Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-30
',64S tons, and horse power of the engines,

6,64S tons, and horse power of the engines,
5000.
| In 1889, at the Union Iron Works. in San
| Francisco, the keel of the Monterey was
laid. She is low, free-board steel coast
defense vessel and carries two steel barbette
F, turrets Her length is 256 feet, breadth, 81
feet; mean draft, IA feet 10 inches; displace-
ment. Abs tons, and the horse power is
3, 400. She Is equipped with twin screw
vertical triple expansion engines, and is
capable of making 16 knots an hour. Her
main battery is formidable and includes two
12-inch and two 10-inch breech-loading
rifles, while the secondary battery is made
up of six 6-pound and four 1-pound
rapid firing guns and two Gatlings. The
| armor over her forward sides is inches
thick, over the sides ait, TX inches; over
the barbettes forward. IA inches; over the
barbettes aft, liz inches. Her contract
price is 81, ,G2S, $50.
One o.the Finest War Vessels.
When the New York is completed and
commissioned she will be one of the finest
\ war vessels ahoat. She is a steel-armored
cruiser, carrying two steel barbette turrets,
and her keel was laid by William Cramp q
Sons in 1890 The New York was the last
vessel launched at Cramps before the
launch of the Columbia yesterday, and the
occasion was gala one in the history OF the
Oramp yards, prominent guests being pres
sent from all PARTS of the country. She is
| now being completed as rapidly as the great
force at the disposal Of the Cramps will per-
NIT Her dimensions are: Length, $50
feet 6lS iches; breadth, 81 feet 10 inches;
mean draft, % feet 312 inches; displacement,
| S.15o tons: maximum indicated horsepower,
5000. She is one of the fastest vessels
afioat, and is able to steam 90 knots an honr,
being provided with twin screw vertical
triple expansion engines.
Her main battery includes six S-inch
breech-loading rifles and IL 4-inch rapid
firing guns The secondary battery consists
of eight 6-pound and four 4-pound rapid
firing guns, and four Gatlings The sides
are protected by armor four inches in thick
ness. the armor around the turret is seven
inches thick and over the barbettes ten
inches thick The contract price was 81. $685.
900.
The steam harbor defense ram, No. /, is
being constructed by the Bath Iron Works,
at Bath, Me. She will be able to steam II
knots an hour, and will c0ry four 6-pound
rapid firing guns in her secondary battery,
the armament of the main battery not hav-
ing been decided upon. Her sides will be
protected by armor six inches in thickness
inches; breadth, 43 feet inches; mean
draft, Is feet; displacement, 1885, tons, and
maximum horsepower OF 4, 800. Her con-
tract price is S93S, 200.
The Massachusetts is under construction
at William Cramp & Sons. The keel was
laid in 1891, and she Is a steel coast line
battle ship and will carry two 13-inch bar
bette turrets and four 8-inch barbette tur-
rets. She will be in every respect float
ing fort, carrying in all A guns of the
latest pattern. Her main armament will
6-inch breech-loading rifles The secondary
battery will consist of 20 6-pound and four
6-pound rapid firing guns and four Cat
lings The armor on the sides will be IS
inches thick: over the turrets, II, 81 and
6 inches thick, and over the barbettes, IL,
10 and inches. Her contract price is
S3,o2O0O0.
A Steel Coast-Lins Battleship.
In 1891 the Cramps laid the keel of the
Indiana, which is a steel coast-line battle
ship, with two 13-inch and four 8-inch bar
bette turrets. Her dimensions are: Len 9Th,
3S4 feet breadth, SO feet 8 inches; mean
draft, "a feet; displacement, 10, 200 tons;
horsepower, 5000. Her engines are OF the
twin screw vertical triple expansion type,
and she can steam Is knots an hour. Her
dimensions are the same as the Massachu-
setts and she is capable of maintaining the
same speed. She carries main battery of
four 13-inch, eight 8-inch and four 6-inch
breech-loading rifles. Her secondary bat
terry includes 20 6-pound and four 1-pound
rapid-fring guns and four gatlings Her
armor over sides, turrets and barbettes will
be the same in thickness as that covering
her sister ship, the Massachusetts, The
contract price is So, 020, 600
The keel of the Oregon was laid in 1891
by the Union Iron Works, in San Francisco,
Cal. She is a sister ship to the Massachu-
setts and the Indiana, and her main and
secondary batteries carry the same number
of guns. Contract price, S., 100000.
There are 13 single-turreted iron monitors
in the service of the navy, including the
Ajax, Comanche, Canonicus, Catskill, Jason,
Lehigh, Mahopac, Manhattan, Montauk,
Nahant, Nantucket, Passaic and Wyandotte.
They are all of the type of the low, free
board single turret, and the keels of all were
laid in 1862. They are very slow ships,
only capable of speed of six knots an honr,
and in time of war will be available only
for harbor and coast defense.
They are of the type of fighting vessels |
made famous during the Civil War by the |
ingenuity of John Ericsson, and furnish |
striking examples of this country's progress |
in the matter of marine architecture and |
The monitors performed the |
service in the civil war that will be ex- |
pected of the New York, the Massachusetts,,
Indiana and ships of like character in the |
future. Their engines were Of the single |
screw grasshopper type, and 12-pound gun |
included the average battery of all. These |
vessels were built by Snowden & Mason, of |
Donahue, Ryan & Secor, of Jer- |
sey City; Harrison Loring, of Boston; John |
of Brooklyn; the Atlantic Works, |
of Boston, and Miles Greenwood, of Cincin- |
natl. The sides were protected by ive-inch
armor and the turrets by iron II inches in |
thickness
Thirty Unarmored Steel Ships
The table of unarmored steel vessels in
,ludes 30 ships, among which the Columbia
and her sister ship, Cruiser No. 13, are in
GUIDED
There are six gunboats in the service, in
,luding the Yorktown, Concord, Benning-
,on, Petrol, No. and No. 6. The York
own belongs to the Pacific squadron, the
Concord to the North Atlantic squadron,
he Bennington to the squadron of evolu-
ion, Petrol to the Asiatic squadron and
Nos. 3 and are building at the Bath Iron
W orks at Maine. Their capabilities, arma-
nent, speed and cost are we'll known to all
hose interested in the growth of the navy.
In the special class is the practice cruiser
or naval cadets building by Moore & Sons.
1t Elizabethport, n. j., and will carry IL
runs.
The Vesuvius is dynamite cruiser, built
)y the Cramps, whose performances are