[American.]
IRON AGE.
July 2, 1896. Experiments with Melinite. A Test of Turrets. Steam Engines for Electric Generators (illustrated).
July 9. Proposals for Gun Forgings.
July 16. The Goubet Submarine Boat. The Relative Strength of Navies.
July 30. Towing Machine Improvements. The Riehle 200,000-pound Testing Machine (illustrated). A Free Silver Illustration.
August 6. Ordnance Supply Bids. Shipbuilding Programmes, 1896-1897.
August 13. Corrosion from Dissolved Copper (illustrated). A New Device for Coaling Steamers.
August 20. The Gun Power of our Battle-ships. Grover’s Indicator Gear (illustrated).
August 27. Transatlantic Steamship Race. Fibrous Wrought-iron and Crystalline Steel—II. (illustrated). The Bazin “Roller” Steamer. Electrically Driven Carriage. Types of United States War Ships.
September 3. A Novel Erecting Derrick (illustrated). Fibrous Wrought-iron and Crystalline Steel—III. (illustrated). Why an Electric Motor Revolves (illustrated). Speed Trials of the U. S. Cruiser Brooklyn.
September 10. New Ocean Steamships.
September 17. Bids for Battle-ships.
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN.
June 27, 1896. The New Battle-ship Kearsarge. The Indiana.
July 4. Oil Engine Signaling Plant for Light-ship No. 42. Test of Armor Plate for Russia.
July 18. Engines of the St. Louis and the St. Paul.
July 24. The Transatlantic Steamship.
Gives a history of the development of the Atlantic steamship.
Naval and Coast Defense. American Shipbuilding.
August 1. Hydraulic Lift Dry-dock at Union Iron Works. The New Battle-ships.
August 8. Determination of Gravity.
August 15 and 22. The Battle-ship Indiana (full illustrated description). Accident to New York Dry-dock.
September 5. Trial of the Brooklyn. The Savage Rifle. Cordeiro’s Telemeter. The Development of Smokeless Powder. Firing Big Guns.
September 12. Collision with an Iceberg. The Bazin Roller Boat. Propulsion of Barges.
September 26. Bids on the Three New Battle-ships.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.
Vol. XXXV., January, 1896. Demonstration of the Röntgen Ray. The Identification of Colored Inks by their Absorption Spectra.
BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.
Vol. XXVIII., No. 2, 1896. The Alaskan Boundary. Record of Geographical Progress: the Swedish Expedition to Terra del Fuego; The Danube Ship Canal.
The lower Danube is about to be opened to navigation by large boats by the completion of the ship canal at the Iron Gates.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING.
August, 1896. Fly-wheels for Steam Engines.
September. The Manufacture of Wire, Galvanization Stranding of Copper Wires, Gauging.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS.
September, 1896. Experiments on the Protection of Steel and Aluminum exposed to Sea Water.
Gives results of tests of various coatings and pigments. Fifty-four steel plates and thirty aluminum plates coated with various paints and enamels were immersed in sea water for six months, then removed and their condition investigated. The results are given in detail by A. H. Sabin, who in conclusion states with reference to the aluminum plates: “The more nearly pure the aluminum the less it seems to need protection. The series which contain large amounts of copper or zinc are the most difficult to protect; corrosion seems to progress rapidly where the sea water gets the slightest admission, and it throws off the coating no matter how impervious the latter may be.”
ELECTRICAL DOINGS.
August, 1896. Electricity on the St. Paul.
September. Cable Laying on the Amazon River.
AMERICAN ELECTRICIAN.
July, 1896. The Selection of a Dynamo. How is Motion given to the Armature of a Direct Current Motor? Faults in Dynamos. Lessons in Practical Electricity.
August. Electricity in the United States Navy. Efficiency of the Steam Engine. Faults in Dynamos. Lessons in Practical Electricity.
September. Electro-magnetic Deflection of Rifle Balls. Faults in Dynamos. Lessons in Practical Electricity.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER.
September, 1896. Electric Turret Gear for French War Ships. A New Finding Light for War Vessels.
THE ENGINEER (NEW YORK).
August 29, 1896. The Engines of the Janus. Boilers of the Germanic. Unusual Corrosion of Marine Machinery. Management of Marine Engines.
September 12. Boilers of the Germanic. Three New Battleships. Early American Shipbuilders. Management of Marine Engines.
September 26. Marine Engine Design of to-day. Management of Marine Engines.
JOURNAL OF THE UNITED STATES ARTILLERY.
July-August, 1896. The Naval Attack on Sea-coast Fortifications. The Tram-chronograph. The Principles of War. Garrison Artillery Warfare.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NAVAL ENGINEERS.
August, 1896. Contract Trial of the United States Coastline Battle-ship Oregon. Compound Marine Boilers. Water- tube Boilers. Circulation in Water-tube Boilers. Discussion of the Three Foregoing Papers on Water-tube Boilers. Measurement of Feed and Circulating Water, etc., by Chemical Means. Development in Design and Construction of German Men-of- war. Comparison of New British Cruisers with those Building at Barrow. Use of Electricity on board Ships.
