New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-01-19
FOR OCEAN WARS.
NEW BATTLE-SIIIPS FOR VARIOUS NAVlES.
SOME OF THEM BUILDING FOR THE UNITED
sTATEs-THE BRITISH BATTLE-SHIP VIC
ToR1A NOT PROBABLE SUCCESSFUL
THE BATTLEsHIP BLAKE STAR
Tiles THE NAVAL POWERS.

ToRIA NOT A PROBABLE SUCCESSFUL
THE DATTLE-sHIP BLAKE STAR
TIES THE NAVAL POWERS.
cccro,arv Tracy in his ANIMAL report to Congress.
said that this country had proved that at time
when warship construction had seemed almost lost
art to this country, American mechanics could create
it anew Reverting to the fact so truhiully put IN
The Army and Navy Journal that to secretary
W f. Chandler was due the credit Of starting the build
ing of the new Navy, secretary Tracy says VIC
have secured for our Navy certain number OF eX-
celcnt and useful vessels of the unprotected cruiser
type at a fair reasonable cost The necessities OF our
vulnerable position. therefore demand the imWeu'aO'
creation Of two fleets Of battle SHIPS lheS mus. po
c hest Of their class in four leading characteristics
armor armament structural strength ana Speeu' ~
may safely be assumed that, other things being equal
the battcshp Of the highest speed viii, as rue DC
the victor in action for she can choose the po'it'oh
and keep the enemy at disadvantage
Lord Brassey once made the remark: No navy mas
displayed more original genius than that OF inc hl'o
States But Lord Brasscy is not an advocate Oh
turret ships heavily armored and armed" Prince nc
JonviIlc I'm 1870 declared himself among the nm
believers in the continuance Of going plated Slp''
The sea remains the and ships must be aDe 10 i've
in a storm. The unwicldy monsters OF the daS arc
unable to do il. They may be destroyed DN H''V'
able torpedo carried by one man in single Oo'''
The smallest blow from the smallest ram NAV
send them 70 the bottom and there will always
]
lac a cun 10 pierce their armor." The judges
on naval construction at the conclusion Oh tho '
Exposition Of 1867. said that "a monitor VII"
single turret and uucnCumbered deck Is uic "'
perfect structure for naval defence INC l''''ooO
monitors or roncads that built during inc C''il
War successfully weatlcred the gales along the COASTS
NJ IN, Carolnas for two winters. and each was en-
gagged on an average Of twenty I'VE uHeS "''i U'.
teres at short range and with the most io,"n"auD
European ordnance Of that time; they iouE"t !" '''
Gulf Of Mexico cruiscd in the Caribbean -" '"'
among the West Indies In search Of Confederate ron
cads and whenever they encountered thenl' neutral
i,,d them rs IN the eases Of the Nerrmac' inc ZEN
ncsscc the Nashville and the Atlanta
THE BATTLEsHIPS MAINE'AND TEXAS
The Government IS building today what may
practically be called seven batle'hlp' LOT It's NaNS
five Of which the doubc-turrc"u i"o"'V'
Mantonomah Terror and Puritan at the NC" 'o,N
Navy Yard: the Mcnadnock. at Mare Island ara 'no
AmnhItrte Al the Norfolk Navy Yard. The other TWO
are the new ships Maine and Texas the former Dn'iu
ing al the New York Navy Yard and the later uui'u
ing at the Norfolk Navy Yard The Mahc va"
designed By chief Naval Constructor Theodore H.
