Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-25
EVOLVING A BATTLE SHIP
The Indiana the Greatest Engine of War
in the World.
And the United states Vow Ranks as
Fifth Among the SnNai Powers
of the World.

J - year ago last Mafcn, al n ClnDer E1re0
in Brooklyn in honor of eN-Secretary II
the Navy Tracy and OF his successor. Sec
rotary Herbert much general surprise Was
| caused by the declaration of the former
| that the United States was thea entitled
to rank fifth among the naval powers Of
! the world. a few days before both Of tho
! guests Of honor had been present at the
| launching OF the first moGcm American
battle ship This vessel. the Indiana, vas
one of three sister battle ships building IA
this country. ana they are 50 complete IN
| all their details, snc so equipped with pow
| crs OF destruction, that. although they are
- per cent smaller than the great battle
ships now finished in England and there
| fore that much less OF a target they are
| Acknowledged 10y naval experts here ana
abroad TO be superior 10 any engine Of war
/ yet constructed.
To build battle ship is OF itself a mighty
achievement for any country, says AR.
! Albert r. Matthews in an arttcle On The
] Evolution OF a Battle snip" in the July
/ number OF the Century. bur 10 build one
J better than any other n1tlca IS building.
/ and that in tbs face Of the fact that Ouly
/ six years ago We had no plants capa ole OF
! making shafts, 4rmor or Elu fUrsln-s, and
none OF the mish;y tools required Ia tails
. work, is surely triumph. The Indiana.
! which is s!mIly packed with machinery,
| when finished VIII weigh lu.2-l5 tons "
1 these lo.2.6 tons Of Ec- dis. iaC-ment 4. 4UO
tons Will be OF magnificent steel for the
hull. The armcr, s-rle VI IL eighteen inches
thick, Will weigh 100 t3as. Tne engines
and Machinery. GCanJT.el-e- - - supe-
rior TO those Constructed abroad, will weigh
St.s tons, and The rest o. NlV weight VIII
| consist Of armament coal AMI stores. In
putting all this tcgether about au0 tons Of
riyets are used.
MarveIs of Machinery.
Inside OF this vessel are siNty-six separate
engines. Each OF the two main engines is
so tremendous that. tucked away un5er It's
;.v
stories high. are Two little engines. the sole
purpose Of which il TO start the big ones
! going. Three immense iynamos, each OF
JuO amperes' capacity, are usel in the ship
an electric plan mat cOU4d Light ny a
/ town Of 500 Inhabitants. THeaty-One sets
[ Of Speaking-tubes run Throughout the YES
| SCI, and center At twelve telephone sta
/ tions. Clad with l. inches OF steel are two
| turrets, one fore ana one AFT. n each Of
which are two big i3-inch guns. Zach 81
I these guns weighs 81 tons ami is ~ feet
long.
Far down beneath the turrets are the two
/ main magazines. where ton upon ton OK
powder and bail. made into proJectiles.
/ some Of which weigh LEO pounds each is
stored. These magazines are steel-clad
rooms, and are lighted by electric lights
/ sunk into glass wells IL. the corners u
/ each room. they are Httel with little Their
mometers ihat ring Ire alarm when the
mercury reaches a certain nelGht. They
( have also a system OF tubes through which
/
! danger. one story above the four l3-inch
guns on the main deck are eight s-tnch
/ guns. on a superstructure, in sets Of twos.
and punched about the smolesiaCKs. Amid
ships, on the main deck. are four 6-inch
/ guns. crowded still closer together. Subor-
] dinate TO all these and peeping from varl-
Gus open hooks ana creNtces, are twenty
six smaller weapons. With long needle-like
| barrels, called rapid-fre guns. each capable
| of firing projectiles Of chilled steel weigh
] ing from one TO thr.e pounds at the rate
OF fifteen shots a minute. Around ON the
superstructure are arranged fourteen boats.
steam launches, whalebOats, gigs and one
electric launch.
To Beat the Foreign uoats.
When MIR. Tracy decided to build these
modern battleships. he summoned Lieut..
Lewis Nixon, now the experimenting con-
structor at Cramps yard. then under thir-
ty years of age. and toli him 10 make a
crude design for such a craft as he had
indicated. At that time no vessel larger
than 1890 tons had been launched in this
country. Proceeding upon an s..syb-toa
basis. Mr.. Nixon built steel fort pat as
heavy guns IN K and on IL as ne could
with safety. and then calculated the dimen-
sions Of the boat Ca which 4; must float
After Mr.. Tracy looked at the fi,uras and
listened TO tire explanation Of them, he
thrust them aside with this remark:
Il don't know much about these aetaflp
and dimensions. What l want 10 know il
whether. II you 1t all these suns go Of az
once. tntS NhNlu tfstt me delivery 81 the
guns on those battleships the English and
French are building"
They would not. am sorry 10 say" 70
piled the young constructor.
Go back and make them do It," said the
Secretary.
Mr.. Nixon went back and added loo
tons TO the Displacement OF the vessel and
in a day or two sought the Secretary.
Now VIII they beat those foreign boatsys
asked the Secretary.
Well" said the constructor Il am afraid
they won't beat them, but they'll nearly do
So
Go back and make them do It," said the
Secretary again, adding, we can launch
just as big boats as any one else"
Mr.. Nixon went back, and the third time
hit the mark, producing plans for 10000
ton vessel, such as the Indiana. That he
did successfully what he was ordered 20 Is
shown by the fact that the main batteries
OF the English battlesnips Victoria sunk
last year I'm the Mediterranean and Royal
Sovereign are planned TO hurl 5000 pounds
/ of metal at a single discharge. while ths
Indiana. OF nearly 400 tons less displace.
ment, and drawing three feet less OF water
hurls G.sop pounds OF metal at a single
DISCHARGE OF her main batteries.
Damages Of $500 have been awarded at
New YORK city 10 Alfred p. Beers. in his
suit against the Hamburg American Steam