too, has been catering for the public needs. The great work at the north end of the landing stage has reached practical completion. This will not enable anything to be done which has not been hitherto possible, but it will very much extend the present facilities and prevent the dangers of a possible congestion or delay at busy times. The limits of the present stage appear now to have been reached. For the Pluckington Bank seems to bar extension to the southward, whilst the jetty now completed forbids any further stretch to the northward. This jetty fulfils a double purpose. First of all, it is a solid buffer against possible collision with the floating stage by vessels carried up by the strong Mersey tide, or by heavy weather. That this was a matter to be guarded against was proved by an actual collision some years ago, when the latest addition to the stage had not been made, and when, consequently, the end of the fabric was much further than it is at present from the entrance to the Waterloo Dock. But besides fulfilling this useful purpose it will relieve the stage of the Irish cattle who have hitherto been disembarked there, and will thus make it possible to reserve the landing stage proper for passengers alone. As the jetty is of course a solid erection, built upon piles driven into the river bed, and made strong enough to resist any probable collision it may be called upon to sustain, it cannot, like the stage, rise and fall with the tidal movement. But the object effected by the floating of the stage has been attained in the jetty by the provision of three decks or platforms. Thus, whatever may be the state of the tide, cattle can be landed on one or other of the platforms. A line of rail in conjunction with the main dock lines will traverse the jetty, and upon it will also be placed a couple of hydraulic cranes for the discharging of the cargo carried by these cattle boats. Thus great saving of time for this class of vessel will be obtained, as they will be able to get a berth immediately upon arrival, without waiting till the more purely passenger traffic is disposed of, and the landing of cattle, goods, and passengers can all be effected simultaneously. will be seen from what I have said that the Dock Board has, since it determined to build the riverside station and give trainto-boat facilities, not only relieved the landing stage of much of its most tedious and troublesome work, but has also made a substantial addition to its length. The amount added is about four hundred feet, which is certainly enough for a berth of the longest channel steamer likely to be seen there, even if it be not equal to that taken away from the channel steamer monopoly by the daily advent of Atlantic liners.

MacAndrew's Hymn.

It

When Mr. Rudyard Kipling has entered into controversies regarding matters of pure business and of political economy, I have taken occasion in these columns to make adverse criticism of his writings. I have, however, always given him the credit which is his due for his close observation and his study of the technique of matters which are far more in the way of the practical and professional man than of the conventional pale poet. It is, therefore, with unfeigned pleasure that I see the publication of his latest work, "The Seven Seas." It contains the first real poetry I have met on the subject of the marine engineer's profession. I am glad to see that the poetry inherent in the most mighty, yet most delicate machinery of the modern steamer, has appealed to a truly artistic mind at last, and I am glad that Mr. Kipling has had the privilege of being the pioneer in this new region. He will assuredly have many followers. He has seen the character of the rugged men who were perhaps more characteristic of the last generation of marine engineers than of the present. He has observed the fine contempt which such a man has for the saloon passenger-a contempt which the saloon passenger has worked hard to obtain. He knows the Scotch descent and training of the engineer from north of the Tweed, and he works in, with infinite and well

concealed skill, the theological with the practical side of such a man's nature. Let me quote a few lines :

"From coupler rod to spindle flange I see Thy hand, O God, Predestination in the stride o' yon connectin' rod,

John Calvin might have forged the same-enorrmous, certain, slow,

Aye, wrought it in the furnace flame, my Institutio."

This reference, "enorrmous, certain, slow," may perhaps refer to the slow and majestic movement of the early paddle engine with its long stroke. But he is up to date indeed when he speaks of the electric engine

They're all awa', True beat, full power, the clangin' chorus goes,

Clear to the tunnel where they sit, my purring dynamoes." He cries for a Burns to sing the power and might of suggestion of the engine. We credit the modesty of Mr. Kipling, we appreciate the reverence which Mr. MacAndrew would naturally feel for the great poet of the north; but a more stirring and more thought suggesting poem than Mr. Kipling's I do not wish to read. But my readers must lose no time in studying the poem and making their own reflections upon it. It is a poem of a kind which makes one's blood warm, and makes one appreciate the fascination which the sight of a marine engine excites in the ordinary mind, which feels dumbly after the thoughts to which Mr. Kipling has here given voice and expression. Mr. Ruskin indeed has appreciated the shipbuilder's art, and the wonderful results of his work. He, however, lacks the practical side of Mr. Kipling's character, and Mr. Ruskin's pride in this regard cannot interest the marine engineer as must the poem to which I refer.

