SHIPS AND THE SEA.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue LXVII, 30 January 1904, Page 12

SHIPS AND THE SEA.

NEW WARSHIPS. Tho hrn Chilian hnltkfehi}).?, Libertad and Const it ucion, which were purchased by tho British Admiralty recently, are probably the most powerful batik-whips in llio woild actually completed und ready for Ma. They weie built, tho liiat at Harrow at tho Vickeis-Muxim works, and tho .second afc tho famous Armstrong yard at Ehswick. They represent tlio latest idea of comparatively email .ships of exceptional armament. Tho Libertad in divp .sva trials registered a speed of 17j knots for twonty-.sevc.ii nour.s continuously. Tho battery of each of the new shijvi i.v as follows; — Four lOin guns of tho latent pattern, firing a, 4501b shell, and cupablo of piercing 3lin of steel ; fourteen 7.5 in. guius of great length, firing a 2001b shell, and capablo of piercing 29in of Htcol ; fourteen 14-pounder gun«. In protection the.se «hij)!> liave a belt of 7in 4>teel amidships, tapering to 3in at the ends of tho vessel. The lOin guns aro in two barbettes plated with lOin Krupp atcel ; and tin: 7.5 in guns aro behind 7in armour. Accoiding to the Nawxl Annual, "limy are capital ships of their class, and entirely ecfip&c the Duncan class, which have the same speed, and less protection cverywhero except on tho heavy guns." Tho nominal speed of these two ships is 19 knots. THE TOLL OF TIIE SEA. Tho Wreck A Ixslrnct for the year ending 30th June, 1902, has recently been issued, and happily forms yet another «nlisfactory volume of its kind.' It shows that the sea casualties together were 103 fewer than in 1900-1. Total losses and serious casualties together were 210 fewer, and total losses t>y themselves showed an iucroase of seven in number, and a falling oft' of 32,000 tons. But while there- is this practical advance in numbers, the total fosses are below tho average in the last 25 years by 211 ships and 80,000 tons. Thus tho lust quarter of a century indicates remarkable- progrcssiveness in the direction of safety. Ino total losses— 318 in number — represented 245 sailing ships and 103 steamships. Tha latter figure is the same- for 1900-1, and tho seven additional 'casualties were nil, therefore under tho bend of sail. There is no substantial variation in tho nature of the casualties .so far as sailing ships aro concerned ; but it is to be noted that there w-ero 16 steamers mi«sing, ugnin.st 6ve in tho preceding year and 26 in- 1899 1900. The lues of wiimeii was really lower than in any of tho 24 preceding years, except in 18'97-D, and 1900-1. Tho total deaths from all causes amolig seamen at sea wore last year 7£ per cent, of tho men employed, which is a better showing than any of tho preceding 17 years. Tho peroentago duo to wreck und casualty waa 0.35, to accident 0.12, and disease 0.24. To put it in another way, tho death rate from wreck and casualty was 1 in 288, from all accidents (including wreck and casualty) 1 in 214, and from wreck, casualty, accident, and disouxo 1 in 141 of the seamen employed. On tho wliolo, this Wreck Abstract affords evideneo that tho safety of British .shipping i» as great n« over it was, and perhaps even a little greater than formerly. Tho steamer Cornwall, well known in Now Zealand, put. into Tnblo Bay shorllv after noon on 16th December (say» 6he Cape Times), bringing tidings of a di«nstor that occurred off Port St. John's. The Cornwall was bound on a voyage from Natal io Buenos Ay res, nnd sighted a barque throwing up signals of distress in a mountainous seu. The barque proved to bo the St. Micheli*. from Antwerp to Port Natal. She left Antwerp on 21st August, nnd oil went well up to 10th December. Some very rough weather wn» met, and tho crew remained on deck night and day. All hopo waa at length abandoned, when the big moat broke, and in falling, smashed the mi in p. the rudder also gave way under the strain, and tho ship begun to fill with wutcr, nnd heave over qn her «ido. Tho weather was no rough that boats wcro out of the question, und the only thing that remainod for tho hnplctw crew was to throw up signals of distress. The barque was rapidly filling up, «nd looked every minute like capsizing, when tho Cornwall hove in eight und answered tho signals. Rescue by lifeboat wn» impracticable, and tho British ship answered that «he would stand by for a fovourublo opportunity. After standing by for about seven hours, the disturbance somewhat abated, and the Cornwall put out lifeboats furnished with lifebuoys and ropes. The lifeboats could get no nearer than a hundred yards, und the* diabrewed crew, seeing their last opportunity, jumped overboard, and swam to tho buoys, by means of which they were safely landed on tho Cornwall. The St. Michelo wat> still floating when sho was deserted. She hud a crew of fourteen hands all told. Tho enormous fortunes lost in sunken ships each year on our coasts (says a Homo paper) are taxing tho resource of both our shipowners and marine insurance officers. Tho most ample- provisions havebeen made to ensure tho safety of all vessels approaching our coa.vt-lino. Lighthouses, bcucons, Btnrm-6iguul)ing stations, and a highly-trained coastguard service patrol every foot of tho cooflt-linc-, and, strange to »ay, year in and year out the losses increase, and the Hum of money forfeited to tho sea has reached n fnbulons sum — reckoned in tens of millions. It has been estimated by experts that within sight of land and within comparatively easy reach there aro millions of pounds worth of shipping buried in the sands. Tho problem hns been considered how best to 4avo such losses in future, nnd n vessel is boing constructed nt Leith which will bo kept for a sea salvage ship to raise any vessel that might meet with disnstar on tho British coast. Sho is to cost £17,000 to build, and will bo fitted up with tho most modern engineering appliances and pumps and diving apparatus. The model of the Baltic salvage boats will bo followed, nnd several new improvements will be added. It is estimated that tho tug, for in reality sho is no moro than a tug in build, will have tho capacity and power on board to raJso a vessel as large its a White* Star leviathan.

The Now South AValea Police Department, and the other departments supplied with clothing from the State Clothing Factory, all testify that the clothes ure bettor fitting nnd suporior in every way to those supplied by contractors. Towards the cud of n. circus performance at Wossau, Germany, in December the owner of the circus, a Frau Fischer, ontcred the lions' cngo to givo an oxhibition of lion-taming. Ono of the lions thereupon sprang at her and struck her to the ground with its paw with such force- that her brains were dashed out. I j i A Woman's Complexion. i I — — £ It i« rank foolishness lo nttemjit to iv move Siillowness or grensiness of the ikin by the iiso of cosmetics, or ''local doctors." The only safe and sure way that a woman can improve her complexion is by purifying and enriching the blood, which ran only bo accomplished by keeping tho liver 'healthy and active. The liver is tho seat of disease nnd Wood pollution. Chamberlain's Stomach^'and Livor Tablets act directly on the liver, cleanse nnd enrich tho blood, purify the completion. They also cure constipation, biliousness, nervousness, nnd induce refreshing sleep. A single box of Chamberlain's Stomach and Liver Tablets has been known to cure the most pronounced and distressing case of indigestion. Sold everywhere. Is 64.