ENGINKKIIIN'i;. 





her dock. These contain all the deck machinery, 

 windlasses, winches etc., ami some of them in- 

 close the stairway leading Up to the passenger 

 quarters above, or down id the le>- exposed be- 

 iween-deck salons below. That the whulebark 

 principle, modified liy experience, i> destined to 

 play a prominent part in t he seagoing trallic of 

 the future is confidently predicted by those who 

 lia\e i he nioM I'ainiliur knowledge of its capacities. 



Th<* Naval Hum. The destruction of a ship 

 when economically elTected is us legitimate a 

 feat of engineering as her construction. Nearly 

 all modern war vessels are designed upon occa- 

 sion to serve as 

 rums. Their tre- 

 mendous efficiency 

 in this respect was 

 demonstrated by the 

 sinking of the Brit- 

 Mi battleship" Vic- 

 toria" by her sister 

 ship the "Camper- 

 down " while ina- 

 iiuMivring in the 

 Met literranean, June 

 2;!. 1893. The effi- 

 ciency of the blow 

 was in this instance 

 largely diminished 

 by the fact that at 

 the moment of col- 

 lision both vessels 

 were doing their ut- 

 most to avert the 

 disaster that fol- 

 lowed. In an actual 

 encounter between 

 two hostile ships 



one at least would usually be struck while seeking 

 to avoid the full force of impact. It is believed 

 that the United States armored cruiser " San 

 Francisco " is the first war ship that has ventured 

 to use her ram under favorable conditions. The 

 " San Francisco " is a protected cruiser 310 feet 

 long, of 4,000 tons displacement, and 10,000 

 horse power. Under command of Admiral Ben- 

 hum she was cruising for dangerous derelicts 

 off the Carolina coast, and in October found a 

 lumber-laden schooner, water-logged and dis- 

 masted. She was a stanch new craft, and after 

 vainly attempting first to tow her into port and 

 secondly to blow her to pieces, the admiral de- 

 cided to ram her. A private letter from an offi- 

 cer, published in " Harper's Weekly " of Nov. 25, 

 thus describes the result: 



" The first time we went at her slowly, and did 

 not do much harm. Then the captain backed 

 off to a good distance, sounded the siren to close 

 all water-tight doors, and went at her full speed. 

 1 do not think you ever saw such a manifestation 

 of power and force as I had the good fortune to 

 see from a favorable position forward. The 

 ship weighs 4,000 tons, as much as 64.000 men, 

 and we went at that wreck at the speed of a 

 charge of cavalry. We cut it right in two. One 

 part went one way and one the other, and the 

 lumber floated out and covered acres of the sea; 

 and yet the parts of the wreck floated defiantly, 

 so I had to go out again and blow up the two 

 parts." 



So far as is of record this exploit is unique. 



Tin- risk of seriously damaging hit* own ship 

 was no doubt duly considered by the OOOUnilB&> 

 ing officer of the "San Francisco," and since 

 she not only accomplished her purpose but came 

 out of the encounter uninjured, he ex-aped cen- 

 sure from the department. It should be noted 

 in this connection that in a ramming encounter 

 it is expected that the attacking vessel will suf- 

 fer Mime injury. The " Camperdown," for in- 

 stance, had to undergo extensive repairs after 

 sinking the " Victoria." 



A simple device for coaling vessels at sea is 

 shown in the illustration. 



COALING AT SEA. 



Naval Architecture. The arctic polar ex- 

 pedition under Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, the Nor- 

 wegian explorer, brought about the construction 

 of the first vessel especially designed for work 

 of this character. The vessels heretofore used in 

 such expeditions were adaptations. The " Fram " 

 ("Advance ") is built to order. From keel to truck 

 she is planned for battling with the ice. and en- 

 abling her crew of 12 men to survive the several 

 winters that they expect to pass in the arctic- 

 ice cap, drifting, as they hope, across or near the 

 North Pole itself. The " Fram " is capable of 

 steaming about 7 knots an hour, expending 3$ 

 tons of coal a day. Her total coal capacity is 

 :!50 tons, with which she can steam continuously 

 about two hundred days at 4 to 5 knots an hour. 

 While this represents her nominal minimum of 

 steam efficiency, her possible radius is largely 

 increased by the adaptation of her furnaces for 

 petroleum, blubber, or wood. Her immense 

 strength of frame will enable her, it is hoped, to 

 resist crushing pressure to the point of lifting 

 rather than collapsing under all save the most 

 adverse conditions. Heavy ice-sheathing pro- 

 tects her to a considerable height above the 

 load-water HUP. Electric lights are provided 

 throughout, with a reserve supply of ordinary 

 lamps in case of accident. The dynamo, how- 

 ever, can be worked either by steam, wind, or 

 hand power, so that electricity will probably be 

 the main reliance. It is intended, indeed, when 

 other resources fail, to require all hands to take 

 turns at working a deck winch for exercise. The 



