CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIX, Issue 14610, 18 February 1908, Page 6

CURRENT TOPICS.

" FIGHTIX BOB."

According to the acs'c count given in"M.A.P." Admiral Evans gained the name of " Fighting

Bob" in 1891. when he was in command of the cruiser Yorktowu. There wore strained relations between tho United States and Chili, and some of the men of the cruiser Baltimore, lying in Valparaiso harbour, had been killed in the town streets. The Yorktown came in great haste to augment the United States' fleet in. Chilian waters, and it was duo to the very bellicose despatches that Evans sent to Washington that the name was given him. In the Spanish war ho commanded tho lowa in Sampson's fleet off Santiago, taking active part in the battles with Cervcra. As one of the Spanish vessels began to go down, Evans's men sent up a great shout of delight. He immediately quieted them all by exclaiming: "Shut up! those brave follows are dying!" "Fighting Boh" sometimes tells a- story against himself. Once he had a Congrcssmantfor a guest. At drinks tho Admiral apologised for the poor quality of his whisky, but added: "Here however, is somo brandy that I've kept untouched for a good deal more than twenty years." "Just hand me over the whisky decanter," was the reply. ""Why?" said tho Admiral; "what's the matter with-the brandyP" "That's just what I want to know, Bob," said the guest, "but if you have had it untouched in your possession for more than twenty years there must be something pretty bad the matter with it I"

Admiral Evans is responsible, also for a Japanese story which has been told and retold in a thousand shapes. Some years ago, when. Evans was in command of tho Now York, he had a Japanese servant, a remarkably quick and efficient little fellow. His keenness was so marked that Evans used to go out of his way to explain matters to him, and the waiter seemed to be getting to know all about the American, service. Then the waiter disappeared, as waiters do, and Evans saw nothing of him for a year or two. Then, when, on the European station, he mado a call on a Japanese battleship at Marseilles. The captain met the American, on the gangway, and escorted him to the cabin. Suddenly tho brown sailor put off his hat, throw a cloth over his arm, and said, "The Admiral would eat?" Immediately the Amorican recognised him as Kato, his old servant, transformed into Captain Kato, of the Japanese navy.

ANTARCTIC Kxr-Loiuvriox

The plans of the French Antarctic expef. dition are so far advanced that Dr Charcot

hopes to leave Europo in July of this year. He expects to be absent two years, and will go at first to Graham I/and, where his last work was done. " There can be no doubt," he told Renter's representative in Paris recently, " that tho best route to the Pole is by way of the Ross Barrier, but this wo regard as belonging to English explorers, and I do not propose to trespass on other people's grounds. Much better and more important work can be done in a matter of this kind by friendly co-operation, and I am happy to be able to say that I have received valuable advice and co-operation from Captain Scott and Dr Bruce in making my preparations." The ship is being specially built at St Malo, the design being revised by Dr Bruce, who commanded the Scottish expedition. She will be barquentino rigged, and will have engines of 550 horse power. Of tho crew of twenty-two, at least ten will be Antarctic veterans. The scientific staff will number eight. A preliminary vote of 300.000 francs has been made by the French Parliament, and a similar sum will bo voted next session. Private subscriptions will provide the rest of the money needed for the enterprise. Dr Charcot's carlior vessel, the Austral, was recently wrecked on the coast of Uruguay. She was built in 1904, for Antarctic work, and was sold to the Ai-gentine Government. During this summer she was to havo taken a scientific expedition to Graham Land, to set up a new metorological station on AVandel Island. The Argentine Government has now mado three attempts to establish a station in tho Antarctic, and on each occasion it has been defeated by storms. Tho Argentine weather office seems to- havo been exceedingly unfortunate in its enterprises, but it is determined to have continuous records taken in Graham Land, and it will also have periodical ocean surveys made, recognising that a working theory of South Amorican weather is only to be reached when the Antarctic, Pacific and South Atlantic data have been obtained.

OCKAN" EXrRESSKS.

The British naval authorities have been evolving a new destroyer of high speed

and good sea-going qualities, which is specifically styled "ocean-going." Tho first five of these are now passing into the fleet, states tho London "Daily Telegraph." They are named Ghurka, Cossack, Tartar, Mohawk and Afridi. These vessels displace rather less than 800 tons, carry three 12-pounder quickfiring guns, and stow away from seventy to ninety tons of oil fuel. They are expensive, costing over £140,000 each, but the high speed in torpedo craft may mean victory in time of war. The most sanguine expectations raised by these boats have been exceeded. They were designed to steam at 33 knots, but under severe conditions they have improved on this speed, and ono, the Tartar, averaged 34:} knots on a six hours' run. This is equal to a speed of about 40 miles an hour. Several more somewhat similar vessels, but slightly larger, are either building or projected, and will be added to the ifleet within twelve months. The " star " ship of the Navy in the matter of speed is to be the Swift, now building at Birkenhead. The contract specifies that a speed of 36 knots is to be maintained on a six hours' trial, and difficulty was encountered in inducing any firm to undertake the work of construction. Tho Swift is an experiment, and her 1800 tons will represent an expenditure of about £280,000 when afloat, so that few similar vessels' are likely to be built. Her value for torpedo attack or as a scout will, of course, bo enormous. Tho Swift, like practically all the new ships being built for the Navy, will use oil fuel. Coal is beino; banished as far as the smaller vessels aro concerned. Oil is easy to stow and easy to manipulate, and represents not only a direct saving in weight but also an immense reduction in the amount of labour necessary. Tho efficiency of oil fuel, weight for weight, is very much greater than that of coal.