Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-02

Washington yard owes its chief distinction
to the magnificent gun factory there, the
gradual filling UP Of the Potomac and East
| ern branch rendering 1t impossible for any
! but the smallest ships to reach the docks
| there In consideration Of these facts and
| the widespread interest which the American
people take in the rebuilding of our navy,
1 this fine shipbuilding yard should possess a
| lively interest to all the readers of The Star
1 Interest here at present seems centered In
/ the novel work of cutting the gunboats
Machias and Castine in two and lengthen-
ing them by the addition Of a fourteen-foot
midship section.
This peculiar and expensive procedure
| has been necessitated by the fact that the
Machias, when recently in commission,
| showed a very cranky disposition, and 1t
was feared that she might capsize II sub
jeoted to even a moderately heavy seaway.
| For general information it may be stated
| that Cranky vessel Is one which heels
| over very easily, and that this fault is
| caused by an improper disposition OF the
! weights SO as to render the ship what may
| be popularity termed topheavy. After ma
] ture investigation it was decided to remedy
| the fault in the two new gunboats by
lengthening them fourteen feet. They were
| recently placed in the dry dock, cut in two
between the engine room and fire room COM
partments. and the two parts were then
hauled apart fourteen feet
Divided Responsibility.
This was a very delicate operation, as the
exactness in the position of the two parts
required is to the fraction of an inch, but SO
far 1t has been successfully accomplished
and much of the new framing is in place
1t Is expected that the work will be COM
pleted in two months. when the gunboats
| will be put in commission in condition to
stand any kind of sea or weather.
| 1t is d deplorable fact that these lately
| completed vessels OF our much-lauded new
| navy" should be SO faulty in design, but
no blame attaches to their builders, the
Bath Iron Works. as they followed the de-
signs implicitly. Officers are very reticent
on the subject, but the fault seems to be
| in lack OF concordance between the con-
struction bureau where the ships them
selves were designed, and the ordnance
bureau, where the batteries were designed
For several years the uncompleted moni-
\ tors Terror and Puritan have been ia
! miliar sights to people about the navy yard
| For nearly two years the slowness of the
| armor contractors in furnishing the heavy
! armor plates for their complete waterline
| belts and two heavy turrets delayed their
completion, but now nearly all the armor
| Is in place and the vessels will soon be
| ready for service. However efficient the
| monitors may have been in their day. that
day is now passed. and they have but few
advocates among the experts now. These
two monitors. together with the Mianto-
| nomoh. now In commission. and the Am
phitrite. rebuilding at the Norfolk navy
| yard. are all OF the monitor type now in
| the navy for active service. unless the Mon
| be included.
Their very low freeboard gives them but
| little reserve buoyancy, and their only hone
against sinking In action from even a single
/ N tha fAr1t
plete armor protection. They are proyerbi-
ally unwieldy and sluggish and very un-
comfortable in a seaway, so their actual Use
Will be restricted in all probability to mar
| Dor defense, and even in this case they
| must be surrounded by friendly torpedo
| boats to prevent them from being rammed
| by the fast cruisers of the enemy. To rem
edy the inconvenience and discomfort Of the
| quarters on the Mantonomoh which are
all below the waterline, tho later monitors
have been built with a light superstructure
between the two turrets where the officers
! quarters are located. These monitors were
| originally laid down during the last year of
| the late war; but have been so nearly re-
| newed that they are practically all of late
construction.
The Bnttleshfp Maine.
! OF much more recent model Is the new
| battle ship or heavy armored cruiser Maine.
launched at this navy yard in February,
| 1901. and since undergoing completion at
the yard. In general design and appear
ance she very closely resembles the Brazil
lar. battle ship Aquidaban, though designed
with more displacement. |. e., $500 tons.
and more speed.
The AQuldaban has been an excellent
| ship even in the hands of the Brazilians,
| who are proverbially careless and ignorant
| In using their ships. The Maine is now
| practically completed-a very little of the
armor and her guns are all that is yet to
/ be furnished.
| hos r1i =
extended for about two thirds the length of
| the ship amidships designed to protect her
| buoyancy and vital machinery, nearly all Of
| which is below the waterline: heavy COM
pleter protective deck and two armored tur-
! rets en- echelon.
Her armament is very heavy, and for tor
pedo work she carries bow and stern tor
pedo launching tubes, and two sixty-foot,
sixton-ton torpedo boats, which are to be
| lowered from their cradles on the upper
| deck by heavy cranes. These two torpedo
ho'ts Will rrohahly each carry two White
head torpedoes in bow tubes In time of
/ action they Will he hoisted out and prepared
| for battle. They would conceal themselves
| on the unexposed side of the ship during
| battle until TIE smoke of battle or position
| OF the enemy was most opportune when
] they would rush out and discharge their
| torpedoes.
| The moral effect Of these swift little YES
! sells each carrying torpedoes that would
| sink any ship will be very demoralizing on
| an enemy ana they will form no mean part
| of the Names armament. The Names
| large secondary battery of rapid-fire guns
| and gatlings is intended to meet just such
| an attack from the enemy's torpedo launch
| es. 1t Is expected that the big cruiser will
| so in commission about the 1st of Septem-
| Der, when she will have her speed trials
Her engines are designed for 5000 horse
| power. to give her a speed Of seventeen
knots per hour. The engines for the aux
| Hilary torpedo beats which have been built
! In the machine shops here are models of
strength and beauty.
The Cincinnati and Other Vessels.
The next ship to go into commission Is
the cruiser Cincinnati. which is receiving
the finishing touches here at present. She
was launched in October, 1892. and 1t is q
fact of considerable pride among the off,
GERS here that her hull and engines and
guns have all been built In the government
yards, under the direction Of naval officers,
at cost comparing most favorably with
that Of contract work. Her armament
consists of two six-inch rapid-fre guns,
ten five-inch rapid-fire guns in the main
battery, with eight sfx-pounder and four
one-pounder rapid-fire guns and two ma
chine guns in the secondary battery. She
has six torpedo launching tubes. one bow,
one stern and four breadside.
The protection consists In a complete
I-%1 AL do.