JOURNAL OF THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE.
July, 1896. The Transformation of the Energy of Carbon into other Available Forms. Return Circuits of Electric Railways. Utilization of the Anthracite Culm Heaps in the Production of Power. Mechanical Conceptions of Electrical Phenomena.
August 1. The Fire-retarding Qualities of Wired Glass. The Conditions which cause Wrought-iron to be Fibrous and Steel Low in Carbon to be Crystalline.
ARMY AND NAVY JOURNAL.
July 4, 1896. Work for the New Fiscal Year. Revised Naval Regulations. Tactics of the Future.
July 11. The New Army Rifle. Sights for Military Rifles.
July 18. The Savage Rifle. Arbitration Treaty with England. What the Country owes to West Point. War Terrors for Spain. French Opinion of the Holland.
July 25. Smokeless Powder in War. Disciplining Volunteers. Trial of Automatic Gun.
August 1. America and England. Naval Manoeuvres proposed. The Study of War made in Germany. Savage Attack upon the Savage Gun.
August 15. Balloon Experiences in War Time. Wanted, a Military War College.
August 29. Smokeless Powder.
September 5. Foreign Affairs.
September 12. The Old and New Brooklyn. Electricity in Naval Life.
ENGINEERING NEWS AND AMERICAN RAILWAY JOURNAL.
July 9, 1896. Methods in use for the Analysis of Ores, Pig Iron and Steel by the Carnegie Steel Co.
July 16. Uniform Methods of Testing Iron and Steel.
July 23. The New Rifle for the New York Militia (illustrated). The Expenditures of the United States in Eleven Years (illustrated). Tests of Non-conducting Material for Boiler Coverings (illustrated).
August 6. Testing Machine of 200,000 lbs. Capacity for the University of New York (illustrated).
August 27. Standard Specifications for Steel. Association of American Steel Manufacturers (illustrated). A New Single- acting Compound High-speed Engine (illustrated). A German System of Metal Stair Construction (illustrated).
September 3. The Great Hoisting Engines for the Anaconda Copper Mining Co (illustrated).
JOURNAL OF THE MILITARY SERVICE INSTITUTION.
July, 1896. Ten Years of Riot Duty. Military Administrations. Changes in the Character of War. Infantry Attack Formations. Discipline in the National Guard. Practice Marches of Light Artillery. Uses of Cavalry in Time of Riot.
September. The Elevation of Sites for Batteries. Preparation of the Infantry Soldier. The Heavy Artillery of the Future.
THE UNITED SERVICE.
July, 1896. German Army. What our Cavalry in Mexico did and did not do. The Olympic Games. A Naval Utopia.
August. An Answer to “The First Six Weeks of McClellan’s Peninsular Campaign.” An Incident in the History of the Dying Confederacy. German Army.
September. The New French Naval Programme. The Campaign of Chickamauga. The Human Animal in Battle. A Summer Cruise with Farragut.
CASSIER’S MAGAZINE.
August. Brains in Modern Steam Engine Building. Five- crank Marine Engines. The Future of Power Development.
September. Sir Henry Bessemer. Condensers for Steam Engines. Filtering Feed Water for Steam Engines.
[Foreign.]
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL UNITED SERVICE INSTITUTION.
July, 1896. The Study of Naval History. The Framing of Orders in the Field. Moltke’s Projects for the Campaign of 1866 against Austria. The Operations of the Bulawayo Field Force in March and April, 1896.
August. Elements of Force in War-ships. Von Löbell’s Annual Reports on the Changes and Progress in Military Matters during 1895. The Electrical Fittings of the French Coast-defense Battle-ship Bouvines.
The electric power is furnished by four dynamos, type Hs, by Sautter, Harlé & Co. Each machine furnishes a current of 400 amperes, with a difference of 80 volts at the terminals. The four machines are placed in one compartment under the protective deck, and ventilated by a large air tank. The electricity is transmitted to the various apparatus by means of four switch-boards, viz. (i) for the distributing mains; (2) electric lighting, incandescent; (3) motors; (4) projectors.
The duties of the different installations are as follows: (1) For illumination complete; (2) for control of steering engine and helm indicator; (3) working eleven winches for ammunition hoists; (4) eight ventilators for bunkers and forward and after compartments; (5) five 60-cm. projectors, each fitted to control at a distance.
September. Two Years in Australian Waters. The Difficulties of the Tactical Defensive and how to meet them. Analogy between Tactics of Field Artillery and those of the other Arms.
UNITED SERVICE GAZETTE.
July 27, 1896. Progress in Battle-ship Construction.
July 4. The Electric Fencing Umpire.
