The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-08-04

Of the secondary battery ranging from
twelve 70 twenty-four guns, all RAPID
firing
Beside the battery, an essential part on
a cruisers outfit Fl time Of war Is Tor
pe1o armament The Howell torpeao' Al
Invention OF Commodore Hover. o. tne
United Erasss navy and the " H4te14e1d.
an English Invention. have been adopfe1
for our new ships. The torpedo y sog11
twenty feet long from fifteen 70 eignfeen
inches IN diameter, and carries a c1a.ks
OF 30 pounds Of gun cotton or otne. nlsa
explosive. X is fred from tuoe7 Httsn II
the ship a, the bow. stern and on either
side. BY means CT small charge OF black
powder. the charge being about four
ounces tuSt enough 70 launch the TORPEDO
clear o. ire ships side The torpedo -
automobile. with a speed OF thirty miles
an hour It's range, however, Is nnited.
being about 80 yards. IL the captain Of
A.. es1a-Yr1ored cruiser should determine 20
lay his ship alongside superior enemy,
the torpedo would be the only weapon
ina, would give him chance OF success
A the other nations have and are now
building swift commerce destroyers, SINH
lar 10 our unarmored cruisers, we must
have a class OF vessels that VIII be able
70 destroy the unarrnored cruisers OF 9TH
or nations. For this purpose we built the
arrnored cruisers New York and Brook
Ign.
The armored cruiser is contracted Ike
the unarmored, with double bottoms.
many compartments and a protective
deck. The protective deck is thicker al
the sides than az the ends, and curved
SO as 20 strengthen the ram bow. Be-
sides this deck there rs a belt OF armor
extending above and below the water
line being thIckesf and widest amidships
for the better protection of the vitals.
This additional weight which the ship
must carry, necessarily reduces her speed
unless the ship Is built too large for the
special object In view. vessels OF from 5000
to 1900 tons displacement
The speed of an armored cruiser is from
eighteen 10 twenty knots, while that of
the unarmored is twenty-one. Both
classes of ships have great coal capacity.
The late secretary of the navy, Mr.. Tracy,
has stated that the Columbia can steam
around the world. at a moderate rate Of
speed, without stopping for coal The
New York can steam from Seattle 10
New York without coaling, and be ready
ali the way 10 give battle.
The battery Of the arrnored cruiser must
necessarily be q heavy one. as she be
longs 70 the fighting class OF the feet In
the New York the primary battery con-
sists Of six S-inch and twelve 4-inch guns.
Her secondary consists Of eight s-pound-
ers, four l-poHnders and four Cuttings.
The Brooklyn's battery is eight s-inch,
twelve 5-inch. twelve s-pounders. four l.
Founders ard four Gatlings. When one
remembers that the S-inch guns can be
fired I'm three minutes, that the shells
weigh go pounds; that the 4-inch. with It's
3s-pound shell. can be fired I'VE times in
seventeen seconds: that the 6-poundefs
and i-pounders can easily be fired twenty
aimed shots I'm one minute, and the Cat
iines J. 600 rounds a minute. then he can
begin TO realize what the armament of a
modern man-of-war can do in case ii is
called into action.
On board the coast defense vessels like
the Monterey four guns, II and l0-ineh
ealber. are mounted in turrets, with as
man. and 4-poUnders and Cuttings for
the secondary battery as the construction
OF the ship viii admit The heavier the
guns ship carries. the heavier her arm
or The coast defense vessels are built
for smooth water fighting and are practi-
cal floating forts, that can be readily and
quickly sent where they are needed. The
thumb rule in regard TO all the high
power modern guns. OF other nations
well as ours. is that the weight of pro-
jectile Is twice the weight of charge. The
range is a mile 10 an inch OF caliber; that
is. a 6-inch gun shoots six miles. Ehis is