Wilson and Is already well advanced she i % DC All
aruorcd battle ship II bclted cruiser type OF tIo
following principal dimensions: Length "lo lev'
breadth Of beam. 81 feet dFouslt OF water - -
feet d Displacement G,Gl- tons and average speeu' -
knots, There viii be- two revolving turIet9 sl"lI"
To- that used on the chccsc1pX monitor. tn each "I
which viii be- mounted two lOlnch msh Po"''''
lrccch loading rGc,. Thc'h guns VIII "'o P''
jcctile, weighing 500 pounds. 80 ponnus Va
powder being required for each charge. and their
greater effective range viii De nine miles. The tur-
refs VIII be- placed en- cchcon. that The four guns
may DE fred ahead a,tern In addition 10 inc
10 inch guns, there VIII be six Ginch brcechloadhN
r.Gcs-two placed directly forward ana TWO directly
aft and one ON each side of the central supcNuu'lu c'
There Will also be A secondary battery Of four 1'-mi
amid rt
- mlllmctre and nine 37millmetre revolving can
non and four GaiIngs and seven torpedo launching
tulcs or guns. Her fore and man ma,ts VIII be
fitted with military tops. each mounting two machine
guns All II the guns will Doe loaded elevated ana
trained by the latest and most approved mechanical
systems In general appearance the Maine resembles
the brazilian arnorcd cruiser Rachaclo but She VIII
carry heavier guns and armor and viii possess greater
endurance She will also have greater steam ana
manocuvrnc qualities. I'm add ton 70 all the modern
improvements I'm offensive and defensive materials
Compared with The Blake. the most efficient cruiser
which the British have. and. since the launching Oh
which they have been culovlng sort II Jubilee that
vessel would overlap the Maine by sixty I'VE feet bu'
the latter vould turn more readily BIS reason OF Her
shorter length.
The TrNa, IS a vessel 10 De constructed on the
plans purchased by Secretary Whitney from the Bar
row ship binding Company, Of England. for Tloo0o,
while the designs for her engines were purchaser
from Bryce Douglas. the designer 81 the engines III
the steamship Etrra. at a cost Of $500 Inc
Texas is 10 De similar - the Maine In general appear
ancc but VIII be twenty feet shorter and Of four feet
GREATER beam She Will have two turrcts and have A
main battery like the Maine. except that III the tufrct
she will mount II inch instead Of 10 inch guns Her
secondary battery will De- composed If four ponhd'r
four Founders. eight revolving cannon, two eating
sun, and four torpedo launching tubes. Her est
mated .pccd b., seventeen knots. Hut ii will be two
| H.
that time before the TcNa, b, ready for service, a.
much delay has occurred in starting the vessel be
cause Of defects in the original plans.
THE BIG MONITORS As DATrLEsHIPS'
| OF thc five double turrctcd monitors being com
ulctcd the Mlcntoromah. Terror and Puritan are ~
| the New YORK. Nayy Yard. The construction OF these
vessels vas begun more than ten ago but 1t
was not until a Democratic Administration came mo
power that the Democratic House Of representatives,
] would aupropriaic money 10 complete them. Al
| though II was the doublcturrctcl monitor MHih
tonomah. designed by Ericsson which was the first OF
| her clnss To cross the ocean. she was wooden
| vessel but the present Aautonomlh when su''eu'
her {. an iron vessel. She has turrct forward ana
one at In each Il which will De mounted two guns
of the same dimensions CAPACITY those for the
! Maine What J.. said of the Nantonomah may also
! be- said II the Monadnock Amphi'rte ana I'fr"r
! Imt the plans II TIE Puritan hay" been materially
modified She /, a vessel Of 5000 ton, d 'piccm'ht
while the others of 3.7lj tons displacement ea'h
only 10 change, are to be- made n the general d
,renslons Of In. Puritan. but when completed while
sim preserving III the essential characteristics OF the
monitor type She will combine with them many
feature. of other types Of vessels. producing what
| many naval officers consider one Of the best ve'
| sci, vet designed. Instead Of four l0lnch lreech
loading guns In two turrcts. there are to b" iolr
~ inch guns placed in covered harb"tt"s- I"tw'en
these barlctfcs there IS To- be Hight supcr twctnrc
built for the accommodation Of the officers ana crew.
and aiaft the snoLcpipc Is TO be military mast.
TIE NEW PROPOSED BNTILENtiP'
The worl, on the plans for the construction OF inc
ton battle ship has been suspended for the time