The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-01-18

compound rate OF interest. Some Of the
Ideas originally involved in the con-
struction of these, the only double
turreted monitors in the navy, were
revolutionized after the bulls were COM
pleted and for some years their progress,
II any bad been contemplated, was
checked until changes had been de-
cided upon.
When the plans had been remod-
deled work was again started.
The hulls of the Terror and the Puri-
tan were lowed to the New York navy
yard, at Brooklyn, about six years ago,
and work has progressed on them spas
medically since then. The Amphitrite
is being completed at the Norfolk navy
ward, while the Monadnock is progress
ing slowly at the Mare Island navy
yard on the Pacific coast. Since the big
cruiser Maine was launched and gotten
the yard has been concentrated upon
the two monitors, which are now being
completed rapidly.
The Puritan has gone into the dry
dock which the Maine left and the
work of boiling on her thick steel
plates has been taken up where it was
left off several years ago. From her
deck line, which is only three feet out
of wafer, to considerably below the
water line, the Puritan will be pro-
tected with the heaviest kind of ar
NOR. This will vary in thickness from
fourteen inches to about eight inches
below the level of the water, and the
labor involved in fastening these slabs
of iron to the hull is both long and
tedious.
Its believed, however. that the larger
of the two monitors will be finished
and ready for her trial trip within six
months. The enormous guns which Will
be her chief weapons lie at the side of
the dock along with the iron for her
turrets. Two of the Puritan's eight
boilers were taken out when she was
remodeled and new ones Dut in their
places. but otherwise her machinery
and engines are the same as were orig
inally put in her when she was first
built. Her turrets, conning-tower, bat
teries and superstructure will be fin
ished up and put in place when the
Hrmor plating is completed and the YES
Sci is again put back into the water.
The Terror is little further on to-
ward completion and it is thought that
she will be ready for her trial trips
early in the spring-three months be-
fore the Puritan In ease of necessity,
that is If war should suddenly break
put or other hurried call for defense
vessels be received, the Terror could
be finished Up for service within a
month She Is tied to the wharf where
she has lain for years, and the work
men are busy putting on her turret-
tops and shipping her smaller batteries.
Very little of the plating remains to be
aone and most of the work during the
winter will be in fitting up below
eecks. Some Of the machinery has
been a little delayed by the manufac-
surers, but the ship will probably be
ready before a crew can be secured to
nan her.
OF the four sister monitors, the Ter
for, perhaps, viii be the most interest
ing, because the success of several rew
ideas in marine mechanics will depend
upon her. Pneumatic power will be
used'for the first time on the Terror
for revolving the turrets, for elevating
and handling the great ten-inch steel
rifles inside of them and for steering
the ship. Steam and hydraulic power
have both been used in the big war
ships, but pneumatic power has never
before been tried. Another new fea-
ture of the Terror will be the electrical
connections from both pilot-house and
fprrets to the pneumatic machinery.