Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-09-29

the difficulties in the matter OF elevation
and otherwise serve to reduce this some
what on practice. Seven of them are to
be armored, the heaviest probably carry.
ing sixteen inches Of steel as protection
Three will be protected cruisers;" that il,
vessels whose thick lower decks OF steel dip
their edges below the water line and serve
as protection to the machinery, maya
zines and other vital parts Of the vessels.
The Others will be four steel cruisers,
two gunbOats, ono frst-class torpedo boat
and one dynamite guu cruiser.
OF the steel cruisers the "Dolphin" of
1 500 tons OF displacement is already com
pleted and receiving her armament. The
Atlanta" Of 5000 tons is on her trial
trip and her armament is being tested,
while the Boston" cf 5000 and the
construction. Five Of the armored vessels
OF the double turret monitor class each il
designed to carry four heavy high pow
cred guns throwing 500 pounds of shells
with possible range Of ten miles. These
ships were planned ten years ago. Doubt
less if planned to-day some change would
be made, but they are nevertheless spoken
OF by Commodore Wilson in his last annual
report as the best type OF coast and har-
Dor defense vessels in existence. Though
not designed for cruising they can in emer-
ness having been tested.
Congress has now supplied means for fur.
nishing these chips, and work il progressing
rapidly. The Miantonomah, oi 3, ,815 tons,
will be ready for service this year. The
Puritan, Of 5000 tons, has her engines in
place and is nearly ready for her arnlor,
while the Terror, Aphrodite and Mouad-
mock, Of 3, ,815 tons each, are now receiving
their machinery. The other two armored
ships have not yet entered upon their first
stage OF existence. their construction hav.
ing only been authorized by Congress at
the end OF it's last session. They are to
be Of 5000 tons displacement, to have
double bottoms, engines to drive them ut
q speed OF sixteen knots per hour and COM
plete torpedo outfits and armaments OF
the most effective kind are to cost not
moro than two and half million dollars
each.
In the mere matter OF displacement,
these ships will exceed by nearly one-tourth
the best and largest OF our present naval
vessels, while in speed and effectiveness,
they are depended upon to compare favor
ably with the better class OF European
cruising war ships. A dynamite gun war
cruiser will be q novelty, compared with
nothing in existence.
The Secretary of the Navy is required to
construction and the department will have
little or nothing to do with the work be-
yond passing judgment upon the plans in
advance. and the result at its completion.
The conditions imposed by the act OF Con-
gress contemplate the construction of a
vessel 13O feet long, proportionately very
narrow and OF very light draft, with ex
ceedingiy pow erfnl engines, guaranteed to
be capable Of producing a speed OF
twenty knots. In brief, the plans OF
this craft are understood to look to the
placing OF the machinery and other ordi-
nary appliances OF the ship towards the
bow and stern, leaving the region amid
ships for the magazine and pneumatic guns,
the latter being fired in position and hav-
ing a high elevation. The dynamite mis-
sile will be thrown like bomb from an or
dinary mortar. With all these vessels
afoat the United States as a naval Power
will outrank Brazil. Chill, Argentine Repub-
lie, China, Japan, Greece, Norway, Portu-
gal and Sweden, and will be abreast of Tur-
key, Spain, Holland and Denmark. She
will still be outranked by England, France,
Germany, Austria, Italy and Russia.