AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, Bulletin No. 1, 1884.
The growing power of the Republic of Chili.
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING ENGINEERS, Transactions, Vol. XII.
Physical and chemical tests of steel for boilers and ship-plate for the United States Government cruisers, by Pedro G. Salom.
This article gives the conclusions reached by the author from a long series of tests of the steel made for the new cruisers. The average percentage of phosphorus is .039; of carbon .15, and of manganese .38; but the author assumes from the tests that phosphorus to the extent of .075 per cent, is not very injurious to the physical properties of soft steel. He believes that instead of hardening steel, phosphorus tends to destroy homogeneity by preventing the dissemination of the carbon. The results of the tests show the necessity of having some uniformity in the methods of physical tests, and the author suggests chemical analysis. The paper is accompanied by a table giving the results of over 350 tests; it has been reprinted in the Journal of the Franklin Institute for July, 1884.
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS. Transactions.
July, 1884. The heavy gun question, by Capt. O. E. Michaelis, U. S. A.
Capt. Michaelis reviews the report of the Gun Foundry Board and concludes that, even if the recommendations therein expressed are carried out, there is little hope of success. He believes that without the establishment of a government foundry a successful gun can be made from open hearth steel, hollow cast, cooled and annealed from the centre. A rough sketch of a 12-in. 50-ton B. L. K., 33 calibres long, is appended.
ANNALEN DER HYDROGRAPH IE UND MARITIMEN METEORO- LOGIE.
Part III, 1884. Results from the south polar station (French) on Terra del Fuego, 1883-84. Steamer routes from “the Channel” to New York and back. Behavior of chronometers on board. Some anomalies in the audibility of sound signals. Temperature, salineness and color of the water in the Atlantic ocean in the parallel of 59° N.
Part IV. Typical weather phenomena. Extracts from the cruise reports of S. M. S. Leipzig, Sophia, and Olga. The catastrophe in Sunda Straits.
Part V. General results of the Danish international polar expedition at Godhaven, west coast of Greenland, and of the voyage
of the Dijmphua. The catastrophe in Sunda Straits (cont.). Additions to the sailing directions for the coast of Upper Guinea. Typhoon in Hong Kong in July, 1883. Report on trial of marine chronometers, winter of 1883-84.
Part VI. The harmonious analysis of tide observations. Report on trial of observation watches in the winter of 1883-84 by the Imperial Observatory at Wilhelmshaven. Magnetic influences on the rate of chronometers. Magnetic elements of various places in South America and the West Indies. Determination of the elements of the earth’s magnetism in Tokio. Microscopic examination of volcanic dust. Review of the comparative heights of European seas. Longitude determination of important coast points. Establishment of a meteorological and storm-warning system on the coast of China.
Part VII. The catastrophe in Sunda Straits (conclusion). Surveying report of the Hyäne on certain islands of the Pacific. Samoa, Tonga and Marshall Groups, Ellice, Gilbert and Pleasant Islands and New Ireland. Port Arthur in Northern China on the Bay of Korea. Remarks on chronometers. Harmonious analysis of tide observations (cont.). Preliminary report on results of the German polar expedition at Royal Bay, South Georgia.
Part VIII. Remarks on chronometers. Harmonious analysis of tide observations (cont.). Results of German polar station at Kuigawa Fjord, Cumberland Gulf, Baffinsland. Adoption of a common prime meridian and universal time.
Part IX. The indirect or approximate solutions of the two- altitude problem, giving a review of the especial approximation methods of Dou6s 1754, Borda 1771, Lalande 1793, and Sumner 1837. Coast of Upper Guinea from the Los Islands to the Cameroon River. Harmonious analysis of tide observations (cont.). Notices on the Greeley North American polar expedition, 1881-1884. Deep-sea soundings of the French ship Romanche in the Atlantic ocean, 1882-83. Apparatus for the determination of velocity and direction of currents.
