The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-06-03
Will SOON Be LAUNCHED
Dimensions and Equipment of the
Big Namesake of the
Empire State.
The New York, Largest Ship in
the Navy, Being Rushed
to Completion. F
viii he Ready for the Great Naval Re-
Wow In 1SO3-Not Like Other
Vessels Of War.

WAsnrNGroN, juno 2.-The work ON the
New York ut the shipyard of the Cramps at
Philadelphia has been so vigorously pushed
that she may be launched within few
weeks, although her completion for service
is likely to come only at the end of next
year. Hitherto this vessel has attracted re-
markably little attention considering her
size and Importance. She is much larger
than any vessel III the navy yet launched
Her displacement il about 1900 tons great
or than that of the Maine and over 1900
greater than that Of the Texas. She is to
have about 6 600 horse power in excess of
any furnished to our vessels now afioat and
she will have excellent speed and coal en-
duranoe. Perhaps the fact that she has
been 80 little spoken of hitherto is due to
the attention which was drawn SO soon
after she was planned to cruiser No. 12
with its still higher speed, and to the
battlsships Indiana. Massachusetts and
Oregon, with their much greater engine
and battery power.
Not quite year has elapsed since the
bids for the New York were opened, and
this fact alone shows how the work on her
has been pushed. The bidders were Cramp
u Sons, at So, 900 ON the navy depart
ment designs and $2,9S5O0O on designs of
their own; the Union Iron works, of San
Francisco, at $31OO,00O on department.
plans and $3,O00,OO0 on their own; the Ris-
donI1ron works, also of San Francisco, at
S3, 100000. The amount authorized by CON
gress was S3.500,O00, and the closeness of
the tive leading sets of bids was rema ka-
BILE.
The original proposal was for vessel of
about {, 800 tons, but the policy of the de-
psrtment to build bigger ships caused this
displacement to be increased to $3.50 tons.
Under the department plans she was to
have length of $50 feet an ex-
breadth Of sixty-four feet two and one
half inches; depth of hold of
forty-one and one-quarter feet;
draught of twenty-thyse feet. Her hull
was to be protected by vertical belt nearly
four inches thick over the machinery space
and by curved steel deck, varying from
six to two and half inches thick, extend
ing from stem to stern. Within the armor
belt ana above the protective deck q Golfer
dam, three and u half feet wide, of water
excluding material. was t. exsend through
out the vessel. The belt of the side armor
covers distance of 140 feet amidships and
is nine feet wide, partly above and partly
below the water line.
The four engines are to be of the vertical.
type, two ON each shaft,
and the forward engines can be easily un-
low spsed. They, are expected to develop
An aggregate of 10000 indicated horse
power, which should give speed OF |
twenty knots an hour; while the pre-
niuns and penalties for greater and |
loss speed are likely to cause this speed to |
nI1l ,,1n
for total coal capacity of at least I,150
tons. OF which 500 or more must be carried |
1t the normal load displacement. The
notifications proposed by w. Cramp d
sons in the bid which proved the lowest re-
lated mainly to the machinery, and partiou.
arly to the disposition of the boilers.
This latter consists of six eight-inch,
oreech loading rifles and twelve four-inch
'apid fire guns. In the secondary battery
here are twelve rapid-fire guns of small
'aliber and four machine guns. The de-
plan provided that the eight
nch guns should be mounted in barbettes,
protected by armor of not less than ten
inches around the carriages, platforms and
oading positions. and by a heavy shield
If not less than seven inches over the
guns. They are mounted about twenty
set above the water line, two in a turret
onward, two in a turret aft, and the re-
naming two amidships. one on each side,
n sponsors en- barbette. The twelve four
nch rifles will be distributed six on each
lds OF the main deck and protected by
eamental shields of not best than four
nches. The ammunition hoists and spaces
'elow the heavy gun mouths will have
armor five inches thick. The
onning tower abaft and froward turret will
lave armor seven and half inches thick,
With an a,mored shaft leading below tho
deck. Upon an object a hundred
eet distant from either stem or stern four
# the six eiRht-inch rifles can be concen-
rated. In the secondary battery eight of
he six-poundsrs will be on the main deck.
lach of the military masts will have three
ops, the middle one carrying two inch
teel armor, and in them the revolving can
ions and Gatlinps will be placed. Finally
here will be ak torpedo tubes.
Such in the main is the New York, which
will be the largest of our vessels ready at
no great naval review of 1898. She be-
ongs to the general class of armored cruis-
rs yet is OF decidedly different type
rom the Maine. In speed she is moro like
swift protected cruiser, but her heavy
uns are armor protected, and her nachn-
~ also is we'll covered by side armor which
! not worry thick, but is supplemented by
II unusually strong protected deck. Quite
fferent in design from any of her prede-
essors in our navy she can hardly help
rowing by her combination of speed, coal
ndurance and battery power valuable ad-
ition to it.
rnIf1 n DSv