§ SIR EDWARD GOURLEY (Sunderland)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty if he can state the nature of the accident compelling Her Majesty's new cruiser the Terrible, to have to put back to Plymouth for repairs; and, whether it is true that there are no mechanical appliances either at Devonport or Plymouth sufficient to cope with the emergency?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTYNo accident has occurred to Her Majesty's ship Terrible. During the run preliminary to the commencement of the second of the contractors' trials it became evident that certain adjustments were necessary to the slide valves of some of the cylinders. The contractors were in charge of the machinery, and at their request the vessel entered Plymouth Sound in order that an examination might be made. As the result of that examination, and at the request of the contractors, the Terrible has returned to Portsmouth, where the necessary defects will be made good by the contractors before the trials are resumed. Under the circumstances explained no question arose as to the sufficiency of the mechanical appliances at Devonport Dockyard; but I may state that they are ample for all the repairs required by Her Majesty's ships and their machinery, and no suggestion such as that in the hon. Member's second question ought to have been made.
§ MR. J. CUMMING MACDONA (Southwark, Rotherhithe)asked whether there were any appliances on board the Terrible for picking up floating derelicts?
§ MR. FORTESCUE FLANNERY (York, W.R., Shipley)asked whether it had been decided to send this vessel and her sister ship on a longer voyage at full power for the purpose of fully testing the power of the water-tube boilers?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTYwas understood, in reply, to say that the Admiralty had no doubt whatever, from what had happened so far, as to the efficiency of these ships, and that until the completion of the trials it would be too soon to decide whether they should send them on a long voyage.