DEUTSCHE HEERESZEITUNG.
Nos. 10 and11. On the firing manual. French cavalry manoeuvres of 1891.
No. 12. Moltke’s field-plan, 1866. Reorganization of the English artillery. Organization of the military tricycle service in France.
In consequence of the report of a commission it has been determined to assign wheelmen to staffs and to bodies of troops, without organizing a special corps. The wheelmen are taken from the reserves and kept ready during peace. In war each corps headquarters will have 8, each divisional staff headquarters 4, each brigade 2, each infantry regiment 4 wheelmen, making about 4000 necessary during war. During peace about 2 wheelmen to each regiment are needed. On July 1st of each year a general meeting of applicants for this service will be held. One.of the requirements for those assigned to staffs is to be able to make 56 miles in less than 6 hours, and for other posts 31 miles in less than 4 hours.
No. 13. Moltke’s field-plan, 1866. Competitive firing between artillery and infantry in Italy.
This competitive target-match took place in the ranges at Cecina. From a battery of six 9-cm. guns 24 rounds were fired in 4 minutes with shrapnel (176 balls) against a battery target at 1600 meters distance. The 6 field-piece targets stood 10 meters apart, the ammunition wagons 15 meters behind; the positions of officers and men of the battery were also indicated by targets. The result of the firing was that 4 officers, 36 men, 6 guns and 3 limbers were hit. And as each man had received on an average 4 hits and each field-piece S hits, it amounted to total destruction of the battery. Eight volleys were then fired in 4 minutes by an infantry company of 191 files at the same target, same range. The result was that 8 men, 1 field-piece and 2 limbers were hit with an average of 1 hit each. The ratio of these hits to those of the artillery fire was approximately zero.
No. 14. Moltke’s field-plan, 1866 (concluded). Russian artillery drills.
No. 15. The German navy and the Reichstag. The French army, 1891.
No. 16. Nautical retrospect. Observations on naval tactics.
Nos. 17, 18, 19. Observations on naval tactics (continued).
No. 20. Moltke’s military works. New method of exploding spar torpedoes in France. Launch of the Grafton. Speed of torpedo-boats.
The following interesting data on the speed of torpedo-boats of less than 1000 tonnage are furnished by Mr. Yarrow:
Great Britain: Speedy, 21.5 knots; torpedo-boat No.80, 23knots. France: d’Iberville, 21.5 knots; torpedo-boats Coureur, Veloce, and Grondeur, 23.5 knots. Germany: Division-boats Nos. 5 and 6, 22 knots; torpedo-boats Nos. 65 to 74, 24 knots; Nos. 76 to 80,25 knots; Nos. 75 and 81 to 96, 26 knots. Italy: Tripoli, 23 knots; torpedo-boats of Aquila class, 25 knots. Russia: boats of Adler class, 26.5 knots. Austria: boats of Comet and Trabant class, 20.5 knots; boats of Falke class, 22.4 knots. United States: Cushing, 22.5 knots. Argentine Republic: six 130-feet Yarrow boats, 22.5 knots. Chili: Lynch and Condell, 21 knots. China: Schichau boats, 24 knots. Denmark: two boats, 22.1 knots. Spain: Destructor, 21 knots; torpedo-boats of Rayo class, 24 and 25 knots.
Fortifications in Roumania.
No. 21. Naval appropriations. Observations on naval tactics (continued), IV. Rams.
No. 22. Frederick, Napoleon, Moltke, old and new tactics. New French infantry equipments. Reorganization of the Russian navy.
The distribution of the Russian fleet will be as follows: Of the 36 ships of the first class, 2S are assigned to the Baltic, 8 to the Black Sea; of the 48 ships of the second class, 38 to the Baltic, 8 to the Black Sea; of the 88 ships of the third-class, 49 to the Baltic, 27 to the Black Sea. 7 ships are assigned to the Caspian Sea, and 5 to Vladivostok; of the 20 ships of the fourth class, 17 are assigned to the Baltic, 3 to the Black Sea. The fleet personnel consists of 2 high-admirals, 1 r admirals, 34 vice-admirals, 29 rear-admirals, 285 staff officers and 337 subalterns. The sailors and marines number 30,500.
No. 23. Observations on naval tactics (continued), V. Torpedoes, coast defense and sea-going torpedo-boats. Improvements in the harbor of Tunis.
No. 24. Studies on science of war. Austrian transportable observation tower. Accident with melinite shell.
Nos. 26 and 27. Bicycle corps in Spanish army. Strength of Chinese army. Launch of the Italian cruiser Minerva. The Russian fleet.
No. 28. Russian regulations for field breastworks. The superiority of the Italian rifle. Ship-building in France (1892 to 1895).
Nos. 29 and 30. The fortified camp in Sicily. Observations on naval tactics (continued), VI. Surprises and protection against torpedo-boats. Telephone during French field-manoeuvres.
Nos. 31 and 32. Observations in naval tactics (conclusion). Influence of the repeating rifle and smokeless powder on employment of cavalry. The military carrier-pigeon routes in Europe.
No. 35. Smokeless powder for Swiss artillery. Experiments in France. On the visibility and audibility of the discharge with French smokeless powder.
Rifle.—The smoke of the first shot from a rifle is scarcely visible when the bore is dry; visible at 600 meters when the bore is oiled. The smoke of the second shot is sometimes visible up to 200 meters. With the third shot and beyond no smoke is visible. With volley firing, even the most rapid, the visibility does not increase. At night the flash at discharge is not visible beyond 150 meters. The report is sharper than in the old models. A single report is audible at 200 meters, a volley up to 2500 meters.
Field-piece.—Smoke scarcely visible in daytime, dissipated in 4 to 5 seconds. \\ ith a volley the smoke as seen from the side is thicker, but never sufficiently thick to hide the pieces and artillerists. No smoke is visible when the battery fires from behind cover and when three or four meters below and behind the earthwork. When the piece is exposed at a height of 3 meters the flash is visible at 4000 meters. No sign of flash, however, when the piece is placed 6 meters behind an earthwork 6 meters high. At night the flash of discharge appears about twice as great as with the old powder. Not any appreciable difference in the report.
MILITÄR WOCHENBLATT.
February 6, 1S92. Review of the latest military inventions. The Canadian Pacific Railroad and its military importance to England. Rapid-fire guns for the French navy.
February 10. Review of the latest military inventions. Snow breastworks. Comparison between the new Swiss rifle and the Vetterli gun.
February 13. The historical development of the idea of universal peace. The German navy and the Reichstag. Changes in organization of Austrian artillery.
February 17 and 20. A contribution on the history of the French rifle M. 18S6. Fortifications of the Gotthard, Switzerland.
February 24 and 27. The field-piece of the future. Two vital questions for the field artillery.
March 2 and 9. Two vital questions for the field artillery (concluded). The Russian navy.
March 16. A French proposition on infantry attack within the effective zone of small-arm fire. Rapid-fire guns in France. The grounding of the Victoria.
March 26. Proof-firing with guns made of Swedish Bofors steel. The new Italian magazine rifle.
March 30. The field-artillery question. Russian cavalry against artillery.
April 23. English rapid-fire and machine guns. Launch of the French auxiliary cruiser Ville de la Civtat.
May 7. Cordite. H. G. D.
JOURNAL OF THE U. S. CAVALRY ASSOCIATION.
March, 1892. The Union cavalry. The shock action of cavalry. Veterinary science for cavalry officers. Organization of cavalry scouts. A Confederate cavalry officer’s reminiscences. Mounted infantry. Saddling. Letters on cavalry. Professional notes.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION.
