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fast as they filled their bunkers. ae COALING AT PORT SAID. The United States battleship fleet were coaled at Port Sa'd on the re- turn trip home. The work of coaling occupied from Jan. 4 to Jan. 12 and was conductéd by the Brit'sh Coal- ing Depots, whose American agents are the Chesapeake & Ohio Coal & Coke Co., 165 Broadway, New York. THe Marine REVIEW tuted the largest war fleet that has ever passed through the Suez canal, the canal dres amoun:ing to about $130,000. WIRELESS TELEPHONY CRITI- CISED. The wireless telephcne has reported as having proved of less use been UNITED STATES BATTLESHIP FLEET AT PORT SAID, The vessels coaled were the battle- ships Connecticut, Vermont, Kansas, Minnesota, Louisiana, Virginia, Mis- souri, Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia, Ne- braska, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Kearsarge, and the auxiliaries Yankton, Colgoa, Ajax and Panther. The ships left as The first vessels to get away were ordered to Messina and Naples to assist in the relief of the earthquake refugees. The quantity of coal supplied was as follows: Yankton, 90 tons; Colgoa, 655 tons; Connecticut, 1,443 tons; Ver- mont, 1,489 tons; Kansas, 1,760 tons; Minnesota, 1,700 tons; Louisiana, 1,927 tons; Virginia, 1,520 tons; Missouri, 1,496 tons; Kentucky, 1,002 tons; Ohio, 1,658 tons; Georgia, 1,540 tons; Ne- braska, 1,286 tons; New Jersey, 1,803 tons; Rhode Island, 1,507 tons; Wis- consin, 901 tons; Illinois, 1,113 tons; Kearsarge, 1,244 tons and Panther, 684 tons. The coal was put aboard by native gangs at the rate of about 100 tons an hour, The fleet consti- than was anticipated during the world cruise of the Atlantic bzttleship fleet. It is not known that the Navy de. partment has decided to discard the wireless telephone installations but it is admitted that they have fallen into disuse. Lee de Forest, invento, of the system on board the Vessels of the fleet, states that orders haye been issued that all interfleet com. munication should be carried on by wireless telephony instead _ of by wireless, and that he has known of no complaint concerning the value of the system. Since the fitting of the apparatus to the battleship fleet there have been several improvements and the com- pany which has been fcrmed to ex- ploit the invention is at present giy- ing particular attention to perfecting the device for use on shipboard, The chief difficulty with wireless telephony seems to be that when in it preclsdes absolutely the use _ of the wireless telegraph. The tele.' graph has a much wider range of use- dulness and can be called on in all kinds of weather, su that ship com- manders are more favorably disposed toward it than toward the telephone. The wireless telephone is in its in- fancy yet, however, and officers of the bureau of equipment are at work seeking to overcome the defects that now make it second in _ importance to the telegraph. Under certain con- ditions, it is pointed out, the use of wireless telephony, provided the ap- paratus can be perfected, will be of even greater value than the telegraph. This might be the case in the course of naval engagements or when exe- cuting intricate maneuvers. tse UNITED STATES BATTLESHIP FLEET AT PORT SAID.