The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-11-23
Bids Will Be Opened OH the Last
of the Month for Two Fight
ing Vessels.
They Will Undoubtedly Have
No SuperiOrs in Any Navy
in the World.
One to Be Called the Kearsage
in Honor of the Famous
Old Craft.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23.-On the last
day of this month bids will be opened
at the navy department for the con.
struction Of two great battleships, Nos.
5 and 6, one of which will be christened
the "Kearsarge, to perpetuate the
name of that famous old craft. Their
cost is not to exceed 81, 600, 600 each, ex
elusive of armament, and if reasonable
bid is obtained, one must be built on
the Pacific coast.
With II 800 tons displacement, 10000
horsepower, 16 knots speed, 36S feet in
length and - feet beam, these>will be
largest ships in our navy; nevertheless
they will draw but % feet of water with
all stores and coal aboard, or two feet
less than the battleships already built,
and so may be more readily docked and
can enter shallower harbors.
Novelty in Gun Arrangement.
A great novelty in these new vessels
will be i'll the arrangement of the guns,
for the principal battery of l3 and s.
inch rifles will be placed in double-deck
turrets, while no less than ii rapid fire
guns of 5-inch calibres will be distrib.
uted around each ship. The 13-inch
guns and the double-deck turrets were
adopted at the instance Of the ordnance
bureau and against the judgment of
Chief Constructor Hichborn. The ar.
NOR protection is complete-of Harvey.
lied nickel-steel-14 inches thick on the
barbettes, increasing to II inches on
the face Of the 13.inch turrets, 49,,
on the waterline belt and inches above
on the sides and ON the top of all pro-
tective deck 234 inches thick inclined to
defect shot Thick bulkheads are also
provided to cut off a raking fire, splin-
ter bulkheads are placed at exposed
points and back of the waterline armor
will be cofferdams filed with American
cornpith to exclude water in the event
that a shot does perforate an armor
plate.
Will Beat All Foreign Ships.
A comparison of these vessels with
any foreign battleships built, or build
ing will, i'll every case, be to the advan-
tage of the United States vessels, which
carry heavier guns and more of them.
heavier armor, more widely distributed
and protecting more thoroughly the
vitals of the ship and gun crews. Their
normal speed of 16 knots will be less on
paper than that of most foreign battle
ships, but it should be noted that this
speed will be obtained with q very
moderate forced draught and without
unduly pushing the engines, so that it
may be expected that at any time this
speed can be duplicated by our vessels,
while it is notorious that foreign battle.
ships never again approach their trial
speeds.
Battery of Rapid Fire Guns.
Perhaps the most novel feature of
these vessels and the one which is dis
tinctly in advance of other battleships,
is the Overpowering battery of ii 5-inch
rapid fire guns thoroughly protected by
six inches of the best armor. The 81
inch gun is the largest calibre which
can be fired with great rapidity, and
the protection given these guns is such
that it could be penetrated by but few
Of the guns carried by the opposing bat
tleship. Experience in the recent war
between China and Japan indicate
clearly the power of the rapid fire guns,
and also that to enable such guns to do
their beft work, they should have more
protection than has heretofore been
given them.
These vessels when completed. with
all their armor and armament, will cost
in the neighborhood of $5,00O,CO0.
The time which will be allowed the
contractor for the completion of these
vessels is three years.