The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-10-19
TWO UNIQUE GUNBoArs.

The two gunboais launched at Newport
News today are the first craft designed
entirely under Secretary HERBERr's sd-
ministration. They are especially intend
ed to meet the need for tmal, easily
handled and economical craft to do po-
lice duty in shallow tropical ports and
up Asiatic rivers, thus relieving the large
cruisers OF work for which they are i'll
fitted 1t was originally planned to make
them composite, copper -shesthed vessels
so that they would not be obliged to re-
sort equently TO remote dry docks, but,
owing to the limitations OF the law, this
could not be done, ana both the Whining
ton and the Nashville are all-steel boats.
The Nashville is q schconer-rigged boat
and Is interesting because of her peculiar
machinery arrangements. She has twin
screws and two sets of qusdruple expan-
sion engines. The cylinders OF these are
arranged in fore and aft lines, with the
low pressures toward the bow. The
purpose is to disconnect these big cylin-
ders by a shaft coupling when the vessel
is on ordinary cruises, making the en-
gines triple expansion, and as thus ar
ranged they can be worked with small
consumption OF coal at about eight knots
speed. By coupling the low-pressure cyl
inders with the others the speed may be
run up to fourteen knots, though at the
expense OF much more coal. At
cruising speeds, an economy close
ly approximate to that Of careful
merchant steamers is expected. A fur
ther economy and simplicity is effected
by driving the main air pump directly
from the main engines, keeping in reserve
a small independent pump for use with
high speeds. A curious arrangement OF
boilers has been adopted to meet the
needs of the alternative quadruple or
triple expansion system. There are four
tubulous and two cylindrical boilers. With
full power and speed all of the boilers
will be used, the tubulous supplying
steam at $50 pounds to the high pres
sure cylinders and the shell boilers sup
plying steam at 16o pounds 10 the first
intermediate cylinders to meet it. At
cruising speeds either set OF boilers may
be used alone. The maximum horse power
will be 1850. Aside from these novel ma
chinery arrangements the features OF the
Nashville are an follows: Length, 22o
feet; breadth, 3s feet 8 inches; displace-
ment, 1871 tons; comp lement, $50 men;
battery, four rapid fire 4-inch rifles on
the main deck, four OF the same in ar
mored sponsors on the gun deck and
number Of l.pounder and Gatling guns.
The wilmington's peculiarities are in
the hull. She is only 21 tons larger than
the Nashville, but she 10 full feet longer
and nearly 2 feet broader, being $50 feet
0 inches long, by 20 feet inch
broad. This is accounted for by
the fact that she draws only nine feet OF
water, being specially designed for service
in the shallow Asiatic rivers She
has no sail power, but has one big
military mast in the shape OF conical
steel tower Containing a staircase and
carrying two Calling and two zone pound.
er Hotchkiss guns. The vessel has twin
screws and double rudders, ensuring
quick turning in narrow channels, and to
protect them against foulirg and damage
from the banks or drift. The hull Is
shaped astern into two long tunnels.
This gives great breadth of hull astern
which affords a large berthing space,
augmented by covered deck extending
aft two-thirds OF the vessels length.
Both vessels are fitted with electric
lights, electric fans and reirigerating
plants to make them comfortable when
in the tropics. The Wilmington has an