Life Insurance and Pensions for Officers. Sometime ago, when a deck officer of an Atlantic mail steamer was lost overboard in the execution of his duty, a subscription was raised for the benefit of his bereaved relatives. At that time I deplored the fact that the loss of such a mans' life in the course of his duty should necessitate an appeal to charity for the benefit of those dependent upon him. It is true that the Merchant Navy is in this respect no worse off than was the Royal Navy until recently. For though pensions and gratuities are provided by the State in the case of those officers and men who are killed in action, there is no provision for those who, equally in the course of duty, are lost by perils of the sea. The want in the Royal Navy was partly remedied by private effort a few years ago, when the profits of the Royal Naval Exhibition at Chelsea were applied to the inauguration of a fund for the purpose. But nothing has ever been done for the equally important merchant service. Nor from the nature of the case did it really seem possible that much could be effected in this direction. Mr. Ismay, of the White Star Line, did a great deal for one individual to effect when he gave his princely gift to the home for Aged Mariners at Liverpool. That was for the men. He has now shown how something may be done for the officers, and he has put forward a scheme which will be very beneficial to the navigating and engineering officers of his ships, as well as to the heads of what may be called the commercial and service departments. Briefly, his line has entered into arrangements with the Royal Insurance Companyone of the most highly respected and prosperous offices in the world-whereby at certain rates special to them the officers of this line will be enabled to ensure their lives and to obtain pensions on retirement. The details of the scheme have naturally to be somewhat elaborate to meet the exigencies of a life at sea, and to provide for the possibility of an officer leaving the service either by his own or by his employer's desire. But the principle involved is simple. To obtain the benefits offered by the Royal Insurance Company a premium has to be paid. This premium will be paid by the steamship company on behalf of its officers. One third of the amount thus paid will be a free gift from the company to its employé. The other twothirds will be paid by the assured officer himself. But it will not be deducted from his pay, but from the annual bonus which In cases where an officer is the company gives to its servants. not employed on bonus terms special arrangements will be made, and where from any cause an officer becomes disentitled to a bonus in any particular year, the company will provide the whole premium for him and deduct the payment thus advanced from the next bonus to which he may become entitled.

It will be seen from what I have said that the officer will pay two-thirds of the premium, and will thus feel that he is paying for his advantages and is not a recipient of charity. But it will also be seen that the incidence of the call upon his resources is made as light as forethought can cause it to be, and that where a man will miss his bonus, he will not be called upon to make up the payment from his pay- which might be inconvenient -but will have the firm's assistance to carry over till the next time he is entitled to one.

Such a scheme as is here presented reflects the greatest credit upon its originator, and I trust will be found beneficial to those for whose advantage it has been devised. If expectation be realised by those who originated it, we may hope to see that other lines and other firms will make similar schemes for the

THE AVONDALE CASTLE" BEFORE THE LAUNCH.

benefit of those who pass their lives at sea. For in spite of all that the shipbuilder and engineer can do, the sea still has its risks to life, and a man will do his duty to his employers none the less efficiently because he knows that if the worst happens he need not apprehend that those dependent on him will be thrown helpless on the world.

An Engineer's Feat.

A very smart and, it is said, unprecedented piece of work was performed by the engineers of the screw steamship Oakbranch, owned by the Nautilus Steamship Company. This vessel was only built last year by Messrs. Doxford, of Sunderland, and is of some 3,200 tons gross register. She has triple-expansion engines of some size and power as her low-pressure cylinder is 68 in. diameter, with a stroke of 42 in. In the month of October,

1896, this vessel was on a voyage to Sydney from Yokohama, when her tail shaft broke inside the tube as the vessel was not far south of the equator. The propeller fell off and the ship was, of course, completely disabled. The engineers, however, succeeded in replacing both the shaft and the propeller at sea in eight days, and the vessel resumed her voyage, and nine days later reached Sydney without assistance. The Oakbranch was of course fortunate in having the spare gear on board, but she was infinitely more fortunate in having officers with the skill and determination to carry out so difficult and heavy an operation at sea.

Two Launches.

