The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-27

thousands of feet of steam and water
pipes that do a like transfer of power and
hold control over all the mechanism and
every one of the many water-tght com
partments into which the ship Is cut.
The offensive phase of the ship will con-
sist primarily Of guns and torpedo dis
charges. The main battery is composed
of four twelve-inch and eight eight-inch
breech-loading rifles mounted In pairs In
six turrets; the secondary battery con-
sists of six four-inch rapid-fire guns, while
twenty six-pounder, four one-pounder
and two gattling guns constitute an aux
The four twelve-inch guns are housed
In two barbette. balanced turrets,and poke
their long bodies out through walls Of
the mechanism that turn the turrets
through their arc OF 30 degrees. load,
depress and elevate the guns. rest safely
behind the protection OF the barbettes
seventeen inches through. Concentrated
upon a foe on either side, the four great
guns would send forth mass Of a ton
and quarter of hardened steel driven
by 1,720 pounds of powder, leaving the
rifles with a pent-up force equal TO the
energy needed to raise the whole snip,
crew and all, to hight Of eight feet in
one second.
From the four smaller turrets, five
inches thick, firing through an arc of 40
degrees and revolving wltnln parpeIdies
three inches heavier, the eight-inch rifles
can fire shell Of go pounds, capable Of
passing undeformed through eight inches
of steel four thousand yards away and
with a nossfble bombardinR range of one
mile for every inch Of caliber.
Four of the four-inch rapid fire guns are
placed on the main deck, sheltered by arm
bulkheads, while the two remaining are
mounted up in the after superstructure,
where they command an extended sweep.
fire guns could be maintained a perfect
storm Of explosive shell, before WHICH the
unarmored parts Of foe would yield IKE
paper and through which II would be i'm
possible for torpedo boat to pass.
From the bow or two places on either
side amidships torpedoes could be launch
ed. These weapons are tiny vessels in
themselves, actuated by miniature mech
anism OF great power and delicacy, guided
by self-adjusting rudders that automati-
cally compensate for the variations OF
subaaueous pressures and bearing head
charged with the deadly force of 100
pounds of gun cotton-a material three
times as powerful as powder: Endowed
with a seeming Intelligence mat holds
them against wind and the 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 the blow, If fairly placed.
lust behind the forward large turret
and below the pilot house Is the coming
tower within the narrow compass OF
Witch 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 mas
ter brain force Of the whole craft Is cen
tered. and branching nerves, in the shape
OF numerous wires and tubes, are carried
TO every important point down the spinal
Column Of that armOred tube putting
the commanding officer in touch with ev-
ery important 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 the great organism below him,
and watches the coming enemy through
the narrow Sits In the walls about him.
Silent, and with tense nerves, the gun
crews await the signal to hurl In any di-
recticn great masses of destructive steel,
fastening on their errand with a velocity
OF 2,00O feet a second, while way below the
busy fremen feed the roaring furnaces.
The massive machinery quickens. and