The Democratic advocate., 1889-10-05
A WAR SHIP.
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE. ]


the stern post, as occurred to the Kear-
sarge in her famous fight, are minimized.
Such, briefly, is the Texas, and the de-
scription will apply to many modern bat
tle-ships. OF course sailors still use ham
mocks, and there are boats, anchors, chains,
magazines, shell-rooms, cabins, and ward
rooms, and all the accommodations Of a
ship below her spar-deck are as of old.
But modern men-of-war have little of the
old sailors life in sailing frigate. There
are few ropes to haul, few if any sails to
set, reef, or furl, no anchors to lift by
human arms, a cloud of dirty smoke has
taken the place of the great pyramids OF
sail so dear to an old salt, and the old
hammer-and-tongs fights of a generation
ago have probably come to an end.
A modern cruiser-that is, vessel
which will take the place of such ships as
the Richmond or Kearsarge- resembles
these vessels as little as the Texas does an
old line-of-battle ship
Cruisers are of all sizes, armored and
unarmored. Our own navy possesses
several Of the latter, and the Maine, which
is being built at the Brooklyn navy-yard,
is to be of the former type. She is, in
fact, sea-going turret-ship of good speed,
and fitted with masts and sailpower equal
TO two-thirds of that vessel of her size
ought to have. She has four very power
full ten-inch guns in two turrets, and a
powerful secondary battery; but as in many
respects she is not unlike the Texas, it
will not be necessary to describe her more
particularly.
The ships which have of late caused the
greatest talk are the unarmored cruisers or
gunboats. These vessels, of which we
already have several, and of which several
are being built, are constructed throughout
of steel, They have protective deck,
very ike that of the Texas. They have
more guns in proportion to their size than
the battle-ship, but these guns are smaller
in calibre At the same time they are
more accurate, of greater weight, and far
greater power Of penetration than the
famous old eight and nine-inch guns of an
old frigate.
The guns of an unarmored cruiser, as
well as those of an ironclad, which are not
protected BY armor, have kind of shield
of steel of from one and a half to three
inches thick, which protects the breeeh
mechanism and that for elevating and
training the gun.
Manv modern cruisers carry sails, but
they are seldom fully rugged, and rarely
have a bcw spirit They have fine lines
and built for great speed; and while an
effort is always made TO increase their coal
capacity to the utmost, at the same time 1t
is sought, BY all kinds of Improvements, to
reduce their coal consumption.
OF our vessels now building the York
town. for example. will be able to steam
fifteen days at thirteen knots, a speed
which twenty years ago was considered
great.
Coal, which gives a modern war-ship ITS
life, has long since been turned to advan-
taee in protecting the ship from an enemy 5
shot. This is now done more than ever.
On either side and above the engines and
boilers are the eoal-bnnkers. Il has been
found that the mass Of coal in a bunker
win frequently stop shot Of small size,
while il would not ignite if a shell explodes
in it. The use Of coal as protection for
the engines. &c, has given to class Of
ships the name Of protected cruiser, al
though that term also indicates the use
af a protective deck. This deck Is some
times, but seldom, merely over the engines
and boilers, in which ease the vessel /:
then called partially projected vessel.
The Atlanta and Boston are Of this class
Of vessels.
These cruisers have u ually twin screws
electric lights, search-lights, and all the
other appliances Of the more powerful war.
ships. They have supply Of maehiae
guns. and when not provided with sail
power have at least one military mast
that is. short, stout mast, usually Of me.
tai, with top containing one or more
machine-guns.
Such stress has always been laid upon
speed in naval warfare that naval architects
and engineers have constantly striyen tC
make each new ship surpass is predeces-
sors. Thus in 1865 We owned the fastest
shin afoat-the Wampanoag, afterward
knoxn as the Florida Her speed exceed
ed not only that Of any ship aaoat, but she
made faster run in tweHty-four hours
than was made BY any war-ship until the
latest Spanish cruiser, the Reina Regente
Such was the effect produced upon
England by the Florida's performance that
that country Immediately built vessels 70
equal her. But no English ship until
those Of very recent date could match the
Florida. She was a mass Of engines
schooner-rigged, and was built Of wood
She could catch or run away from any
vessel sfoat. But she rotted as her wharf
having been built Of unseas0ned timber at
New London, and was sold for a song d
few years since, while some Of the English
ships, being built of iron, are still useful
though not of any great speed.
To increase the speed Of ship it Is ne.
cessary TO increase the supply Of steam, and
this requires hotter fires. Artificial draught
has long been used, but of late further
appliance has been adopted to increase the
draught. The fre-rooms Of modern ship
can be closed upso as to be nearly air-tight.
When new air is forced into such closed
fre-room BY powerful blowers it Of course
rushes through the furnaces and increases
enormously the combustion Of coal. BY
this so-calIed forced draughta ships speed
can be increased at the cost, however, of an
enormous increase in the consumption of
coal. Thus vessel of 5000 tons, with
5,867. .9s-horse power with natural draught
has maintained an average speed for four
hours Of 1T.34 knots, with forced draught
the horsepower was increased to 9,204.95,
and the speed to 10 knots.
It viii be seen that it required 3,40O
horse power, or over one-third of that re-
quired to produce originally speed Of sew
enteen knots, to increase the speed two
knots. This results from the enormous
increase in friction when a vessel is driven
fast, and it has required great improve
ments in the lines of vessels and in the
construction Of engines and boilers to pro-
duce such speed.
The horsepower developed is equal to
that required to drive dozen very large
mills. The quantity of coal burned was
nearly two pounds per horsepower per
hour, and the revolutions of the screws at
the highest speed averaged ll3 minute.
OF course, such speed is not to be ex-
pected except under most favorable eondi-