Part X. The indirect or approximate solutions of the two- altitude problem (cont.). Sailing directions for the roads of Sulu and Maimbun (Sulu), and the harbor of Sandakan (Borneo). Deep sea soundings of the Italian corvette Vettor Pisani in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, and of the Albatross in the West Indies and North Adantic. Harmonious analysis of tide observations (cont.). Proposed use of acoustic signals for course determination in foggy weather. Sidney Island, Phoenix Group, South Sea Islands. Magnetic observations in and near Iceland.
Part XI. The indirect or approximate solutions of the two- altitude problem. Additions to the hydrography of the Siberian ice sea. Notices on certain harbors of the South Australian coast, Port Adelaide, Waliaros, Caroline (Kingston), Victor, Augusta and Pirie. Remarks on Port Lyttleton, New Zealand. Harmonious analysis of tide observations (cont.). The mean daily variation of the daily declination at Fort Rae. Two storms in the North Pacific ocean near the coast of Mexico. Frequency of storms at the equinoxes.
Part XII. The indirect or approximate solutions of the two- altitude problem (cont.). Additions to the description of the coast of Damara and Great Manaqua, West Africa. Harmonious analysis of tide observations (conclusion). Remarkable storms (26-29 October, 1884). Remarks on two storms in Japan, 10-16 and 24-26 August, 1884. Cruise chronicle of the ships of the German navy in service during 1884.
BULLETIN DE LA RÉUNION DES OFFICIERS.
March 29, 1884. The German navy.
April 5. The Schulhof gun.
April 12. A practical method of estimating distances.
April 19. The electric gun.
July 12. Repeating rifles, continued, July 26.
ENGINEER.
July 4, 1884. Torpedo boats for the Russian government. The Brazilian iron-clad Riachuelo.
“This is one of the most successful war ships constructed, the performance of her engines is especially noteworthy.” She is 305 feet between perpendiculars, with an extreme breadth on water line of 52 feet; depth 21¾ feet; draft 19½ feet; displacement 5700 tons at load-line, being per inch 31 tons. The contract called for 6000 H. P., but the results of the official trials indicated an average development of 6900 H. P.; the mean speed attained was, with natural draft, 16.2 knots, with forced draft, 16.7 knots. While the vessel was designed to make 15 knots with 6000 H. P., she actually attained this velocity with 4500 H. P.
August 1. Report of the U. S. Gun Foundry Board (review).
August 22. Light-ship lanterns.
September 12. The British and French iron-clad navies.
October 3. Green’s ventilating apparatus for ships. The Navy.
October 10. The Chilian cruiser Esmeralda.
This is a twin-screw steel cruiser, 270 feet long, 42 feet beam, i8j4 feet draught, and nearly 3000 tons displacement. Her lower deck, of 1 inch steel, is strongly arched in athwartship direction, having a curve of about 4 feet. There are two independent sets of compound engines, and upon trial it was found that with one engine and one screw working, the ship could be kept on a course with a very small helm angle. The mean speed declared as a result of the trials, was knots, with an indicated II. P. of 6500. With 600 tons of coal on board it is calculated that the Esmeralda can go 6000 knots at a ten knot speed, and 8000 knots at an eight knot speed. Her moderate length and good rudder power make her a very handy ship, and she has a powerful ram bow. With hydraulic gear the helm can be put hard over in from twelve to fifteen seconds when going ahead at full speed. She carries two 10-inch and six 6-inch B. L. Rifles, besides a number of machine guns.
Linked shells. The Maxim automatic gun. Shipbuilding by contract for the Royal Navy.
October 17. The unarmored navies of England and France. Williams’ electrical torpedoes and system of coast defence,
October 24. The defence of our coaling stations. The heavy gun question in America. Experiments against armor in Spezia.
November 21. Education in the science of naval architecture.
December 5. Recent Spezia trials and hard armor.
In the trials, October I, 18S4, the plates were about 19 inches thick; the steel Krupp projectile weighed 1841 pounds. The striking velocities on the Cammell, Brown, and Schneider plates were 570, 567 and 567 metres, or an average of 1864 ft. sec. The average striking energy was 44,340 ft. tons, which with the 17-inch projectile ought to perforate 30 inches of iron. It is needless to add that the plates were perforated and broken up, and the only question as between them seems to be as to which offered the most resistance.
