The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-03-28

plenty OF pure. fresh water; large gal
leys viii cook In ample bounty whole
some food for the crew; U refrigerating
PLANT, with u daily capacity or ton
Of ice, will grant that comfort and
preserve unspoiled the fresh provender.
that home food may welcome the sharp
ened appetites and replace the salt
horse and hard tack of former times
when far at sea.
The miles and miles Of rope which
formed the rigging OF our ancient craft
have = modern substitute In the thous-
ands and thousands of feet Of steam
and water pipes that do like transfer
OF power. and hold control over all
the mechanisms ga every one Of the
many water-tight compartments into
which the ship is cut.
HOW SHE Is ARMED.
The offensive phase Of the ship will
consist primarily of guns and torpedo
discharges. The main battery Is COM
posed OF four 12-inch and eight S-inch
breech-loading rifles mounted, in paris.
In six turrets; the secondary battery
consists Of six 4-inch rapid-fire guns,
while twenty 6-pOunder four 1-pound-
er, and two Gatllng guns constitute
an auxiliary force. The four 12-inch
guns are housed In two barbette, bal
anced turrets, and poke their long
bodies out through walls Of hardened
steel fifteen inches thick, while the
mechanlsms that turn the turrets
through their are OF 20 degrees. load.
depress and elevate the guns. rest
safely behind the protection of the bar
bettes, seventeen inches through. Con-
centrated upon u foe on either side.
the four great guns would send forth
a mass OF u ton and quarter Of hard
ened steel driven by leo pounds OF
powder. leaving the rifles with u pent-
up force equal to the energy needed to
raise the whole ship crew and ALL to
a height OF eight feet In one second
From the four smaller turrets, Ave in
ches thick. firing through an are OF
11O degrees and revolving within bar
bettes three inches heavier the S-inch
rifles can fire shells of $50 pounds, cap
able OF passing undeformed through
eight inches OF steel 1000 yards away,
and with q possible bombarding range
OF one mile for every inch Of caliber.
Four or the fOur-inch rapid-fire guns
are placed on the main deck, sheltered
Dy armored sponSonS and thick steel
splinter bulkheads, while the two re-
naming are mounted up In the after
superstructure where they command
an extended sweep. From these rifles
and the smaller rapid-fire guns could
be maintained perfect storm Of eX-
plosive shell, before which the unar-
mOred parts of a foe would yield like
paper, and through which 1t would be
impossible for u torpedo boat to pass.
From the bow or two places on either
side amidships, torpedoes could be
launched. These weapons are tiny YES
sells in themselves, actuated by minia-
ture mechanism Of great power and
delicacy, guided by self adjusting rud-
derB that automatically compensate
for the variations Of subaQueous pres
sures. and bearing head charged with
the deadly force Of 120 pounds of gun
cotton-a material three times as pow
erful as powder. Endowed with q
seeming intelligence that holds them
against wind and tide straight on their
errand of death and demolition, they
speed rapidly toward the object Of their
discharge, and no ship yet built can
withstand that blow IL fairly placed.
Just behind the forward large turret
and below the pilot-house Is the con-
ming tower, within the narrow compass
OF which and behind whose walls Of
ten-inch steel the captain controls
these mighty powers and guides his
ship into action. Within that little
space the master brain force of the
whole craft is centered, and branching
nerves. in the shape of numerous wires
and tubes, are carried to every import
ant point down the spinal column of
that arrnOred tube, putting the COM
manding officer in touch with every i'm
portant station. There before him he
reads the speed Of his ship: knows to an
inch the direction of the rudder; reads
repeated the orders that he gave and
knows them minded: follows the hand
that marks In yards the distance OF the
nearing foe: knows the readiness Of
every part Of that great organism be-
low him, and watches the coming enc
my through the narrow Sits In the
walls about him.
SHE IS A FAST sAILER.
Silent and with tense nerves. the gun
crews await the signal to hurl In any
direction great masses OF destructive
| steel, Fastening on their errand with
, a velocity OF 1000 feet a second. while
way below the busy firemen feed the
roaring furnaces. The massive ma
| chinery quickens and through the ship
| Is felt the steady throb Of those pom
| derous bodies: and, when those en-
| gines are making 100 and more revolu-
tions a minute and the two 16-foot
| screws are churning the water back
with all the force of 1000 horse power,
the ship--a moving mass Of ll,4l0 tons
| speeds onward at the rate Of sixteen
knots an hour. To stand before her
| then means to take blow Of awful
might from her murderous ram, before
which the toughest armor would bend
like bunch grass in an autumn gale.
| Such. indeed. are the possibilities of
modern warfare. There are no super
numeraries--each man has his appoint
ed place. his single responsibility. and
the post at which he must fight or per-
ish In full realization of the direful
forces with which he has to bear: and
above 1t all the master mind in the con-
ming tower must wrest his honors by
that finesse, thought, and cunning of
execution his undaunted courage and
self-control make possible. With 1,S0O
tons of coal aboard-her bunkers filled,
the Iowa will be able to steam, at q
cruising rate of ten knots an hour, for
thirty days, covering In that time a dis
tance Of 7,40O miles; and at q full speed
OF sixteen knots an hour will have an
endurance Of six days and n radius
Of action OF 5000 miles. In power OF
battery, scope of fire. armor protection
and efficiency. the ship is equal to any
of the larger foreign ships of like type,
while considerably ahead of her Euro
pean classmates of like size.
As an example of the American naval
architects skill. she Is an achievement
of which we should we'll feel proud. and
namesake in which any state might
glory.
Seintie Rhe utnatism Cured.