The Opelousas courier., 1891-04-25
A MONSTER BATTLE SHIP.
Eow OUR NAVY WILL BE REPRE-
SENTED AT THE WORLDS FAIR.

a Big structure TO Do M1aUS HI ARAAhed~ /
ton of One of the New Coast Line
Vessels.
One of the striking features OF s'Ihe
Worlds Columbian Exposition" will be
the naval exhibit, a 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 1893 viii 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. It is to have all the fittings that
belong to the actual ship, such as guns.
t%urrets, 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 a 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
a 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 a 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 a 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 a filling of gravel concrete thickly
coated with cement. The ends, or stem
and stern, are to be ~t'shaped" with iron
plates. On the inside of the walls and
over the concrete on the berth deck there
will be a coating If cement, thus making
the exhibition hall fire proof and free
from moisture.
The main and superstructure decks
viii have a 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 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 lathlng
fastened toa wood framing and are to
have all the ingenious appliances fol
operating them.
A thirteen-inch gun is forty-four feet
long and weighs, with its carriage
technically termed its ssmount"), 115l
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
shin carries has been overcome by build
ing the gun of cement over a WoodeI
tube to be rihed and fitted with breecl
plug complete, the finish of the cemen
to be such as to give it the appearance
of an actual gun. The eight-inch gun
are to be made up in the same manner a
the t~hirteen-inch guns, with two excep
tions, which will be bona fide steel gun
and mounts, but all the six-inch guns
six-poundefs, ~one-pounders, gatllngs an
torpedo guns, with all their mechanism
are to be furnished by the Government
direct from the naval gun factories. In
I exterior of the entire structure will b
painted in accordance with the nav
regulations SO as to give it the exact az
pearance of a vessel of war. 1t is though
that the resemblance will be SO close a
to pass undetected except by . sk1lle
| expert.
The entrance to the vessel will be fro
the pier at the foot of Fifty-ninth street
E The entrance will be on the main decl
!, thence down companion or hatchways,t
! the berth deck, where a spacious roon
the whole length and width of the vesse
10 to be filed with the naval exhibit
The entrance at the pier will have
r-eoister turnstile to record the number
% visits. The exit will be from anoth
noint of the structure. The superstru
It ture will show the cabins, state room
e mess rooms, galley and fittings, mt
tables for crew, lockers, ETC., also t
3 method in which officers and enlist
men live according to the rules OF t
navy. It will present, it is said, a 60
vincing proof of the statement that I
z sailors Of the United States navy are t
: best paid, the best fed and the b
= treated men Of any navy in the wor
= On the superstructure deck md bird
viii be shown the manner in which
rapid-fre guns, search lights, boats, ct
'e- are handled. On the berth deck will
u shown the various fittings pertaining
ne the hull, machinery, ordnance, ETC.,
ne short. the thousand and n things t
py 90 to make up the outfit of q ship OF "
"a Eeach bureau will have an officer
In other representatives in control OF
special exhibit, and the hydrogra
ne Office. intelligence Office and Ma
Academy will be also represented. !
me traditional costumes of the sailors Of
ais navy from 1773 to 1S4S will be she
d. Nv ianftors dressed in those costun
These men will be specially engaged
" this purpose, and about SIX IN nun