Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-08-25

are nearly as high as those OF an old
frigate, for she il meant to so to sea.
over her upper deck, resting on sup
ports or cradles, are two fast torpedo
boats fifty feet and upward IN length.
Near them ia powerful crane, by when
they are lifted ont OF their cradles ana
lowered into the water. Across the
decks are two bridges such as any ocean
steamer has for her captain or pilot. and
well forward IS piiot-house built OF
iron and steel in which the captain Will
stand in time OF action. =,
With very few exceptions our old
ships Of war had one set OF en-
gines and ono propeller nearly all
modern ships have two propelers ana
two sets of engines. There are III this
arrangement many advantages. AS
there is less strain on each engine when
the power is thus divided, they are
lighter and the various parts can be
more readily repaired, when necessary,
than IN the enormous engines OF modern
ocean steamships with single screws.
Again. the small propeller' used make
it possible to build a ship with less
draught than if one large one were
u.ed. and still keep the propeller under
water, and bulkhead or partition when
separates the twoencine-IOOns strength
ems the ship and reduces the size OF the
compartments into which. in case OF IN
iurv under water, water would flow. lt
would not be possible to enter on de-
scrption of tho various types OF en-
zines or TO cnumerate the different en-
pines on ship. Where 1t has been
POSSIBLE TO do so steam and even cleo
tr;citv haze been made TO take the Place
OF manual labor. so that n modern war
ship has become one vast nachine-shop.
On tie bridges spoken Of are great
electric LIGHTS. 80 arranged that they can
he turned about in any direction. and
the light Is, by means Of a very powerful
reflector. so concentrated that 1t IS daz-
zling mt a distance Of several miles. by
means Of the lights the ocean can TO
swept. searched, and, in clear weather,
very small vessels are distinctly brought
to view at distances Of from two to three
mil 5. They are called search-hghts,
and are Of the greatest value to ship III
} looking for an enemy.
The bow Of the Texas is built with a
projecting ram, for, as in the days OF
ancient Rome, the ram Is again one OF
the most valuable Of ponsin sea-iights
/ During the rebellion the ram was con-
/ SANITY usei rs n weapon Of attack. The
F largest slips Of the Federal navy were
not iufreQucn'ly strengthened at the
bows bv additional timber to resist the
shock when ramming an enemy, and
many ships built during the war were
made mp forward Of q solid mass OF tim
+ Der several feet deep.
Inmodern war-slps the ram IS rareiY
omitted. The cutwater OF these vessels
curves outward 10 q point several feet
under water whicA forms snout-shaped
ram. II is often solid casting OF steel
or bronze. and is stihenet and strength
cncd il every way possible. The pro-
te.tive decl, is carried down into the
snOut 90 give 1t additional strength. ana
in general everything possible is dono 10
resist the bending and twisting strain
the ram Is subjected to when striking an
eacmy's yes 81.
BOW powerful the blow Of q large
shin moving eighteen miles an hour is 1t
would be dilicul. to describe Nothlug,
apparently, seems aolo TO resis' the blow
OF q ram, and in the cases OF the acct
dental collisions such as those between
tie British ironciuds Vanguard and Iron
Duke and the German ironchds kur-
furst and kazer Wilhelm the vessels
struck sank, in spite o, powerful pumps
and Bater-tigAt compartments.
OF course, a ram is built TO strike q
vessel below thc armor, where her sides
are thin and whore shot could not
reach on account OF The water. 10 pre-
vent the vessel from sinking. all modern
steamers, whether war-ships or MGR
chant steamers. are divided into numer-
Gus compartments Of such size that If
one or even two are open to the water
the inhowing water would not be suiii-
cient 70 sink the ship. again, the bot
tom If an iron ship Is huiltGith an outer
and innr shoathing, which are several
feet apart. Thus. # the outer skin IS
pierced the inner skin will still keep the
water ont of the ships hull ami save her
from destruction, which otherwise might
he certain. = his has recently happened,
when the Boston ian aground at New
port and a hole was torn IN the outer
plating.
The Texas has all these improvements
water-tisht compartments, double bot
tom. ram bow, AMI in addition to tins II
SHOULD not Dc forgotten that the 1uddel
and stern-po,ts, always the weakest spot
i'm the ship. are covered by the huliso rs
10 be invisible from the outside. Thu,
the stern of the Texas, instead of being
an OycIhlnging structure, slopes away
Ike ,he ram Of her bow, and the chance
OF a shot striking the stern post as oc
cured 20 the Kearsarge in her famou,
fight, are minimIzed.
Such, briefly, is the Texas, AMI the de-
scription will apply to many modern bat
tle-ships. OF course sailors still usC
, hammocks, and there are boats, anchors
chains, magazines. shcllrooms, cabins
and ward-rooms, and all the acccmmo
dutions of ship below her spar-deck art
as of old. But modern men-of war have
E little Of the old slilors life in q sailing
frigate. Yhcre are few ropes 10 haul
few il any sails 10 set, reef, or turl, NJ
, anchors to lift by human arms, clouC
! of dirty smoke has taken the place o
the great pyramids Of sail SO dear to AZ
old salt. and the old hammer-and-tong
fights of a generation ago have probabl.
q come to an end.
, \ modern cruiser-that is, a vesse
r. which will take the place Of such ship
n as the Richmond or kearsarge-resem
h hles these vessels as little as the Texa
q does All old line.of-battle ship.
a Cruisers axe of al sizes, arnorei an
d unarmorcd. Our own navy possesse
n several Of the latter and the Maine
. which is being built at the Broohlyi
+ navy-yard, is to be of the former type
- She is. in fact, a sea going turret-shlD @
/ good speed, and fitted with masts an
n sail-poger equal to two third- OF that
Y vessel Of her size onqlt TO have. I'll
e has four very powerful ten-incn guns /
e two turrets and a powerful secondar
4 battery but rs N many respects she