March, 1892. On the motion of elongated projectiles. Field-artillery fire. Succession list of the master-gunners of England. Steel as applied to armor. Translation: The employment of plunging fire in the field.
April. The operations in Virginia, 1861-65. Field-artillery fire. Succession list of the master-gunners of England, Part II (conclusion). Quick-firing guns in harbor defense. Translations: Registering pressure-gauge applicable to ordnance; Observation ladder for field artillery.
ELECTRICAL REVIEW.
March 5, 1892. The American high-speed engine (illustrated). The transmission of power with special reference to the Frankfort plant.
March 12. Electric lighting of buoys in New York harbor.
. . . In consideration of the fact that the buoys in Gedney’s Channel are at the present time the only ones in the world lighted by electricity, a few words in relation to the means adopted to accomplish this result may prove of interest. The channel marked by these buoys is 1000 feet wide and about 6000 feet long, the inner or shore end being about 2% statute or 2yz nautical miles northeast from the point of Sandy Hook.
Two lines of heavy-armored three-conductor cables, manufactured by the Bishop Gutta Percha Company, are laid from the Hook Beacon to junction boxes, one on either side of the channel, and situated near the inner buoy on their respective sides. Spliced to these main cables, inside the junction boxes, are three separate single-conductor cables of lighter make, connecting the three buoys on either side of the channel, which are located about 2000 feet apart, with the main line. One of these single-conductor cables is spliced at the lower end of each buoy with the cable running up to the lamp, this wire being laid in a deep slot in the side of the buoy, and covered and protected by a strip of wood fitting closely over it and let in flush with the outer surface.
The buoys themselves are about 50 feet long and are made of a species of juniper wood found in the Dismal Swamp of Virginia, this timber being selected on account of its buoyancy and straightness of growth. They average from 10 to 12 inches in diameter at the top and bottom, and 15½ inches at the largest section, and are shackled at the bottom to a cast-iron sinker weighing 4500 pounds.
The protecting cage, in which the incandescent lamp is set, is composed of flat iron ribs, riveted to two iron bands encircling the spar, with a third ring at the top of the cage which serves as a handle. The upper part of the ribs and the top ring are turned so as to present the edge to the lamp, thus securing greater strength and obscuring light as little as possible.
The lantern itself, which fits securely inside this cage, consists of a circular base and stout framework of brass, having curved panes of thick glass in the sides and segmented panes at the top. It is so constructed that it can be lifted bodily out of the cage, thereby bringing away everything liable to need repair or other attention. Three short legs attached to the bottom ring fit into holes in brass ears riveted to the ribs, and the lantern is secured in place by two hinged screw-clamps, which are also secured to the ribs.
The lamp is rated at 100 candle-power, and the carbon is extra heavy and has three loops in the center, designed to give a distribution of the light as uniform as possible. One terminal wire of the lamp is connected to the bars of the lantern, and the other is carried through an opening having an insulated bushing and connected with the core of the cable. One of the armor wires of the cable is soldered to a rib of the cage to insure a complete circuit through the core of the cable, the lamp and the lantern and frame to the cable armor.
Since the service has been inaugurated, several improvements in minor details which experience has shown to be of value have been made, and to-day the entire working of the plant is as near perfection as it can be brought, considering the difficulties to be contended with. The original heavy lantern has been changed for a lighter one, and straight glass has been substituted for the curved panes first used, so that they can be more readily replaced if broken. The lamp is also so adjusted as to enable it to be taken out without removing the entire frame, if necessary, although the lantern can still be lifted out as formerly, if desired.
The color of the lights has also been changed, or rather they have been differently located, those on the starboard side of incoming vessels being now-all red and those on the port side all white, instead of alternating as they were originally.
As an instance of the hard usage to which the buoys and lamps are sometimes subjected, and the excellence of the service rendered under those conditions, it is only necessary to mention that during the severe storm of January last the ice surrounding the lamps .was as thick as a good-sized barrel, and the weight of this ice, combined with the heavy sea, was sufficient to keep the buoys for the greater part of the time completely under water. In spite of this, and regardless of the mass of ice surrounding then), the lamps continued to burn brightly and without injury, and, as often as they could manage to get their heads above water, were plainly visible from the shore of Sandy Hook, a distance of nearly three miles.
After passing Fire Island Light, the first objective point of incoming steamers is the Sandy Hook Lightship, which is situated eight miles from the Point of Sandy Hook and about five miles from the entrance of Gedney’s Channel. This entrance is marked by two buoys, one of which is a “nun ” and the other a whistling buoy, both being placed here as a means of extra precaution in case one should break loose or be displaced in any manner.
From this point the course is west-northwest one-quarter west for a mile and a half through Gedney’s Channel, and to a point from which an alignment can be obtained with the Point Comfort and Waackaack Beacons on the Jersey shore. From here the course is west by south through the main channel for a distance of 3½ miles, which brings you inside the Hook and in line with the South Beacon and Sandy Hook Light. A short run northwest by west one-quarter west from here and the Conover and Chapel Hill Beacons come into line, and by keeping them directly astern a straight course can be laid to a point just below the Narrows, from whence it is plain sailing through the upper bay and into the North River.
March 26. The Mount Carmel air-ship. The telephone during French army manoeuvres, 1891.
COLLIERY ENGINEER.
BULLETIN AMERICAN IRON AND STEEL ASSOCIATION. TEKNISK TIDSSKRIFT, 1892, Vols. 1,2,3.
MÉMOIRES, SOCIÉTÉ DES INGÉNIEURS CIVILS, February, 1892.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, January, 1892.
NORSK TIDSSKRIFT FOR SOVAESEN.
Tenth Annual Series, Vol. 4. Prize essay. Routes to China. Yachting. The Nicaragua canal. Short weather review, summer and fall of 1891.
Vol. 5. Prize essay. On the bursting of guns during the past ten years. Yacht measurements. Torpedo-gunboats. Flying machine. The Russian navy. The battle-ship Jauréguiberry.
RIVISTA MARITTIMA.
February, 1892. The naval war-game, by A. Colombo ("concluded). The German merchant marine, by S. Raineri (continued). Naval architecture, by G. Rota. Naval schools abroad and in Italy, by Dante Parenti (continued). Vocabulary of powders and explosives, by F. Salvati (continued).
March. Observations concerning auto-mobile torpedoes, by G. Astuto. The German merchant marine, by S. Raineri (continued). Naval schools abroad and in Italy, by Dante Parenti (continued). Electricity on board war-vessels of the United States. Vocabulary of powders and explosives, by S. Salvati (continued).
April. Notes on nautical astronomy, by P. Cattolica. The German merchant marine, by S. Raineri (continued). Letter on the expedition against Tripoli of Philip II. of Spain. Naval schools abroad and in Italy, by Dante Parenti (continued). Vocabulary of powders and explosives, by F. Salvati (continued).
RIVISTA DI ARTIGLIERIA E GENIO.
January, 1892. The Naples aqueduct. The exact solution of the ballistic problem by means of square of resistance, by F. Mola, lieutenant of artillery. Note on lightning conductors. The prospectograph of Fiorini.
February. The Naples aqueduct (concluded). The Swiss fortifications. On organization and instruction of regiments of the engineer corps. Firing drills of the field battery, by L. N. Winderling, captain of artillery.
March. Actual fortifications. Brief consideration on siege batteries. Old and modern powders.
THE LONDON ENGINEER.
October 2, 1891. The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich (illustrated). Marine engines of the U. S. Cruiser No. 6 (illustrated).
