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ESTABLISHED 1878. VOL. XXIII, No. 42. CLEVELAND---OCTOBER 18, 1900---CHICAGO. $2.00 Per Year. 5c. Single Copy LAKE CARRIERS’ ASSOCIATION. Toconsider and take action uponall general questions relating to the navigation and carrying business of the Great Lakes, maintain necessary shipping offices and in general to protect the common interests of Lake Car- riers, and improve the character of the service rendered to the public. PRESIDENT. W. C. FARRINGTON, Buffalo. 1ST VICE-PRESIDENT Capt J. G. KEITH, Chicago. SECRETARY. CHARLES H. KEEP, Buffalo. TREASURER. . GEORGE P. McKay, Cleveland. COUNSEL. ; HARVEY D. GoULDER, Cleveland. EXECUTIVE AND FINANCE COMMITTEE. JAMES CORRIGAN, Chairman, Cleveland. COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION. GiBson I. Doucras, Chairman, Buffalo. COMMITTEE ON AIDS TO NAVIGATION. GEORGE P. McKay, Chairman, Cleveland. THE WORLD’S NAVAL PROGRESS FOR 1900. The most important contribution, and the one possessing the most popular interest, in ‘“Notes on Naval Progress for 1900,’’ which have recently been published under the di- rection of Capt. C. B. Sigsbee, chief intelligence officer of the navy, dated July 1, is an article by Lieut. Wm. M. How- ard, entitled ‘‘Increase in Naval Strength as Shown by the Naval Budgets.’’ A study of the budgets and programme of construction of the various naval powers indicates that in the early years of the coming century the great navies of the world will continue to add to their fleets with increasing rapidity. ‘As usual, itis Great Britain which leads the way by vot- ing the largest sum of any of the Powers for the support and increase of her navy. So rapid, however, has been the growth of other navies which may at any time become her combined opponents, that the progressive element in naval affairs in that country considers the Admiralty programme for this year altogether inadequate. In laying it down as the principle for her guidance that the British navy must be more than equal to any other two navies combined, Eng- land has set herself a truly stupendous task, the magnitude _ of which can best be appreciated when we look at the extra- ordinary development taking place in the German, French and Russian navies. The British programme calls for the laying down this year of two battleships, six first-class armored cruisers, one second-class cruiser and half a dozen sloops, gunboats and torpedo boats. Including these, the number of vessels under construction in 1900 is seventeen battleships (only one less than the total number of battle- ships already constructed, building, or proposed for our own navy), twenty armored cruisers, one first-class protected Cruiser, two second-class protected cruisers, one third-class Cruiser, eight sloops, four torpedo boats, twenty-one de- Stroyers and one royal yacht. In 1899 England added nine- teen vessels with an aggregate tonnage of 122,322 tons to her fleet, while in 1898 she added thirty ships with a total tonnage of 140,988 tons. This year’s budget provides for an increase of 4,240 in the personnel, an addition which will bring the total strength up to 114,880 officers and men. The total naval estimates for the year 1900-1901 amounted to $137,613, 000. The French shipbuilding programme of 1896, which cov- ered a period extending to 1907, called for the construction of 220 vessels. In addition to this, the programme for this year authorizes the construction of the following types of 4 vessels, which are considered necessary to render the French fleet more homogeneous than it is at present: Six battle- ships, five armored cruisers, twenty-eight destroyers, one hundred and twelve torpedo boats, and twenty-six submarine torpedo boats. When the programme is completed, the French fleet will consist of twenty-eight battleships, twenty- four armored cruisers, fifty-two destroyers, two hundred and sixty-three torpedo boats and thirty-eight submarine boats. The total cost of the old and the additional pro- gramme will be $142,440,000. The expressed determination of Germany to become a great naval power lends particular interest to that part of the report which deals with her navy. The policy of the Emperor is ‘‘to provide the German empire with a navy so strong that no power will dispute with her upon the high seas.’’? Although there is considerable opposition to the bill to carry into effect the latest proposals for an increase, itis pointed out in the report that even if these proposals should fail to be put through, the programme as already authorized insures possession by Germany in the early part of the coming century of an extremely powerful fleet. In 1900 it consists of seventeen battleships, ten large cruisers, twenty small cruisers, twelve divisions of torpedo boats, In 1908 Germany will possess twenty-nine battleships, twenty large cruisers, fifty-one small cruisers, and sixteen divisions of torpedo boats; while in 1916 she will possess thirty-eight battleships, twenty large cruisers, forty-five small cruisers and sixteen divisions of torpedo boats. The naval budget of Italy for the year 1900-1901 amounts to $24,435,000, while an annual expenditure of $2,000,000 has been authorized for the period ending in 1903. Italy has at present on the stocks four first-class battleships, three armored cruisers, three small cruisers, ten destroyers, and three first-class torpedo boats, in addition to two first-class