The Portland daily press., 1888-04-25
MODERN SHIPS FOR OUR NAVY.
What the New Armored Cruiser
Maine Will be Like.
The cunboat Yorktown In Readiness
for Launching.
Secretary whitney VIII Celebrate
With a Little JunkettIng Trip.

NEW DIRK, April 24.-The publication OF
Secretary Whitney's letter of instructions
to Admiral Gherardi, relative TO the pushing
Of the work on the new armored cruiser
Maine, has refreshed the hope of hundreds
Of workingmen that they win soon be feed
ing at the public crib at the Navy Yard.
With the exception Of laying the keelblocks
and putting up some Of the tool shops, moth
ing practical has been done at the Navy
Yard on this immense vessel. The Maine
will be twin-serew armored turret vessel
Of the belted cruiser type, including every
modern Improvement in offensive and de-
fensive arms and equipments. and in general
appearance will resemble the Brazilian ar
mored cruiser Riaehuelo, but will be larger
and carrier heavier guns and thicker ar
NOR. Her dimensions will be: $40 feet
length between perpendiculars; 81 feet ex-
treme breadth; 211 feet mean draught Of
water; 6,64S tons displacement; $3.50 indi-
Gated horse power; IL knots speed; Thick
ness Of armor belt, IL inches; thickness Of
turret armor, 1O4 inches thickness Of breast
work armOr, 104 inches.
The Maine will have vertical steel armOr
extending from three feet above TO four feet
below the waterlIne, and for length:of $50
feet amidships. Behind this armor she Will
have two thicknesses Of plating. There VIII
be ia water tight compartments IN the yes
sci, and she will be bark rigged, spreading
7,135 square feet of canvass. The four and
main masts will be fitted with military tops,
each mounting two machine guns. The
main battery will consist of four 10 inch
and six 6ineh breech loading guns. The 10
inch guns will be mounted In pairs, Ia tur-
rets protected by 10A inches OF steel armor.
The turrets will be placed en- echelOn. one
forward and one aft, so that four guns
can be fired ahead or aStern. Each turret
will have two loading positions. The six
inch guns will be mounted on central pivot
carriages, protected by segmental steel
shields. Two Of the six inch guns will be
placed directly forward and two directly aft,
and one will be mounted on each side be-
tween the turrets. The secondary battery
will be 80 disposed as 10 secure a heavy bow
and stern FIRE. Ii will consist Of four 81 mill
limetre rapid fire guns, four AZ millimetre
rapid fire guns, four II millimetTe revolving
cannon, nine 81 milllmetre revolving cannon
and four Gatling guns. There will De seven
torpedo launching tubes or guns; three be-
low the water line and four on the berth
deck. The 10 inch guns will fire proIectile
Of 500 pounds weight, with 250 pounds OF
powder, and have maximum effective range
Of nine miles.
The Yorktown.
WASHINGTON, April 24.-The first OF the
new vessels designed, contracted for and
built under the administration Of Secretary
Whitney, is now substantially ready to take
to the water. This is the Yorktown, built
by Cramp & Sons at Philadelphia, and the
pioneer Of the new gun boats. He keel was
laid last year.
The Yorktown is of about 100 tons dis
placement, and has length on load line OF
23O feet, an extreme beam Of 36 feet, mean
draught of IA feet and a maximum Of Is:
She is twin screw steamer OF ZOO indicated
forced combustion, and her speed is expected
to be 16 knots. HerGig Is that OF three
masted schooner As in nearly all the new
vessels Of the navy, her coal Dunkers
are so placed as to protect the machinery
by belt Of coal nine feet.thick. In addition,
steel ideck, Of an inch thick, runs the
whole length Of the vessel above the maehin-
cry, ammunition rooms, and Streerlng appa-
ratus, its centre, amldships being at the load
line, whence 1t slopes on either side until It's
edges are three feet below the load line. The
openings in this deck TO the machinery and
the magazines are protected by Golfer dams.
The water-tight compartments in the hull
are Of steel, and the penetration OF one OF
these compartments by shot or rammlng
would not affect the others. There are two
independent compound engines, placed in
separate compartments. The stem IS slight
ly ram shaped, and strengthened for ram
ming.
Inc udlu DtbttiJ Will COuSlob VI
inch high-power, steel, breech-loading rifles
mounted in sponsOns on eentral-piYot car
riages, with steel shields. Two are placed
forward and two aft, the remaining pair be-
ing amidships with train Of 20 degrees for
ward and aft Of the beam. Three guns may
be concentrated on either broadside within
100 feet of the ships side. There is also q
secondary battery of H0tchkiss and Gatling
guns, with half dozen torpedo tubes eapa-
capable of being trained several degrees for
ward or abaft the beam. In addition to
fixed torpedo tube in the bow and another
in the stern 1t Is hardly necessary 10 add
that the Yorktown Is provided with the best
modern appliances for drainage and ventila-
tion, and that she has an electric light appa-
ratus with a system of search lights.
Seventy-six Senator's and over three hun
dred Representatives have been invited by
Secretary Whitney to visit Philadelphia
Saturday and see the Yorktown launched.
Over two hundred have accepted. IL Is sup
posed that the Secretary himself foots the
bills. The new dynamite gun boat Is also
ready for launching.