The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1892-11-16
NOW FOR CRUISER No. g.
Authorized Four Years Ago, the
5,5oo-Tonner is at Last to be
Launched


been so long under construction at
the Union Iron Works in San Fran
cisco is at last about ready to leave .
the ways, and one month from to- |
morrow is the date for her taking to |
the water.
She is the largest unarmored !
cruiser ever built on the Pacific |
coast, and when she was contracted |
for was the largest vessel of that !
type ever planned for our navy.
Since then the Columbia and her
mate have made a great advance up
on her in size.
The general idea on which the
new vessel was built was to produce
a ship resembling the Reina Regente,
which at that time was peerless in
her class. The act authorizing her
construction dates as far back as
Sept. z, 1888, under Secretary Whit
ney. Her nominal prototype, the
Reina Regente, had then recently
been built by the Thomsons of
Clydebank for Spain, and was the
fastest seagoing war ship afloat. She
had steamed nineteen knots under
natural and twenty-one knots under
forced draught. She also had very
heavy protective deck, very large
coal capacity, and a complete water
line belt of cellulose, which was a
novelty at that time. The changes
introduced into the American vessel
have made her resemblance to the
Spanish cruiser less marked.
The bids for No. we're opened
June 10, 1889. At that time Secre-
tary Tracy had come to the head of
the department, and with his we'll
known preference for large vessels
had authorized an increase in the
proposed displacement from $500 to
$500 tons. The only bidder was the
Union Iron Works, and their bid
was ST, 100000 on their own or ST.
10000 on the departments plans.
The latter being within the limit of
S1,SO0,0O0 fixed by Congress was ac-
copied. Afterward Mr.. Irving Scott,
the President of the Union Iron
Works, agreed to make the vessel
ten feet longer, so as to get more
space in the fire room, without extra
cost. She now accordingly has a
length of $40 feet on the load water
feet, a mean draught of q feet, and
a displacement of $500 tons. She is
900 tons larger than the Baltimore
and 1000 larger than the Chicago.
Her contract requires her to be ready
for delivery by April l., 1893, but she
will be delayed by failure to get her
material in season.
The first noticeable feature in this
fine cruiser is her speed. Her motive
machinery consists of twin screw,
vertical triple expansion engines,
which are to develop a maximum of
13,5OO-horse power. The Chicago's
engines have a maximum of only
5,034, and even our fast new vessels
do not equal the maximum of No. 6.
The Charleston's 6.666-horse power
give her speed of Is Is knots; the
Newark's 1860 give her 10 knots; the
Philadelphia's 1915 give her 1873;
the Baltimore's 10,O64 give her a
little over 19a knots, and the San
Francisco's lO,400 give her 20 10
knots. Accordingly, it is probable
that the 13,5OO-horse power of
Cruiser No. will yield at least the
20 knots required in her contract,
and as her builders are those who
built the San Francisco, they are
likely to earn premium for exceed
ing her contract speed.
Again, she will be remarkable for
coal endurance and sustained speed.
Her coal capacity is 1900 tons, which
gives her radius of action of 1900
miles, and is much more than the
! e l., % "a, M,
weight of her machinery will, it is
expected, give her sustained sea
speed of 10 knots, or at least two
knots in advance of that which is
maintained in vessels of her class
She will undoubtedly beat anything
in our navy, either built or project
ed, for long voyage, with the ex-
ception of the Columbia and No. -
and the possible exception of the
New York
, In her main battery she carries
four eight-inch breech-loading rifles
and ten five-inch rapid-fir guns. In
her secondary battery are fourteen
six-pounders and six one-poundel
rapid-fre guns and four Cuttings
Her defensive capacity makes her ;
high type of the protected cruiser
as she has four inches of armor pro
lection for the guns. and ammuni
ton hoists and water-excludine
belt. She has three complete decks
including the protective deck, ant
large superstructure amidships
which is cut away forward and aft
and ends at the eight-inch gun bar
bettes. She has two masts, with
fighting top and electric light tol
on each, and carries sufficient fore
!. and aft sail to steady her in SO;
way. Her seaboard forward is eigh
teen feet and seventeen feet aft. 4
complete protective deck is worked
two inches thick on the flat through
out, four and three-quarter niche
on the slopes amidships, and three
, inches on the slope forward and aft
A water-eXcluding belt two feet nin
inches thick is worked above tn,
protective deck, completely sur
rounding the ship. 1t extends to-
height of four feet above the waite
line. The space Immediately abov
'' the protective deck is closely sub
divided, and much of it is coverec