Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-12

boats. light craft. and to sweep the un-
armored parts of an enemy. will consist Of
sixteen six-pounder rapid-fire guns four
Cne-pounder rai.id-fire guns, four machine
or GatliEg guns and one field piece. In
addition to this force an allowance OF gun
cotton for submarine mining and eight au-
tomobile torpodoes, to be discharged from
the two tubes on each broadsi'ie amlaships,
will be carried for that silcn. AMI more
deadly phase Of naval warfare.
PonderOus Mass.
To the eye the delusive lightness of white
paint " ill not be enough to carry the con-
victicn of SO modest a draft twenty
three and a half feet for this ponderous
mass of nearly 1900 tons Of metal. Yet
the skill of the designers has wrought this
in the face Of greater draft of all our Eu-
ropean compeers. Ii as IN this very feature
that the new ships will be the more ef-
fective, being able to enter any of our I'M
portant seaboard harbors, while at the
same time able to carry on an aggressive
warfare. and that beyond the reach OF her
he aver drafted foreign classmates. In
fact, these ships will draw less water than
our armored cruisers New York and Brook
Ign.
In point of design these new ships are
combinat tons of the best features Of the
Iowa and the kearsarge types. modified by
the ratural advances which each succeed
ing ship is bound to show, together with
certain initial improvements.
A fighting craft Of any order is neces-
sarily a compromise OF certain essentials.
tion-thickness and scope OF distribution
corsidered-speed. coal endurance or radius
Of steaming action and maneuver,ng ease
are most important, and to these ends
the present vessels bear the stamp OF mod
erni;y in every favorable sense.
Az Seen From the Deck.
Stand upon the upper deck. beside the
forward turret for two of the 13-inch guns.
and save for the presence of a couple Of
yentflators, steam winch. q capstan, and
a pair of cranes for handling the ponderous
archors, the deck runs smoothly to the
bow, about which 1t spreads cupboard with
a considerable overfang, yielding more
deck room and forming an easy break for
seas that would otherwise board her. Back
and above rises the superstructure. upoL.
whose deck rest the Goats. clear beyond the
reach OF the heavy guns. On the bridges
stand the search lights that can pierce the
darkest night with broad paths of MONDAY
brightnt So, and there, too, are set some of
the siX-pounders that are to meet the on
sl2ught OF torpedo craft, while in the tops
Of the two military masts are placed one
Founders and GatlinGs to help in the same
service and to sweep an elemys dec ks and
open ports. Just back of the forward tur-
ret and below the chart house rests the
coming tower, within whose rounded walls
of ten-inch steel the captain will guide his
craft into action.
A like citation, but only six inches thick.
is placed on the superstructure deck below
the after bridge and right abaft the mann
mast, and there the admiral will order his
Signals and take his place in action. With
in either place the commanding officer
stands in touch with every vital part Of his
ship, and knows to a nicely the condition
of everything needful to efficient control.
Speaking tubes, telephones. call bells. range
indicators and te,oSraphs of all sorts stud
those walls and send branching nerves
from these brain cei.ters carrying every
where their messages and brins.ng back
the acknowledgment of tIsc.r ect ltion and
discharge.
Turn aft. and right at us po,.its one of
the six-incb guns as 1t peers OFT of its eta
del of six-inch steel. Go inside and there
we find the two guns separated by bulk
head or wall of steel an inch and a hal:
thick-a protection against flying splinters
and the spread OF the noxious fumes of ex-
plosive shell. Out again just abaft this ci:-
adel. down flight OF steps. and we stand
upon the after main deck and nearly
abreast the after turrct for the heavy
guns Turning short about and In through