At the beginning of November I had a very pleasant little visit to Glasgow, which extended a very warm welcome in spite of cold and fog. The occasion was the addition of two more vessels to the Castle Mail Packet Company's already extensive and modern fleet. The expansion of South Africa can surely be very fairly gauged by what the Castle Line-so largely identified with its prosperity-has done and is doing to provide facilities for transport between the mother country and her growing child. A fleet of six vessels is needed to provide a fortnightly service to the Cape. Remembering this fact we may notice how modern are the vessels which Sir Donald Currie provides for the public needs. There have been quite recently added to his mail line the three well-known passenger vessels, Dunnottar Castle, Tantallon Castle, and Dunvegan Castle. Now we know that a fourth, 500 ft. in length, is being built at Fairfield, and I hear a whisper that this order is likely to be followed by others. Thus within a year of the present time we may look to see the Castle Mail Line carried on by a practically new fleet. As with the mail service, So with the intermediate. The Harlech Castle, the Arundel Castle, the Lismore Castle, and the Doune Castle are all new boats, and they are being joined by the Tintagel Castle at the end of November. The Tintagel's sister, the Avondale Castlewhich was one of the two I saw launched-will complete the six needed to carry on the intermediate service. Yet there are two other vessels approaching completion, and it may be asked what can be the object of this construction. These vessels are the Dunolly Castle and the Raglan Castle, sister ships, and both building by Messrs. Barclay, Curle & Company at Whiteinch. I saw the former launched by Sir Donald Currie's daughter, Mrs. Molteno, at the beginning of November, and the latter is almost ready to take the water. The occasion of the launch of the Dunolly Castle was an important one, for she marked the first step in the new development of the Castle Mail Packet Company's policy. She is called-for want of a better name-an intermediate boat, but she is of a different class to the Avondale Castle, launched at Fairfield the following day. She has less cabin accommodation, less speed, and much more cargo space. The Dunolly Castle, in fact, approximates more to the pure cargo boat than anything the line has yet possessed. No doubt the trade demands the construction of such vessels now, and we shall see the development of a third service of this class of vessel, which is in its way quite as valuable and necessary as the more strong mail and intermediate lines. Every one, as Sir Donald Currie pointed out in his speech at the launch, does not desire speed, and certainly it is not everybody or everything than can afford it. The Dunolly Castle, with the comfortable little saloon on the upper deck, will be a pleasant conveyance to the Cape for those who are not pressed for time, and the couple of dozen cabin passengers she can accommodate will have comfortable state-rooms, and make themselves a happy sort of family party. To those who travel by the great mail boats this is impossible. But the few saloon passengers for whom room is found in this vessel are a very minor consideration to her. Her provision is to carry the emigrants whom the development of Africa calls for, and to carry out the machinery and manufactured goods which are needed to aid them in that process. To that end we see that the vessel has a deadweight capacity of some 5,000 tons of cargo, and that a very noticeable feature is the great size of her hatchways, so that she can carry the largest pieces of machinery required at the mines. The large hatohways are unlikely under any circumstances, however, to be a source of danger to her, for the arrangement of hatches and the strength and number of the shifting beams and fore and afters is very remarkable. The wants of the emigrants are not less carefully anticipated. The ship has fine and lofty 'tween decks, which seem especially roomy owing to the great beam. These are fitted with every convenience which experience can suggest for the carriage of passengers. The

sanitary appliances are numerous and well designed, and the enclosed berths provided for the third-class passengers are equal to some second-class state-rooms. Like all the vessels now building for the line, the Dunolly Castle has triple-expansion engines, and her steering gear and other arrangements are much after the pattern of the mail boat Dunvegan Castle, which I recently described.

The Avondale Castle needs no long description from me here. She is a fine and comfortable boat, and contains the result of much thought and experience in the adaptation to the wants of travellers. The launch was interesting to me from a detail which may also interest some readers. I had heard that the old mooring chains of the defunct Great Eastern had been purchased by the Fairfield Shipbuilding Company, and were used at their launches. To verify this I examined the chains before the launch with some care. The enormous size of the links lent probability to the tale, but their excellent condition seemed incompatible with a life of nearly 40 years. No one seemed to know much about the matter, but before I left the yard I was positively assured that these were indeed the great ship's last remains. By the courtesy of the Editor of Black and White, we are enabled to give three views of the launching of the vessels from photographs by Maclure, Macdonald & Co., Glasgow. Fairfield seemed fairly busy with the Tintagel Castle and a second class cruiser for the Royal Navy nearly ready for delivery. Another second class cruiser was just launched. An Isle of Man boat was in frame, and the Alaska was getting ready for her Spanish owners up the yard.