October 9. 150-ton steam traveling crane. Woolwich Arsenal
(illustrated). The Snyder dynamite projectile. Willey’s boatlowering gear (illustrated).
October 16. On a thermo-electric method of studying condensation (illustrated). Engineers for the Naval Reserve. Tripleexpansion marine engine (illustrated). Experiments with compound artnor. Bursting of a Krupp gun.
October 23.-Machine riveting of ships’ hulls. Greaves smoke-preventing furnace.
October 30. The navy of the United States, No. 1. Electric railways.
November 6. Armor-plate trials at Shoeburyness (illustrated). Nickel-steel armor trials in France and America. Air-pumps. Cruiser No. 6, U. S. navy.
January 29, 1892. New quick-fire guns for the French navy. The Sims-Edison electric torpedo.
February 5. Probable influence of quick-fire guns on naval tactics.
On Friday, January 30th, Admiral Long read a paper in the theatre of the United Service Institution, on the “Influence of Quick-Fire Guns on Naval Tactics and on Construction.” It would be impossible in a short summary to do justice to a paper which dealt with actual tactics and took up supposed courses followed by hostile fleets. For this our readers must consult the proceedings of the United Service Institution when published. It is, however, desirable to notice the general scope and treatment of this important question.
The lecturer began by quoting from Modern Naval Artillery, the work brought out last year in connection with the Elswick exhibits, the paragraphs describing the power of quick-fire guns in defeating torpedo-boat attacks. A comparison is made between a ship using three ordinary and three quick-fire guns, and it is pointed out that not only do the latter guns discharge six times as many rounds as the former, but they also have a much better opportunity of striking the enemy, because she moves comparatively little each successive round. About twelve shots a minute is considered the highest practical speed on service, although some guns fire up to fifteen rounds per minute. With cordite or other smokeless powder, the lecturer suggested that a torpedo-boat attempting to get through the zone of fire by daylight was engaged in a forlorn hope. In actions between ship and ship it seems probable that a vessel might be put out of action in half an hour by quick-fire without armor-piercing guns coming into play. This opinion is held not only by the writer of Moderti Naval Artillery, but also by Mr. White, the director of naval construction.
The change brought about by the introduction of quick fire is made apparent when it is remembered that in 1880 the ram was looked to as the weapon of paramount value. Then the torpedo rose into rivalry with it, until now the combination of quick fire and smokeless powder seems to put the gun into the important place which it held in the days of Nelson. The bearing of this on tactics is obvious. Admiral Bourgois and others have pointed out the advantages to be derived by a vessel attacking with her side presented at 45 degrees to the direction' of the enemy’s fire, at and beyond which angle projectiles would not bite but glance off. The lecturer then followed the probable movements of fleets attacking in certain lines of order, and discussed how far one ship can render support to another.
The question of side armor naturally suggests itself here. Admiral Long, like many naval officers, has “a soft corner” for a belt carried up to the platform of the guns, so as, at all events, to protect their racers, and hence their power of working. He, however, did not desire to push this question far, as he felt that the relative advantages of each system must be worked out by naval architects. The 'unprotected condition of a cruiser against quick fire was dwelt upon, and it was pointed out that, as the 6-in. gun was likely to be the heaviest employing quick fire, there seemed to be a special advantage in using armor on heavy ships of the thickness called for to resist this gun. This we might, by the way, point out can hardly be taken lower than 12-in., even allowing for range and some indirectness of impact; in fact, a vessel carrying thicker armor than the Thunderer is needed, and with steel or compound plates instead of iron.
A very interesting point was raised in the now imperfectly protected and conspicuous position of the conning tower. This, the lecturer pointed out, could hardly fail to be destroyed by quick fire, or at all events the connections from it to the various parts of the ship. He argued, with much reason, that what we cannot protect we ought as far as possible to conceal. Unsatisfactory as armor may be, seeing that it cannot meet torpedo attack, the lecturer thought that the introduction of quick fire and smokeless powder had made it more than ever necessary.
From his review the lecturer concluded that in naval actions it will now be important to develop as heavy a fire as possible for a short time, with a view to which as many guns as possible of adequate power should be mounted. Coals will have to be replenished so often that other stores can be filled up at the same time, and all available weight should be devoted to offensive power. The naval architect’s progress is now difficult, seeing that ships are a mark for destruction above and below water. Admiral Long seemed to think that there was much to recommend increased displacement.
February 12 and 19. The Sims-Edison electrical torpedo.
A trial run of the Sims-Edison electrical torpedo took place at Spithead on Wednesday, February 3d, in the presence of H. R. H. the Duke of Connaught and a number of distinguished military officers. The run was conducted from on board the S. S. Drudge.
The controlling switches and other instruments were set up in a small house on the bridge.
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On the left is the main switch for putting the current on or off; next to it is the firing switch, held in its normal position by an ebonite safety plug. With the firing switch in this position, main current from the dynamo goes away to the torpedo in a certain direction through the outer core of the cable and works the motor; but if it is put over the other way the current is reversed, and then actuates a polarized relay which sends a shunt current through to the detonator and so fires the charge. On the right is the steering switch, similar to the firing switch, but larger, which controls the current from a storage battery, and sends it through the inner core of the cable in either direction as required. This current actuates the steering relay in the torpedo, causing the main current on its way to earth from the motor to work the steering electro-magnets in the tail of the torpedo. The switch is so arranged that if the lever is set to the right the rudder goes to the right, as also the torpedo; if to the left, the torpedo goes to the left; while if the lever is central, the current is cut off from the steering magnets, and the rudder assumes a central position by the action of the water. On the left of the switch-board are placed a Weston voltmeter reading up to 1550 volts, and an amperemeter reading up to 50 amperes. Above these is a large resistance box with a controlling handle for putting more or less resistance in the shunt of the dynamo, and so increasing or decreasing the current supplied, and therefore the speed of the torpedo, which may be caused to range almost instantly between 5 and 21 knots at the will of the operator. To the right of the resistance box is a double fuse on the main circuit, for safety in case of short circuit, and the only other instrument is an electric bell for signaling to the dynamo-room.
All these things having been explained by Mr. Sims, he signaled to run the dynamo, and the men were stationed for launching the torpedo, and the steadying lines were cast off. The Drudge was put to full speed opposite Fort Monckton, and headed toward the Spit Fort, and the order was then given to launch. This was achieved by one man cutting a spun-yarn stop, when the carriage being free to run along on the overhead beam.it started steadily, carrying with it the torpedo with its screw already in motion, and arriving near the end of the beam, the automatic tripper was actuated, and torpedo dropped into the water with a slight dive, going well clear of the ship’s side, and the current being increased, it at once gathered way and started off on its journey. As the main object in view was to show the controlability of the torpedo, Mr. Sims did not put on the maximum current, but after running the torpedo to the left on a zig-zag course for a short time to show its steering qualities, he ran it right across the Drudge’s bows at a good speed, and finished off with an S curve in the direction of Gilkicker Point.
The total length of run was about a mile and a half.
The weather, which had been threatening during the forenoon, improved very much towards evening, which materially assisted the picking up work. The sea was, however, very rough, owing to there being a fresh breeze blowing and to the heavy gales of the preceding three days, notwithstanding which there was no difficulty experienced in launching and controlling the torpedo, which cut its way right through the opposing waves with a force which at times almost completely buried the float, eliciting from the officers a favorable opinion of its power and strength of construction, which should enable it to stand severe weather without injury.
