New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-09
ARMoRED CRUISER MAINE.

This vessel will be launched on Tuesday. No
vember ls, at 80 a. M She was authorized
by an Act Of Congress approved August 3, 1888,
at a cost Of not to exceed $2,500,000, and to be
completed as soon as October 3, 1892 That she
will be finished by that time is very probable.
and she will be a thoroughly American vessel OF
war. Her hull was designed by the Bureau OF
Construction: her engines and boilers are aDso-
lutely and wholly the designs Of the Bureau OF
Steam Engineering her guns and other anna.
lment are to be from designs furnished by the
Bureau Of CrsSance; her materials OF construction
are the products of American soil and American
furnaces and rolling mills and she has been built
at an American Navy YARD
~ When the designs for her machinery were COM
pleted the contract for building it was awarded
TO the Quintard Iron Works of this city at a cost
not to exceed S735,O0O. According to the con-
tract her engines must develop 5000 horsepower,
and with the condition that to be acceptable,
they must develop at least 5000 horsepower 1t
Is also agreed with the contractors for the engines
that they shall be allowed 800 premium above
the contract price for each unit of horse-powe
attained above the 5000 required, and a penalty
of $40 will be exacted for each unit of horse
power below the 1000 guaranteed. The work OF
building the Names machinery was one of the
struction ever attempted in this country. The
fact that the Quintard Works was the only firm
in the country that made bid for the work can
only be explained in the opinion of naval en-
gineers that the work was of too great magni-
tude and the conditions and specifications too en-
acting for young concerns to hope to compete
The contract specifications gave the builders two
Years and half TO complete the building of the
machinery, and one year additional to erect the
same in the cruiser; and this length Of time is
hardly more than is actually necessary.
The designs show that the Maine will have
two vertical tripe-expanson engines which are
to he placed in two separate water-tght colnpart-
uents. The cylinders for these engines are to
be IS 1-2 81 and SO inches diameter, respectively
with a stroke of 36 inches. There are TO be eight
cylindrical return tubular boilers, each IA feet
inches diameter and 10 feet long, and each will
have three furnaces. The design for the fire-room
plan does not give any forced pressure to them,
but specifies that forced draft is to be secured by
leading air to the under side Of the gratebars and
forced through ducts by four blowers of &c, 600
cubic feet capacity O minute. The vessel
is to be fitted with twin three-bladed
screws of Is feet in diameter, and
each line of shafting will be in three
pieces. The whole weight of the machinery of
coal bunker capacity is s?2 tons, although at
normal draft she is not intended to carry more
than 400 tons. With this normal draft supply it
is expected that she win he able to steam 060
knots at the rate of IL knots hour, 1,617 knots
at the rate of 10 knots, and 4,250 knots at a
I0-knot rate
In her general appearance the Maine will re-
semble the Brazilian frigate Aquidiban, but will
- ouA u,iII 0nu Hnr
mansions are $40 feet length between perpcn-
diculars. 81 feet extreme breadth, 81 1-2 feet
drsught of water, and 6,64s tons displacement
She is built very much on the plan Of what may
be called battle-ship, rather than that of a
cruiser proper. The battle-shp, 1t should be re-
membered. is a ship with heavy belt of vertical
amor. with two or more heavy guns mounted in
thick turrets, or steel barbettes, or both. These
features the Maine has, but because her armor
and her guns are not so heavy as those OF foreign
built ships and because she can not carry suf1i-
Gent coal to enable her to travel say, $500 miles,
and ia expected to develop fair speed as well, she
il called an armored cruiser
= The above representation shows the new cruiser
q she will appear complete with armament, armor,
rigging and all the equipment, anoat ana ready
FOR service. The armament Of the Maine will
consist Of six e-inch breech-loading rifles, four
I O-inch breech-ioading rifles, four o-pounuer anu
two l-pounder rapid-fring guns. four S.-miin-
metre Hstchkiss revolving cannon ana 1our
Calling guns The 1o-inch guns will ne mounted
in pairs in two revolving turretsone just forward
On the starBoard side and the other just an on .ne
port side of the superstructure amidshps-simiiar
IN those used on the monitors. These guns Will
FIRE projectiles weighing 500 pounds each. 2oo
rounds of powder being required for each charge.
The xreetest effective range Of these gsns S ABOUT
nine miles. The turrets will be arranged In
echelon. 50 that the guns may be fired directly
ahead or astern rs well as at different degrees
broadside. Each tunet will have two loading
positions. and the guns will be loaded elevated
md trained BY the latest and most approved sys-
TEN. All the machinery Of the guns will be pro-
teeted by ohlong breastwors Of steel 10 l-2 inches
thick.
The 6-inch guns will be mounted on central
,ivet carriages, protected by segmental steel
rbields two inches thick. Two Of these guns will
be placed directly forward, two directly AFT. ana
two in the central superstructurs-one on each
yi6e. The other guns, which are called tne
secondary battery, viii be so disposed as to sc.
cure heavy bow and stern fire. The fore ana
main masss will be fitted with military tops, eacn
mounting two machine guns. The rigging VIII
BE- brought down In such Q manner az not 70 IN,
terfsre with the fire Of these guns Inc vssse'
YIN slae carry two torpedo beats. wnasn w'i' ''