On the 24th ult. a very interesting exhibition was given by several skilled fencers at Bertrand’s Fencing School, Warwick Street, Regent Street, of the “ Electric Umpire.” The apparatus consists essentially of two electric alarms, of different notes, arranged to ring continuously when once started, two fencing jackets, with wire gauze fronts, two foils with specially constructed handles, and the necessary wires, etc. When a proper point is made, one of the fencers and the foil of his adversary arc in the same circuit. A very light flexible wire cord, containing two conductors, connects each fencer with the bell and battery, which are fixed to the wall above and behind his head. Each foil blade is mounted on a spring so that to complete the circuit it must be forced into the handle a sixteenth of an inch, which can only be done by pressure on the metallic end of the button. The slack of the wire cord is kept out of the way by passing it over a pulley, and it is then kept moderately taut by a small weight (of about six ounces) fastened to another pulley, which travels on the bight of the cord. As only half this weight is borne by the fencer it can easily be understood that in practice the existence of the cord and weight is entirely forgotten and ignored. We made particular inquiries on this point of several of the competitors, and they assured us they were quite oblivious of the existence of the cord.
It is impossible that the bell should ring except under the following conditions:
- The hit must be made on the part of the opponent’s jacket on which alone hits count.
- It must be a true point.
- It must be delivered with sufficient force to compress the spring, and so drive the foil blade back in the handle.
Therefore, flat strokes, flicks, and "passes” are not recorded; nor are hits off the target. The duty of the judge is thus practically narrowed down to listening for the bells. It is, of course, far easier to judge which of the two sounds began first than it is to judge by the eye which of two strokes occurred first, especially as it is almost impossible for the same pair of eyes to closely watch two jackets. The judge would, of course, also be needed to decide in case of a claim by a fencer whose bell has sounded, that he had previously hit his adversary on the arm or leg, or mask, etc.
Boilers, Subsidized Steamers, and Naval Education.
July 18. The Naval Manoeuvres. German, French, and Russian Systems of Attack.
July 25. The Manning of the Fleet. A New Austrian Rifle. The Need of Increasing the Personnel of our Fleet. The Naval Manoeuvres.
August 1. The Naval Manoeuvres. Design and Construction of German War Vessels.
August 8. The Naval Manoeuvres.
August 15. On Moral Influences in War—I. Our Naval Needs.
August 22. Asiatic Crews in British Ships. On Moral Influences in War—II.
August 29. The Classification of War Ships—I. The System of Manning our Navy.
September 5. The Classification of War Ships—II. Naval Uses of Electricity—I.
September 12. The Classification of War Ships—III. Naval Uses of Electricity—II.
ENGINEERING (LONDON).
June 26, 1896. Our New Cruisers (illustrated). Coast and Lighthouse Illumination in France (illustrated).
July 3. Launches and Trial Trips. The Niclausse Boilers of the Friant. The French Battle-ship Jauréguiberry (illustrated). The Classification of War Ships.
July 24. H. M. Torpedo-boat Destroyer Janus (illustrated). Microscopic Internal Flaws Inducing Fracture in Steel (illustrated). Torpedo-boat Destroyers and the Yarrow Boiler.
July 31. H. M. Torpedo-boat Destroyer Janus (illustrated). Water-tube Boilers and Feed Distribution (illustrated). Unusual Corrosion of Marine Machinery.
August 7. The Naval Construction Company’s Works at Barrow (illustrated). The Great Sea Waves in Japan. The Drummond Castle.
August 14. The Naval Construction Company’s Works at Barrow (illustrated). An Improved Stang Planimeter (illustrated). Yarrow’s Feed Apparatus.
August 28. Large Explosions and their Radii of Danger. The Naval Construction Company’s Works at Barrow (illustrated). H. M. S. Venus. The Nippon Yusen Kwaisha Timbers in the Straits Settlements.
September 4. Large Explosions and their Radii of Danger. Caissons for the New North Docks, Liverpool. The Reorganization of the French Marine.
September 11. The French Naval Manoeuvres. Edward’s Air Pump.
THE LONDON ENGINEER.
June 26, 1896. The Drummond Castle Disaster. The Foudroyant. On Signs of Weakness in Tank Steamers. Recent Improvements in Docks and Docking Appliances (illustrated).
July 3. Herr Krupp on the Perforation of Steel Armor. Marine Boilers, particularly in reference to Efficiency of Combustion and Higher Steam Pressures (illustrated). Notes on the Maintenance and Repairs of Marine Boilers.
July 10. The Foudroyant in Nelson’s Time (illustrated).
July 17. New Engines of the White Star Liner Germanic (illustrated). Armor-plated Torpedo-boats. German Shipbuilding.
July 24. American Shipbuilding. The Working of Aluminium: Melting and Casting. Practical Tests of the Krag-Jorgensen Rifle in the U. S. Army. Atlas Bronze (illustrated).
July 31. Steam Pumping Arrangements in Screw Steamers, No. 1 (illustrated). The Argentine Cruiser Buenos Aires (illustrated). The Sante Fe Torpedo-boat Destroyer (illustrated). Ventilation in War Ships. Trial of a Torpedo Gunboat for the Chilian Navy.
August 7. The Drummond Castle Disaster. Fleet Inspection by Li Hung Chang at Spithead. American Plate Trials (illustrated).