battleships of what is known as Admiral Bettolo’s naval programme. The activity of Japan is shown in the fact that the 117 warships called for by the naval programme of 1895 have been completed, or are under construction, and itis likely that a new programme will shortly be laid down. The bud- get for 1900 calls for the expenditure of $46,946,000. Russia, like Germany and France, has now formulated a programme of naval construction. The sum of $45,000,000 was voted in 1898 for the completion in six years of ten armored cruisers, ten second-class cruisers, and twenty de- stroyers. This was a special programme, additional to the regular annual naval estimates. Although Russsa’s naval budget has increased from {$29,000,000 in 1897, to $45,- 000,000 in Ig00, it is reported that the. government will shortly announce a new programme for the increase of her fleet. Spain is selling her obsolete warships, and with the money thus secured two vessels of about 2,000 tons displacement are to be constructed and used for the training of officers and men. The money voted under the budget of this year is to be spent in completing and increasing the crews of the Pe- layo, Carlos V., Numancia, Vittoria and Nautilus. Comparing our own progress with that of the other naval powers, it is evident that there must be no relaxation in our navalactivity. Although we have not laid down programmes of construction extending over several years, our pres- ent system of authorizing a certain number of ships each year, if maintained at the rate which has marked our recent progress, will enable us to retain our position as fourth naval power; but it is evident that any relaxation, such as would be caused by the failure of Congress to vote naval appro- priations in any particular year, would cause us to lose our present creditable standing. Following custom, these Notes on Naval Progress are brought up to July 1, 1900. As the publication of the last annual was delayed—that number including notes to Novem- ber, 1899—the period covered by the present number is shorter than usual. ; It was hoped that an account of the Japanese naval man- ceuvres might be given in this number, but as the attendance of foreign officers and press representatives was not permit- ted, information of sufficient value for publication is not available, Especial attention is directed to an article on ‘‘The Elec- trical Equipment of Ships of War,’’? by Mr. C. EB. Grove, a liberal quotation from which appears in Chapter 5, and also to the lecture on ‘‘The Employment of Spark Telegraphy in the Navy,’’ by Mr. A. Slaby, in the same chapter. It is be- lieved that these articles are of special interest to the service. C. D. SIGSBEE, Captain, U. S. N., Chief Intelligence Officer. Navy Department, July 1, 1900. Approved, A. S. Crowninshield, Chief of the Bureau of Navigation. NE ooo MACHINE FOR CASTING STEEL CHAIN. » A patent has been taken outin England recently, accord- ing to an exchange, for a casting for cables such as are used on board ship as anchor cables, mooring chains and the like; and it has mainly for its object to provide an apparatus by which such cables can be made by casting links of steel one into the other. According to the method of manufacturing chain from links and cables the links are made of circular form and subsequently pressed or forged to the desired ellip- tical shape, with the usual stud or strut filled in them, and after this they may be annealed or treated to any of the well- known processes to which steel is subjected. The chain or cable is made up of links in which a cast link is cast within another link—say at the end of a piece of completed cable— or within that link and another separately madelink. In the latter case, when the cast link is formed, two links are added on to the cable. A link-casting apparatus, when ready to receive the molten metal for the formation of a link, com- prises a body or base having covers on the upper side and secured thereto by hinges at their outer ends. A gap ex- tends literally through the base or body and in which the existing link or links rest during the operation of casting fresh links and a space equivelant tothe gapis provided between the two inner ends of the covers and through which a part of the existing link or links extend, the molds fitting or resting partly in the body and partly in the cover in cham- bers or.recesses formed by the two. A runner is provided in one of the covers for conveying the molten metal to the mold or lining material which is made up of four semi-cylindrical pieces, two of which when placed end to end form the upper half of the mold, while the other two .similarly placed to- gether form the other half of it. To place the sand molds or lining segments in the metal box, the covers are thrown up off the base, and the links to and through whicha new link is to be cast, being placed in position in the chambers or recesses. Then the covers are moved down over the molds and the whole apparatus is then ready to receive a charge of molten steel. In this’condition the mold will thus bridge or span the gap and be within the links, to which the new link is to be added. 1 THE six-masted schooner Eleanor A. Percy, the largest vessel of her class ever built, was lannched at Bath, Me., on the roth inst. The dimensions of the vessel are: Length, 233.5 feet; width,’50 feet ; depth, 24.8feet; gross tonnage, 3,401.96. The schooner will cost $140,000.