The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-06-06

which he concludes that the
American Pirate will be knot and one
half faster than the fastest English ship,
and adds:
From this table twill be seen that our fast
est ships viii probably be slower than the Amer
lean fastest chips. In the case OF cruiser No
l.. the fastest American ship, this result will
have been attained by giving her length
greater than any wsrship built or building. ny
giving her light armament, thus reducing the
crew and all their accomplishments. and by sim
plifying the structure aud arrangements gener-
ally. speed and coal endurance are
have been specially intensified, and Mr..
Secretary Tracys conception OF what IS re-
quired TO destroy commerce seems 70 have been
well worked out by the constructive stan
The building of such ship az No. II, which
We have nothing TO cope with, certainly fs an
indication OF what America 10 capable OF, both
in conception and construction, ana have
thought il of sufficient interest to lay before
this institute for consideration and discussion.
The most important vessels in the new
navy, in the opinion of this accomplished
English expert, are the three coast-line
battleships. Massachusetts, Indiana and
Oregon. having displacement of 10. 29S
tons each; and he gives an instructive
table in which the general characteristics
of these ships are contrasted with those of
the eight new battleships now under con-
struction in England, each having a dis
placement of IL, $50 tons, and the Camper
down and Arson, of the English navy,
with displacement of 10, $50 tons, and the
Sinope. OF the Russian navy, of 10, 500 tons.
The armament of the three American
battleshipe he describes as follows:
The armament consists of four lS-inch S5-
caiiore guns mounted In two turrem formed
with inclined srmor seventeen inches thick.
the horizontal thickness being twenty inches
The bases OF the turrets are protected By re-
doubts seventeen inches thick, extending from
the top of the armor belt TO three aud one. half
fnof a. fhov ID, A<rk MOI cffn ia
loaded In any position.
In addition to these there sre eight s-inch
guns mounted in four turrcts. These turrets
are formed Of inclined armor eight and one
half inches to six inches thick, which Is eQuiva-
lent to from ten inches TO sevea inches hori-
zontally. These turrets are placed on deck
above the level of the l3-inch guns
There are also four 6inch guns, protected by
inches of armor. having pinch splinter bulk
heads worked around the deck. the ammunition
being served up inside these bulkheads. There
are twenty eight small rapid firing guns aud six
torpedo tubes The coming tower Is ten inches
thick. The iSinch guns are II feet inches
above the water, and feet above the deck over
which they fre. The s-fneh guns are - feet
inches above the wster, and the 6-inch guns Ii
feet 10 inches. The s-ines guns can Ere over
the tops of the Is-inch. aud for considerable
angles across the middle line of the ship With
such large armament, tie question OF
the supply OF ammunition Is most i'm
very well worked out Each gun has
its own magazine almost directly underneath il,
below the oestdeck, and therefore protected by
thick armor, so that there are no resdy-use
magazines in comparatively unprotected post
tons.
The engines are 1000 horse rover, and
maximum speed of sixteen and one. fourth knots
is expected, and sustained sea speed of fifteen
knots.
The coal bunkers will stow $50 tons OF coal.
The estimated radius of action at ter knots with
this supply of coal is 1900 miles. The fnorTaall
supply OF coal Tor the quantity of coal that
could be carried on the trial trip, is 900 tons
Mr.. Biles adds:
more powerful than that OF any European battle
ship. OF course. IN order to attain
this result, something has had to be sacrificed;
or, rather, something IS not existent in these
ships which exists in the larger ones. The En-
glish oattle-shiTe are ALSO tons displacernentl
The speed estimated, compared with our latest
osttie-ships, is probably about one aad q quarter
knots less. The lEormaD coal supply Tor ouan-
tty TO Re carried speed trials) Is 500 tons less.
Mr.. Biles further states:
Az these vessels Will probably have to act
very much nearer their base than European YES
condition, so that the real speed would not be
much, ii any, less For the same reason their
coal supply need not be so large, and therefore
it would seem that their prepondersnce OF arma-
Iae1t would give them an advantage in q com
bat near their own coast line with any European
vessel. They are distinctly superior in most
respects TO any European vessels OF the sane
displacement, and for the purposes intended, of
be quite match for any ships afoat
Ii viii he seen from these extracts that
Mr.. Biles has little TO say Of the American
designs except by way OF COMMUNICATION.
1t is worth while, however. 10 turn to the
other side Of the picture, if it has another
side and see how tar, IN the discussion
which the paper raised, the new designs