Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1894-08-22
GREAT BATTLE SHIPS.
Our Ships Is Per Cent Smaller
Than England's.
THE EVOLUTION OF A BATTLE SHIP.
How Secretary Tracy Dictated the Plan
ming of the Indiana Class. what
Damage Their Guns can do.

given Ill DTOOklyu III hoiioi Va % ''
tary of the Navy Tracy and OF his sue
cessor, Secretary Herbert, much gen
eral surprise was caused by the decla-
ration of the former that the United
States was then entitled to rank fifth
among the naval powers OF the world.
A few days before, both of the guests OF
honor had been present at the launch
ing of the first modern American battle
ship. This vessel, the Indiana, was
one of three sister battle ships building
in this country, and they are so com
plete in all their details and so equipped
with powers of destruction that, al
though they are % per cent smaller
than the great battle ships now fin
ished in England, and therefore that
much less of a target, they are acknowl-
edged by naval experts here and abroad
to be superior to any engine of war yet
constructed.
In the July number of the Cen
tury," Mr.. Albert Franklin Matthews
describes "The Evolution of Battle
Ship" The splendid American cruis-
ers have awakened the greatest interest
in the new navy, and their speed, Often
sive power and enormous coal capacity
are generally recognized. But to most
Law readers the present article will give
the first definite information concern
ing the battle ships, which must bear
the brunt of offensive and defensive
fighting in the future.
To build battle ship is of itself a
mighty achievement for any country,
saws Mr.. Matthews, but to build one
better than any other nation is build
ing, and that in face of the fact that
only six years ago we had no plants
capable of making shafts, armor or gun
forgings and none of the mighty tools
required in this work is surely a
triumph.
The Indiana, which is simply packed
with machinery, when finished will
weigh 10, 296 tons. OF these 10, 295
tons of her displacement, 400 tons
will be of magnificent steel for the
hull. The armor, some of it eighteen
inches thick, will weigh 2700 tons.
The engines and machinery, acknowl-
edged to be superior to those construct
ed abroad, will weigh S75 tons, and the
rest of the weight will consist of arma-
ment, coal and stores. In putting all
this together about 700 tons of rivets
are used. For the hull alone twenty
five principal plans must be made and
fully 400 separate drawings must be
prepared and duplicated by photograph
This of itself is enough to keep force
Of expert craftsmen busy continuously
for eight months. For the engines
more than $50 separate drawings are
required, and these, in all their deli
cate details, would take a force of fifty
men nearly year to complete, if en-
gagged continuously at the task. Elk
cept for the belt of armor along its
tower, the steel plates of the ship are
only five-eighths of an inch thick, made
to keep out water rather than projec-
tiles.
Inside of this vessel are sixty-six sep
arate engines. Each of the two main
engines is so tremendous that, tucked
away under its arms, as its frames
reach up two or three stories high, are
two little engines, the sole purpose of
which is to start the big ones going.
Three immense dynamos, each of 800
amperes capacity, are used i'll the ship
An electric plant that could light up
a town of 5000 inhabitants. Twenty
one sets of speakingtubes run through
the vessel, and center at twelve tele-
phone stations. Clad with nineteen
inches of steel are two turrets, one fore
and one aft, in each of which are two
big 13-inch guns. Each of these guns
weighs 81 tons, and is 40 feet long,
Far down beneath the turrets are the
two main magazines, where ton upon
ton of powder and ball made into pro-
jectiles, some of which weigh 100
pounds each, is stored. These maya
zines are steel-clad rooms, and are
lighted by electric lights sunk into
glass wells in the corners of each room.
They are fitted with little thermometers
that ring fire alarm when the mer
curry reaches a certain height. They
also have system of tubes through
which flood of water may be poured
in time of danger One story above
the four 13-inch guns on the main deck
are eight S-inch guns, on superstruc-
ture, in sets of twos, and punched above
the smoke stacks. Amidships, ON the
main deck, are four 6-inch guns,
crowded still closer together. Subor-
dinate to all these, and peeping from
various open hooks and crevices, are
twenty -six smaller weapons, with long,
barrels, called rapid-firing
guns, each capable of firing projectiles
of chilled steel weighing from one to
three pounds at the rate of fifteen shots
a minute. Around on the superstruc-
ture are arranged fourteen boats, steam
whaleboats, gigs and one
electric launch.
When Mr.. Tracy decided to build |
,hese modern battle ships he summoned
Lieutenant Lewis Nixon, now the SUI
constructor at Cramps
yard, then under thirty years of age,
md told him to make crude design
e. I. .--l.k