Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-14

fessional strife; and adding the element of
penalties for non-completiOn. and equivalent
penalties for lower speeds than are guaran-
teed. the result has been almost phenomenal.
ship that can make an average of twenty
knots an hour for four hours may well be
classed among the swift vessels of the world.
for that Is fastif not faster. than the average
speed OF the transatlantic steamers In the
Case OF cruiser this high speed does not need
to be maintained for any long period. for in
case of fight the hot work would be done in
a very short space of time. A contractor who
is sure of being able to produce a vessel that
will make this speed need have no fears about
undertaking y government contract unless he
is so slow with his work that his time penalties
eat up his profits and speed premiums. This
has been the great trouble with the manufac-
tgrers In their work Of building naval vessels.
and the records of the department are thick
With examples Of rash bidders who have for
gotten TO take time by the forelock in their
work and have consequently been wrecked by
the heavy fines that have been imposed.
The Baltimore ranks just now. pending the
trials OF the other cruisers OF her own class
the Philadelphia Newark and San Francisco
a the swlftest of the new steel vessels recently
built for the navy. She Is Just now sailing
pOrthward along the Atlantic coast with the
north Atlantic squadron its flagship, but
rumor asserts that she may soon be sent across
the ocean as the flagship of the European sta
ton. IN order to show the nations over there
that the squadron Of evolution was not all that
We have in the way of the navy.
This beautiful vessel is cool example OF
the fact that We are now engaged in producing
swift navy rather than u fighting force. Sh3
would be of immense service If she ever in
duced her antagonist to turn tail and run
away. for there are very few vessels afloat that
could hold their own with her i'll a chase. But
in a combat with heavy battle ship such as
those with which the English and French
navIes abound. she would stand but a sorry
show. She has no armor whatever her only
protection from the shot OF the foe being a
curved inner deck of steel over and around her
'-yItals-l-e. her machinery and boilers. On
the curves this protective deck is four inches
thick, but at the top or crown il is but two and
& half inches. The coal bunkers are over this
deck The keel of this ship was laid in 1887 at
the Cramps ship yard in Philadelphia. and she
Was launched about year and half ago
When she was tried she developed great speed
over her contract agreement, and the builders
received large premiums on the horse power
developed-over one hundred thousand dol
lars. The ship is 315 feet long. 49,
feet IN extreme breadth and 1S1I feet in depth
She displaces 4.4l3 tons. and her twin screws
and triple horizontal engines were expected to
develop lO.JO horse power and to make a
speed of 10 knots an hour. On her official
trial. however, she ran at 20.t knots. Her main
battery consists OF four S-Inch and six 6-inch
breech-losding rifles. mounted en- eschelOn
The o-lnch guns are placed fore and aft
two In a set and have a wide range. The g.
lhch guns are IN DrOddslde mOuntlngs. The
secondary battery comprises four 6-ponnders.
two 3-pounders, and two 1-pOunders rapid-fre
guns, four 81 MN. revolving cannon and
four eating guns.
The ship was authorized by the act OF Angus,
3. lsS6. and the contract with the Cramps was
signed December II. 1885, the vessel to be
completed within eighteen. months. to cost
sL3Z5.OOO. She was about twenty-one months
underway.
HANDSOME FURNISHINGS.
The Baltimore is fitted out for use as the flag
ship of a fleet and her furnishings are sup
posed to be more magnificent than those ever
before put into an American man-of-yar.
livery detail about the vessel IL of the most
tasteful order. the carpets. chairs. tables and
other domestic articles like that being Of costly
and elegant manufacture. 1t is estimated that
this part Of the ship cost the government up
ward OF $4,000. The rooms devoted to tue
uses OF the officers, and particularly that sci
aside for the admiral, cut of which is here