The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-17
LITTLE GIANT WARSHIPS.
UNCLE SANS MONITORS PUTTING
40 SEA.

crial Trip ard the Terror is Getting
Ready characteristics OF the loni-
tor Model as It Has Seen Modernized
Torpedo Boats and Rams.
CCopvri0htl
NEW YORK, Jan. 16.-When Secretary
Tracy recently visited the New York navy
| yard his official attention was drawn to the
sturdy little monitor. the Miantonomah, on
whose iron decks sounded the feet OF busy
| workmen. After months of work that was
| called finishing the monitor was about
ready for sea, and the secretary examined
with lively interest the massive, uncompro-
missing turret, the steel mast. the lookout
shelter, the splendid modern guns and the
delicate yet vigorous enginery below stairs
A few days after Secretary Tracy's visit
| the MiantOnomah made her first trip, or
| perhaps l might say trips, for her formal
first trip" was accomplished in sections
She is not massive engine of war as she
| appears above the water line. Her lines do
| not fascinate like those Of cruiser like the
! Chicago. But the MiautOuomah is a little
| marvel when it comes to close inspection
| and the enemy who ever has the ill-luck to
meet her will find her little marvel at a
o-siderable distance. The Miantonomah
| is, indeed, one of the most formidable of
our ships of war. Let US see why:
| An American suggested turret ships be-
| fore Cowper Phipps Coles brought up the
matter before the British admiralty. Coles
| took three decker called the Royal Sov-
ereign and adapted 1t to his turret plan.
Although the nondescript warship resulting
from this combination was not what a
| specially designed vessel might have been,
| no taI ~ "A
to be the most powerful ship in the English
navy. Capt. Coles had a big turret ship
the Captain. built after his complete design.
| 1t was a very fine affair, but it turned
| bottom side up In the Bay OF Bisoay
twelve years ago with Capt. Coles and
| 600 men on board. Ericsson's monitor differed
from Coles design in having the deck very
| close to the water line, leaving very little
| mark for the euemys guns save the circular
| turIet itself. .Ericsson's ideas have dominated
every movement that has since been made
| with the monitor designs England has built
the Devastation, but has not shown 80 much
enterprise with turrets in the monitor form
as the leading spirits OF the United States
navy. The English ships carrying turrets
include the Thunderer and the Agamem-
non. Among her monitor type are the
Citation and the Cyclops.
| Ericsson claimed, and experience has
shown, that a monitor eau carry much
heavier ordnance than a ship having guns
broadslde. The rolling Of the turret was
naturally her immense advantage, since it
not only gave a splendid range to the guns,
but permitted the shielding Of the gunners
| during the times of loading.
The United States laid the keels Of threa
! double-turreted monitors in 1874 and 1876
| They were named the Puritan, the Mian-
| tonomah and the Terror. The original de-
signs we're never carried out, for work on
| them was discontinued until 1886, when the
! government decided to 60 ahead with the
monitor s and flt them out with the best
modern guns. The Miantonomah, as l have
said, has just been completed. She is a
| splendid and terrible object. Her turrets
are plated with H. inches of compound
armor. Heavily armored also are the
| lower parts OF the smokestack and the
ventilators. Seven inches of steel are in
the armor belt. The iron Of the deck is
two inches thick, and with all the weight on
board Is only two feet abovetthe water.
Two 10-inch high power rifles Of most
threatening physiognomY protrude from
each turret-a quartet of devastating
engines. The machinery by which the
| turrets are moved is Of the most ingenious
description. The rollers are superb de-
vice It need scarcely be said that the
propelling engines are massive and lusty.
have forgotten the exact speed OF the Mian'
| LOnOiQaQ Dub IL ID SuI1Cl9ub 10 guarantee
marvellous agility.
The Terror is the Miantonomahs sister
ship She is a month or two. if not further,
away from completion. | suppose If we
had to go after Chile the Terror could get
down to business by March !. The military
mast is being placed in position. The mill
tary mast of steel and iron is an important
feature OF our modern warships. Around
tine little circular platform at the top Of the
| aeN, CHI vim I'm, gniiA
rail the men aloft may operate Ratling-
guns. Like the Miantonomah, the Terror
will have O displacement of g. 800 tons
The Puritan will be bigger monitor.
| Her displacement will, indeed, reach 5000
TONS In this valiant sea fighter two bar
bettes will take the place OF turrets The
shielded guns will fire over the rim Of these
barbettes, which are being covered with a
| 14-inch layer of steel The two Pinch
guns in each of these securely armed bar
bettes will throw shells weighing each snug
800 pounds. The two barbettes are united
| by superstructure on which will be car
ried four 4-inch guns. Within the super
structure will be two more 4-inch guns.
If what the navalmen say is true the Pu-
ritan Will draw 10 feet less water than the
big foreign batteships with which she may
safely be pitted Her draught is IS feet.
The draught of the two other monitors is
| even less Both the MiantonOmah aud the
Terror draw only IA feet. The Importance OF
| this fact will be seen when 1t is pointed out
that the special utility Of these ships is in
| coast defense. Powerful warships capable
of scurryinR around in IA and Is feet OF
water will have an immense advantage over
vessels that necessarily draw a much greater
depth of water. Then a monitor rides &c
| steadily as to form fine basis for her guns
and an effective sighting point for her gun
| ners.
No one who saw the Miantonomah move
| away from the dock will forget the sight.
The first impression Of a monitor is per-
haps of o short, fat ship. But the Mian~
tonomah il nearly 200 feet long. Her tur-
ret guns, capable Of throwing u shell dis
lance of seven miles were painted a
glistening black Everything on deck was
spick and span and in fighting trim. Fight
ing trim, In this case, means ready, IL need
be, to 90 under water, for in action the
Miantonomah will let water into her hold
with the deck beneath thelev of the water
and leave the enemy nothing but the tur-
ret to pepper away at.
Among the other little giants Of our navy
whica. the New York yard has just been
giving its parting blessing is the torped1
boat Gushing. The Gushing is first at
tempt on the part Of the Unitel States
navy, but it is probably true that she has
no superior on the seas. She is a 'rustler'
for speed, her engines sending her through
the water at a thrilling gait.
The little ram Alarm IS being polished up.
She was built from Admiral Porter's de-
signs, and has 800 tons displacement. Her
-, ,vryfnl bod fNa ooL