Before I leave the subject of the new Castle Liners I may say something about their names, as the nomenclature of the fleet is a matter to which the head of the concern pays great attention. The Dunolly Castle is named after a fortress ou the west coast of Scotland. The meaning of the word Dunolly is doubtful. Some say it means the Fort of Olave, and others the Fort of Macdougall. The Avondale Castle's name has caused some little discussion. Some have thought it an Irish name, and see in it a reference to the late Mr. Charles Stuart Parnell. They are, of course, wrong, as are those who give it an English origin. The Castle is a Scottish one, and it is situate near Hamilton Palace. It is a place of considerable importance in the history of the Northern Kingdom.

The Southampton Atlantic Steamers

still seem to suffer from minor, but none the less aggravating misfortunes. The Hamburg-American liner Furst Bismarck was reported off New York with her starboard shaft broken on Friday, November 6th. She, however, made her dock without assistance, and is said to have done the passage in less than seven days in spite of her mishap, whilst her homeward passage, though not commenced on the 12th as per schedule, was started only two days late-a very smart piece of work.

Then as to the American Line. I last month mentioned the mishap to the Paris. Ere she got back to the clooar, the New York developed a defect, which made her remain at Southampton till Monday night, instead of sailing as usual at noon on Saturday.

The P. & O. Company.

Saturday, November 7th, was a very important day in the history of the P. & O. Fleet. It saw the launch of the first twin-screw steamer constructed for their line. This was the Candia, a 6,000-ton cargo boat, launched by Messrs. Caird, of Greenock. So the great company of Leadenhall Street has at last followed the ruck, and got what every day is showing us to be the safest class of steamers that which has duplicated machinery. We may wish the Candia good luck, so that she may satisfy the minds of the Board that they have done the wise thing, and induce them to give the mail lines under their flag the same safeguards which are now afforded to passengers on other routes.

"A Thousand Pounds Pressure."

I have received a copy of a pamphlet with the above heading. It is written by a gentleman who does not profess to be an engineer. He has observed that steam pressures have risen from "as nearly nothing as makes no matter" in the case of the very early steamers to what he considers a maximum at the present day of 180 lbs. He has further observed that the increase of pressure has been accompanied by a regular diminution in the consumption of coal, and he therefore tells ship

owners and shipbuilders, and marine engineers that they should not use 180 lbs., but 1,000 lbs. No doubt he is theoretically right if he can provide as he professes to do-a chain with which to control the powerful genius he would have us invoke. But the historical argument is strongly against it, so strongly that I think that alone is a sufficient answer to his suggestion. He will observe that the 5 lbs. pressure of the early vessel grew up to 20 lbs. and 30 lbs., and even higher, till men thought of using these higher pressures expansively. Thus we had the compound engines working first at 60 lbs., and then climbing to 100 lbs. and more. The tri-compound engine has brought us to 180 lbs., and the quadruple-which does not at present find much favour-to some 30 lbs. further. With tri-compound engines steam of higher pressure than this would either have to be reduced before use, or the economy would largely be lost. Higher pressures, then, mean multiple expansion, and the feeling of engineers and shipowners is at present against that. We must move by steps. In the past we have crept up by an addition of 5 lbs. now and 10 lbs. then, and it is absurd to ask us to jump up by a 400 per cent. increase on our maximum at a single stride. Neither men, nor machinery, nor materials are ripe for this, and Festinate Lente is a proverb which should be taken to heart by such outside enthusiasts who wish to teach marine engineers, the most progressive of all modern scientists, that they do not understand their business.

Southampton and Queenstown.

There has been another expression of opinion on the part of the Southampton Press which shows how valuable in their case has been the ignorance which enshrouds them. It appears that Queenstown had been grumbling, or at least lamenting, because there had been a falling off in the number of eastward mail bags sent through its port from New York. The Southampton people pointed out that on three occasions during the period under review, the Queenstown mails had been taken on by the steamer to Liverpool because of heavy weather or dense fog. From this fact, of course, there was a moral deduced as to the The same superior safety and advantage of Southampton. moral would be drawn from a statement that the sky was blue, or the sea salt. But in this case the matter is really ludicrous. Queenstown is after all only a port of call; Southampton is the terminus of the line. We constantly hear of vessels having been detained so many hours by fog up Channel or off the Needles. No captain would keep his vessel lying off Queenstown. It is not worth while. If time is to be wasted feeling his way in or going into the inner harbour for smooth water, he is well advised to employ it in feeling or beating his way up Channel. With the phrase "the well-known dangers of the Needles Channel" before us, and with those dangers emphasised as they have been by strandings of a very serious character, Southampton can only plead ignorance as its excuse in its attack on Queenstown. A port of call may be missed, but somehow or another a terminal port must be fetched, even if to do so the way lies round the Wight and through Spithead.

