SHIPS AND THE SEA.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 13, 16 January 1909, Page 12

SHIPS AND THE SEA.

ABOUT SHIPBUILDING. Somo very interesting remarks about the conditions of shipbuilding throughout tho world were mado a few weeks ago by Colonel John M. Denny, of the well-known Dumbarton firm of engineers and shipbuilders. Colonel Denny recently returned to England from a round-the-world tour, and he was specially observant of Japanese industry and enterprise in marine construction. He inspected the Mitsu Bishi Works at Nagasaki, and the Kawasaki "Works at Kobe, from the former of which he saw the launch of a 9000-ton turbine steamer. There was 150,000 tons of shipping on the stocks and to lay down. In methods, equipmont, efficiency, and scientific processes, tho Japanese were not a whit inferior to the best European yards. More and more the Japanese themselves are taking control of the whole industry, the number of Europeans employed •rapidly diminishing. Much building is being done in Japan for Chinese shipowners, while a recent tender for tho construction of five Russian vessels by Japanese builders was a great deal lower than any other. At Hongkong. Colonel Denny saw the great yards of Butterfield and Squire, capable of laying down half-a-dozen vessels of from 500 to 700 ft long. As for the present conditions of shipbuilding, tho colonel thought that only two classes benefited under them— the shipowners and the working men. Low freights, however, took the gilt off the former's profits, while the builders themselves were hardly making construction charges. In view of cut prices — covering, as they do, merely the cost of labour and material, it behoves British shipbuilder and British employee not to relax one muscle, or to clone an eye to anything that might impiove the quantity and quality of their work. NERVE AND NAVAL TRAINING. A writer in the Daily Mail pleads for the restoration of drill nloft to the curriculum .of einbrs'o naval seamen. There is no need, he says, to go back to all the old exorcises dating from the days of warships with sails, but he contends that the elimination from boys' training of work aloft in soa-gqing vessels means a serious sacrifice of agility and nerve. There are youths who refuse to go aloft, because they aru "afraid to climb the dizzy height of twenty oi thirty feet," and confess without shamts that they have never been aloft. "I have seen a present-day ordinary seaman cling, shaking, to an oightrunged wire ladder, stretched well taut between the netting oi- gunwale and the span of a boat's davits on a ship in.harboui. Suppose the vessel had been at sea, rolling to a heavy lop, and a man overboard, and this youth one ot the lifeboat's crew, with his nervousness ten times accentuated, delaying the lowering of the boat and the rescue of tho man in the watei. Imagine what this would mean, in a not uncommon incident of sea life — the loss of a man, in all probability. And imagine if there should be, not one, but three or four youths of this calibre !" A petty officer told the writer that it was with the greatest difficulty that he persuaded two youths to go aloft, slung in a bowline, to paint the masts. One of them declared that it made him giddy. It is difficult to foresee a time when there will be no masts, and so long as there are masts there ,vill be hazardous work to do oa them. Striking a wireless pole in a gale on a dark night is a case in point. The writer contends that the old sail-drill developed a boy's nerve, pluck, self-con-trol and initiative, and made him altogether smarter. There 13 no longer any need for the knowledge which such drill gives, but the qualities which it develops are the very basis of an efficient navy. The Mary F. Scully, the largest oceangoing tugboat afloat, was launched successfully at Port Richmond, United States, recently at tho yard of tho Staten Island Shipbuilding Company. She is built of steel, 180 ft long, 30ft beam and 15ft draught. She will be capable of developing 1200-horse-power, and will carry 500 tons of coal, having a steaming radius ot 5000 miles. She cost £26,000. The White Star liner Persic met with a peculiar accident at Port Melbourne- a week or two ago. While berthed at the pier a squall arose, which caused her to carry away three piles at the stum. One of the piles was carried SOlt in air, and fell with a crash liko cannon The Petsic swing round in the gale, and for a short lime hung on to the pier wi«h her nose attached by the bowlines. The strain, however, proved too much, and the hues snapped Ancliors wore in readiness, and when tho Persic broke away, both were dropped to hold her up The King has been to approve of tho grant of a clasp* in connection with the medal which his Majesty awards for gallantry iv saving life at sea, to be granted to any person to whom the medal has already been awarded in recognition of a timilar service performed subsequently to that for whieli the medal was granted Many of the larger oil tank steamers aro fitted with the Marconi wireless installation, and it is interesting to noto that one of the many uses to which this system of telegraphy is beiagr applied is d'lo ordering of stores to bo roady on the arrival of tho vessel at a stated port. Recently a well-known Tyne firm of ship store dealers received two orders for stores by wireless telegraphy while the ships were still in the Atlantic. The stores were immediately despatched to the port required, and were waiting for the vessels when tkey arrived. In 1892, writes a correspondent, the number of steam vessels entering Japanese ports was 1418, representing 1,761,592 tons. In 1907 the number had become increased to 10,965, representing 20,159,653 tons, of which 6,267,638 tons was British, 8,770,614 tons Japanese, 1,840,090 tons German, and 1,618,462 tons American ; the rest being variously distributed among other countries. Such figures indicate the rapid and enormous maritime progress of tho country. For a considerable period, sailing vessels have suffered very seyerely from the acute depression in the shipping trade, and at the present time it Is, practically impossible for them to obtain any profitable employment (remarks an linglish paper). Faced by ruinous competition wi!n steam in all parts of tho globe, and with no probpect of improvement in the nuar future, it is not surprising that ownora of "the old typo of carrier" are parting with their vessels to the foreigner as opportunity occur? Many fine clipper vessels oi British registry have recently changed flags at prices which result in an enormous lobs of capital to the shareholders, who in most instances have had little or no return on their investment for some years past. Dur-. ing October six British-owned iron and steel !<hips, totalling 8122 tons .registei , and representing about 14,000 tons carrying capacity, were acquired by foreigners for £22,000. Of these, two (totalling 2450 tons rpg.) went to Norway for £6675, 'and two to Germany (4250 tons total reg.) for £12,500. In addition to the above, ihree vessels changed hands, but retain the flag. In a letter to the London Shipping Gazette of recent date a correspondent says : —"There are at the present time in the port, ot London clo^ uu 5000 British seamen and firemen out of work. They are, in a great manr instances, the sole support of their families, who are practically starving." Ships remote from tho land are seldom damaged by lightning, despite the fact that some of the most awe-inspiring displays of atmospheric electricity are frequently witnessed by those on board of them. Siunding digging, and even parts of the running gear, are now made of steel wire, and this substitute for tho oldfashioned hemp serves the purpose of a lightning conductor vhen the ship is not fitted with such i»ii aid to safety. The electric current is convoyed down tho wire rigging, and reaches the sea through the vessel's metal hull Damage only occurs if the current be interrupted on it.s way to earth. In a comparatively laige proportion ot instances tho fore-royal truck is struck by lightning, that of the main less frequently, and the inizzen least of the three. Very serious casualties under this head occurred to warships and merchant vessels in the days of wooden hulls and hempen rigging. Many vessels are now fitted with lightning conductors of approved types, lest the wiro_ rigging should c iil to carry off the electric current