Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-07-15
AN OCEAN TERROR.
The War-Ship Maine, Our First
Armored Cruiser.
DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW VESSEL.

Protected with Eieyen Inches OF Steer
and Armed with Ten-Inch Guns
The Launching to Take Place In the
Autumn and BE Made a Notable Event
Some Interesting Facts About Her
Construction-A "Home-Madc" Ship.
NEW YORK, July 15-The construction
of the big cruiser Maine at the Brooklyn
navy yard is progressing more rapidly
than at any time since the keel was laid,
in the autumn, probably toward the close
of September Many years have passed
since a ship was launched at the Brook
Ign yard, and never has war ship as
large as the Maine been built or launched
in the United States government yard, SO
that the event will be one of great inn
portance. The ceremony of launching
will probably be attended by all the dig
nitaries of the country, for the Maine is
Secretary Tracy's pet cruiser, bslilt, it may
be said, at his own home and under his
personal supervision.
The biggest Vessel We Have.
The Maine is the first armored cruiser
| ever owned by this government. Her dis
placements. 64S tons-is more than 1900
| tons greater than the Baltimore or Phila-
delphia, and 600 tons greater than the big
ironclad monitor Puritan. Her hull and
machinery alone will cost 81, 500 600, which
Is about as much as the total cost of both
| the ships Baltimore and Philadelphia
added together Her speed, according to
| the requirements is seventeen knots, and
her engines, driving twin screws, are of
| the vertical triple expansion type. The
protection of the Maine consists of an
armor belt of steel $50 feet long and IL
inches thick, the two forward ends being
| joined by a siX-inch srmored athwartship
| bulkhead. Above the belt and below the
| turret, oval redoubts carrying ten-inch
armor protect the turret bases, loading
tubes, and machinery.
The Bulldogs In the Turrets.
| The turret armor itself, protecting ten
inch guns, mounted in pairs, varies in
thickness from los to Ills inches. Be-
sides the teninch guns in her two echelon
turrets, the Maine will carry two six-inch
| guns mounted in recessed bow ports, two
| in the superstructure deck in broadside,
and two in quarter ports. The coming
| tower armor is ten inches thick, and q
45-inch tube runs down from it to the
protective deck. The armored deck is two
inches thick except on the slope at the
after-end of the deck, where it is four
| inches thick. All the designs for the
Maine were drawn up by the navy depart
ment.
| Getting Ready for Launching.
Plans for the launching of the Maine
have been prepared and specifications for
the extension of the ground ways are
made out. Bids for the construction will
be opened July 10; work under which must
begin within eight days after signing the
contract and completed within forty days.
An idea of the amount of work to be done
may be gained from the fact that 10000
feet of yellow pine timber will be used in
the superstructure of the ground ways
alone.
| Interesting Feature.
An interesting feature of the Names
machinery is the rubber valves that are to
be used, capable of resisting heat of $40
degrees intensity. No rubber valves of
such strength have ever been made in
America. Owing to the fact that the
Maine is home made ship in
all her parts, however, it became
necessary for some factory in this coun-
| try to make the material. After examin-
ing and consulting with a celebrated Eng
lish firm the contract was taken by the
Mercer Rubber company, of Trenton,
| which made the Bsltimore's valves and