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18 MARINE REVIEW. MARINE REVIEW Devoted to the Merchant Marine, the Navy, Ship Building, and Kindred Interests. « Published every Thursday at No. 418-19 Perry-Payne building, Cleveland, pas by THE MARINE REVIEW PUBLISHING Co. SupscripTion—$2.00 per year in advance; foreign, including postage, $3.50, or 15 shillings. Single copies 10 cents each. Convenient binders sent, post paid, $1.00. Advertising rates on application. Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. The armor plate controversy has reached Great Britain and the fighting out of the issue in congress has been watched with great in- terest. The English journals are usually sound on economic points. They take the view that the establishment of a plant by the govern- ment, meaning of course, Great Britain, would be folly. ‘No doubt,” says Engineering, ‘a government factory would produce in a leisurely manner excellent armor of ten or fifteen. years antiquity. There is in England no need for a government armor plate factory. The private firms are quite willing to find all the money and enterprise needed for keeping up the supply if they are given reasonable encouragement. To those who are acquainted with the manner in which government fac- tories are managed it needs no recital of examples to show that they move out of established grooves only under the influence of great ex- ternal pressure. With the incentive toward gain the proprietors of private works are ready to adopt suggestions that will place them ahead of their rivals; and therefore, putting aside the labors of the proprietors of the establishment themselves, a member of. the staff, or an outside person, bringing forward a promising suggestion is eagerly welcomed; that is, there always should be in the case. of government supplies. On the other hand, the energetic. or ambitious subordinate in a government factory knows very well that if he has fresh ideas that will entail thought, hard work and some responsibility in their working out and adoption he had better keep them to himself, even if the jealousy of those over him be left out of account.” English journals, devoted to maritime and naval affairs, are paying some attention to the subject of the construction of submarine boats. The issue becomes pertinent owing to the purchase of the Holland by the United States government. Discussing the subject, the United Service Gazette says: ‘““The development of submarine boats cannot but be regarded as a fact likely to be of some importance in the future. For the effective discharge of torpedoes by small: vessels operating against large battleships or cruisers it would appear as if boats of sub- marine type are absolutely necessary since the hail of shot poured from the quick-firers, which form a part of the armament of all modern ships, renders it almost impossible for the torpedo ‘boat proper to ap- proach within striking distance of a battleship without courting almost certain destruction. And there is another advantage attending the use of submarines which lies in the moral effect produced upon the enemy by the knowledge that” such vessels are being employed. The expe- rience of recent naval campaigns has tended somewhat to lessen the awe with which that new and terrible engine of war, the torpedo, was regarded by seamen on its first introduction, -for it’ undoubtedly has failed to realize completely in practice the éxpectations of its inventors, but it is impossible to predicate exactly how great might be its de- structive effects when working in concert with an ally so formidable as the noiseless and unseen submarine.” Secretary Long has written a letter to Gov. Allen expressive of the regret with which his resignation as secretary of the navy is accepted. Among other things he says: “I cannot perform this duty without expressing to you the very highest appreciation of the services which you have rendered in that position. You have discharged its duties with unfailing courtesy and ability. You have been more than an assistant, for there never has been a time when I have not felt that I might leave the department in your hands. I regard your departure with the greatest regret but I recognize that the new and still more responsible office upon which you are about to enter has come to you by reason of your personal and official merit, and I congratulate you most sincerely upon the deserved distinction which you have thus earned.” z The first and second days of May have been set aside by the house of representatives for the consideration of the Nicaraguan canal meas- ure. It is extremely unlikely that this measure will be passed during aS the present session of congress. The subject is in altogether too chaotic a state for intelligent action. The sincerest advocates of the construc- “tion of the canal are those who are opposing the present measure. A considerable force of surveyors and engineers are now working in the isthmus under the supervision of the Nicaraguan commission. They of course, supposing there is