On Tuesday, February 9th, a further trial of the Sims-Edison torpedo took place in Stokes Bay, in the presence, however, of only a couple of visitors. The weather was fine and the sea smooth, and the run was very successful in every way, the steering being perfect and the speed about eighteen knots. It should be noted here that this torpedo has been used continually and much knocked about during the last four years, besides which several additions have been made to it to enable it to be conveniently lifted and launched frohi a ship, which have all tended to reduce its speed of twenty-one knots previously obtained at Havre, to a lower figure.
All who have had to do with new inventions are well aware that their course, like that of true love, never did run smooth, and if none but successes were chronicled in connection with them, less rather than more confidence in their merits would be inspired.
The next thing, therefore, is to tell of a failure. On Friday, February 12th, a large and distinguished party of officers and others assembled on board the Drudge to witness a trial run in Stokes Bay, the weather being fine and the sea smooth.
After a little time spent in explaining the parts and action of the torpedo, Mr. Sims gave the order to launch, the propeller already revolving in the air at some 700 revolutions. The torpedo moved along the traveler-beam and then plunged into the water, but immediately afterwards it was seen that something was wrong, as it refused to move, and the instruments gave indications of a short circuit in the cable. The picking-up boat was then ordered away to anchor the torpedo, and the Drudge having nearly run out her half mile of cable, the end was slipped and buoyed. Measurements showed that the break was near the junction between the torpedo cable and the ship cable, and Mr. Sims therefore gave orders to cut the cable near this junction, bring the end to the switch-board, and so enable him to run the torpedo from the ship, motionless or at anchor. It was now discovered that, for the first time, and probably because of a larger propeller being used without sufficient guard, the cable had fouled the propeller, and had, of course, been cut. The tube which formerly carried the cable abaft the propeller had been removed after the first trial at Newcastle, as it did not seem to be required, and the guard round the propeller was relied on to keep the cable clear, but it is needless to say that it has now been re pi aced.
The torpedo was now brought alongside and lifted so as to clear the screw, and then lowered away and towed clear of the ship, and very shortly the current was applied, and it moved away, at first slowly, but very soon getting up a speed calculated at nineteen knots. Now, however, a new trouble occurred, as after answering helm twice, the torpedo would no longer steer, but simply took a long curve to the right, and finally ran close inshore near Browndown, having previously been slowed. It was soon discovered that this trouble was due to no defect in the steering mechanism, but simply to a loose connection of the secondary battery fuze, the terminal having probably jarred loose. This is, of course, instructive, and shows how necessary it is to provide against mishaps trifling in themselves but which may be the causes of so much mischief. As there remained nothing now to be done except pick up the torpedo and cable, the party re-embarked in their respective steamers and returned to harbor, no doubt fully impressed with the idea that the thing is no good. It must fairly be said, however, that although natural under the circumstances, this impression would be an erroneous one, as time, no doubt, will show.
Another run was made on February 15th, which was perfectly successful. The distance covered was something over one nautical mile, and the torpedo was running against a two-knot tide, and was estimated to be going at about eighteen knots through the water. The current at the switch-board was 25 amperes at 950 volts, and the horse-power available at the motor was calculated at about 24.
Military ballooning. Woolwich Arsenal and private manufacturers. French trials of Elswick quick-firing guns. Triple-expansion engines in the mercantile marine.
February 26. Collapsed furnace-crowns of marine boilers. March 4. H. M. S. S. Ramillies and Repulse.
The engraving which will be found on page 194 gives an excellent idea of what the Ramillies and her sister ship, the Repulse, will be like when finished and at sea. They are both extremely powerful men-of-war; probably the most powerful in the world, not excepting the great Italian vessels. They are steel, twin-screw, double-barbette battleships of 14,150 tons displacement, measuring 3S0 feet long and 75 feet broad, and having a mean draught of 27 feet and 6 inches. The engines of the Repulse, which are vertical triple-expansion, will develop 9000 horse-power with natural draught, and will drive the ship, it is expected, at a speed of 16 knots. With forced draught they will develop 13,000 horse-power and give a speed of 17.5 knots. The ship will carry 900 tons of coal, which will enable her to steam 5000 knots at 10 knots an hour without refilling her bunkers; but, in case of necessity, she will be able to stow about 400 tons more, and so obtain an anticipated radius of over 7000 knots.
The chief weights to be carried are the armament, 1910 tons, and the armor, 4550 tons. At each end there is a section 65 feet long which is entirely without vertical armor, the only protection there being afforded by a 2½-in. steel deck. The whole middle section of the ship is furnished with a water-line belt of a maximum thickness of 18 inches, 250 feet long, and extending 5 feet 6 inches below and 3 feet above the line of load-draught immersion. The ends of the belt are joined by transverse armored bulkheads which rest upon the armored deck. At each end of the armored enclosure which is thus formed there rises to above the level of the upper deck a barbette composed of 17-in. armor. On the top of the armored belt rests a 3-in. steel deck, and above this, to a height of some feet, the outer walls of the ship are composed of 4-in. steel upon a i-in. steel skin. Again, above this there is armor in the shape of steel shields to the larger broadside guns. Finally, there are two armored conning towers, one forward composed of 14-in., and one aft composed of 3-in. plates. Each barbette is a separate and very strong pear-shaped two-storied redoubt. In the upper story is the turntable carrying the guns; in the lower are the turning engines, etc.; and as the whole structure is thickly armored ail the way down to 5 feet 6 inches below the water-line, there is obviously little danger of a hostile shell putting the heavy guns out of action by exploding beneath them. The tops of the barbettes project but 2 feet 9 inches above the upper deck; consequently the axes of the guns are only about 4 feet 6 inches above that deck.
The freeboard of the Repulse and her sisters will be 18 feet, and the heavy guns themselves will be 23 feet above the water, instead of 20 feet as in the completed Admirals. The chief armament of the Kamillies and Repulse will consist of four 13.5-in. 67-ton guns, disposed two in each barbette. These have arcs of training of about 200 degrees, and all four guns can be simultaneously discharged on either broadside. The secondary armament will consist of ten 6-in. quick-firing guns of 40 calibers. These are carried in the box battery between the barbettes, two on each broadside being on the main deck in sponsons, and three on each broadside being on the upper deck. The tertiary armament consists of sixteen 2.24-in. 6 pounder quick-firing guns, twelve of which are on the main and four on the upper deck; ten i.85-in. 3-pounder quick-firing guns on the upper deck and superstructure and in the tops; eight machine guns, and, for landing purposes, two 9-pounder field-guns. There will also be five above-water and two submerged torpedo tubes. The total estimated cost is ^831,678.
March 11. The navy of the United States, No. IV.
A description of the “coast-line battleships” and “commerce destroyers,” with illustrations. The article includes the following table (see next page):
New Elswick disappearing carriage for 6-in. B. L. gun (illustrated). Ascertaining distances and directions at sea.
This method of measuring distances at sea, devised by H. P. Dowling, “consists essentially in the employment of apparatus for sending sound signals simultaneously through air and through water, and apparatus for receiving and registering the sound so sent, so that the difference in time of arrival through both media may ire used to indicate the distance”; the velocity of sound in air and in water being about 1100 feet and 4400 feet per second respectively.
The navy estimates and ship-building programme.
Bounties on ship-building in France.
Table showing Progress made in the Programme of the Naval Defense Act of 1889.
| Total number voted. | To be built by contract. | To be built in navy yards. | ||||
Total. | Delivered or launched. | To be completed before or in 1894-95. | Total. | Completed. | To be completed before or in 1894-95. | ||
Armored battleship, first-class, i. e., 1 turret and 7 barbette ships | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
Do. second class | 2 | . . | . | . . | 2 | . . | 2 |
Protected cruisers, first class | 9 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | . . | 4 |
“ “ second class | 29 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 10 |
“ “ third class | 4 | . . | . . | . . | 4 | 4 | . . |
Torpedo gunboats | 18 | 6 | . . | 6 | 12 | 2 | 10 |
A Comparison between the most recent Battleships and Cruisers of the United States and Great Britain
[TABLE]
With regard to heavy guns, the First Lord gives the following table, showing the progress made in gun manufacture during the year. The total number of guns completed during the year ended December 31st, 1891, was 396, as compared with 240 in the preceding year:
Nature of Gun. Number sCompleted.