August 14. Warping Gear, s. s. Algoa (illustrated). The New Battle-ships. Harbor Works at Colombo. H. M. S. Terrible.
August 21. Cosen’s Spherical Water-tight Bulkhead Doors.
August 28. Captain Gaynor’s Automatic Sight (illustrated). Improved Water-gauge Fittings (illustrated).
September 4. H. M. S. Caesar. The Progress of the Japanese Battle-ship Friji. Pneumatic Dynamite Guns at San Francisco.
September ii. Official Speed Trials of H. M. S. Victorious.
September 18. Torpedo-boats for Chilian Navy. American Merchant Steamers as Cruisers.
THE STEAMSHIP.
July, 1896. Wimshurst’s improved Ship Clinometer (illustrated). Marine Boiler Explosions. A New Stop-valve. Modern Steamships and Navigation. Wimshurst’s Gradient or Heel Indicator (illustrated). Superheated Steam. American Tests for Boiler Plates.
August. Marine Boiler Explosions. Casey’s Bulkhead Water-tight Doors. Maintenance and Repairs of Marine Boilers (illustrated). Launch of H. M. S. Isis at Govan. The Holland Submarine Torpedo-boat (illustrated). Copper Fire-box Plate Trimming Machine (illustrated). Babcock and Wilcox Water- tube Boilers (illustrated).
September. Screw Propulsion by Non-reversing Engines (illustrated). Triple-expansion Engines of the Yacht Josephine (illustrated). Speed Control of Modern Steamers (illustrated). The proposed New Regulations for Marine Engineers. Corrosion of Marine Machinery. Trials of First-class Cruiser Terrible. Marine Boiler Explosions. The Trials of the New Cruiser Venus.
MORSKOI SBORNIK (RUSSIAN).
April, 1896. Naval Operations during the Chinese-Japanese War. Present-day Military and Naval Armaments with Magazine Small Arms. English Naval Budget, 1896-7. Practical Method of Constructing approximately the Theoretical Curves of Ships. The Working of Metals with the Electric Current. Notes on the Saghalien Channel.
May. Naval Operations during the Chinese-Japanese War. Theory of Naval Tactics (trans. from German). Technical Review of Modern Naval Engagements. Law of Similarity in various Problems of Ship Construction. Fighting Speed of Ships. Comparison of Steam and Electric Mechanisms. Review of the Results of the Hydrographic Expedition to the Mouths of the Rivers Yenesei and Obe in 1894-5.
June. Participation of the French Fleet in the Madagascar Expedition. On board the Steamer City of Peking. Theory of Naval Tactics. Technical Review of Modern Naval Engagements. The Iceboat Murtaja.
July. The Russian Fleet in the Reign of Nicholas I. Naval Operations during the Chinese-Japanese War. Tactical Considerations influencing Future War Ship Construction. Means of Preserving the Integrity of Water-tight Bulkheads upon Collision. Comparison of Steam and Electric Mechanisms. The Solarometer. J. B. B.
MITTHEILUNGEN AUS DEM GEBIETE DES SEEWESENS.
Vol. XXIV., No. 7. Solution of Problems in Navigation by Tables of Meridional Parts. The Clouth Diving Apparatus.
In this diving apparatus improvements have been made in the diver’s suit. The helmet is oval in shape, shaped more to the skull than the old spherical form, permitting more freedom to the head. The central glass light is so fitted that the diver can secure it in place, or remove it, himself without the assistance of a second man. The upper border of the rubber suit, which latter consists of a layer of rubber between two layers of vulcanized cotton, is welted. These welts fit into the metal ring of head and shoulder-pieces, making an hermetically sealed joint. A number of improvements have been made in the air tank, both as to shape and arrangement and fitting of the valves. The air pump is provided with a cooling pump for the purpose of keeping the air at constant temperature, specially desirable in the tropics. The hose to be lined with canvas lining, as a means of insuring good air.
The air tube is fitted with a patent coupling, which the diver can quickly uncouple in case it becomes necessary for him to disconnect himself from the air tube. In this case the air stored up in the tank will supply him for 10 minutes longer while rising to the surface. An automatic valve regulates the air pressure, and another closes automatically, preventing entry of water when the tube is uncoupled.
The breast and back leads are better placed and secured than in the old suits. The belt is broader; fitted to carry a handsaw, a knife, besides the necessary tools. The belt carries the uncoupling arrangement, also fastenings for the life line and signal line.
The diver’s shoes are also improved, so that in case of necessity for rapid rising they can be instantly cast by the wearer. An electric lamp, which hooks into a hook under the front side of the helmet, completes the outfit.
Cost of English War Ships. The French Naval Budget for
1897-
No. 8. Fighting Values of Ships depending upon their Artillery alone. The Polyconic American Charts. On the Value of Torpedo-boats in Time of War. Improvements in Water Tubular Boilers. Harbor Works at Libau, Russia. The Italian Naval Budget, 1896-97. H. M. Torpedo-boat Natter.