ENGINEERING.
July 4, 1844. Secondary batteries. Engines of the Spanish gunboat Eulalia.
July 11. Guns in turret ships.
July 25. Longridge’s wire guns (review). Secondary batteries (continued). Engines of the S. S. Arabian.
August 1. Nordenfeldt machine-guns (review). Guns in turret ships (concluded). Jury rudder of the Knickerbocker.
August 8. The 6-pounder Hotchkiss gun for the British Navy.
A number of these guns have been ordered for use in the English Navy; the gun is made of Whitworth’s fluid-pressed steel, oil tempered. The body consists of a tube and a jacket carrying the breech and trunnions, so that the longitudinal and transverse strains are divided. The jacket is shrunk over the tube, and to prevent any slipping they are locked together by a screwed collar, carrying the foresight. The gun is 8 feet inches long, weighs, complete with pedestal, 15.3 cwt., and is of 2)4 inch calibre. The projectile, either shell or canister, weighs 6 lbs., and the charge is 29^ oz. The gun is mounted on a non-recoil pedestal and is fitted with a shoulder piece and a pistol grip; it is served by two men.
The corrosion of marine boilers.
August 29. Engines for the German despatch vessel Blitz.
September 5. Anchor gear for the Riachuelo.
The anchors of the Riachuelo weigh 66 cwt. each, and are of cast-steel in several parts, without stocks. The only way to make them lose their hold is by bringing the shank into a vertical position. Their peculiar form enables their shanks to be drawn with the cable completely within the hawse-pipe, the outside of which is enlarged for housing the flukes, and the lower part of the hawse-pipe is so formed that the anchor houses itself. All that then remains is to lower the buckler and the anchor is secured, without the use of catheads or fishdavits. The invention was designed by Mr. S. Baxter, whose weighing gear has also been adopted. In a time trial both anchors were let go, weighed and stowed again in forty-five minutes. The results have been so satisfactory that the English Government has ordered this system to be adopted for several of the new armored vessels. BIBLIOGRAPHIC
The corrosion of marine boilers.
September 19. The construction of ordnance.
October 10. The armature of the Ferranti dynamo. The state of the Navy.
October 17. The Clerc and Bureau dynamo. The engines of the Fish Commission steamer Albatross. The state of the Navy. Williams’ system of torpedo attack and defence.
This seems to be an auto-mobile torpedo boat similar to the Lay, but with the substitution of electricity for carbonic acid as a motive power.
October 24. The state of the Navy. The ioo-pounder Armstrong gun.
A brief account of the trial of this gun, at Spezia, October i, against the Brown, Cammell, and Schneider plates.
October 31. The Castalia hospital ship and tender.
November 7. The Maxim machine gun.
In this gun there is but one barrel, and all the functions of loading, cocking, firing, withdrawing and ejecting the empty shell are performed by the recoil. The cartridges, 333 in number, are placed side by side in a canvas belt; one end pf this belt is connected to the arm and the gun is worked by hand until the first cartridge is driven into the barrel. Then the gun is fired, and by the recoil the gun is reloaded and fired. The firing may therefore be kept up automatically as long as there are any cartridges in the belt, and the gun server is free to give his undivided attention to the pointing. Should a cartridge miss fire, a complete revolution of the hand wheel used in starting the gun throws out the obstacle and the automatic action is resumed. The gun is about three feet high and five feet long, and it can be set to fire any number up to 600 shots per minute. No official trials have as yet been made.
November 14. The electric light on shipboard.
November 21. Gun factories in France.
This is the title of an article giving extracts from, and a few comments upon, No. 4, Vol. X, of the Naval Institute Proceedings.
November 28. Electricity in theory and practice.
A review of a book so entitled, by Lieut. B. A. Fiske, U. S. N.
Our ironclad navy.
December 5. The steamboat equipment of war vessels, continued December 26.
FRANKLIN INSTITUTE JOURNAL.
May, 1884. Petroleum as a source of emergency power for war ships, by P. A. Engineer N. B. Clark, U. S. N.