16.25-inch of no tons.......................................................... 1
13.5-inch of 67 tons........................................................ 21
10-inch of 29 tons............................................................. 10
9.2-inch of 22 tons........................................................... 19
8-inch of 14 tons................................................................ 1
6-inch of 5 tons................................................................ 75
5-inch of 40 cwt................................................................ 22
4-inch of 26 cwt.................................................................. 8
5-inch quick-fire.................................................................. 8
4.7-inch quick-fire........................................................... 225
Total 390
The number of guns mounted and ready for ships on December 31st was 1623, against 1410 at the end of 1890.
The following table deserves attention, dealing as it does with personnel as well as matériel:
[TABLE]
March 18. The navy of the United States, No. IV (concluded).
Includes description of Cruiser No. 12.
Photographing bullets. H. M. S. Hawke.
The first set of trials was made on March 5th, on an eight hours’ run, the speed being determined by log. There was an air-pressure of about .3 inch of water in the stokehold. Under these conditions the engines worked at an average rate of 98.46 revolutions per minute, indicating 10,761 HP, which gave a mean speed of 19.5 knots.
The next runs were made on March 8th, under a moderate forced draught of .44 inch water-pressure. During a four hours’ run at an average rate of 102.18 revolutions per minute, 12,521 indicated horse-power were developed, 521 above contract requirement.
Boilers in the navy.
March 25. An unconsidered phase of cylinder condensation. Improved Martin anchor.
April 1. The S. S. Ruahine. The American champion armor-plate. The Serve tube.
April 8. Buoying and lighting tidal rivers, No. 1 (illustrated). On balancing marine engines and the vibration of vessels (illustrated). The vibration of torpedo-boats. A new method of hydraulic propulsion. Steam trials of H. M. S. Sybille.
April 15. The Institution of Naval Architects. The Russian navy. Military aeronautics. Controlled torpedoes.
April 22. H. M. S. Blake. Victor turbines. Speed in the navy. Giant lighthouse lens.
THE IRON AGE.
Volume XLVIII, No. 9, August 27, 1891. Threading and slotting machine for guns of 8 to 12 inch caliber (illustrated). Breaking the ocean record. The gun works of Krupp, Armstrong, and Canet (illustrated).
The recent bids submitted by the gun manufacturers of the United States for supplying the army with ioo modern high-power rifled breech-loading guns call attention to the manufacture of such ordnance in foreign countries.
The largest gun works in the world are those of Krupp, at Essen, in Germany. The plant complete covers 600 acres of ground and furnishes employment for 11,000 men. Besides the factories,Herr Krupp owns several hundred iron mines in Germany and a half-dozen in Bilboa, Spain, and to these iron mines should be added several coal mines. It is estimated that the daily output from these mines is 3000 tons of coal and 15,000 tons of ore, and that this part of the work employs 6000 workmen. Krupp has 14 blast furnaces belonging to six smelting works. A complete railroad and steamship service forms part of the vast and complex system. There are also hospitals, insurance associations, villages and a complete social organization that go toward making the Krupp establishment a community to itself. This community numbers some 25,000 workers, all more or less engaged in the production of iron and steel. The value of the plant is estimated at not far from $50,000,000.
The second great gun-making establishment of the world is probably that of Sir W. G. Armstrong, Mitchell & Co., of Elswick, at Newcastle-on-Tyne, England. These works claim that in point of importance and extent they have no other rivals than Krupp. The firm not only make artillery, with all its accessories, but also possess excellent shipyards, from which the largest vessels can be turned out, for either the mercantile or naval marine. For all these purposes the Armstrong Company employ no less than 16,500 men.
The most important ordnance establishment in France is that of the Société des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée. This corporation has three factories, one at Havre, one at Marseilles and one at La Seyne, near Toulon. That branch of the works situated at Havre is chiefly occupied with the manufacture of guns, under the superintendence of Mr. Canet, whose great success has given the name of Canet to all the guns now made by him. The number of workmen he employs is about 10,000. Canet is a rival of Armstrong, though the latter may not think so, and several nations consider his guns as superior.
Russia has a large steel and gun-making plant at Aboukoff, near St. Petersburg, but there are many Krupp cannons in use in the Russian army and navy. There are many other gun factories besides those mentioned above, but their size and capacity are not to be compared with them.
A glance at the largest guns each of the above firms has turned out may be interesting. Krupp has manufactured the largest cannon in the world, 119 tons in weight. Armstrong, Mitchell & Co. follow with a gun of larger bore, but lesser weight, and Canet brings up the foot of the list with a gun of 66 tons. . . The big gun of Germany costs the sum of $144,750. Three of them were bought by the Italians fur coast defense use. England’s 11 1-tonner is worth $93,160. Some of them are mounted on board a couple of the new battleships. The smaller gun—that of France—can be bought for, let us say, $50,000. As more details of this monster ordnance may be desired, the following tables are subjoined:
Gun Maker. | Weight. | Diameter of Bore. | Powder Charge | Muzzle Veocity. | Muzzle Energy | Penetration in Steel at the Muzzle. |
| Tons. | Inch. | Lbs. | F. S. | F.T. | Inch. |
Armstrong | 111 | 16.25 | 1,800 | 2,148 | 57,580 | 30.8 |
Krupp | 119 | 15.75 | 2,028 | 1,804 | 45,970 | 27.1 |
To make comparison between the guns of the three celebrated gun makers, the same size of gun must be taken—thus:
| Tons. | Inch. | Lbs. | F. S. | F.T. | Inch. |
Armstrong | 67.0 | 13.5 | 630 | 1,250 | 2,025 | 26.6 |
Canet | 65.8 | 13.4 | 616 | 990 | 2,300 | 29.1 |
There is no Krupp gun of 13 inches to place with the other two. Krupp's 12-inch gun is the nearest and that is too inferior to enter. The table shows the superiority of the Canet gun.
February 11 and 18, 1892. The Michelson range-finder. Torpedo-net protection.
March 3. Smokeless powders. The Dundon compound steam boiler. The Brown wire-wound gun.
March 10 and 17. Smoke consumption. Legislation affecting marine boilers. William Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Building-Company. American armor (illustrated).
March 24. United States naval steam cutters (illustrated). The submarine cables of the world.
March 31. The Sigua iron mines. Gun-boring machine.
April 7 and 14. The English navy. The firing speed of machine guns. The Serve boiler tube. Uses of aluminium, I.
April 21 and 28. Torpedoes. The uses of aluminium, II. The Zell steel water-tube boiler. Bethlehem barbettes.
ENGINEERING.
February 5, 1892. Canet vs. Krupp guns. Quick-firing guns in the navy. Steam trials of H. M. S. Edgar. H. M. S. Grafton.
February 19. Trial of H. M. S. Edgar. Military ballooning.
March 4. The life-saving and salvage steamer Aid. H. M. battleship Ramillies. Railways in war-time.
March 11. The training of Royal Naval engineers. 30.5 centimeter cast-iron howitzer.
