The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1891-03-25
A MONSTER BATTLE SHIP.
HOW OUR NAVY WILL BE REPRE-.
SENTED AT THE WORLDS FAIR

tion of One of the New Coast Line
Vessels,
One Of the striking features of "The
Worlds Columbian Exposition" will be
the naval exhibit, part of which will
be the structure itself, which to all out
ward appearance will represent the new
coast line battle ships now being con-
structed at Philadelphia and San Fran
cisco, after the design of the bureau of
construction.
The battle ship of 1898 will be erected
on piling on the lake front in the north
east corner of Jackson Park, Chicago,
and being surrounded by water will have
the appearance of being moored to a
wharf. 1t is to have all the fittings that
belong to the actual ship, such as guns,
turrets, torpedo tubes, torpedo nets and
booms, with boats, anchors, chain ca
bles, davits, awnings, deck fittings, ETC.,
together with all appliances for working
the same. Officers, seamen, mechanics
and marines will be detailed by the Navy
Department during the exposition and
the discipline and mode of life on our
naval vessels will be completely shown.
The Dimensions will be those of the
actual battle ship: Length, 34S feet,
and width amidships, sixty-nine feet
three inches, tapering to point at the
bow and stern. From the water line to
the top of the main deck, twelve feet, on
top and in the central position of which
is a superstructure eight feet high, with
hammock berthing resting on the same
seven feet high, and above these will be
the bridge, chart house and the boats.
The structure will, as stated before, rest
on piles as foundation. The berth deck,
or main exhibit floor, will be composed
of thick planks laid upon the foundation
on top of which there is to be substan-
tial layer of brick concrete. The sides
of the hull are to be made of brick,
stepped to give contour, over which there
will be filling of gravel concrete thickly
coated with cement. The ends, or stem
and stern, are to be "shaped" with iron
plates. On the inside of the walls and
over the concrete on the berth deck there
will be coating of cement, thus making
the exhibition hall fire proof and free
from moisture.
The main and superstructure decks
will have crown of six inches in sixty
nine feet. The deck plank will be
yellow pine six inches wide and two
inches thick, the seams of which will be
calked. The main deck beams will be
steel, and iron tube pillars are to be used
to further support the beams. Cutters
shaped with galvanized iron are carried
around the boundary of the decks, from
which numerous conductors carry the
water that may fall on the deck down
to scuppers close to the water line.
The turrets and redoubts for the eight.
inch and thirteenth-inch guns are to be
made up of cement on metal lathing
fastened to wood framing and are to
have all the ingenious appliances for
operating them.
A thirteen inch gun is forty four feet
long and weighs, with its carriage
Technically termed its "mount'O, 1851
tons. The transportation and placing of
so much weight upon a structure such as
is described being impracticable, the
difficulty of showing what the real battle
ship carries has been overcome by build.
Ing the gun of cement over wooden
tube to be rifled and fitted with breech
plug complete, the finish of the cement
to be such as to give it the appearance
of an actual gun. The eight-inch guns
are to be made up in the same manner as
the thirteen-inch guns, with two excep-
tions, which will be bona tide steel guns
onH fc httt oil fba 81
six-pounders, Founders, gltlings and
torpedo guns, with all their mechanism,
are to be furnished by the Government
direct from the naval gun factories. The
exterior of the entire structure will be
painted in accordance with the navy
regulations so us to give it the exact APP
pearance of a vessel of war. 1t is thought
that the resemblance will be so close as
to pass undetected except by skilled
expert.
The entrance to the vessel will be from
the pier at the foot of Fifty ninth street.
The entrance will be on the main deck,
thence down companion or hatchways, to
the berth deck, where a spacious room,
the whole length and width of the vessel,
is to be filed with the naval exhibits.
The entrance at the pier will have
register turnstile to record the number of
visits. The exit will be from another
point of the structure. The superstruc.
ture will show the cabins, state rooms,
mess rooms, galley and fittings, mess
tables for crew, lockers, ETC., also the
method in which officers and enlisted
men live according to the rules of the
navy. 1t will present, it is said, a con-
yincing proof of the statement that the
sailors of the United States navy are the
best paid, the best fed and the best
treated men of any navy in the world.
On the superstructure deck and bridge
will be shown the manner in which tho
rapid-tire guns, search lights, boats, etc,
are handled. On the berth deck will be
shown the various fittings pertaining TO
the hull, machinery, ordnance, etc, in
short, the thousand and one things that
go to make up the outfit of a ship of war.
Eeach bureau will have an officer and |
other representatives in control of its |
special exhibit, and the hydrograhic |
office, intelligence Office and Naval |
Academy will be also represented. The |
traditional costumes of the sailors Of the |
navy from 1873 to 1S4S will be shown |
by janitors dressed in those costumes.
These men will be specially engaged for |
this purpose, and about six in number |
will have charge of the rooms containing |
revolutionary and other relics of the old /,