MARITIME MATTERS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1715, 11 January 1905, Page 75 (Supplement)

MARITIME MATTERS.

(By " Mainsail.”)

It is stated that the Japanese and the English are the only naval powers which have had the nerve to carry out night manoeuvres at sea, absolutely without lights save those of electric bulbs in a box towed astern by a wire and visible only to men in the bow of the following ships who can watch them for signals. Another ingenious medico has invented another sure cure for sea sickness. A substance called validol is the medium, and it is supposed to raise the blood pressure, thus relieving the anaemia of the brain which causes the sickness. The doctor adds: "It also influences _ the gastric disturbances by lowering the sensibility of the nerve endings in the gastric mucous membrane.”

One of the most unique launchings in the history of the “Newport News,” Va., shipyard occurred recently, when 'the submarine torpedo boat ‘'Simon Lake X” was put overboard. The little diver was one of the five submarines being built for the Lake Torpedo Boat Company of Bridgeport, Conn. Two of them already had left the yard under rather mysterious circumstances, being shipped in sections on the barge “Kennebec” to New York harbour, where they were transferred to an ocean-going steamer. As Mr Lake, the inventor, has just come from Libarr, Russia, it is thought the other two submarines have gone to the Czar’s navy. It has been announced that the “Simon Lake X” will be used in the competitive tests provided for in the naval programme for 1[)05. She is 68 feet long, II feet 6 inches beam and has a displacement of 100 tons. She is propelled by two gasoline engines of 125 horse-power each and has two electric motors of 75 horsepower each. S'he has three torpedo tubes and will be armed with fiva Whitehead torpedoes. Her estimated speed is: On surface, nine knots; sub* merged, six knots. During the storm of two weeks ag© the surfmen of Province!own, Mass., were startled to hear a tremendous explosion in the middle of the storm, tha sound coming from seaward. They, could not understand it until wreckaga began to come ashore, when it eeemedl likely that the sunken steamer Longfellow had blown up. The Longfellow, loaded with 30d tons of dynamite, sank some six or eight weeks ago off Peaked Hill in 30 fathoms, and the surfmen say they believe the heavy impact of the seas lcooened up and finally discharged the explosives by simple percussion. German Naval earners have been stirred by tiie declaration of a Frankfort Naval Engineer that Ins new form of gas-engine could utilise 26 per cent, of the energy of coal as compared with the maximum of 14 per cent, in the prevent steam-engine. Engineer Capitame explained his invention to an attentive audience, among those present be mg the German Emperor, and prophesied a complete revolution of marine engine building, design and efficiency as a result of his work. Kaiser Wilhelm is said to have appeared considerably im-

ine eel. The announcement of shipping companies that there, is a possibility of the mail sfe inters omitting to call at Adelaide has caused considerable alarm in South Australia.