Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-07-10
UNCLE SANS CRUISERS.
The Glass of Vessels Which John Roach
Proposes to Build.

A reporter visited the shipyard of John
Roach ~ Son yesterday. They are the sue
cessful bidders of the proposed steel
cruisers Chicago, Boston and Atlanta. and
dispatch boat to be called the Dolphin.
"COme upstairs to our engineers DEPART
ment and Will show you what plans and
specifications were furnished us from the
Navy Department" smilingly chirped the
rOtund Garry Roach, who has charge of
the shipvard here, as he led the reporter
to room full of mustY models of mOni.
tors, frigates and all sorts of floating
death-dealers.
"How is it that your bid was nearly
$39O,O less than any of the Others?' was
asked.
''Well, that is trick of the trade. Pos
sibly the reason is because we make
everything that belongs to a shin. from
the iron armOr to the bottle rack in
the wine pantry. We fit the ship out our
selves, and do not trust to any sub-con-
tractOr.''
Glow about the speed of these new
cruisersY'
''They are intended to be very fast. but
precisely how speedy cannot saw. For
instance, the Chicago, which is the
largest, is to be specially constructed for
light draught and speed. She will be sup
piled with two compound beam engines
and high pressure cylinders with four
feet four inches stroke. She will have twin
screws, and from her stroke and engine
apparatus they calculate her to make
sixteen knots per hour. OF course. if she
don't make that it will not be our fault.
In short, the speed mentioned in the pros
pectuS is only gueSs-wOrk, and no one can
tell until the ship is launched and her
machinery put to the test how fast she
can steam.
''The Boston and Atlanta are sister
ships, and will be constructed after the
same model. They will be 270 feet long.
forty-twO feet beam and twenty-six feet
deep. The engines and steering appa-
ratus Will be similar to those of the
Chicago, and they are intended to reach
the same speed. The dispatch boat, Dol
phin, will be 1,500 tons burden and {. 900
horse power. She is to be 240 feet long,
and is to have the new pattern double-end
boilers, with high and low pressure
cylinder. She is expected to attain a
speed of fifteen knots an hOur.r
''W ill you build the ships here? p,
''No; we build the hulls and fittings in
our yard at Chester and make the engines
here. We send them here in sections to
be put in"
''The ships are to be of iron, 1 sup
pOseY'
''Certainly. The hulIs will be entirely
of iron, with strong stay beams for addi-
tional strength"
'What will the navy look like, COM
pared to great English and Italian gum
boats, when these new cruisers are fin
ished?"
"Oh, Wen have few youngsters that
can sail around those cumbersome, heav-
lily armed thunderers and worry them not
a little, besides being able to
stand deal of hard knocks
'"They can do a deal of damage, and
when it comes to close work they can sail
around them; while if the odds are too
great they can get away"
"How long will it take you to finish
them?"
81 cannot say. We have not received
word from Washington that the contract
has been awarded to us, but / suppose
from the fact that we are so low in our
bids we will get the work. NV father,
John Roach, is in Washington now, and
from what he writes | believe we will
have about two years to complete the
new vessels. If everything is ready for
us at the Navy Department we can finish
them sooner than that"