The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-04-30
OUR NEW NAVY.
Contracts for the Cruisers Will Soon Be Let
Their Plans and Power

Their Plans and Power.
Especial to THE HERALD-Examiner Dispatch ]
WASHINGTON, April 29.-The board of
officers consisting OF Commodore Sieard,
chief of the bureau of ordnance, CoHano-
dore Schey, chief of the bureau of eaIip-
ment and recounting, Chief of Naval Con
struction Wilson and Engineer-in- Chief
Melville, appointed by the navy depart
ment to prepare plans for the new war yes
sells authorized by the act of September 3,
1858, have agreed upon their plans and they
will be submitted to Secretrry Tracy upon
his return from New York
| Lime plans and specifications of the three
2,OOO-tOn gunboats, known in the navy de
partment as cruisers Nos. 9, 10 and ii, are
complete, and the department is now pre-
pairing advertisements for their construc-
ton, which will be issued this week.
| The vessels are to cost 500, 900 each ex-
Guiding any premium that may be paid for
increased speed, and the cost of armament,
and are to be built wholly of steel, or with
! steel frames. They are to be 1000 tons dis
placement, and the board have decitied
upon plan somewhat similar to the York
town, but of an entirely new design, and in
their main battery they will have two2-iiIch
breech-loading rifles, one on the forecastle
! 80 e+-S POcHS anu OLA JOUllu-
ers, with secondary battery of
eight Hotchkiss and revolving canons.
Inc batteries of the new ships will be
much lighter than those used on the Archer
the English type from which the Yorktown
was designed. and which at the recent trial
trip proved so disappointing. The failure
OF the English vessel was on account of
her battery being entirely too heavy for her
displacement The rig of the new vessels
WI! be two masted schooner and with an
dlcatcd horsepower of 5000, which will
develop speed of eighteen knots.
The plans for the two 3,00O-ton vessels,
known as cruisers Nos. and 8, will ap-
proach nearer the Baltimore type, which is
from an original English design. The cost
Oh 1I tliese vessels Will be 81, 100000 each, ex-
elusive of armament.
The contract for these two vessels will
contain provision that when tested for
speed by the navy department they Shall
eacn exhibit minimum sreed Of at least
nineteen knots. They win be built entirely
of steel.
The batteries of these cruisers will be
similar to that Of the Baltimore, consisting |
OF Tour Sinch and two 6inch breach |
loading rifles, with secondary battery of |
fourteen machine, gattling and revolving |
cannon. The scheme for the armored |
cruiser of 800 tons has been agreed upon |
by the board, and the plans for this and the |
$500 ton cruiser will be taken up about |
May 10. The cost of the 1900 ton vessel as
authorized by Congress, for the hull and
machinery alone will be g, 100000, and her
guaranteed speed will be twenty-one knots.
The cost of the $500 ton vessel
will be Sl,S0O,0O0, and she is to show
a speed of at least twenty knots. In the
case of each of these vessels for every
quarter OF a knot shown above said guaran-
tees, the contractor shall receive apremium
over and above the contract price of s.. 900.
and penalty in the same amount for every
quarter Of knot the vessel fails in reach
ing said guaranteed speed. The scheme
FORTH steel crusier for the naval academy
has been finished in the bureau of construc-
ton and repairs. This vessel is to be of
steel, 800 tons, and will cost $3.50, 600. The
for the construction ofithis
vessel will be issued next month.