The author advocates the use of petroleum in the new cruisers in conjunction with anthracite coal; the latter for ordinary passages, the former for emergencies.
Tanning linen.
A Belgian inventor, M. Piron, has invented a method of rendering cellulose tissues impermeable and durable without injuring their flexibility or greatly increasing their weight. He uses the green tar of birch bark dissolved in alcohol, which penetrates the capillary vessels of tissues, enabling them to resist the corrosive action of acids, sea water, and change of temperature. Microscopic vegetation cannot grow; while the prepared substances can be folded without breaking the fibre. The solution can be applied for the preservation of sails, awnings, cordage, etc.
July. Heat of combustion of coal, by Chief Engineer Isherwood, U. S. N. Physical and chemical tests of steel for boiler and ship-plate for the U. S. Government cruisers.
October. Development of the theory of the steam engine, and its application, by R. H. Thurston.
Tide gauges.
Of late years automatic instruments have been very generally used in Europe for registering the mean level of the ocean at stated epochs. The level of the North Sea does not seem to have varied for one hundred and fifty years. The level of the Baltic is the same as in 1826. The French commission charged with this work has undertaken operations that will surpass in extent every previous thing of the kind. In Belgium, measurements have been made in 8477 places. The Spanish operations have shown that the level of the Atlantic at Santander is 0.582 metre above that of the Mediterranean at Alicante.
January, 1885. Glimpses of the International Electric Exhibition. JOURNAL DE LA FLOTTE.
March 30, 1884. The Lambinet engine counter.
The number of revolutions per minute can be determined at any instant by means of this apparatus.
May 18. The use of electric accumulators for the navigation of vessels.
May 25. The electric signal-light apparatus used in the French Navy.
The lights, five in number, are carried either upon the mizzen or main mast; each is connected by a flexible cable to the commutator; the latter, though of complicated structure, is of easy management. It allows one or more of the five lights to be illumined, and at the same time it shows on the key-board a scheme of the signal made; when the signal is extinguished the scheme disappears by the same movement. Each light is of 30-candle power; the apparatus has been used successfully on board the Richelieu, and it is intended to fit it to other men-of-war.
August 10. Extract from the report of M. de Lesseps on the Panama canal.
August 17. The Minister of Marine orders that in future the use of tribord and bàbord as applied to the helm shall be discontinued. The commands to be substituted are à droite and à gauche; comme ça will mean “keep her head as it is,” and zéro will signify “put the helm amidships.”
August 24. The Toselli submarine explorer.
September 14. The electric light on board the Richelieu.
There are 227 Edison lamps on board divided into seven circuits, viz: day, of 68 lamps; night, of 79; fighting, of 16; machine, of 26; sea, of 22. All the 211 preceding lamps are of 8-candle power. The remainder, of 30-candle power, are divided into two circuits, six running lights and ten signal lights. Kelt washers are interposed between the supports and the timbers of the ship, and the lights are attached to the supports by springs to lessen the vibrations due to the revolution of the screw and the shocks from firing the guns. The seven circuits are connected with a key-board which permits any one of them being lighted or extinguished at will; furthermore, in each circuit, certain ones of the lamps are furnished with individual commutators provided with special keys. The last two circuits mentioned have a special return wire so that they can always be separated from the rest. The conducting wires are so distributed that no lamp has more than one volt less potential than at the key-board. The gramme dynamo is used; with 25 horse-power it can make 580 revolutions and light 400 lamps of 8-candle power; it occupies a space less than a metre square and about a metre high. E. M. F., 51 to 52 volts, internal resistance, .008 ohm, current 200 to 250 amperes; the derived current absorbs 22 amperes.
September 28. The report of Admiral Lespes concerning the attack on the Kee-Lung forts.
October 5th and 12th. Rules for the prevention of collisions.
By a decree of the President of the French Republic the regulations adopted in November, 1879, for the prevention of collisions at sea are abrogated and a new set enacted to date from September 1, 1884. The only important change is that vessels engaged in laying or picking up a telegraphic cable are to carry at night a red, a white and another red light vertically instead of three red lights, and by day a white diamond, made from two inverted cones, between two red balls. A new article, No. 27, is added prescribing the signals to be made by a vessel in distress; in addition to the recognized signals a burning tar or oil barrel will denote an appeal for help.
