The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-05-19
THE DREADNOUGHT.
OF A NEW BRITISH
IRONCLAD.
The Heaviest Armed and Armored ship
in the World.
London Daily News. !


OF Portsmouth dockyard mark the where
abouts OF the Dreadnought turret vessel, the
most powerful addition that is to be made TO
1he British navy during the present year.
There Is busy crew Of six hundred men on
board at this moment but instead of blue
jackets, they are grimy filters and carpenters,
preparing the vessel, in all haste, for sea AS
the Ihunderer, now lying under shadow al
most OF the green trees of Osborne point as
guardship in ordinary to her majesty, is at
present the most heavily armed and armored
ship in the world, 50 the Dreadnought will
be three months hence. Her big thirty eight
ton guns are on board, and her engines of
eight Thousand horse power been tried
and approved: all that is to be done is the
fitting up of the decks for the reception of
officers and men, and the completion Of some
| minor points connected with her armament
| Engineers gunner, bOatSwain and carpenter
are all appointed, and Capt. Moss, the officer
now In command, will remain on board as
staff commander when the ship is commits
stoned.
The Dreadnought may well be termed an
improved Thundcrer. Her armor is thicker
and there is more of it; in some parts of the
vessel the turrets, for instance the armor is
upward of fifteen inches thick, while there Is
no exposed portion of the hull defended with
less than eight inches of iron. The four guns
Of the Dreadnought, again, have somewhat
heavier calibre than those of the Thunderer
and the shot and shell 100 pounds heavier
while the greatest improvement of all is to
be found in the extra deck with which the
Drcadnought is provided, and which permits
both officers and men to see something of the
daylight in their cabins. AS it Is, IL most
elaborate system of ventilation Is necessary
to remove the foul air and send fresh supplies
through the ship, and it is fortunate indeed
that the crews OF these vessels are limited to
one-half the number carried by our large
broadslde battle-ships, for the machinery be-
low is so intricate and extensive that to the
unprofessional visitor it is hard to see where
lodgings for $50 men are to be found. The
two turrcts, as also the pair of monster guns
in each OF them, are moved by machinery of
many different kinds, and as all this is below,
in the middle of the ship, it is easy to imag-
Inc the vast amount OF mechanism to be found
in the dark tween decks
The turrets fore and aft are similar They
are entered from below; some roomy steps
lead into the interior, and you find yourself
in low circular tower, the centre of which
is taken up by two big guns placed parallel to
one another, with a little passage between.
The whole structure revolves like a round
about, and thus the guns peeping out of their
small ports can be made to fire in any direc-
ton. A lookout Is provided in each turret,
but there IS, besides, an armOrcd tower OF
considerable height, whence the captain can
command view on all sides. In action the
whole of tho crew is below, and not a soul
upon deck. which may thus be swept with
shot and Shell with impunity. The hurricane
deck, a superstructurc raised i'm the centre Of
the vessel. and also the upper deck. where the
berths OF the officers and men are and which,
as we have said, does not exist on the Thun-
dercr, are comparatively unarmOred and
therefore could be shot away without diff |
Guilty; but as they are independent of the
lighting capacity of the ship, any injury to
them would be a matter of Indifference to the
crew, who would be safely housed under a
flooring OF iron. The whole of the
heavily armored, for here are the ships |
very life-since as she moves
only by steam, and turns her turrets and
loads her guns by machinery, any accident
to this portion of her hull would mean
disaster.
Descending below to the unarmored living
deck, we at once find striking difference be- |
tween the two types OF iron-cads- turret |
and the broadside. The Dreadnought, strange
as it may appear, is to be fitted as a flagship |
and the contrast between the accommodation I
for the admiral on board this our newest
and that of the Alexandria, the |
most recent OF our masted fag-ships is very
marked. Admiral Horribly, on board the Alex
feet long and fifteen feet or sixteen feet high,
with drawing-room lighted by the stern
window of the flagship Still more spacious.
IN tbs Dreadnought on the other hand, the
lag officer must fain be content with q dark,
,avernous retreat, of irregular shape, so low
hat one fears to strike ones head against the
beams. To make room for the admiral and
lis staff the officers OF the ship are reegated
@ less favorable cabins, and it is very pos
,ible that some of the junior lieutenants will
nave to descend under the armor plating into
,itchy darkness, like that in which all officers
rave to live on board the Thunderer. Posi-
ny the admiralty may have reconsidered
heir decision by the time the Dreadnought is
but at present there seems to
Ne craze for making vessels into flag ships,
md appointing admiralS in profllsiOn. The
Mediterranean fleet has not less than four
idmlrals at this moment, counting Rear Adj
nlfal Luard at Malta, who is styled second
Il command in the Mediterranean" as one;
While the channel squadron, which, since the
withdrawal OF the Shannon, consists of but
hree vessels, is commanded by two flag
'flicers-ln the proportion, that is, of one ad-
nlral to vessel and a half.
The interior of modern turret-vessel has
'een llkened to the works Of watch and thu ,
lmlle Is very good one. Unfortunately
me me, cannot in this case examine the works
With the same facility Armed with candle.
'ver the little tramways with their trolleys
which lntersect the dark space in all direc-
ions, as it it We're coal mine. The bulk
reads which subdivide the vessel constitute
o many engine rooms, in which groups of
vorkmen are busy by the light of tallow cam
lies. Their energy wakes and their move
nents quicken perceptibly at the sight of
apt Moss gold lace cap, as he passes on his
our OF inspection; The admiralty has or ]
ummer, and it will require considerable pres
ure to bring about this end. The various
ngines are all on board, but there is still
God deal OF finishing to be done. The hy-
raullc apparatus for loading and spongng \
he guns for this will not be done by hand
till lacks something before it is complete,
nd the same may be said of the air.
Jumps and other machinery necessary for the
harge and discharge of the fish-torpedo. A :,
'alr OF electric lights are to come on board, =,
nd the mechanism for driving the electro {
magnets is not yet in its place. On the other i
and the mighty engines that move the ship |
re pronounced in good order, and the steam
tearing gear is ready for use. The system
i auxiliary engines, which is met with at |
very turn, engines for pumping, ventilating, I
eedlng, starting, steering, etc, has been fin !
5hed and tested, but their maintenance in a
condition will be obviously one Of !
be chief cares Of the engineers on board In
word the Dreadnought is an example of the !
1ost modern battle-ship in which cranks and |
lstons, valves and cylinders, take the place 1
/ the bone and cipnyp Of