The Portland daily press., 1895-07-03
BIG BRITISH CRUISERS.
Comparisons between Them and Those of
Our Own Navy.
{ From the New York Sun J

From the New York Sum-
The fame of the success achieved by out
great pair of protected crui sers, the Co.
lumbia and the Minneapolis, had not long
been bruited abroad before England
sought to outdo them with two still larger
vessels, to which she gave the impressive
names, Powerful and Terrible.
A British official description of the
Powerful and Terrible had spoken of
them, we believe, as the largest, swiftest
and most powerful cruisers The largest
they certainly are; but as to their speed
we must look to the future for informa-
tion According to the published figures,
the Terrible is 53S feet long, Il feet wide,
and of feet draught, displacing no less
than IA, 250 tons. Our Columbia and her
mate are 412 feet on the load water line
by 5S feet 12 inches in extreme BREADTH
with % feet 6 1-2 inches mean draught
and displacement of 1875 tons In this
particular, therefore, the British racers
are nearly double ours The Columbia S
maximum draught at the lowest point of
the keel, with full bunkers, is about 26
designed she was, according to Secretary
Tracy, the longest man-of- war i'll the
world; but these new British cruisers are
far longer.
The engines of the Terrible are to de.
velop 25, 600 horse power, with an extreme
speed originally described as "a knots.
The maximum indicated horse of
the Columbia is put in the tables of the
Bureau of Construction at IS, 509 and
that of the Minneapolis at 90, 493 But
although unequaled in any other water
vessels, the horsepower of the Powerful
and Terrible is not SO extraordinary, COM
pared with that of our Columbia and Min
neapolis, III proportion to the respective
displacements Of these two sets of vessels.
Indeed, the trial speed of the Columbia
was 20 knots, and that of the Minneapo-
lis %. 073, and some authorities doubt
whether more than 23 knots will be
achieved by the Terrible, while the dis
patches have now put it at only %, al
though possibly meaning with natural
draught.
In battery power the Powerful and Ter
rible are far superior to the Columbia and
Minneapolis The main battery Of the
latter consists of one 8-inch, two 6-inch
and eight 4-inch guns, while that of the
Terrible is two 9, pinch and twelve 6-inch
guns. The secondary battery of the
American vessels consists of twelve
6-pounderS, four l-pounders and four Cat
lings, while that of the British vessels
is eighteen 12-pounders and twelve
3-pounders. with several Maxims Our
vessels carry five torpedoes each and the
British four.
The Powerful and Terrible should be
good sea boats, with their breadth of beam
and deep draught. They are also note
worthy for their large number of water
tight compartments and their multi
plicity of coal bunkers, the latter having
the great total capacity of about 5000 tons,
which insures large steaming radius.
The ;.he bunker capacity of the Columbia is
1870 tons. The protective deck of the
latter is inches thick on the slopes, and
2 1-2 on the fat and that of the Terrible
is put at inches for most of it's length,
diminishing a little at it's extremities.
The Terrible is driven with twin screws
instead OF with triple screws, such as our
vessels have. Her hull will be sheathed
with wood and coppered, SO that she may
be kept longer at sea without the need
of docking.