This 12-inch cast-iron built-up howitzer was constructed at the Fabrica de Trubia, Spain. It was designed by a Spanish artillery officer and passed satisfactory tests. The breech of the gun is built up of steel rings shrunk over the cast-iron A-tube, while the breech mechanism is on the interrupted screw principle. The principal dimensions are, caliber 12.01 inches, weight 14.27 tons, length of bore 12.5 calibers, preponderance 132.23 pounds, weight of charge 77.16 pounds, volume of chamber 3051 cubic inches, weight of projectile 606 3 pounds, initial velocity 1129 feet, range for 45 degrees 10,717 yards, number of grooves 48.
The navy estimates. Combined centrifugal and positive action pumps.
March 18. The construction of theoretical indicator diagrams for compound engines. Modern United States artillery, No. I (illustrated). Steam boiler experiments, No. VIII. Navy boilers. Breakdowns in the navy.
March 25. Formosa and its railways. Modern United States artillery, No. II (illustrated).
Description of standard light 3-inch rifle, of converted 8-inch and 10-inch smoothbores, as well as of projectiles for converted guns.
The employment of ships. How fast a single-barrel machine-gun may be fired.
April 1. Modern United States artillery, No. III (illustrated).
Converting wrought-iron 3-inch guns; description of manufacture of 3.3-inch steel B. L. R., model 1889.
Canet vs. Krupp guns. The Serve boiler tube.
April 8. Modern United States artillery, No. IV (illustrated).
Description of breech mechanism of 3.2-inch B. L. R., model 1889.
Balancing of marine engines and the vibration of vessels. Watertight bulkheads. Circular furnace-stoker.
April 15. Modern United States artillery, No. V (illustrated).
Description of carriage, limber, and harness for 3.2-inch B. L. R.
Institution of Naval Architects. Steadying vessels at sea. Whale-back steamers. An approximate rule for the center of buoyancy. Vibration of vessels. Balancing of marine engines and the vibration of vessels (illustrated). Water-tight bulkheads (illustrated).
April 22. Modern United States artillery, No. VI (illustrated).
Description of 3.6-inch heavy field-gun, its ballistic data, ammunition, fuzes.
Institution of Naval Architects. Field howitzers and mortars.
ANNALEN DER HYDROGRAPIIIE UND MARITIMEN METEOROLOGIE.
Ninth Annual Series, 1891, Volume XII. Hydrographic notes on New Guinea. Agreement of weather characteristics in northern Germany (concluded). Tides and currents in the roadstead of Hang-koiv in the Yantse Kiang. Currents and sea temperatures on the west coast of South America. Sailing directions for Zanzibar. Report of Captain F. Duhme, of the German steamer Tai-cheong, on the typhoons of July, 1891. Extracts from the reports of the masters of ships Aeolus and J. W. Gildenmeister (notes on ports in various parts of the Pacific Ocean, as well as on the passage through Torres Straits). Voyages in the Gulf of California and along the west coast of Mexico. Deep-sea soundings in the East Indian archipelago. On the effect of the direction of the wind and atmospheric pressure upon the surface of the sea; Chronometer comparison based on their methods of compensation. Quarterly weather review of the German Naval Observatory, spring of 1887. Minor notices: Remarkable meteoric phenomena; Anchorage for war-vessels in the harbor of Piraeus: Anchorage on north side of Pajaros Island, Mexico; Antofagasta.
THE UNITED SERVICE.
April, 1892. The building of the soldier. Priscilla. A lesson from history. Riots and means for their suppression. Street fighting, by Henry Rotneyn, Captain 1st U. S. Infantry. Capture of the United States revenue cutter Surveyor. Company discipline. Mar-bot.
May. Wagon and rail transportation. Recollections and incidents of a cruise around the world. Napoleon the Third at Sedan. History of first fight and organization of Stonewall Brigade. Civil employment of troops. Chronicles of Carter barracks. The captain’s story. Captain T. O. Selfridge, Jr., U. S. Navy.
JOURNAL OF THE MILITARY SERVICE INSTITUTION.
March, 1892. Position-finding service. Army transportation. Was Gettysburg decisive? Artillery service in the Rebellion. Infantry fire. Shrapnel fire. Power of military courts to punish for contempt. Reprints and translations: The progress of tactics; Smokeless powder: Coast and harbor defense; Canet vs. Krupp guns; Changes in military matters; Letters on infantry, XIV. Military notes: The German torpedo-shell; Mannlicher bullets; Coast batteries.
May. The military geography of Canada. Artillery in the Rebellion. A plea for the colors. Diseases which have been epidemic in armies. Post schools in the army. Reprints and translations: Military small-arms; The progress of tactics; Staff duty in he Peninsular army; Letters on infantry; Experiments with field mortars. Military notes: Modern military rifles; Photography and reconnoissance; Improvement of Scott’s telescopic sight; The Krag-Jörgensen rifle.
FRANKLIN INSTITUTE.
March, 1862. Bearing-metal alloys. The proposed ship-canal between New York and Philadelphia, connecting the Delaware and Raritan rivers. The development of spiral weld tube machinery. Philadelphia as a seaport, by Capt. F. A. Mahan, U. S. A. Electrical section: An early conception of the magnetic field; Notes on electro-magnetic machinery, by Wm. S. Aldrich.
April. Aluminium, its manufacture and uses, from an engineering standpoint, by A. E. Hunt. Philadelphia as a seaport. A computation of Joule’s equivalent (concluded). Chemical section. Electrical section: Resistance standards, their manufacture and adjustment; On the variable action of two-coil solenoids. Photographic novelties.
BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.
Volume XXIV, No. 1. Exploration of the Grand River, Labrador. Who discovered the Pygmies? Rivers and the evolution of geographic forms. U. S. atlas sheets and census bulletins. Geographical notes.
UNITED SERVICE GAZETTE.
March 5, 1892. Photography and reconnoissance. Launch of the Repulse and of the Ramillies. Carrier pigeons.
The census of carrier pigeons taken in Paris between January 1st and 15th last shows that there are 697 proprietors, possessing 13,892 birds. The census enters into very minute particulars as to the respectability of the owners, and the direction in which the pigeons are trained to fly, so that in case of war the military authorities on taking over the birds would be in a position to utilize them to the best advantage.
March 12. Naval gunnery.
“Before allowing a seaman to fire he should be put through a course of drill which should be most carefully carried out; and no man ought to be allowed to fire a shot until he has proved himself efficient at drill. . . . . The executive officer may be said to take no interest whatever in anything appertaining to gunnery. It dirties his paint-work and boats, interferes with his routine, and occupies men who would otherwise be at his disposal; so he gives the men with a bad grace, often remarking that gunnery is ‘all rot.’ This officer and the gunnery lieutenant are, therefore, generally working at cross purposes, and the former will often put serious obstacles in the way of the drills, and the men who are under instruction are made to feel that if not employed in that way they might be at leisure, the result being a cordial hatred of gunnery drills. It is a curious fact that executive officers who have themselves been gunnery officers are frequently antagonistic to their old chosen specialty; gunnery has been to them a stepping-stone to promotion and is now of no further interest. The executive officer is not alone to blame in this matter. It must be remembered that his promotion depends almost entirely on the general appearance of his ship, its cleanliness, and the efficiency of the ship’s company apart from gunnery.
The only remedy that suggests itself is that there should be a senior officer on the staff of the admiral in each squadron appointed for the superintendence of gunnery drills and exercises.”
The Russian navy. The terrain in its relations to military operations, IV. The navy estimates. Quick-firing guns in the French army.
March 19 and 26. Naval manoeuvres of 1891. The use of pigeons for naval and military purposes. The Royal Naval Reserve. Ships, engines and boilers.
