The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-11-11
THE CRUISER OLYMPIA.

Description Of the New War Vessel Now
Under Construction at San Francisco.
The Olympia, otherwise known as cruiser No.
6, the fourth vessel built by the Union Iron
Works for the United states navy. was author
lied by an appropriation approved by congress
September z, 1855, which provided for "one steel
cruiser of about $500 tons displacement to cost,
exclusive of armament, and excluding any
premium that may be paid for increased speed,
not more than s., S00,O00.
Bids were advertised for in April, 1890, and on
June 10 of the same year the contract for the
vessel was awarded to the Union Iron Works.
This vessel ia OF the protected cruiser type. ex-
ceeding in size any vessels OF similar type in
our serve and the majority of such in foreign
navies.
The principal dimensions of the Olympia are
as follows:
Length on water line, $40 feet; length over all,
34i feet: beam, nodded, 81 feet 10 inches; beam,
extreme, 53 feet: mean draught, II feet inches;
displacement, $3.50 tons: indicated horsepower,
1880; guaranteed speed on trial, 20 knots; sus-
tanned sea speed. 70 knots; maximum coal ca
paclfy, l,3O0 tons; endurance at 10 knots, 1900
miles; complement. as flagship. SS9
The increased displacement OF this vessel has
been utilized to introduce features of protection
heretofore unattained by this type, with suf.
ficiently powerful machinery to insure a reason.
able maintenance of high speed.
She has three decks, including a protective
breadth of the vessel, soping TO the sides amid
ships and forward and aft as 1t approaches the
bow and stern. 1t consists of two courses of
steel plates, inch thick each. making a thick.
ness OF inches. An additional course OF 2sI
inches covers the slopes amdships, and on the
forward ana after slopes an additional strake of
l inch. The matches in this deck are provided
with armor shutters or battle plates of the same
thickness as the deck plating. and in addition
to these each hatch is furnished with armor bars
or gratings fitted below the shutters q safe
guard while the battle plates are raised.
The vessel has two masts, with two tops on
each. Each of the lower or fighting tops con-
tain two rapid-fring guns: each of the upper
tops one Mangin search light of the latest and
most approved type. Her sail power suffi-
cient to steady her in a seaway. Freeboard for.
ward, Is feet aft, II feet.
The battery of the Olympia consists of four
s-inch breech-loading rifles, ten 5-inch rapid
firing guns, four 6pounder rapid-hring guns,
eight 1-pounder rapid-fring guns and six tor
pedo tubes.
The Sinch guns are mounted, two forward
and two aft, in the center line, in turrets raised
about ten feet above the main deck, and have
great train. The armored barbettes around
these guns are four inches thick, and the re-
volving turrets three inches. The turrets and
guns operated by hydraulic machinery, and
the lifts for raisiug ammunition from the am.
munition rooms below are also operated by by
draulic power.
The 5inch guns are mounted in such way
that four OF them have direct fire ahead, five
OH either beam, and four a direct fire astern.
They are protected by sponsors four inches
thick.
The 6pounder guns are mounted on the berth
deck and have a pinch armor protection.
There are two liked torpedo tubes, one in the
bow and one in the stern, and two training tubes
on each broadsde. Eighteen-inch Whitehead
torpedoes are used.
The vessel has a double bottom and contains
about $50 water-tight compartments, besides a
number of water-tight doors in buikheads on
the several decks and below the protective deck.
A protective belt, consisting of a cofferdam
two feet nine inches wide, filled with cellulose,
extends the whole length of the vessel on both
sides just above the protective deck. This cell
lulose 10 manufactured from the fiber of the
cocoanut and when compressed makes perfect
water-excuding material.
A passage separates this belt from the coal
bunkers. which form another means of protec.
ton, particularly to the engines and boilers.
The hull is being bnit under the superintend-
ence of Naval Constructor A. W. Stahi. United
States navy. and the construction of the engines
and boilers is in charge OF Chief Eng ineer q. f.
Kutz, United States navy.