The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-03-17
NEW BATTLESHIPS.
The Vessels Provided for in the Bill Intro
ducel by Senator Hale.

WASHINGTON, March 16.-The bill intro
1uced by Senator Hale of Maine to further
increase the naval establishment, and by
him, as chairman of the committee on
naval affairs, favorably reported to the
senate today, provides for three battleships
of : 800 to 10000 tons displacement, two
armored coast-defense vessels, five gun
boats of 500 TO 200 tons, and eight first
class torpedo boats, appropriating 5000
600 toward their construction and s 900
toward their armament, an amendment
setting apart $500 900 of the amount appro-
priated for procurement of and expert
ments with torpedoes.
The passage of the bill would add three
20 the most valuable type of vessels under
constructiOn-th Indiana, the Massachu-
Setts and the Oregon, of which the secre-
uary of the navy says their equal as fight
Ing ships does not exist at the present
day" These vessels were designed with a
view of meeting in battle those CARRYING
the heaviest guns and armor after "A care
tul study by our naval constructors of the
vessels of other powers. They will be Of
great fighting power united with ADEQUATE
protection, able to take the sea in all
weathers, and with draught suited to
work in our shallow harborS The hulls
will be projected by belts of lS-inch nickel
Rrmor, feet above and a. feet below the
water line, turned in forward and aft TO
sweep around the bases of the armored
redoubts. Rising from this at each end
will be armored redoubts II inches in
thickness, extending above the main deck
So feet, giving an armored freeboard
of 10 feet . inches These redoubts
will protect the turning gear of the
turrets and all the operations of
loading. The turrets will be in-
clined, II inches thick, powerfully
strengthened. The horizontal thickness
L. 4 - a
armor belt will be backed by inches of
wood, two "a plates, and n 10-foot belt of
coal. Forward and abaft this belt will be
heavy underwater decks, sloping at the
sides TO 81 feet below the water. There
will also be an armored deck over the
belts Coal bunkers will be located over
the belt decks, and belts of water-exclud-
ing material on the slopes of the armor
decks forward and aft. Above the belt
armor AID extending from redoubt to re-
doubt, the sides will be protected by )
inches of steel. The vessels will be cut up
forward, making powerful ram bows, and
doing away with excessive bow waves Oh
account of the easier lines so obtained as
well as greatly adding to the maneuverinC
power. They will not have the coal endur-
Hnce of the armored cruiser New York, or
of protected cruisers Nos. l2 and 13-which
will also be the best vessels of their class
atioat-yet their radius OF action will be
1000 miles.
Their batteries will be the heaviest
aud most effective in battle carried bv any
ship afloat or projected. and will consist
of four l3-inch 35-caliber breech- -loanding
rifles, eight S-inCh and four 6-iuch breech- 4
loading rifles in the main battery. and
twenty o-pounder and two 1-pounder
rapid fire guns and two Gatlings in the
secondary battery. Each vessel will have
seven torpedo tubes.
All the gun crews with the exception Of
those of the e-pounder rapid-1ire guns, /
viii have armored protection on all sides
from an enemys rapid-tlre guns. the Is. /
inch and Sinch brecch-loadinC rifles being
placed in closed revolving turreIs, while /
the 6lnch breechfoading rifles Will be in
armored easements. protected on the in /
board side 10y armored screens which COM
pletely inclose the gun stations The
main batteries of these vessels will throw (
Rt single discharge weight of pro-
lectlles oi e 500 pounds, or over three tons |
with an energy of 10000 foot tons: and !
the energy OF the pItjectiles from the /
l3-lnch guns will be sufficient TO pierce /
Twenty-Five inches of steel AT distance of /
mile. Their secondary batteries will /
discharge $50 projectiles per minute In |
addition to this each vessel will have an |
discharge OF 10 inch torpedoes. |
each OF which will be loaded with $50 |
pounds of powerful explosive.
The coast-defe0Se vessels proposed in 4
Senator Hale's bill would be much less ex-
pensive than batteships. The other pro I
visions cf the bill are Tor small vessels not
costly TO construct or maintain They
would be useful in Chinese or japanese |
waters, as well as in the South Atlantic. (
and could be kept in commission instead I
OF the big baJtleships for routine duty, in .
time Of peace. While other nations count 1
| their torpedo boats 10y the hundreds, we .
have bus Jwo Now that the ordnance /
bureau of the navy department can supply 7
W Whitehead and Howell topedoes, il Is ar +
sued that IL should have boats on which 10
use them in cNSe of necessity. The ex-
penSe OF construction is so comparatively
slight that eight of them would not be TOO
many TO undertake, and all could be ready
within year.