This first-class torpedo-boat of 152 tons displacement made an average of 26.5 knots in a 3 hours’ trial with 26.2 tons of coal on board. The total coal capacity is 30 tons, radius of action with 12 knots speed is 2500 sea miles. Armed with 3 deck launching tubes, 18-inch, two forward, one aft, and two 47-mm. R. F. guns forward.
No. 9. Fighting Values of Ships depending upon their Artillery alone. Timely Reforms in the Study of Navigation. A New Invention in Torpedoes.
Mr. L. Obry, of Trieste, late of the Imperial Austrian Navy, has invented an apparatus for the automobile Whitehead torpedo which prevents lateral deviations from the line in which launched.
The apparatus consists in general of a gyroscope, which is put in operation at the moment of launching and is free to act as soon as the torpedo is launched; a steering motor controlled by the gyroscope, and a pair of movable side rudders, which take the place of the present vertical vanes. If the course of the torpedo be altered through external or internal causes, a change in the axis of the gyroscope results, causing it to react upon the motor, which will act upon the rudders, setting them in the proper direction to bring the torpedo back to its course. These recurring effects will make the path, as viewed from above, of the torpedo slightly undulating. The advantage of the apparatus is its lightness, and it may be easily attached in any Whitehead torpedo.
Experiments made have been highly successful. Torpedoes were fitted with the apparatus and were launched from fixed cages as well as in broadside from torpedo-boats going at 25 knots, and purposely under adverse circumstances. The tests showed wonderful accuracy, and a marked reliability in comparison with torpedoes launched at same time but not fitted with Mr. Obry’s invention. The ranges were from 800 to 2000 meters.
Budget of Imperial Austrian Navy for 1897. Torpedo Cruiser Magnet. Development of Shipbuilding in Germany. Bazin’s Roller Boat. French Melinite Shell.
Gives cut of fuze and description. H. G. D.
ANNALEN DER HYDROGRAPHIE UND MARITIMEN METEOROLOGIE.
Vol. VI., 1896. Notes on the Harbors of Cape Haytien, of Punta Arenas, Potrairo Bay, and Cocos Bay. St. Elmo’s Fires at Sea. Equipment of U. S. S. Blake for Anchoring at Sea and Current Observations.
Vol. VII. Typhoon on Southeast Coast of Japan in July, 1895. Hail Storms at Sea.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION.
July, 1896. Ammunition Columns and Parks, considered with reference to the Replacement of Ammunition, Horses and Men during and after an Action.
August. The Chino-Japanese War.
MILITÄR WOCHENBLATT.
No. 53, June 13, 1896. A Contribution on improved Targets for Field Artillery.
No. 54. British Attempt of a limited Mobilization.
No. 57. Spanish War Budget, 1896-97.'
No. 58. German Southwest Africa. A Society for Study of Weapons.
Nos. 60 and 61. Are Bicyclists useful for Fighting Purposes? Instructions in Russia for establishment of a Carrier Pigeon Service.
No. 65. German Southwest Africa. English Carrier Pigeon Service.
Up to the present the English Government had not interested itself in the carrier pigeon service. Experiments had been carried on by naval officers at Devonport at their private expense. The results were satisfactory. The number of birds was 60, trained for the neighborhood of Plymouth; the longest flights made were from Wolf Rock, Land’s End, about 75 miles. On the strength of these results the Admiralty has at last decided to take charge of the cote. A torpedo-boat or torpedo- catcher will be used to further experiment and develop the flights.
Purchase of War Material by Spain.
Five million cartridges were ordered from a French firm, to be delivered by instalments in three months time. A commission has been sent to Germany, France, England and Italy for purchase of balloon outfits.
No. 71. The Swiss Magazine Carbine.
Nos. 75 and 76. Projectile and Caliber of a New Field Artillery Piece. The Reserve Cruisers of the United States. Italian Fleet Manoeuvres.
No. 81. Counter Attack of Infantry on the Defensive. Pigeon Service in Italy.
During the siege manoeuvres of Nava a regular carrier pigeon service was used between this place and Rome. Intermediate stations were at Alexandria, Piacenza, Bologna and Ancona.
During the fleet manoeuvres several hundred birds from Spezzia will be taken on board the flagship Sicilia to carry messages from the fleet to the shore stations. H. G. D.
MARINE RUNDSCHAU.
No. 7, July, 1896. Ironclads in Action. Proposed Coast- defense System. The Kiel Exposition. Extract from Report of the Meteor, Police Boat for Protection of the North Sea Fisheries. Trial Trips of the Kaiserin Augusta in 1895. Trafalgar (concluded). Naval Notes.
No. 8, August. Early Stages of the Growth of the German Navy. Burning of Coal-dust. Development of Shipbuilding in Germany. The Kiel Exposition. Herring Nets. Naval Notes.
No. 9, September. Marine International Law in Times of Peace.
