The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-23
THE PIRATE COMPLETED.
THE MOST FORMIDABLE NAVAL
VESSEL IN THE WORLD.


Guaranteed to Break All Records for
Speed and Witch Will Be Able to
Sail Around ths World In 100 Days
without Recoaling viii First Kiss
the Waves Next Tuesday.
From the PhdadeIphia Times
The sEiftest, most destructive aud most
formidable naval vessel in the world. the
much talked Of and written about Pirate
or Cruiser No. II. will be launched OF
Cramps ship yard, at 3:42 o'clock next
Tuesday afternoon. When the contract
was awarded to the Cramps, on Oct. 4.
1890, there began almost endless speculation
among those who were interested 10 the
United States navy.
Toe contract price was 81, 725 900 and the
plan called for q vessel 400 feet long on the
mean load line; beam, moulded. IS feet ;
draught, mean normal, % feet, extreme
normal, "a feet; displacement. normal,
about 2, 800 tons; speed, sustained, 81 knots,
and indicated horsepower. 2O,500 1t was
stipulated in the contract that the entire
vessel, in all its parts, should be of domestic
manufacture. The contractor must
guarantee an average speed in
the open sea, under conditions
| prescribed by the navy department of TWEEN
Ly-OQo knOJ5 per nOuT, tHhluJdluou LOT AOuE
| consecutive hours, during which period the
air pressure in the fire rooms shall not ex-
coed one inch OF water; and for every quar-
ter knot of speed SO developed above said
guarantee the contractor shall receive pre-
MUM over and above the contract price of
$50, 900, and for every quarter knot that the
vessel fails of reaching the required speed
there shall be deducted from the contract
price the sum OF SIS, 900.
A COMMERCE DESTROYER.
Since the vessel has approached compile
ton little doubt of her efficiency has been
entertained by the naval experts who have
inspected her. When completed she will be
indeed the 20, 800 ton 3-screw commerce
destroyer" spoke of In the naval appropria-
tion bill. AS her chief function is to be to
sweep from the seas Of an enemy's conn.,
merce, she is primarily designed for speed.
To do her work well she must
be able to overhaul in an ocean
race the swiftest passenger steam
ships between New York and Queenstown.
She must not only make the present trans
atlantic record of 5 days, 10 hours and 5
minutes, but she must break 1t down to Ave
days and a fraction OF an hour. All this is
to be done by a combination Of perfected
machinery such as has never before been
designed. There are ten boilers. Six Of
these are double-ended. 1914 feet in diane
ter by 81 feet long. Two others are 11R
feet in diameter by 1874 feet long, and the
remaining two are 10 feet in diameter by 8
feet long. These boilers are made of steel,
and they carry pressure OF 100 pounds.
The engines are three in number. con-
sisting of vertical triple-expansion
cylinders, each Of which develops 1000
horse power aud drives a separate screw.
They have all the same stroke, AZ inches,
and the diameters of the high, intermediate
and low pressure cylinders are AZ, SO and 80
inches respectively. Under full pressure
each of the three screws should turn at the
rate Of 1913 revolutions per minute.
THE THREE-sCREw IDEA.
Lizhtness being the great essential TO
speed steel is used wherever 1t is possible
The S-screw idea originated with Chief En-
gineer Melville, with view TO avoiding IL
possible the heavy shafting which would
have been necessary had only two screws
been used. In the lottsr case 10, 900 horse
power would have been transmitted by a
| single shaft. while IN the 3-screw arrange
ment only $3.50 horse power passes through
each shaft. The strain on the heavy shaft
ing is tremendous, and the consequences Of
| q breakdown are dreadful
Not only has the mechanism of the
vessel been carefully looked after, but in
| every other point she is perfect The vital
| portions of the vessel are protected by an
armored dock four inches thick on the
slopes ana Two auQ q nalt inches on the nat.
The space between this deck and the gun
| deck will be infinitely subdivided by coal
bunkers and store rooms. In addition there
will be cofferdam FIVE feet wide running
next to the ships side throughout the whole
length Of the vessel In the buukers not
used for coal this will be filed with a patent
substance of such solidity as to form a wall
five feet thick, having all the advantages
OF an inner and supplemental armor.
TO BREAK ALL RECORDS.
The GOAL capacity of the ship is very large,
reaching 1000 tons. At ten knots speed per
hour this will give her an endurance OF 100
days, a radius Of action of 80, 240 knots, or
in other words, she will be able to steam
around the world without recalling In 100
days, thus breaking all records for speed.
economy and capacity.
The accommodations for officers aud crew
are spacious, well ventilated aud lighted.
All the most approved modern appliances
for exhausting vitiated. air and for incan-
descent lighting by electricity have been in
corporated in the design.
While the Pirate Is built for speed aud
commerce destroying, she is not without
fighting qualities, but has a very complete
armament, consisting of four 6-inch breech-
loading rifles, eight 4-inch ech-loeding
rifles, twelve 6-pounders. rapid firing; six
1-pounders, rapid firing; two machine guns,
one field gun. six torpedo tubes