind, she covered the course at a rate of speed of 7.72 knots per hour. On the next run, against tide and with the wind, she developed speed of 5.69 knots an hour. On the third run--against the tide--the speed was 5.61 knots. In being sent over the course full speed and requiring to be stopped - and backed, the Lake accomplished the feat in 42 seconds. Sealing her top and dropping to a 20-ft. depth was accomplished in 7 miniites 19 seconds. This was followed, as re- quired, by anchoring in 40 ft. of water, after which the boat returned to the harbor. -- The torpedo firing trials and the run in the open sea were conducted May 22. The torpedo launching trials took place in Coddington cove, with the small boats 300 ft. apart as a target. The range was 800 yards. The armiscope was used for observa- tion of the first two shots, but the third observation was made from the conning tower. The first shot was successfully launched 'from the star-. starting . board tube, although the lever of the torpedo failed to trip. The second torpedo, fired from the port tube, crossed the line between the two target boats. In starting to turn to discharge a torpedo from her stern tube the torpedo prematurely discharged and went only a short distance. All three of the torpedoes were later picked up. The maneuvers at a depth of 10 ft. were next successfully accomplished, after which the Lake went to sea for her trial in light and awash conditions. These tests were well withstood, al- though a high sea was running. On May 23, the Lake in submerg- ing herself went down 135 ft. 5 ft. deeper than any submarine had pre- viously gone with human _ beings aboard. It required just 19 minutes and. 18 seconds from the time the Lake was sealed for her to reach the bottom, the descent from 30 ft. below the surface being accomplished . Lake was | "TAE Marine REVIEW in three minutes and.45 seconds. No water leaked into the Lake in this trial and her engines were without damage. The Burger subsurface model was also given a trial by the board, mak- ing three runs over the measured mile, the first at a rate of 8.93 knots, the second at a rate of 8.59 knots and the third at a rate of 9 knots, the mean speed being 8.78 knots. This boat is but 35 ft. on the water line and is propelled by a 28-H. P. gasoline engine, | On May 24 the Lake tested her ability at the bottom, showing the usefulness of the boat for mining, countermining and cutting cables, the diving compartment being occupied on this occasion by three members of the Lake's company, the water being kept out by air pressure from the inside equal to the water pressure' at the opening, through which coun- terfeit mines were anchored on the bottom, and a demonstration was also made of the ease with which the enemy's mines may be exploded by means of an electric current from the led through the opening of the diving compartment. In the process of mining and coun- termining the contact of the Lake with the bottom was avoided by the use of wheels which were lowered, and on an uneven bottom the. boat ran some distance on them, with a minimum of unevenness, owing to a cushioning device on the wheels. The interesting question now arises as to whether the tests have been completed as required by law, con- gress in extending the limit at first fixed for. the completion of the tests having set May 29 as the date for the conclusion. At last accounts the 200-ft. submergence test of the Octo- pus had not been completed owing to the rough water, but it is the be- lief of the ofmcials that. the spirit of the law has been complied with. ROYAL YACHTS. The Victoria and Albert, in which the king and queen have cruised in the Mediterranean, is the largest and most magnificent of all the royal yachts. It is a vessel of 5,000 tons, and was only launched a year or two ago. Next 'to it comes the Standart, of 4,334 tons, which belongs to the czar, and third in order is the kaiser's yacht, Hohenzol- lern, which is of 3,773 tons, and was launched at Stettin in 1893. The yacht. belonging to the king of Siam is a man-of-war, the Matsu-Chakri, of 2,092 tons, and was launched at Leith in 1892; while that belonging to the khedive is still larger, for it is of 3,350 tons, and though it was built as long 15 ago as 1865, is the most luxuriously fitted of all the royal yachts. The Prince of Monaco does his. deep sea soundings in the Princess Alice, 1,368 tons; the king of the Belgians' yacht is the Alberta, 1,332 tons, launched in 1896; the king of Italy owns a small yacht, the Tela, the king of Spain the Giralda, and the king of Portugal the Amelia. It is a curious thing that a large number of these royal yachts were built in Scotland. VALUE OF PERSONNEL. A great steel-maker once said that he considered his trained staff a. more valuable asset than his buildings, his plant; and his. 'machinery; that he -- would rather. a great fire should de- stroy the whole of his property than -he should lose the services of the per- sonnel of his works. If one comes to think of it, this is hardly more than a truism, for plant and buildings, even of great value, can be quickly replaced, and that with certainty, but it takes years to mature men of experience, and even then--for human beings vary so much more widely than machines-- one can never tell how a man will fit a position until he has been tried in it. Fortunately, the staff of an engineering works is not apt to disappear at a blow; but in all establishments the process is always going on to some ex- tent, if only through tle natural cause of death and decay. It is surprising how little provision is generally made ° for replacement. Often, when propri- etors or general managers are in a con- fidential mood, one will hear that they really do not know what they would do if Mr. Blank left; but they defer tak- ing precautions against such a catas- trophe until the evil day arrives. Truly - one cannot insure against the loss of a valuable servant, as one can against the burning of a workshop; but 'certain precautions can be taken. oe The man who has been brought up in a works, and has won his way in them to a high position, is a more valu- able servant than one who is_intro- duced from without, because he has an affection for, the alma mater of his mechanical training, a feeling _ of brotherhood towards those with whom he has been so long working--of pa- ternity for the good reputation he has himself helped to create--and this be- gets enthusiasm of a kind never engen- dered by monetary considerations alone, even in an age said to be, above all things, prosaic and mercenary. These generally unconsidered ele- ments in the policy of management tend more toward smooth working and material success than is often imagined. --Engineering, London.