Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-07-27

amount of power necessary to drive the vessel through the water at the re- Quired speed, the weight of boilers, en- zines and appurtenances necessary to develop that speed; the amount of weight that can be given to hull, armor, top hamper, guns, etc. ; the space that may be allowed for coal room, store room and other necessary divisions of the ship, and so On almost without end.
 Of course the chief constructor does not have to actually perform much of this arduous work, but he must be able to decide with unfailing accuracy when the figures arc presented to him wheth- CT they are accurate or not, since no one but him will be held responsible in case of miscalculation. In the matters of strength, seaworthiness and stability he can do no better than to figure out the necessary proportions for himself and as a matter of fact he goes over all the figures furnished by his subordinates, often radically changing and revising them, for the purpose of getting a little moro room here, of increasing the space there and of adding strength in another place, so that when the final plans for a warship arc completed sufficiently to leave Constructor Hichborn's S hands they may properly be considered his individ- ual work.
 In many ways Constructor Hichborn. since assuming his present place about two years ago, has given evidence of decided originality. He has not, it is true, failed to recognize points of excel lence i'll warships built abroad, but he has introduced some new things which have in the main met with unqualified approval on the part of those competent to judge As far as possible he has prof fited by the experiments and experience of foreign constructors, but at the same time he has made it q point to work on lines tending to the evolution, within established types, of ships that are dis tinct embodincnts of tho most admira ble features, constructive, engineering and offensive, of American inventive skill
 Commodore Hichborn is one of those who believe It possible to "overgun' warships. He does not think it wise to load q vessel with all the artillery she can carry. II deem it best," he says, "for us to avail ourselves of a marginal buoyancy in providing protection for quick firing guns, which, ill all proba- bility, will Go most important i'll com ing naval engagements. The more linn | ited the variety of guns on shipboard, he adds, "the more effective the ship is likely to prove ill the unavoidable din and confusion of action.
 Philip Hichhorn was born i'll Charles | town, Mass. March 1, 1889. He was | graduated from tho Boston high school in 1855, and was then indentured to the l government under the tuition of the | late Melvin Simmons, U. s. N., mas ter shipwright of the BostOW navy yard. | Young Hichborn showed himself so apt while there that he was given course of theoretical training ill ship designing and calculation. In 1860 he went to sea on clipper ship bound for California, then entered the employ of Pacific Mail company, and then went back to the government at the Mare Island navy yard, San Francisco, where ill two years he became master shipwright of the sta tion. In 1869 he was made all assistant naval constructor, with the relative rank of lieutenant. In 1870 he was trans ferred to the Portsmouth (N. H. navy yard. After that he went to League is land, Pennsylvania, was prominent dur ing the Centennial exposition of 1876, was sent to Europe ill 1874 on special duty and later was made an assistant chief of the naval construction bureau.
 His last promotion, to the head of the bureau, came ill 1893.
 Commodore Hichborn has passed through three distinct stages of ship
 building practice--wood, iron and steel.
 He believes that metal will bc the ship
 building material of the fnturs.