April 2. Bouvines.
Apropos of the rapid diminution which has been made in recent years in the bores of military rifles, the Revue Scientifique gives the following table of rifles which have been adopted since 1866:
State. | Year. | Caliber.mm. | System. |
France, | 1866 | 11 | Chassepot. |
United States, | 1866 | 11.43 | Springfield. |
Belgium, | 1867 | 11 | Albini. |
Austria, | 1866-73 | 11 | Werndl. |
Switzerland, | 1868-81 | 10.4 | Vetterli. |
Spain, | 1871 | 11 | Remington. |
Germany, | 1871 | 11 | Mauser. |
England, | 1871 | 11.43 | Martini. |
Holland, | 1871 | 11 | Beaumont. |
Italy, | 1871 | 10.4 | Vetterli. |
Russia, | 1871 | 10.66 | Berdan. |
France, | 1874 | 11 | Gras. |
Portugal | 1885 | 8 | Gnédes. |
France, | 1886 | 8 | Lebel. |
Austria, | 188S | 8 | Mannlicher. |
Germany, | 1888 | 7.9 | Mannlicher. |
England, | 1889 | 7.7 | Lee-Metford. |
Belgium, | 1889 | 7.65 | Mauser. |
Switzerland, | 1890 | 7.5 | Mauser. |
Italy, | 1892 | 6.5 | Mauser. |
Launch of the Crescent. Naval notes: Launch of the
The Bouvines has a displacement of 6610 tons, 284 feet between perpendiculars, breadth 55 feet, draft 24 feet 4 inches. She has two sets of triple expansion engines, giving 7500 HP and a speed of 15 knots. The hull has an armored belt of 17¾-inch plating; the steel deck varies from 2¾ to 3.9 inches in thickness. Her armament will consistof two 32-cm. guns mounted in heavily armored hydraulic pivoted turrets, eight 10-cm. quick-firing guns, eight 38-mm, revolving guns and two 47-mm. machine guns in the tops.
APRIL9. The shooting of field artillery. Institution of Naval Architects. The Royal Naval Reserve.
April 16. Field artillery tactics. Field howitzers and mortars. April 23. The physique of the army. Quick-firing guns. The use of balloons in warfare.
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL UNITED SERVICE INSTITUTION.
April, 1892. The telephone at home and in the field. The recon-noissance of a railway; its utilization and destruction in time of war. The naval prize essay, 1892: “Maritime supremacy being essential for the general protection of the British Empire and its commerce, to what extent, if any, should our naval force be supplemented by fixed defenses at home and abroad, and to whom should they be confided?” by Captain R. W. Craigie, R. N.
The writer first considers the question of defenses ashore in England. According to the relative importance of the ports to be guarded, the defenses are ranged under four classes. The floating coast defenses are next considered, followed by the fixed defenses abroad. The different trade routes of England are taken up in order and the needs of defenses are thoroughly considered. The essay winds up with the following conclusions:
“ 1. That to the Navy should be entrusted the duty of sweeping the high seas and of keeping them clear of the enemy’s cruisers.
2. That, after our maritime supremacy has been assured by building a sufficient number of ships, our naval force should be supplanted by certain fixed defenses raised to meet a definite purpose at our different ports at home and abroad; this purpose being to resist a raid or attack by one or more cruisers for a few days, and to offer a safe refuge for our war-ships and mercantile marine while coaling, loading or unloading, or under repair.
3. That these fixed defenses are of little use, since they could not keep the entrance of the port clear, or prevent the attack of torpedo-boats, without a floating defense, consisting of torpedo-boats and armed local steamers acting as guard-boats.
4. That these fixed defenses should be under military control, but that all the purely naval or maritime portion of the defenses should be manned and worked by seamen under a naval officer attached to the staff of the general officer in command.
5. To avoid, however, breaking up regiments into small detachments unnecessarily, certain small coaling stations abroad should be manned by marines and seamen and placed under naval control.
6. That the only way that our naval and military forces can be kept in their proper proportion, and used with the greatest effect, is to place them both under one minister.”
Essay honorably mentioned: “The employment of Photography in reconnoissance.” Modern rifle bullets and their effects. The naval schools of the chief continental powers, Part III.
TRANSACTIONS OF THE TECHNICAL SOCIETY OF THE PACIFIC COAST.
Vol. IX, No. 1. The commerce of San Francisco, with discussion, George W. Dickie.
MÉMOIRES DE LA SOCIÉTÉ DES INGÉNIEURS CIVILS.
REVUE DU CERCLE MILITAIRE.
February 14, i3g2. Surgical antisepsy in the army.
This is the title of an unpretending but useful memorandum pocket-book that can be easily consulted even on the battle-field.
Notes on the Austro-Hungarian army. Adaptation of the commissariat wagons to ferry-boats for the passage of troops over streams and narrow waters.
February 21. Surgical antisepsy in the army (continued). Notes on the composition and organization of the Austro-Hungarian army.
February 28 and March 6. Antiseptic operations and dressing in the army (with sketches).
March 13. Interior life of the private in the English army. Organization of the reserve in the Portuguese army.
March 27. Military strength of Morocco. Antiseptic operations, etc. (continued). Notes on the Austro-Hungarian army (ended).
April 10. Practical instruction in the military academy of Toledo (Spain). A study on infantry tactics, continued from the preceding number. Antiseptic operations, etc. (ended).
April 17 and 24. A study on infantry tactics (ended). The adjustable boat of Lieutenant Van Wetter of the Belgian army.
A full description of this contrivance will be found in this and the following number of the Review. It is destined to render great service and unites the following advantages: 1. great strength; 2, minimum weight and facility of transportation; 3, small volume; 4, rapidity in taking apart and putting together; 5, possibility of the wood-work being built and all repairs made by the troops; 6, smallness of cost; 7, keeping in repair next to nothing.
May 1. The “lava” of the Russian Cossacks and their modes of fighting. Use of railroads during the Turko-Russian war (continued). New firing regulations in the Italian army. The crossing of streams during army operations.
This is one of the important problems that preoccupy the minds of military men, which assertion requires no better proof than the numerous articles lately written on the subject (see article published in the Revue of April 24).
LE YACHT.
January 30, 1892. Transformation of the 28-caliber gun into a R. F. cannon. A proposition to turn over the coast defenses to the unemployed part of the naval reserve, in case of mobilization.
February 13. A lecture by Rear-Admiral Sam. Long on the influence of the rapid-fire gun on naval tactics. A new system of screws devised for engines turning in the same direction.
February 20. The Russian navy. Of the necessity of establishing electric communication between the semaphoric coast-stations. On the use of aluminium in yacht-building.
February 27. The R. F. gun. “Union of French Yachts”: Admissions; Regulations for the Cup of France; Programme of 1892.
Thinking that the regulations governing the race for the Cup of France might prove of interest to yachtsmen on this continent, we give below a translation of the same:
Art. I. The Cup of France, founded by the “ French Yacht Association,” and transferred to the “Union of French Yachts,” constitutes the prize for an international race, to be sailed on and after the year 1892, and which can be entered by all yachts conforming with the following rules:
Art. II. The cup is and shall remain the property of the Union. Its possession by the owner or owners of the winning yacht shall be only temporary.
Art. III. The race for the cup shall be sailed in French waters between July and October, and at a place designated by the Union before the 1st of March in each year.
Art. IV. The regulations governing the race shall be those of the Union of French Yachts.
Art. V. Shall be admissible to compete in the race, yachts of all nations, with any kind of rig, standing keel, or center-board, whose tonnage shall be superior to 5 tons, and not over 20 (French measurement).
