The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-07-09
assat DAttis ships Vet to No Launched
Are the Oregon. the indiana and
the Massachusetts.

0tAunche0t cruisers and at least " OF tn
battle ships will yet be launched. At tn
Brooklyn navy yard the Cincinnati /
rapidly nearing completion. q great forc
Of men working daily. and it 10 believed b.
Commodore Erben that she will be read,
for christening within two or three month";
Az Cramp a Sons, where the Now York il
building. the protected cruisers, Nos. !.
and Is. the former, the Pirate, will proba
bly, be launched before the end of tn,
year, AZ we'll 40 the great coast line bastl,
ships. the Massachusetts and Indiana
both Of which will have a displacement o.
1000 or 5000 ~tons-larRer than that of tn.
battle ship Texas, launched at Nh
Norfolk navy yard June % Of thi:
year. On both OF these vessels the arma-
msnt will be in advance OF that of the
Texas. But the most important feature OF
all the battle ships and cruisers now build
ing will be in the application Of the system
Of rapid firing guns. They are distinctive
in their uss of brass cartridge cases,
similar to those Of small arms. thereby
permitting loading in a single motion and
rendering sponging unnecessary. The new
rapid fire guns are the fous-inch,
Airing a thirty-three pound shell,
the fve-inoh firing a nfty-pound shell
md the six-inch firing a 1oO-pound
she'll. This last, still in process of devel-
opment, 10 to be used IN all the new battle
ships and cruisers with smoke!ess powder.
giving increased muzzle velocities. The
most efficient distribution OF these guns
il the new ship designshas been the subject
Of earnest and careful consideration. and
NJ ~ ha~A unol. MN rr-~InJ 80 -
ing . maxium volume Of fire in all direc-
tions. It 10 also proposed to protect these
guns by their armor, shielding the crews
from the effects of explosive shells and
from the fire of the smaller calibre. II ia an
interesting fact that the mount for the
rapid-fre guns from the four-inch to the
a%lx-inch 10 OF the same type throughout,
permitting in each case rapid and easy
manipulation, added to the perfect control,
] was shown the shells to be used with |
these guns and in the tests made found that
the f~fty-pounder will perforate two calibrss
Of steel armor at close range.
All in all. twenty-four war ships arc now
building. VI these four are cruisers, two
are %Runboats, two are armored cruisers,
five are protected cruisers. three are coast
line battle ships. four double-turreted mon
itors. one is q torpedo boat, one a ram, one
a battle ship, and the last, the Bancroft,
the first Of the practice cruisers for the use
OF naval cadets.
These vessels are building at ten places
and at each the work is progressing spIen-
dldly, although now and then come reports
OF delays in the delivery of material. The
Texas 10 an example of this. Although
launched. not one portion of her armor has
yet been received. Here are the shipyards
~ which over O,0OO workmen arc employed
in bringing the American navy into noble
existence: Baltimore. City Point Works.
Boston, Bath, Me-, Elizabethport, N, j..
Cramp q Sons, Philadelphia; Union Iron
Works, San Francisco; lows Iron Works,
Dubuque, Iowa; Brooklyn Navy Yard, Nor
folk Navy Yard, Mare Island, Cal.
AT Baltimore the Montgomery and De-
troit are rapidly being pushed to compile
They are being built on the same
model and will each cost $612, 500.
each will have two six-inch, eight hve-inch
new rapid fro breechloading rifles, six six
FOUNDERS and n one-pounder rapid firing
lieved that each will reach = speed of nine
teen knots an hour.
The protected cruiser building at San
francisco. which is to cost ST. 96, 600. NAV
be launched before the end of the
year, but this is in doubt. Her armament
to consist Of four eight-inch breechload-
Ing rifles. ten tive-inch rapid firing breech.
loading rifles, fourteen six-pounders. six
me. FOUNDER rapid firing cannon and four
iatlings. But it is the Oregon at San
Francisco in which particular interest
taken. No time has get been
axed for the launching and work on
ler IS progressing very slowly. She is to be
aew navy. although her armamsnt is to be
'xactly similar to that of the Indiana. The
displacement of both vessels will be 1000
,.ons greater than that of the New York and
soOO tons greater than that of the Texas.
nc COST or the Oregon is $3, lsO,0 00. while =
nat OF The Indiana is $3.O20,0O0. The ar !
nament of both ships will consist of fonr 9
eight eight-inch. four six- =
nch breech-loadinR rifles, sixteen six
q four ~one-pounder rapid fire puna
nd four Cuttings. 1t is more likely. how
yer, that many changes will be made in +
ne ornaments of these as we'll as of the /
ther cruisers and battle ships vet to be [
aunchsd and building. for the tests CON. +
family being made have led to many i'm 4
movements which are, of course, never a
aXen into account i'll the original de- r
1t is an interesting fact that from {
no lime the contract was let for the build /
aR OF tne Iexas in 1856 to the present year, !
rovements have been made in naval archi. :
sctufe mat the Texas is considered an old i
lyle battle ship, hardly able to cempete i
attn the new designed vessels OF the Amer [
an or European navies. A
Both the Indiana and the Massachusetts 4
Sidiup b. Inc cost OF the a
nlps ID the same, as is also the armament. 4
lhe cruiser building at Boston, No. II. il i
cost 1914 goo, and in armament and zen
raj design is almost the exact counternart n
the Detroit. The M%onadnock, tho don 81
70 turreted monitor now being constructed
: mare island, is on the plan of the Man
'nomoh, which has but recently gone into 2,
Its armement consists of OF
'nr ten-inch breechloading rifles, two six. ~
onnder., two three FOUNDER rapid ftinc q,
ans. and two thirty-seven milimeter rec "
the outfit. n
The Pirate will be, perhaps. the next pro- v
'ctsd cruiser to be launched at Cramn,a y
10 TO cost 81, 1876 600, and has a displace.
'ent somewhat less than that of the Nsw -
ork: 1t is the first of the new cruisers in "
hich the original designs included the aix-
lGh rapid firing guns.
Thus 1t will be seen that Uncle Sam 10
to protect his coast from inva.
on. There 10 u point on which the de-
trtment 10 at sea. IL was originally in
naed, 80 at least is the report, to build at g
ast two OF the practice cruisers. Bnt The =
sncroft, which has Just been launched at IS
izsbethport. and the cost of which il =,
.co.uOO, has proven altogether too small 81
a. - IL likely that . new practice cruiser Of
Do ordered, designed on a more extern m
70 ocAle. %