always sufficient competition, as. [April 26, have been at work for six months and cannot possibly formulate their report during the present session. The sum of $1,000,000 was set aside for the preparation of this report upon routes; and yet the advocates of the present measure do not want to wait for it. They are enemies rather than friends of the canal project. It would be better to await the report of the commission than to blindly appropriate $140,000,000 for the construction of the canal without any definite program as to where it is to be built. The canal is primarily a commercial enterprise. Its chief purpose is to shorten the distance between the Atlantic coast and the Orient and consequently to reduce freights. It seems like a waste of men and money to build a fortified waterway. Its use in warfare can safely be left for the future to decide; the present necessity is a commercial highway. The appointment of Mr. Frank H. Hackett as the assistant secre- tary of the navy to succeed Charles H. Allen is one of the rareties of modern politics—the office seeking the man. He is peculiarly adapted — to the important duties of this office. His war record is excellent. He entered the navy in 1852 as acting paymaster and served throughout the wat, being with Lieut. Com. Flusser when he was killed on the U. SLs Miami in the engagement with the ram Albemarle at Plymouth, N. C. For the last quarter of a century he has practiced law in Washington. He accepted the appointment with the understanding that his term of office should expire on March 4 next. He cannot afford to give any further time to the office: The appointment came as a complete sur- prise to him. vad Admiral Dewey, accompanied by his aid, Lieut. Caldwell, and Rear Admiral Hichborn were heard by the house committee on naval affairs — on. Monday relative to the resolution of Representative Cummings of New York for the purchase of a number of submarine boats similar to the Holland. The admiral told of his recent observations of the boat during a trial exhibition and he expressed approval of this type of craft, particularly for coast defense purposes and for the moral effect such a mysterious engine of warfare would exert. Admiral Hichborn also spoke favorably of the craft. No action was taken by the com- mittee. Farmers along the river banks near Rouen were treated to a sur- prise the other day which they. will not forget during a lifetime. The converted cruiser Prairie carrying exhibits to the Paris exposition has. a displacement of 7,000 tons and it was decided to see if she could not navigate the Seine to Rouen. She did. Nothwithstanding. the fact that . the river is narrow she maintained a speed of 15 knots an hour. The water rose at her bow in a solid wall and the wash was so great that it overflowed the neighboring gardens and vineyards to the great aston- ishment and alarm of the SS It was their first introduction to the American navy. In the discussion of the question as to whether the survey of the Porto Rican and Philippine waters should be made by the navy. or by the coast and geodetic survey, Representative Cannon of Illinois made a remark which has kept him busy explaining ever since. He insisted that the work should be done by the coast survey, claiming that officers of the navy were educated to fight and not to perform civil duties. “In the performance of civil duties,” he said, “they are the most incom- petent and the most expensive.” Now he has been saying that he did not mean Dewey and had not the admiral in mind at all when he spoke. There is an implied compliment in the fact that Kaiser Wilhelm II is sending a commission of German naval architects to this country te inquire into American methods of ship building. Since the days of the American clipper European nations have cast envious eyes upon Amer- ican ship construction. No lines were ever more beautiful than the lines of the American sailing vessel. The great revolution in warship construction took place in the United States and nearly every innova- tion of note has had its inception in this country. The German com- mission will find much of interest in the United States. The fifth annual convention of the National Association of Manu- facturers opened at Boston, April 24. The address of the president, Theodore C. Search, was a most exhaustive and most admirable paper in which he reviewed the industrial development of the country and the possibilities of the future. He devoted particular attention to the ship- ping bill and the efforts which had been put forth to shape a wise and beneficent measure. The International Longshoremen’s Association has issued a well- bound and attractive little pamphlet under the title “The Finish of the Stevedore-Saloon-Bossism of the Port of Buffalo.” It details the re- port of the committee to the Lake Carriers’ Association while in con- vention in Detroit in January last and also before the committee on grain handling in Cleveland. The directness of the statement shows — that the longshoremen are acquiring business methods.