Art. VI. Foreign yachts in order to be qualified must have been built in the country whose flag they display.
Art. VII. Shall be admitted to compete, only those French yachts whose plans have been designed by a French builder, have been built and equipped (including sails) in France, and shall be manned by a French crew.
Art. VIII. Foreign yachts intending to proffer a challenge must give notice of their intention before the 1st of April of each year.
Art. IX. Yachts intending challenging a foreign club holding the cup must also notify the fact through the “Union of French Yachts,” and at the same date as in Art. VIII.
Notices of challenge shall furnish. 1, the name of the owner; 2, that of the yacht; 3, the necessary dimensions for measurements, or a certificate delivered by the Union; 4, the yacht’s rig, her origin, and her date of construction, whether of wood, iron, steel, or composite; a fac-simile of her racing pennant, and finally, an honorable pledge not to contest before tribunals any point of difference arising from possible incidents of the race, and to sign, if need be, a pledge of amicable arbitration.
Art. X. A challenge having been forwarded to the holder of the cup, the latter shall forthwith give the names of the yachts accepting the challenge, and this before the 1st of June of each year.
Art. XI. If no challenge shall have been received before the 1st of April, the race will be postponed till the following year. Should none of the yachts having sent the challenge present themselves at the starting point, then an adjournment shall likewise take place.
Art. XII. Should no yacht take up the challenge, the cup will be handed to the yacht having sent the challenge. Should there be several yachts entered for the race, they will sail over the course to determine the victor, the same as if the challenge had been taken up.
Art. XIII. The course shall be sailed over three times in succession. The details will be published every year in a special programme made out by the Union of French Yachts. Each trial will be over a course of not less than 20 nautical miles, and the yachts shall sail over it at mean rate of 3 miles an hour, otherwise the race shall be declared off. The yacht reaching the stake first in two runs shall be declared the winner; if she should win the first two, the third will be dispensed with.
Should each run be won by yachts of different nationalities, or several yachts of the same nationality, the final victory shall be decided by a fourth race.
If two out of three runs shall have been won by different yachts of one nationality, the final contest shall be only between those yachts.
Art. XIV. The challenging club, or the Union of French Yachts, will present the cup to the victorious yacht, whose owner will furnish the necessary security.
Art. XV. The start will take place exactly at the hour fixed, except 1st, in case of some extraordinary circumstance; 2d, in case of a mishap just before the start, in which case the judges will decide whether sufficient time shall be granted or not to repair damages.
Art. XVI. The Union of French Yachts will entrust to a local nautical society the management of the race.
Art. XVII. The Union of French Yachts reserves the right as long as said Union or a Frenchman shall hold the cup, of modifying or changing the conditions of the race before the 1st of February in every year.
Art. XVIII. Letters of challenge shall include a pledge to pay the entrance fee indicated in the programme.
The use of aluminium in yacht-building and its results compared with wood or iron in sailing yachts (see preceding number.) The French armor-clad Jauréguiberry, built at La Seyne by the Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée.
March 12. The naval appropriations for 1893 in the French Parliament. A comparison between the English and French armor-clads.
March 19. The English naval budget. A comparison between the English and French armor-clads (concluded).
March 26. The English naval budget in the House of Commons.
April 2. A projected law in regard to the “inscription maritime.” Launching of the armor-clad Bouvines. Geometry of the yacht; formula of measurement (see preceding number).
April 9. The navy; the budget; the North squadron; Dahomey; Rear-Admiral Mottez (E. Weyl). Geometry of the yacht; formula of measurement (continued).
April 16. The coast defenses of France. The English first-class cruiser Edgar.
April 30. The navy and Dahomey. The next naval appropriation. The new constructions (E. Weyl). The Maxim-Nordenfelt guns. Launching of the armored coast-defense vessel Jemmapes.
REVUE MARITIME ET COLONIALE.
March, 1892.
The greater portion of this number is taken up with two articles translated from the English, the first being “Problems of Greater Britain,” under which title Sir Ch. Dilkes published two years ago, as our readers are probably aware, an exposé of the situation of the British Empire. The second is a translation of the “Latest Great Naval War,” the famous production of Mr. Nelson Seaforth.
The boards of administration of navy years (French), ended.
April —. Oceanography [dynamics] (continued). Considerations of the relations between the barometer and the distribution of air-currents. A study upon the mechanical theory of heat. A vocabulary of powders and explosives (continued).
BOLETIN DEL CENTRO NAVAL, BUENOS AIRES.
November, 1891. Military jurisprudence.
An appeal from the action of the Minister of Marine in ordering the arrest of the president (a commodore) and members of a court-martial.
December. A relation of the practice cruise of the Argentina during a surveying expedition on the coasts of Patagonia.
January, 1892. Cares and precautions in the management of chronometers on board ship. Naval guns.
An article in which the author criticises severely the Armstrong and Krupp manufactures of heavy ordnance, adducing as proof of their indifferent quality a numerous list of accidents which have occurred with their system during the last decade.
Continuation of the relation of the practice cruiser Argentina on a surveying expedition to the coasts of Patagonia. Defense of seaport entrances against torpedo-boats. Organization of the Argentine fleet.
REVISTA MARITIMA BRAZILEIRA.
December, 1891. Report of the results of Lieut. Portella’s visits to European dockyards and shipbuilding establishments to the Brazilian minister of marine; followed by a few notes on the institution of naval apprenticeship among various nations. Smokeless powders in naval battles (translated from the French).
The government manufacture of smokeless powder at Sevran-Livry furnishes powder to the French army and navy. Mr. Canet uses for his guns powder of the above manufacture, adding to it an innocuous substance in order to frustrate any chemical analysis that might be attempted to discover its composition.
January and February, 1892. Report of Lieut. Portella (continued). A few notes on the institution of naval apprenticeship among different nations (continued). Smokeless powder C. 89 used by Krupp. A new method of rectifying a table of deviations of the compass.
NAMES OF MEMBERS WHO JOINED SINCE JULY 1, 1891.
Life Members.
Clowes, W. Laird, Prize Essayist, 1892, No. 4 Wyburn Villas, Surbiton Hill, Surrey, England.
Maxwell, W. J., Ensign, U. S. N.
Regular Members.
Brainard, F. R., Ensign, U. S. N.
Dutton, Robert McM., Lieut., U. S. M. C.
Hayes, C. H., Asst. Engineer. U. S. N.
Lowry, O. W., Lieut., U. S. N.
Martin, John R. P., Asst. Paymaster, U. S. N.
McDonald, J. E., Naval Cadet, U. S. N.
Scales, A. H., Ensign, U. S. N.
Snow, T. H., Naval Cadet, U. S. N.
Snow, W. A., Ensign, U. S. N.
Associate Members.
Clapp, T. H., Ensign, Naval Battalion, M. V. M.
Fitzgerald, John J., Lieut., Naval Battalion, N. G., California.
Graham, Geo. H., Counselor at Law.
Hamilton, James, 2d Lieutenant, 3d Artillery, U. S. Army.
Harvey, H. A., Gen’l Manager, Harvey Steel Co.
Rowan Hamilton, 1st Lieutenant, 2d Artillery, U. S. A.
Slater, A. B., Jr., Superintendent, Providence Gas Co.
Smith, F. G., Major, 4th Artillery, U. S. Army.
Sweet, Henry N., 4 Spruce Street, Boston, Mass.
Wadagaki, Y., Japanese Student, London, Eng.
Weaver, E. M., 1st Lieutenant, 2d Artillery, U. S. Army.
Wilson, Thomas L., Electrical Engineer.