Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-11-19

| the rams most important features are
as follows: Her extreme length, over
ali, is PSI feet; extreme breadth, 43
feet ) inches; total depth, from bottom
| of keel to crown of deck, % feet 10
| inches Under normal conditions she
Will draw IA feet II inches of water,
and mt this draught her displacement
! Is 2,155 tons. When going into action,
however. she is lowered in the water
to a fighting draught of 10 feet 5 in
ches. and her displacement is then in
| creased to 2,24O tons.
The feature which is apt at first
glance to strike the observer as most
remarkable is the peculiar shape of
the hull The lower portion of the hull
instead of being parabolic, as in other
vessels, is dish-shaped up to sharp
'knuckle," which runs completely
| around the vessel, forming sharp
blade, the edge of which is ordinarily
six inches beneath the surface of the
water but one foot below at the fight
ing draught. This bladelille side is a
most notable characteristic Of the ram.
It was adopted not only to facilitate
exit from an enemys hull after ram
ming, but in order that, after striking
an antagonists side the latter might
be ripped-indeed, literally cut-away.
1t also increases the destructive effect
of a gigantic blow and at the same
time increases the rams structural
strength Above this "knucllle,' or
blade, the shape Of the hull is shat Of
n circular arc with radius amidships
Of about thirty-uine feet There is
thus formed a curved leck, or turtle
back" which is aIlhOred throughout,
the thickness of armor tapering from
six inches at the "knucllle" 10 two in
ches Mt the crown of deck. Below the
'knuckle" extends an armOr belt five
feet deep, the thickness Of this belt
tapering from six to three inches. The
walls of the coming tower are eighteen
inches thick The lower portions Of
the smokestack and the ventilators are
protected with six inches of aTmor
All the armor is Of steel.
The new boat is to be lighted with
electricity throughout and she win be
submerged to fighting trim by means
of Kingston valves in the various wat
Cr-tght compartments Artificial air
is to be supplied through ducts con
nected with the armored yentilatOrs.
The force draft system will consist Of
two blowers for each fire room, de
livering into an alright tine room.
There will also be steam reversing
gear, ash-hoist, turning engines, auxil-
larry pumps, engineroom yenhatng
fans and distilling apparatus.
The vessel is being constructed With
a double bottom the entire length, two
feet between the shells, and divided
into numerous cells. The framing is
on the longitudinal system, and great
strength is given to the structure by
the longtudipals and Orders being con-
timed from stem to stern The YER
teal keel, four of the longitudinal
frames, and the armor shelves are to
he water-tight. At every twenty feet
the transverse frames are also - be
water-dght, so that the space between
the outer and inner shells is divided
into more than seventy-ttve water-tight
compartments The vessel above the
inner shell is divided by transverse
and longitudinal bulkheads into thirty
two watcr-Gght compartments, making
in all about 100 compartments.
The engines are to be of the hori-
zontal, directacting uhple-eXpansion
type, with cylinders SO and 90 inches
in diameter and SO inches stroke. The
indicated horsepower will be 1880, at
$50 revolutions a minute. Each en-
CINE will have an auxiliary condenser,
with combined air and circulating
pump The boat viii have two double
ended boilers 13 feet inches iii dame
ter 10y IL feet 6 inches long, and one
single-ended boiler of the same dimen-
sious all for a working pressure Of 100
pounds to the square inch.
1t is interesting to note that there is
but one vessel in the world which
bears even the remotest resemblance to .
the Ammen ram This is the British
torpedo ram Polyphemus, vessel
blilt some eleven years ago. She is
slightly larger than the Ammen ram,
displacing 2.G40 tons. She is of steel,
with twin screws, and has a speed Of
about eighteen knots. She has a "tur-
tle-back" deck. and possesses certain
other points of resemblance to the
Ammen ram, from which she differs, |
however, in the underwater contour
and construction of her hun, and also
in the fact that she is not exclusively !
a ram, but is intended largely, if not
mainly, to fight with torpedoes. She
is chiefly interesting as showing that
n vessel Of low freeboarJ, turtle
back" ard high speed may be both
stable and seaworthy.
The result Of the trials Of the Am
men ram are TO be looked for With
the greatest interest, both by the pro
fessioual and the nonprofessional OBJ
server There can be no doubt that
she win be valuable addition to the
United States navy if she should full
fill the contract requirements