The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-07-19
NAVAL WARFARE.
The Line Of Battle Ships Of Years Ago and
Those Of the Present.

The Victory Nelson's fagship) was
three-decker, 1876 feet in length. 80 feet IN
breadth, with displacement Of $500 tons,
and she carried an armament OF l02 guns
consisting of thirty AZ and 81 FOUNDERS,
thirty 24-pounders. forty 12-pounders, ana
two 6S-pounder carronades the heaviest Oh
her guns was a 42-pounder) and she had
complement Of nearly 900 men. with the
exception of a few small brass guns, the
guns were mere blocks of cast iron, the soie
machining to which they were subjected con-
sisting in the formation of the bore and the
drilling of the vent. A large proportion OF
nearly every armament consisted OF car
ronades-a piece which was, in those days,
in great favor. They threw snos
Of large diameter from light gun Win low
charge, and their popularity was chiefly due
to the rapidity with which they could be
worked. But as the great object OF every
English commander was, II it were possible
to bring his ship alongside that OF the
enemy, the low velocity given by the car,
ronades became of comparatively small
moment, while the ease of working and the
large diameter Of the shot were faclors Oh
the first Importance. The carriages on
were themselves, if possible, even
more rude. They were Of wood.
The gun was attached to the YessepS SIDE,
and the recoil controlled by breeching. the
elevation was fixed by quoins, which rested
on a quoin-bed, and handspikes were used
either for elevating or for training. Ii is
obvious that to work smartly so rude ma
chine very strong guns crew was re-
CURED. Indeed, the gun ana IT'S carriage
were literally surrounded by It's crew.
There was NC source of power except man
ual labor, but when handled with the un-
rivaled skill of British seamen the haDdi-
ness of these vessels and the precision win
which they were Unanswered was sources
of
NEVER-ENDING ADMIRATION.
The Victoria has a length of $40 feet,
breadth of 70 feet; she has displacement
of about 10000 tons, an Indicated horse
power of 4,2i4, and she attained speed on
The measured mile of II II knots she has a
thickness of II inches OF COMPOUND la ar'nor
on her turrets, IS inches protects the re-
doubt, and her battery deck IS defended with
3-inch plates Her armament consist OF Two
16A-inch 110-tnn guns, one lO-lnch 5U-ton
gun, twelve 6-inch 5-ton guns, Twelve b
FOUNDER and nine 3-pounder quick
firing guns, two machine guns. and
six torpedo guns. While the heaviest
gun on board the Victory was little over
three tons, the heaviest on board the Veto
ria is little over 40 tons. The largest
charge used on the Victory was 10 pounds.
the largest on board the Victoria close on
1000 pounds; the heaviest shot used In the
Victory was 6S pounds, in the Victoria IL IS
1900 pounds. The weight Of metal discharged
from the broadside of the Victory was 115O
pounds, from that of the Victoria 1t Is 400
pounds Bot having regard to the energy OF
the broadside, the power OF each snip Is BET
ter indicated by the quantity Of powder FIX
ploded than by the weight of metal dis
charged, and while the broadSide tire from
the Victory consumed only $50 POUNDS OF
powder, that from the Victoria consumes
3120 pounds. But it is when We come to the
machinery involved in our Illustrates that
the contrast between the past aud the pres
ent is brought more strongly into proml-
nence. The Victoria has no less than
tweny-four auxiliary steam engines in con-
nection with her main engiDes-namely,
two starting, two running, eight iced, eight
fan, four forced draft, and four circulating
water engines. She has In addition thirty
steam engines unconnected with her pro-
polling engines-Damely, six fire and bilge
engines, two auxiliary circulating engines,
four fan engines for ventilating purposes,
two fresh-water pumping engines, TWO
eyaporative-fuel engines, one workshop, one
capstau and five electrlc-lIght engines, four
air-compressing and three pumping engines
for hydraulic purposes She has further
THIRTY-Two HYDRAULIC ENGINES,
Including two steering engines, four ash
hosting engines, two boat engines, four am
munition lifts, two Understanding engines.
one topping WINCH two transporting and
lifting engines, two hydraulic bOllards and
fourteen other engines for performing the
various operations necessary for the work
ing Of her heavy guns, making grand total
OF eighty eight engines This number is ex-
elusive of the machinery in the torpedo and
other steamboats,. and of the locomotive en-
gnes in the iOrped3es carried. which are
themselves engines of most refined and
delicate character.
When the Victory fought the battle of
Trafalgar she bad been afloat for forty
years, and her total cost complete with her
armame mt and all stores, was probably con-
siderably under 100000. The cost of a
first-rate of the present day, similarly COM
piete, would be nearly ten times as great
Pail Mall Gazette.