Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-09
Sneedx md Graceful.

The Newport News will be the speediest.
the most graceful and the largest craft
plying in home waters. In model she con-
forms to the lines of the Washington. She
is fitted with triple expansion engines sup
piled with steam by two double-end boilers,
sufficient to produce power capable Of driv-
ing her twenty statute miles per hour In
slack water, using natural draft in the
| boilers. Her length over all will be 2to
feet: length between perpendiculars. 26o6 q:
breadth Of beam over fiared sides nodded
46 feet; beam at water line. 81 feet; depth
from base line to under side of deck at
center OF boat at lowest point amidships.
17.3; depth from base line to under side Of
deck at side at lowest point amidships
1876; free board to top Of guards at the
| tom of Shoe 126.
Her engines VIII be of the inverted. d.
| rect-acting. surface-condensing form OF the
| triple-expansion type. having the light
pressure cylinder forward and the low
pressure cylinder aft, and to be built for
working pressure Of 16O pounds TO the
square inch. Each OF the three eyhnd rSs
| tagging will be perfect and every detail OF
cylinder heads pistons, slide valves, stop
valves, framing. condenser, bed plate, cross
heads, main guide bars, connecting rods,
crank shaft, reversing gear. starting gear,
turning gear, thrust bearing and pumps
has been looked after with reference to ex-
treme efficiency.
The keel is to be a vertical plate of steel,
thirty-eight inches deep from bottom or
keel to top of center keelson angle and two
and nine sixteenths thick for one : half
length amidships and one-half inch thick
at ends. This keel runs as far forward and
aft as possible. increasing in depth toward
the stern and under the engines and join
ing the stem forward and sternpost AFT.
Modern Construction.
The stem is to be Of the best hammered
iron, eight inches wide from keel plate to
ten inches at water line, gradually taper
ing to the bottom of the rabbit. The stern
frame Is of hammered iron. forged with all
necessary rudder pintles and bosses on and
properly secured by very heavy transom.
The frames are of steel bars and the floors
of steel plates. The reverse frames, belt
| frames. keelsom, side and lower bilge keel
SONS. upper bilge keelsoms are all that
modern shipbuilding can do.
Especial attention was given to the en-
| gihe foundation. consisting of four plates
| bottom of the bed plate on each side of the
center of boat for the whole length OF the
er gine room. and two lines of intercostal
keelsoms. On top of the floor there is
| rveted plate for the bed plate and con-
| dcnser. The boiler foundation Is arranged
| so that each boiler will be supported by
two fore and aft box keelsoms. each keel
| som consisting of two vertical plates of
heavy thickness, and the top of these keel
| SONS Is capped by half-inch plating. The
| m ain deck beams extend in one piece from
outside to outside of the overhang of the
| iron structure, one on every frame. The
| lower deck beams are of steel angles
| placed on alternate frames rivcted to side
| stringer and knees. The knees are of steel
! three lines of ridge bars are located on
the main and lower deck beams. and under
| each row of ridge bars are the iron
| stanchions.
For Safety.
There will be one collision bulkhead
located twenty feet aft of the stem; one
bulkhead ffty-six feet aft Of the stem
one bulkhead forward Of the coal bunkers
one coal bunker bulkhead forward of the
fire room; one coal bunker bulkhead aft Of
the fire room; one forward of the engine
room, and one aft of the after end of Tho
engine room. These are to be water-tight
stifened by steel angles. They are fitted
with necessary sluice valves and rods 81
as to permit the flow Of water to the
pumps.
The lower deck stringers are of steel
The shaft alley extends from the afte
bulkhead of the engine room to the stuffinl
box bul<head. and is of steel plates. IL
attention no slight has been given any de
tail of the work. Specifications were ex
acting as to the main deck stringer, til
plates. steel decking and slrakes. Thu
guards, overhang at sides, of tn
fiaring, sponsor type. The ruddar is o
approved size and shape. The extension o
the Enclosure around the stack and boiler
to point above the hurricane deck insure
safety from fire at that point. The equip
ment of the vessel Is in harmony with thu
greatness and degree of the snip. In tn
general clause of the contract it was slip
ulat ted that all the materials required TO
the work should be of the best quality TO
the purpose intended. and that the worl
should be done in a thoroughly workman
like manner. The vessel is. of course. t.
pass United States inspection as to hull
machinery and equipment 1t is stipulate,
that the ship shall be practically free from
vibration while running at her highes
speed
The trial trip will be awaited with inter
est, and will occur at such time ard plac
as the Norfolk and Washington SteaIboa
Company and the builders shall agree.