A short digest on international rules governing the rights of merchant and war vessels in times of peace, of ceremonies to be observed, regulations governing exchange of courtesies, etc., arranged under headings as follows: I. Sovereignty of the sea; II. Ships in general; III. Merchant ships; IV. Ships of war (defining exterritoriality, right of asylum, free ports, general privileges); V. International courtesies; VI. Piracy, coast rights, slave trade and ocean highways; VII. Means for the prevention of wars.
French Views on the Instalment and Use of Artillery on board Ironclads.
The author considers the subject under headings, viz. I. The manner of placing a battery and its armored protection; 2. The different forms of French projectiles; 3. Range tables and their application; 4. Probability of fire at sea; 5. Various firing methods; 6. The tactical use of artillery.
On the Application of the Hahn Range Finder to determine the Lateral Deviation due to Wind and Speed of Target. Continuous or Alternating Current on board Merchant and War Vessels. Extract of Report of the Meteor.
DEUTSCHE HEERESZEITUNG.
No. 48, June 13, 1896. Military Telephoning.
No. 51. Japanese Hospital Transport System.
No. 53. Li Hung Chang and the Fate of his German Ships of War.
No. 59. Report of Captain G. F. Elliot on the Japanese Soldier.
No. 61. Cavalry against Cavalry. The Italian Cei Rifle.
The well known property of this magazine rifle, invented by Capitan Cei, an Italian officer, is that the lateral pressure of the powder gases on firing act upon the magazine mechanism in such a manner as to automatically load and cock the piece so that the marksman has to merely pull the trigger. In consequence of the almost incredible rapidity of fire thus acquired the gun practically takes the place of a complicated gatling or machine gun. Continued experiments are being conducted with this weapon on board of the Italia, resulting in some changes in the mechanism. It is quite probable that its introduction into the Italian Navy may take place.
No. 63. Foreign Navies in 1895.
No. 64. English Wharves and Docking Facilities.
No. 67. Battles in coming Wars. The Defenses of Barcelona.
With the prospect of a possible conflict with the United States over the Cuban question, the Spanish Government has issued orders to proceed at once with the long-planned work of fortifying the harbor of Barcelona and the adjacent coast-line.
Barcelona, at present, is protected merely by the old fort of Montjuich, commanding the harbor, and the three batteries Reale, Alfonso, and Buena Vista, which are to receive new armaments.
The Engineer Corps has received orders to at once begin the erection of eleven batteries fitted for disappearing guns. These batteries to be armed with 9½ -inch and 12.6-inch Hontoria guns, which with a range of 11 miles will be able to sufficiently guard the harbor of Barcelona against attack and to prevent any landing of forces in its immediate vicinity.
Nos. 70 to 74. Facts on the First and Second Lines in Strategy. Artillery in Battle. New Swiss Rifle. H. G. D.
LE YACHT.
June 18, 1896. The Gunnery School. Trials of the Jauregui- berry.
June 20. Liquid Fuel. Results of Armor Tests at Cherbourg. Launch of the D’Entrecasteaux.
June 27. The Foundering of the Drummond Castle.
July 4. Latest Progress of Artillery and Armor in the Navy. The Torpedo-boat Destroyer Cassini. Naval Manoeuvres.
July 11 and 18. The Naval Manoeuvres (French and English). The British Ironclad Renown. Gunnery Ships Couronne and Caledonien.
July 25. Defense of the Coast. The Naval Manoeuvres (French and English).
August 1. The Shei-Po Affair. The Doris. The Naval Manoeuvres.
August 8. Naval Manoeuvres (French and English). The Shei-Po Affair.
August 15. The Ernest Bazin.
The rolling ship Ernest Bazin will be launched August 19. She will be 126 feet long, 38 feet beam, and a displacement of 246 tons. If the theories of the inventor are realized the vessel will attain a speed of 22 to 25 knots, with 650 horse-power.
The Shei-Po Affair.
August 22, The Destroyers. The Launch of L’Ernest Bazin. The Armored Cruiser Amiral Pothuan. The Shei-Po Affair.
August 29. The United States Navy. The Shei-Po Affair.
September 5. Shipbuilding in Germany. Turret-deck Stmr. Forest Abbey. New Torpedo Destroyers for Chili and Turkey.
September 12. On the Article entitled “Observations on the Battle of the Yalu.” Launch of the St. Louis.
September 19. Naval Tactics. On the Article entitled “Observations on the Battle of the Yalu.” Launch of the Russian Armor-clad Rostislau. H. G. D.
RIVISTA MARITTIMA.
March, 1896. Strategic Use of Torpedo-boats. The Nic- lausse Boiler. Alternate Electric Currents, and their general Study with regard to the Geometric Process (supplement). Notes on the Naval Organizations of the Principal Nations.
May. Measurements of Fuel Consumption applied to Marine Boilers. Determination of Time by means of Observation of the Horary Stars in the Vicinity of the Pole. On the Use of Ordnance in a Naval Action.
June. A Note on the Role of Torpedo-boats. Pleasure Navigation (yachting) (end). (Supplement) Notes on the Naval Organizations of the Principal Nations.
