Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-07-21
The First of the New Navy Battle.
ships Now Floats on the
Ocean Wave.
The Texas Will Have Torpedo Outfit,
and be Fitted Up as
Flagship.
The Battleship Texas was Launched at
the Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Va.
Few Days Since.

= ,.
tugs, yachts and the opposit, shore of the
river. Standing on the launching tower
erected from the launching platform wee
Miss Madge Houston Williams, of Texas,
and her mother, Mrs. Williams; Lieut.. W.
5 Coles the private secretary of Secretary
Tracy and his official represe ntative on
this occasion, and Ensign Hillary P.
Jones, of the navy. The red, white and
blue cords holding the bottle of wine were
tied to the staff, mounted by a star, en-
blen attic of the Lone Star state.
At Ills o'clock the signal Ready
was given. Miss Williams uttered the
words, Il christen thee Texas" broke the
bottle of wine on the bow of the noble yes
sci, and she started. 1t was Just forty
six seconds from the time the bottle was
broken that the Texas was standing in the
stream as firm as a lrnd battery. Five
minutes later she was moored to her
wharf.
Under the law fAug. 3, 1886, authoriz.
ing the construction of two new ships, il
was provided that these should be sea-
going double bottomed, armorel vessels
Of sbout 5000 tons displacement, design
ed for a speed of at least sixteen knots an
hour, with engines having all necessaI Y
appliances for working under forced draft
to + ave a complete torpeds outfit, and be
armed in the most effective manner. One
Of these vessels was to be an armored
cruiser and the other battle ship. Both
were to be built Of steel, with double bot
toms, to have numerous water light COM
partments, fitted with powe ul pumping
apparatus, and to be supplied throughout
with perfect drainage and ventilation
A ram bow. twin screws, electric search
lights, torpedo outfit, and a protected
steel armored deck running the whole
length of the ship and covering the
boilers, engines and magazines, were
essentials; while high power aud economy
were so equally demanded that to max
knots when fully equipped, great coal en-
du"ance and small Tuel consumption were
to be added. In each vessel a space suffi
cient for two hundred and seventy people,
for provisions for three months, and for
water for one mouth was required.
Of thesc two vessels. the most powerful
that the navy depar ment had up to that
time attempted TO add to lis feet of mod
trn warshlps, the Maine, as the armored
cruiser was called, has already been
launched and now awaits completion at
the Brooklyn yard, and the Texas as the
Uatrle-ship was named, has just been
launched at the Norfolk navy yard
The keels of both were laid in 1889,
and the sum appropriated was ST.
500 COO for each, or twice what the New
ark cost.
Before work on the Texas had progress
ed very fer a controversy arose between
tie chief constructor of the navy and naval
cons sructor Bowles, who is in charge of
building the Teqas, as to her ability to
float when all her crew, arament and stores
were aboard. 1t was held that the calcu-
lations of her English designers were at
fault, and that she would never be a safe
nor satisfactory vessel. After a great
deal of discussion and numerous recalcu-
lations, Constructor Bowies's results were
accepted although the dimensions of the
vessel have been somewhat changed from
those at first submitted.
The plans for the vessels were opened to
competition. and Notwithstanding the diff
fculties which the displacement imposed
upon the other requirements, no less than
thirteen designs were received for ten diff
ferent competitors, some coming ON
England and France. A board of naval
exp 9rts examined these plans, and finally
decided upon those submitted by Mr.. w
Johns, general manager of the late Bar
row Shtpbu1lding Company, and one of
the most distinguished marine archi-
tects in England. The amount paid for
the detailed drawings of the Texas was
s25, Coo
The echeon arrangement of heavy guns
has been adopted in the Texas, dispose
ton which several of The foreign govern
ments have discovered to be faulty after
considerable trial. Such an arrangement
of heavy guns is supposed to give quite
as much power of fire ahead and astern as
on each broadslde, but practical test has
shown that too much of the ships eff
cheney In other respects is sacrjfc /, that
the powerful end fire is not alta med and
t 1T the broadside is greatly weakened,
owing to the INSTRUCTED arcs of fire. Be-
sides " hich the guns, when placed as in
the design, have less accurate fire when the
vessel is rolling, being further from the
line.
The main battery orslsts of two 12-inch
rifles, one in each turret, the port one for
ward and the starboard one aft. Tf re
are six 6-inch guns, two on the upper deck.
coe forward and the other oft, near the
II inch guns; the other four are on the
Yer deck in Sponsors, two each side
The secondary battery is very powerful
and efficient one, being composed of not
less than twenty-six guns; four 6-pounds,
two 3-pounders, four l-pounds, four At
cannon and six Gatlings. Six torpedo
launching tubes are also TO be fitted.
The estimated speed is II knots and the
Indicated horsepower With forced craft,
;, 600. The engines, driving twin screws,
are triple expansion; diameter of cylinders,
IS, 81 and 78 inches, length Of stroke, 80
inches. Steam is taken from four double
ended boilers, II feet long ar d having a
diameter Of IA feet. The normal coal al
lowance is 500 tons, $50 tons can, how
ever, be carried when all the coal pockets
are filed, which gives her a cruising
radius or $500 miles at ten knots per
hour.
She carries a water-line belt of II in
ches OF nlckel-steel armor In wake of mag
azines, engines and boilers. The ends
an connected by athwdrtsnlp 6inch steel
An armored redoubt runs
across on main deck, inclosine
and protecting bases OF turrets and their
this as well as the turret
armor is of Il inch thickness. The con-
ming tower has has the same protection.
Tie ammunition tubes have 6-inch; and
5ube from coming tower to protective
leck, 3 inches thick, covers the armor belt
and curves down forward and abaft it to
stem and stern. Coal bunders are out
BOARD of and above boiler and engine
looms.
Between the starboard and port fire. |
looms and magazines and shell rooms,
With a fore-and-aIft passage above them |
communicating with additional anlmuni-