Evening journal., 1896-12-10
SHE IS NOW IN THE NAVY
Big Harbor Defense Monitor
Puritan In Commission.
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS IN BUILDING

2" nN 4 - L ~ 1 ALAhD I'm DUlLDlNt
Experts Pronounce Her the Most Formi.
dabie Coast Defender Adoat-Has Only
Three Foot seaboa-d--sinaII Target For
the Enemy's Guns.
BROOKLYN, Dec 10-The flag was flung
go the breoze from the monitor Puritan al
zthe navy yard today, and the vessel added
fto the commissioned ships of the United
Estates navy. Tho navy department in
Itended TO have this ceremony take place
+ on Dec. but the yard authorities wished
10 have her machinery tested before formal
\ " declaring that she was ready for hei
zpfiicers and crew
q About 200 men comprise the crew. The
officers thus far assigned are Captain John
r. Bartlett, Lieutenant Commander James
&t. Selfridge, executive officer Lieutenant
<Austin M. Knight navigator; chief en-
%gineer, George COwie: lieutenants :. b.
HCook, William b. Whittelsey and G. J.. p
&5tone; ensign, r. II. jackson; paymaster,
r. Frazer, and pay clerk, J. Updyke
The Purita J, though a formidable dou-
3ble turreted monitor, ranking second class
#imong warships, is thing of beauty, hei
N|nass of steel floating like a yacht.
The original Puritan was designed by
*tricsson in 1864 and her hull built later,
Z put nothing was done with her works un-
n IL turned over to John Roach, who laid
he keel of the present Puritan at Chester,
s Pa, in 1875. He broke up the old vessel
y nd used some of her material in the new
Nnonitor Criticism, debates in congress
e nd lack of confidence and appropriations
+ put a stop to work on her until years had
passed, and it became necessary to make
y Ter a modern monitor, with two turrets
s nd long, steel rapid firing guns. She
vas inunchl in 1888.
Experts now pronounce her the most
ormidable of our coast defense warships.
he looks like a man-of-war cut down to
Tithin few feet of the water line The
riginal plan was to fit her out with four
urrcts. Today her two 80 foot turrcts,
military mast, " coming tower and
mokestack are all the permanent struc-
lres visible above deck.
These are her measures Length on load
-ater line, 2JS@ feet; extreme breadth,
feet / = INCHES; mean draft, Is feet
isplacement, 6060 tons. Engines, twin
rev, triple expansion, compound typo,
( P furnish 9, 700 horsepower. She carries
10 tons Of coal and makes a speed of l2 "a
nots. Her cylinders are so and SO inches
Y diameter, with ~ inch stroke.
Her Powerful Engines.
4 Next TO the interior of the turrets, the
Diler and engine rooms are among the
onders to be seen below deck The heat
Iring action rises from 100 to 100 de-
Fees, far above the temperature of "A
urkish bath. But for the effective system
forced ventilation in all parts of this
arine monster, life would be unbearable
low.
Along the narrow boiler room are IS
rnaces, supplying the big boilers with
bat and steam. These boilers are 10 feet
ng and l3 feet in diameter. with pres
re Of 80 pounds and CRATE surface Of
square feet. The twin four bladed
opellers are Is feet in diameter
Three powerful blowers force the draft
ider the boilers and the latest system of
+ sctric lighting and every modern i'm
oycment have been introduced. There
ten watertight compartments, and
double bottom is so divided that 81
nilar divisions can be flooded or pumped
in a short time.
The Puritdn's side armor Is of steel
pm IA to @ inches thick, the greatest thick
SIS being am'dships taporing fore and
and heiow tho water liue The two
rets are Of IA irch uarveylzed steel
Po coming tower, feet in diameter and
Get high, is also Il inch steel In this
ter the telephone wires and speaking
hes, incased in steel pipes, from different
rts of the ship. With freeboard of
" feet the enemy will find the Puritan
hard target TO hit.
The main battery is of four l2 inch
ms in the turrets, six inch rapid fire
ms mounted on the superstructure deck.
Gro are also four l Founders and a
'id fire machine gun in the lookout on
military mast.