July. Notes and Comments on Ship Ventilation.
August-September. Boilers: Systems Oriolle, Du Temple, and le Normand. The Niclausse Steam Generators on board the Friant. J. L.
RIVISTA DI ARTIGLIERIA E GENIO.
February, 1896. On the Resistance of Air to the Flight of Projectiles (continued). Calculation and Regulation of the Action of Explosives.
March. On the Resistance of Air, etc. Graphics of Converg-ency. On the Construction of Military Wagons. Firing against Dirigeable Balloons.
April. Apropos of a Contribution to the Rational Solution of the Ballistic Problem. The Crehore and Squier Photochronograph based on the use of the Magnetic Rotary Polarization.
May. Apropos of a Contribution, etc. (continued). Field Artillery in Action (continued). The Military Engineer Corps in Africa. Automatic Small Arms of Gl. R. Wille.
June. A Study of the Elastic Resistance of Tubes with Circular Sections. System of Sights for Training Field and Siege Guns.
July. Coast Defense and Attack. J. L.
LE MONITEUR DE LA FLOTTE.
June 20, 1896. The Colonial Army.
A bill having for its object the transfer of the Colonial Army from the War to the Navy Department will be introduced in the French Chambers during the next session. The proposed change will, it is thought, prove beneficial, as it will free both arms of the service of a cause of friction from which the past has not always been exempt.
June 27. Speed and Endurance.
M. Ferrand, the well known French naval engineer, has just published in pamphlet form a lecture he delivered before the “Société d’Encouragement pour l’Industrie Nationale,” on the Forban, and the progress made during the last decade in the construction of torpedo-boats. In this clear and able exposé of a question of the highest interest, M. Ferrand points out the dangers one subjects himself to in seeking after superiority of speed as being of paramount consideration to the exclusion of all others.
July 4. Naval Mutual Aid Association.
July 11. Privateering.
Lieut. Duboc, expanding upon a theme often discussed of late, has undertaken to prove in a pamphlet entitled “England’s Weak Point,” that if ever we (the French) became involved in a war with our neighbor across the Channel (which God forbid), we must remember that England’s most vulnerable point is her commerce on the seas, and a naturally indicated target for our blows.
July 18, 25, and succeeding Nos. The Naval Manoeuvres.
August 29. The Ernest Bazin.
The trials of the E. B. on the open sea will take place in the latter part of October, and if successful, the construction of a larger craft upon the same plans will be immediately commenced.
Transatlantic Mail Steamers.
The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique is contemplating the building of three large additional steamers to their fleet, in order to compete with the fastest boats of other companies; and with this object in view has by anticipation asked the Government to renew the present contract, which expires in 1901. In that case the docking facilities at Havre would have to be increased. J. L.
REVUE MARITIME.
June, 1896. Armor Plates and Guns in April, 1896. Diseases of Sailors and Nautical Epidemics (continued).
The fifth chapter of this interesting study, entitled “First Succors to the Sick and Wounded,” is deserving of particular notice. It describes in a clear and comprehensive form the first care to the sick and wounded, and is in fact a “Medical Guide” for the naval officer. As a rule, torpedo-boats, scouts, and other similar crafts carry no surgeons. On the other hand the doctor may be temporarily absent from the ship, with a land expedition lasting two or three days for instance. In the interval a case may arise when it becomes urgent to apply a first treatment. The Guide then comes into use. It will be found no less valuable on board merchantmen and fishing boats.
July. Scintillation of Stars as observed on board the Durance in 1894-95. Diseases of Sailors and Nautical Epidemics (end).
August. Study of the Relative Movements in connection with the Combat between two Ships.
The object of the study is, by reasoning upon straight routes or routes filling well defined conditions, to evolve from the ensemble of the relative or absolute movements a strictly mathematical law. J. L.
SOCIÉTÉ INGÉNIEURS CIVILIS
April, 1896. The Navy Matériel in the Recent Conflict in the Far East, and principally in Japan, by M. L. de Chasseloup- Laubat.
M. de C. L., after referring to the importance of the events in the Orient, gives a rapid resume of the theory of the stability of the ship, in order to fix the bases of the arguments he makes later on upon the conditions to be filled by fighting ships, cruisers as well as armorclads. He then describes the fighting materiel of the navies of China and J-pan, setting off the general ideas that prevailed in the organization of the two fleets. Then follows a short narrative of the battle of Yalu, concluding with a statement that the Japanese victory was due, in the first place, to the greater valor of the navy personnel of the Mikado, and in the second place, to the superiority of the formation of line ahead (column) over that of line abreast. That idea he develops in the latter part of his work, and examines successively the various cases that may present themselves when sailing in squadron, in time of peace as well as in war time: a lurch, an accident to the engine, or an attack from torpedo-boats. He examines in detail those different cases with squadron standing in column or line, and points out how much more the last formation increases the chances of most disastrous collisions. He terminates with general remarks upon the various types of fighting ships, and reaches the conclusion that there must be a clear separation between the battle-ship and the cruiser. Cruisers to be of the Chanzy class modified battle-ships, monitors with topgallant forecastle (teugue).