October 19. The use of steel in naval construction.
October 26. The report of Admiral Courbet concerning the operations in the Min river from the 23d to the 30th August, 1884 (finished in the next number).
November 30. Hollow shafts for marine engines.
MITTHEILUNGEN AUS DEM GEBIETE DES SEEWESENS.
Vol. XII., No. 9. Preservation of fresh provisions aboard ship. Artillery of small calibres; a history of the development of rapid firing machine guns, and a discussion of their use, by Lieutenant Lilie, Russian Navy. Fleet manoeuvres in Russia, with plate. The Double Compound Engines of the ship “Arabian.” Notes on the English Navy. Fleet manoeuvres in the River Jade. The American Expeditions for the exploration of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans; an account of deep sea soundings taken by the U. S. S. Enterprise and the U. S. C. & G. S. S. Blake. Rubber cross-wires for astronomical and geodetic instruments.
Vol. XII., No. 10. The relative movements of fish torpedoes; a mathematical discussion by Captain Julius Heinz, Royal Austrian Navy. Experiments with Naphtha as a fuel (trans.). Experimental Firing at Juchheit. New Spanish 16 cm. Steel Naval Gun. Experiments with 6-pdr. Hotchkiss Rapid Firing Cannon. The engines of the new German dispatch vessel Blitz. Use of oil to break the force of waves. A new under-water torpedo boat. A new material for shipbuilding.
Vol. XII., Nos. 11 and 12. The use of rolled, cast and wrought steel in shipbuilding. The Ram. The electric light, and electric apparatus for night signalling, on board the French ironclad Richelieu. Different methods of measuring gas pressures in guns. Penetration of projectiles against wrought iron and wooden walls. French operations in the river Min. Austrian Naval Budget for 1885. A course-finder, an instrument devised by Captain Martinolich, of the Austro-Hungarian Lloyd Company. Notes on the Russian Navy; (new vessels for the Baltic; the Renaissance of the Black Sea Fleet; the new dry docks at Sebastopol; Russian Naval Budget for 1885). Telegraphic communication of fire ships with the shore.
MILITARY SERVICE INSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES, JOURNAL.
September, 1884. The military necessities of the United States, and the best provisions for meeting them (prize essay), by Lieutenant A. L. Wagner, U. S. A. The same (first honorable mention), by Captain O. E. Michaelis, U. S. A.
January, 1885. The same (second honorable mention), by Major W. A. King, U. S. A.
REVUE MARITIME ET COLONIALE.
September, 1884. A contribution to the geometry of naval tactics, by Lieutenant Vidal, French Navy. Organization 0/ the Norwegian Navy (translation). The English Naval Budget for 1884-5 (trans.). The administration of the navy—hospitals and prisons.
ROYAL UNITED SERVICE INSTITUTION. 1S84.
No. 123. The necessity for the systematic training of naval officers in the art of manoeuvring ships under steam. The present position of the armor question. Distribution of the personnel of the navy on an outbreak of war (prize essay).
No. 124. The ram in future naval victories.
No. 125. On libraries considered as subsidiary to naval education. No. 126. The Yarrow torpedo boats. Discussion on the naval prize essay. The heavy guns of 1884. Fog collisions. A new stability apparatus.
TESTS OF ARMOR—Schneider & Co., Creusot, France.
Through the courtesy of M. Henri Schneider we have received a portfolio of photographs and a collection of illustrated pamphlets, some of them being papyrographs, illustrating and describing the experiments made for testing armor plates, both at Spezzia and Gâvre, from 1876 up to 1884. In addition to these are descriptions of the methods for fastening armor plates, an historical memorandum of the Schneider and compound plates, and trials of projectiles against armor. It is unnecessary to criticise here the results shown in these pamphlets, for the experiments have been already widely noticed and commented upon in the various technical journals, but it would be difficult to find anywhere so complete a record of the experiments, or one in which the illustrations are so well executed. The Institute congratulates itself both on the intrinsic value of a donation so thoroughly appreciated, and the compliment conveyed in the fact that it was entirely voluntary.
