The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-03-08

workmen making the final preparations
reyerberated between the Indiana's sisler
ship Massachusetts,, on the south, and
Cruiser, No. 13, the Minneapolis, to the
north, for quarter of an hour, and then
the order was given to saw the WAYS"
Just as the 4, 200 tons OF steel started down
the incline, Niles Miller, the daughter
of the attorney-general. broke the Gus
tomary bottle of champagne, il being
encsssd in a beautifully hand-painted and
embroidered satin cover, across the bow.
and firmly said: al christen thee Indi-
ana." Whistles shrleked. bells rang and
people chs-re1 and waved handkerchisf is
and flags. This demonstration continued
until the chip reached mid stream. where
anchors were dropped.
Later the anchors were raised and the
vessel was lowed to the shipyard.
The Indiana is the eighth Warship that
the Cramps have launched and is the
largest ever sent from their WAYS. Up to
this time he New York. with tonnage
of 5000. was the largest. The Indiana.
the most formidable of the vessels built
or building for the new American navy,
is q warship of which any nation might
be proud. and is triumph for American
ship designers. ship builders, and it is
hoped OF American marine engine build
ers. OF course, so far as her engines are
concerned, their power and efficacy will
not be ascsrtsined for q considerable time,
but the contract cal for high power and
good speed. The keel of the Indiana was
laid on May Z, 1891. she being the first of
the three vessels authorized by the act of
congress The principal dimensions are /:
Lsgth CD load line, 346 feet; extreme
beam, 90 feet inches; draught on level
keel, "a feet. The vessels displacement
will he l02SS tons. She is built of steel
and has double bottom for distance of
1876 feet. covering the machinery and
magazine spaces.
Thus all the vital portions are amply
projected and every feature is provided to
enable her to cope successfully with ves-
gels of the heaviest armor and armament
The armament of the Indiana is four l3-
inch breech loading rifles, eight S.inch
breech loading rifles nine 6.inch breech
loading rifles. twenty FOUNDER rapid
fire guns. four other rapid fire guns. four
Calling guns. elk torpedo tubes. All the
guns ere protected by the latest inventions
from the fire OF an enemy. The rapid fire
guns are 30 arranged that a rapid fire of
shot may be thrown around the
vessel. The four 13-inch and the
eight S'inch guns are mounted in pairs
within six turrets, two OF which are
erected on the main deck and the romain-
ing four upon the superstructure, the
former containing the larger and the latter
the lesser guns The turrets are all
mounted in redOubts. The armor of the
Indiana, which was made at the works o!
the Bethlehem iron company. is the heav-
lest that was ever placed on an American
war ship. The following figures show
the thickness of the plating: Thick
ness of the side belt, thirteen
inches; of end diagonal belt. fourteen
inches; of thirtsen-inch breech loading
rifle redoubts seventeen inches, and oi
siRht-inch rifle redoubts eight inches and
ten inches. In addition to the armor pro.
lection the engines will be protected by
the coal in the bunkers. measuring twelve
feet on each side of the side armor. Each
boiler and engine 10 in a separate water
tight compartment. in order to localize
any possible injury. The engines are OF
the twin screw, vertical, triple expansion,
inverted cylinder type diameter OF cy.in-
ders as follows: High pressure 81 3 inch
es. intermediate 4S inches, low pre- sure
70 inches. stroke AZ inches. The normal
coal supply 10 400 tons. but a coal bunker
capacity of | 800 tons Is provided.
The vessel, according to contract, must
develop . spssd of sixteen knots an hour
and thus with full coal supply che will
be able to steam for ten days, giving hel
a radius OF action of about 1000 knots
The complement of the vessel, officers and
crew. will be $50 persons. Good quarters
and accom- modations are provided for
them and all the latest sanitary improve.
ments will be pacsd on the battle ship
The Indiana is designed especially as a
vessel to fight and not to run away at all,
And it is the opinion OF those &C.
quainted with marine affairs tina,
she will answer fully the purpose
for which she was built. Her
cost is 100000. The Indiana can lay
Alongside any hostile vessel that could
reach our shores and give and take fair
battle in the style exhibited by the
American navy of the time of Paul Jones
and Decatur. There are six powerful
search lights arranged along the sides tc
locate the enemy at night and to guard
against small boat attacks under cover Of
darkness. The complement of twelve
boats and one balsa are slowed we'll above
the fash of the guns and are handled by
means of powerful cranes. The vessel i:
also provided with complete incasemenl