Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1891-09-03

Another Navy Vessel Under Contract.
By the first OF August, 1898, the Phila-
delphia building firm of William
Cramp & sons has contracted to deliver
to the government one of the most i'm
portant ships thus far designed for our
navy, at present known as cruiser No IL.
Proposals for the building Of this vessel
were invited by the navy department
several weeks ago, and the bids received
were, Union Iron Work, San Francisco,
s., 793, 900; William Cramp < sons,
$2,745, 900; Bath tMe.) shipbuilding
Works, 81 800, 900. The latter firm could
not, however, complete the vessel in the
contract time of two years, and William
Cramp & Sons agreeing % reduce their
bill by $4,000, were awarded the con-
tract.
The new vessel will he in almost all
respects similar to cruiser No. IL, now
being built by the Philadelphia firm, and
which ;,ecretary Tracy has styled as be-
ing absolutely without parallel among
the war ships of the world" She is to
b. primarily what has been designated
as commerce destroyer" in contra
distinction to the heavy armored battle
ship, and is designed for a sustained
speed OF twenty-one to twenty-five knots
an hour, with engines to indicate 20,50O
horse power. She will have a coal-carry-
ing capacity of 1000 tons, and be able 10
steam around the world at tell knot
rate. Perhaps her most novel feature
| will be her three screws, one placed cer-
trally, as in ordinary single screw vessels,
and two others a little forward OF this
screw, one on each side, in slightly re-
cesse1 portions Of the stern of the vessel.
The center screw will be about feet 6
inches below the other two
The principal dimensions are: Length
VI mean load line, 400 feet; extreme
bra 9th OF beam, So feet "a inches ;
1e,tb e hold from top OF main deck
beamsto in uer bottom, 30 feet 1 e inches
disbursement 1850 tons. There will be
eight main double>ended boilers, IN tour
water-tight compartments, and twoslngl.
ended auxiliary boilers on tie be''h oecN
the air-tig fire room system OF force''
drauobt b eng used. All the boilers al
of steel. an, their working pressure VIII
he 100 popn DIS. There will be three sets
Of triple ely ,ansion vertical inverted
cylinder erofnae ). The cylinders are q
40 90 and ss inches diameter respect
ivelv and the stroke (common) is a:
inches.
The vital portiorna Of the vessel Will b'
protected by a saopA ng armoreu oecN
inches 4h;ck near tsa - les and 2116 inches
thick in thu middle, tbs space penea'l
being divided into coa bn MIXERS lher'
will aao be 5 feet wide con er Dam mex
the ships side for its full n ng'h' 70 U
filled with woodite or sinNA Al ""'e.
excluding substance. The bA very !
designed to consist of che S-irc, - ""
6-inch, and twelve 4-inch breech-lisA VII"
rifles; sixteen 6-pound and eight T-poA -
rapid-iring guns; four Calling guns, an
four torpedo launching tubes.
A premium will be paid by the govern
ment of $4,000 for every quarter Of
knot of speed made by the vessel over
twenty-one knots per hour, and $25, 600
will be deducted from the contract prise
for every quarter Of knot she falls be-
low this rate. If she should not be COM
pleted within the limit Of time of the
contract, $75 a day for the three months
next succeeding the period Of limit will
be deducted; $3.50 a day during the
second three months, and 5000 day
penalty after that time.--Scientiic Ameri-
can.