Course in Permanent Fortification, 1 Vol. Course in Temporary Fortification, 1 Vol. Captain James Chester, 3d Artillery, U. S. Army, Fort Monroe, Virginia. Artillery School Print.
These pamphlets are the authorized text-books at the Artillery School, being used in the course of instruction for the officers detailed from the army.
We have received from the American Machinist Publishing Co. a bound volume of the American Machinist for the year 1884. This journal, issued weekly, is devoted to the interests of mechanical engineering, and its columns are replete with the latest examples of modern practice. The thanks of the Institute are tendered for this generous contribution to its library.
ADDITIONS TO LIBRARY.
EXCHANGES.
American Geographical Society, Proceedings. No. 3.
American Institute of Mining Engineers, Transactions. Vol. XII., 1884.
American Iron and Steel Association, Bulletin. Nos. 12-42.
American Philosophical Society, Proceedings. Vol. XXI., Nos. 115, 116.
American Society of Civil Engineers, Transactions. Nos. 272-289.
American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Transactions. Vol. V., 1884.
American Chemical Journal. Vol. VI., Nos. 1-5.
Annalen der Hydrographie und Maritimen Meteorologie. Parts 3-12.
Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, Transactions. Vol. V., Part I.; Vol. V., Part II.
Geographical Society of the Pacific. 10 Pamphlets, On Arctic Drifts and Ocean Currents, the Magnetic Pole, and the Shoaling of the Bar at the entrance to San Francisco Harbor.
Giornale di Artiglieria é Genio. Nos. 2-12.
Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, Transactions. Vol. XXXIII, Nos. 3 and 5.
Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Transactions. Nos. 1-4.
Institution of Civil Engineers, Proceedings. Nos. 3, 4.
Journal de la Flotte. Nos. 12-51.
Journal of the Franklin Institute. Nos. 697-709.
Journal of the Military Service Institution of the United States. Vol.V., Nos. 18, 19, 20.
Journal of the Royal United Service Institution. Nos. 125, 126.
Mittheilungen aus dem Gebiete des Seewesens. Vol. XII., Nos. 3-12.
The Mechanical Engineer. Nos. 7-14.
Norsk Tiddskrift for Sovaesen. October, November and December, 1884.
Reunion des Officiers, Bulletin. Nos. 11-51.
Rivista Marittima. Nos. 3-12.
Royal Artillery Institution, Proceedings. Vol. XII., Nos. 1-7.
Revue Maritime et Coloniale. Nos. 276, 280, 281.
School of Mines Quarterly. Vol. V., No. 4; Vol. VI., Nos 1, 2.
Société des Ingénieurs Civils. Nos. 1-10.
United Service Gazette. Nos. 2672-2718.
DONATIONS.
Attack and Defence of Coast Fortifications. By Captain E. Maguire, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A.
Notes on Navigation. By R. B. Forbes.
The Maritime Canal of Suez. By Prof. J. E. Nourse, U. S.N., from Office of Naval Intelligence, Navy Department.
The Loss of the Essex. By R. B. Forbes.
From the Office of Naval Intelligence, Navy Department:
Ordnance Notes. Nos. 331-357.
Experiments with Compressed Gun-cotton. Translated by J. P. Wisser, 1st Lieutenant, U. S. A.
From the Editor of the San Francisco Daily Report. Nos. 98, 99, 100. Return of the Exploring Expedition of Lieut. G. M. Stoney, from Alaska.
The Shoaling of the Bar at the Entrance to San Francisco Harbor. By Prof. G. Davidson, A.M., Ph. D.
Two Copies of Artillery School Publications, entitled Ballistics, Temporary and Permanent Fortifications. By James Chester, Captain Third Artillery, U. S. A.
Vols. I. and II. of the U. S. International Exhibition, 1876. From Navy Department.
A Pamphlet from Mr. John Cahill, People’s Machine and Boiler Works, Baltimore, Md., Manufacturers of the Moore System of Water-Tube Steam Safety or Non-Explosive Boilers.