The Nederland American Line

is coming to the front even amongst the modern Continental lines. I mentioned some time ago that it was building a twinscrew steamer of large size to be called the Rotterdam. This vessel will soon be at work. They have now ordered another larger and faster vessel from Messrs. Harland & Wolff, whose workmanship they know well by experience, for they have been running in their line several old White Star and British Shipowners' vessels which came from the Queen's Island yard. The new ship is to be a twin-screw of greater size than the Cunarder Umbria or the Hamburg-American Normannia, though the speed will not be as great as theirs, being more like seventeen knots. She will have great cargo capacity, but will also carry some three hundred and fifty saloon passengers.

Messrs. C. W. Kellock & Co.

are announced to sell, on the 2nd December, the Spanish steamer which went ashore a few weeks ago at Terschelling. It will be remembered that rather a scare was caused by the announcement of the casualty at the time as the ship was first reported to be a North German Lloyd passenger boat. She was eventually got off and taken to Amsterdam, where she is still lying, and is to be sold in her damaged state.

Institute of Marine Engineers, and also upon the success which marked the Professor's work at the University College of South Wales. He (the speaker), had always recognised the value of technical education. For nearly 20 years he advocated it at meetings of the Associated Chambers of Commerce, urging the absolute necessity of such systematic training if our youths were to be equipped for the battle of life against foreign competition. He cordially wished the Institute a full measure of success. In his opinion, marine engineers were not fairly treated by the Admiralty and other authorities. There were remedies possible, and it rested with societies like theirs to seek to apply them, so that the engineer, whose skill whether afloat or ashore, demanded the highest recognition, should be fairly valued.

The Rev. Canon Thompson, D.D., proposed "Greater Cardiff," and the Deputy-Mayor (Alderman David Jones) acknowledged the toast.

Dr. J. L. Treharne, J.P., proposed "The Institute of Marine Engineers." He said the other day Cardiff received a visit from a society representing the organisers of technical education in different parts of the country, when those gentlemen argued that while we had fallen behind other nations in many trades and professions, in shipbuilding and marine engineering we were a long way to the fore yet. If that was so, and he did not doubt it, it was largely due to the existence of societies like the Institute of Marine Engineers. They were told that the parent society had a young and vigorous offspring in the Bristol Channel centre. He believed that there was another son at Southampton, and they would not be offended with him when, as a medical man, he said he hoped there would be a large increase of family before many years were over. One of the most encouraging signs of the times was that members of the professions should bind themselves together as institutes to discuss matters closely concerning their status and their professional work. This was especially important in the case of marine engineering science, which had gone, and was going, through rapid phases of development, and the problems of which were fraught with questions affecting the lives and the well being of so many persons, and the interests and safety of vast properties. He had pleasure in associating with the toast the name of a distinguished professor so honourably associated with the University College of South Wales and Monmouth, and so able an exponent of engineering science-Professor Elliott.

The President, rising to respond, was very cordially received. At the outset he read a telegram from the Southampton centre conveying best wishes for a successful gathering. It seemed to him, he said, extremely appropriate that a medical man should propose this toast. The two professions were not unakin. The human frame divine had some not distant analogy to the steam engine. It had, for example, a circular current-a circulating pump and valves-of the utmost delicacy and the most complicated mechanism, involving all the mechanical powers we could think of, and possibly some that had not yet been developed. It had a furnace wherein was burnt the carbon which came from food-its fuel-and it burnt that carbon in a furnace with the oxygen of the air, aud it respired waste products. The Bristol Channel centre claimed to have done fairly good work during the past year. They had thrown themselves into the great discussion which had over. flowed the columns of the technical papers, the ranks of the technical societies, and the premises of the daily press. He referred to the controversy on water-tube boilers. From time to time the Admiralty had been introducing, in manner experimental, water-tube boilers to replace the Scotch marine boiler, and in some circumstances the Admiralty loco-type of boiler. The controversy fairly boiled over when it was announced that the swiftest cruisers ever built were to be boilered each with 48 Belleville boilers. Mr. A. J. Durston, their ex-president, was mainly responsible for that great departure. The Institute of Marine Engineers, as a whole, sided with him in this, and so did the Bristol Channel centre. It was very pleasant to know that one of these cruisers had partly gone through her steam trials, and had shown, almost indisputably, that the belief of Mr. Durston in the Belleville boilers was fully justified. The detractors of the one side, and the advocates on the other, had had their innings. For the most part the innings had been on the side of the detractors. These cruisers were not, they said, to 18,000 H.P., far less 25,000, which would blow boilers. He left them to judge

