The Portland daily press., 1894-06-28


A year ago last March, at a dinner
given in Brooklyn in honor of Ex-Secre-
tary of the Navy Tracy and of his sue.
cessor, Secretary Herbert, much general
surprise was caused by the declaration
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 launching OF the
first modern American battleship. This
vessel, the Indiana, was one of three sis
ter battle ships building in this country,
and they are SO complete in all their
details, and so equipped with powers of
destruction, that, although they are
twenty-five per cent. smaller than the
great battleships now finished in Eng
target, they are acknowledged by naval
experts here and abroad to be superior to
any engine of war yet constructed.
In the July number of the Century,
Mr.. Albert Franklin Matthews describes
sThe Evolution of a Battleship.n The
cplCaoio AmCllCdfl u ulScIo nave dWd&-
ened the greatest interest in the new
navy, and their speed, offensive power,
and enormous coal capacity are generally
recognized. But to most lay readers the
present article will give the first definite
information concerning the battleships,
which must bear the brunt of offensive
and defensive fighting in the future.
~.
To build a battleship is of itself a
mighty achievement for any country,
says MIR. Matthews, but to build one
better than any, other nation is building,
and that in face of the fact that only six
years ago we had no planJs capable of
making shafts, armor, or gun forgings,
and none of the mighty tools required in
this work, is surely triumph.
The Indiana, which is simply packed
with machinery, when finished will
weigh 10, 1876 tons. OF these 1926 tons
of, her displacement 400 tons will be of
magnificent steel Tor the hull The ar
NOR, some of it eighteen inches thick,
will weigh 2, 200 tons. The engines and
machinery, acknowledged to be superior
to those constructed abroad, will weigh
875 tons, and the rest of the weight will
consist of armament, coal and stores. In
putting all this together about 700 tons
of rivets are used. For the hull alone
twenty five principal plans must he made
and fully 400 separate drawings must be
prepared, and duplicated by. photograph.
This of itself is enough week to keep a
force of expert craftsmen busy continu-
ously for eight months For the engines
more than $50 separate drawings are re-
quired, and these, in all their delicate
details, would take a force of fifty men
nearly a year to complete, if engaged
continuously at the task. Except for the
/ holt nf at0nO ifs gi6AS and tc
turrets and coming tower, the steel
plates of the ship are only five eighths
of an inch thick, made to keep out
water rather than projectiles.
Inside of this vessel are sixty-six sepa-
rate engines. Each of the two main en-
gines is SO tremend ousf that, tucked away
undersits arms, lis frames reach up two
or three stories high, are two little en-
gines, the sole purpose of which is to
startsthe big ones going.
Three immense dynamos, each of 300
amperes' capacity, are used in the ship
an electric plant that could light up a
town of 5000 inhabitants. Twenty one
sets of speaking tubes run throughout
the vessel, and centre at IL telephone
stations. Clad with 10 inches of steel
are two turrets. one fore and one aft, in
each of which are two big IL 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 aud ball made into projectiles,
some of which weigh 100 pounds each,
is storel. These magazines are steel
clad rooms, and are lighted by electric
lights sunk into glass wells in the cor
ners of each room. They are fitted with
little thermometers that ring fire alarm
when the mercury reaches a certain
height. They have also a system OF
tubes throughsEwhich asf.fcod of water
may be poured in time of danger One
story above the four 13 inch guns on the
main deck are eight-inch guns. on a su-
perstructure, in sets of twos, and
punched about the smoke stacks. Amid
ships, Oil the main deck, are four 6-inch
guns, crowded still closer together
Subordinate to all these, and peeping
from various open hooks and cfevices,
are 26 smaller weapons, with long needle
like barrels, called rapid-guns, each ca