A Note on the Large Cruisers of the Different Navies, by M. G. Hart.
The recent publication of a very interesting book by Rear-Admiral E. Fournier, the present Superintendent of the Naval School of War, reopened the discussion in regard to the types of vessels that should compose the French war fleet. The ever increasing additions to the already powerful fleet of England lend new interest to this question. In his book, “The Necessary Fleet,” Admiral Fournier, basing his hypothesis on the maritime struggle between France on one side and England or the Triple Alliance on the other, easily demonstrates that the present French fleet with its diversity of types afloat, so cumbersome when navigating in squadrons, would prove inadequate for the services expected of it. He then examines the different possible combinations of the European navies, and reaches the conclusion that whether defeated or victorious, the French fleet would be powerless to destroy the enemy’s commerce or keep open the communications with the colonies.
In reality the command of the seas would belong to the isolated cruisers.
France possesses, it is true, a number of fast cruisers, but in most cases their displacements are small, and in the least heavy sea they are apt to lose a great part of their speed, besides being deficient in offensive and defensive powers.
The causes of this situation he attributes to the long hesitations of the Admiralty, who for twenty years opposed projects founded on principles universally adopted now-a-days.
In the face of this situation, M. Hart undertook to examine what has been accomplished by other nations, in order to determine the types of ships most in accord with our naval situation and our finances.
He describes successively twenty types of cruisers, which he ranges in two large classes: the protected cruisers on the one side and the armored cruisers on the other, interjecting the remark that the latter class is a misnomer, their armors being in most cases only partial and very slight. He indicates the differences existing between those various types, giving the ratios of their dimensions, which in a way form their characteristics, as well as their systems of construction, their protections, and their armaments.
He concludes that two types of cruisers appear to him necessary:
- The protected cruiser, with a high speed, capable of being sustained for a great length of time, fitted with light masts, enabling it to cruise for days without burning much coal, and designed to prey upon the enemy’s commerce.
- The armored cruiser, with a tolerably fair speed, armored from end to end, with protected superstructures capable of challenging in a measure high explosive projectiles, and intended to operate in squadron as well as in distant missions where a show of force might be necessary.
M. Hart indicates the types which come nearest his conception, and points out the modifications he judges necessary in them.
May. Electric Locomotives. J. J. Heilman’s System.
June. Writing Machines (type-writers). Application of Pneumatics to Horse or Horseless Vehicles: Results of the Application. Explosion of a Boiler with Removable Interior Furnace. Mechanics of the Material Systems. Possible Extension of the various Coal Fields of France. J. L.
REVISTA MARITIMA BRAZILEIRA.
January, 1896. Influence of Naval Power on History. Cruisers: their Role; Conditions they must fulfill. The Necessary Fleet, by R.-Adm. Fournier.
February. The War Navies of the World in 1895. Influence of Naval Power, etc. Rectilinear Trigonometry (continued).
March. Maritime Inscription. Recruitment of the Navy Personnel. A Comparison between the Naval Powers of England and the United States. Influence of Naval Power, etc. April. The Composition of War Fleets. Submarine Boats ' in the United States.
May. Reforms in the Mobile Defenses. The New Navy of the United States. Influence of Naval Power, etc. Determination of the Fighting Capacities of a Vessel. Rectilinear Trigonometry (continued).
June. Role of the Torpedo-boat. The New Navy of the U. S. The Problem of the Fighting Ship. Spheric Trigonometry.
July. The Naval Fight of the Riachuelo. Organization of the Maritime Prefectures of the Republic. J. L.
REVISTA TECNOLÓGICO INDUSTRIAL.
March, 1896. Development of the Experimental Study of the Steam Engine. Altimetry: Measurement of Heights by means of the Barometer, Hipsometer, and Photogrameter. Heights of Several Points in Catalonia. The Oregon (end).
April-May. “Ginematics.” Moisture in Cotton Spinning. June. A Study of Rain Water in connection with the Bodies it contains.
July. A Visit to the Artesian Wells of the Casanovas. Agricultural Colony of Prat del Lobregat (province of Barcelona).
August. Alimetry: Measurement of Heights, etc. Characteristic of Drinking Water. J. L.
BOLETÍN DEL CENTRO NAVAL.
January, 1896. The Belleville Steam Generators.
A minute description of the Belleville Works, situated at St. Denis, near Paris. (Sec “The Belleville Boiler,” No. 2.3 of the Proceedings.) Modern Naval Tactics.
February-March. The Belleville Generators (continued). Steel for Ordnance (continued).
April-May. Gun-cotton in France.
A description of the Angouleme Works, where it is manufactured.
J. L.
TRANSLATORS AND REVIEWERS.
Lieut. H. G. Dresel, U. S. Navy. Lieut. J. B. Bernadou,
U. S. Navy. Prof. Jules Leroux.