get up the

whether the blackest of these prophecies had been fulfilled. During the past year the tendency in marine engineering circles had continued in the direction of increased boiler pressure. It was becoming more and more apparent that if they continued on these lines some change must be made. There were evidences that the water-tube boiler was creeping into the Mercantile Marine, and he was afraid-from the point of view, that is, of the makers of the old Scotch boiler, who had sunk a vast capital in machinery especially designed for that type that it had come to stay. In at least one case in the merchant marine the pressure had gone up to 250 lbs. with a quadruple engine on five cranks. For years he had advocated quadruple engines on four cranks, and this was a step in advance even of that. He was proud to say that the Institute of Marine Engineers had had something to do with it, and that it was associated in no small degree with a member of the Bristol Channel Centre. In conclusion, the President expressed his gratification at the continued personal interest in the Centre displayed by Mr. Adamson, whose name was also associated with the toast.

Mr. James Adamson conveyed an expression of the regret of the President of the Institute of Marine Engineers at his inability to be present there that evening. He (Mr. Adamson) knew the President would have derived much pleasure from seeing so excellent and representative a gathering. The Council of the Institute also desired him to express their high appreciation of the vitality displayed by the Bristol Channel Centre, as was apparent not only in its transactions but also in the eminently successful character of its annual dinners. If they in London seemed to lag behind they looked to their son, the B.C.C., to stir them up. The B.C.C. had ably backed up the efforts of the parent society in securing a better position, and a better regard for the requirements of the marine engineer. Hitherto they had not succeeded in their endeavours, but he found that in New Zealand an Act had been adopted which covered the whole of the points for which they had been fighting. First, that engineers should be rated upon the articles as officers. Second, that in all cases where there were enquiries by the Board of Trade affecting the engine-room department, an engineer should be upon the Board. Third, that all engineers who went forward for a Board of Trade certificate should have served five years in a workshop. Other points conceded were-that there should be a third-class engineer's certificate, and the substitution of I.H.P. for the 99 N.H.P. It was time to put a stop to this anomaly in this country, but while the Board of Trade had its considering cap on with regard to all these matters they became accomplished facts in New Zealand, or would be accomplished by the beginning of the year 1897. The Council of the Institute had arranged to again approach the Board of Trade, and urge them to cast aside their considering cap, and put on the cap of action. He (the speaker) was present last year when Mr. Wailes received the Denny Gold Medal, and Dr. Elliott had indicated that this year it was possible a similar compliment would be again paid to Cardiff. Unfortunately things had so transpired that the medal had been sent to Hong Kong. Concluding, he had the utmost pleasure in wishing continued activity and usefulness to the Bristol Channel Centre.

Capt. Corfield proposed "the President. Dr. Elliott," whose keen interest in the Institute and the B.C.C. he warmly eulogised, amid the endorsing plaudits of the company. With regard to the observations of Mr. Adamson, Capt. Corfield pointed out that on the Cardiff Marine Board they had engineers. They certainly ought to be there.

The toast was drunk with musical honours, and Dr. Elliott briefly responded.

The fourth-class ironclad " Odin," is 72 metres in length, 153 metres in breadth, and her mean draught, with full equipment, almost 5 metres; displacement, 3,530 tons; H.,P. 4,800; and her speed at least 15 nautical miles. She is the seventh ship specially destined for the defence of the German coasts and the Emperor William Canal, and conforms, on the whole, to the Siegfried type, but differs from the older vessels of the same class in many respects. She has no girdle plating as they have, but is a turret ironclad, with three 24-centimetres guns in two barbette turrets, with plates 20 centimetres thick. She has two screws, with completely separate boilers, and her bunkers can carry 265 tons of coal.