The sun., 1896-09-20
The VENUS Type OF CRUISERS.
Their Dimensious and Features, aud How
They Conpare with Our Olympia.

Their Dimenst0us and Features, aud How
They Conpare with Our Oiympla.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 1e.-The first of new class
OF British cruisers has recently been completed
and turned over to the Admiralty. There are six
of them, the Venus, Juno, Diana, Dido. Doris,
and Isis, and they are an Improvement on three
earlier vessels the Talbot. Minerva, and Eclipse,
of nearly the same displacement After tho
earlier trio had been laid down, 1t was observed
that they would have been more efficient IL
itted with military tops. Accordingly. in the
aext six vessels. of which the Venus is the
first to be ready, these fighting tops were
added. with six inches more beam, In order
that no lack Of stability might follow from tho
other change.
Contracts for the Venus and the Diana were
given TO tho Fairfield Company: for the Juno
and Doris to the Barrow Company. and for the
remaining two to the London and Glasgow Com
pany. Their general dimensions show length
between perpendioulars of $50 feet. an extreme
breadth of "a, and q mean draught OF COZ. Civ
ing displacement OF 5000 tons. Thus they
are not very far away, In dimensions, from our
Olympia, which, however. is little shorter,
narrower. and deeper, having n length Of $40
feet. a breadth of ivo.eighths of an inch over
So feet. and q mean draft of 21H, with dis
placement of $3.50 tons. They are called sec.
class. but that Is due only to a difference in
the systems or rating, nlI our vessels of 5000
tons or over being first-rates. Some further
comparisons. not TO tho detriment OF our crui-
ser, though she Ia so much older. will presently
be noted.
Taking the Venus as the pioneer OF her
class. her hull Is of,SIemens- Martin steel,
with douole bottom throughout. while bun
kers along the sides and also at each end Of
tao boiler rooms give, as the description runs.
"a complete easement OF GOAL round eaoh set of
boilers" The number of water-tight doors
for tho many compartments has been reduced
10 a minimum" and all are worked from the
main deck as well as from below. The stern
post. struts. and stem are Of phosphor bronze,
as is also the balanced rudder. which is con-
trolled by Harneld's oompensatinG gear below
the protective deck. Tho vessel has q ram
stem. and is covered To above the load water
line with teak at least 3l5 inches thick. coo-
G ers abon
stem to stern Is from to II ;. INCHES 81. thick
lection from rakipG fire, The reserve bunk.
cry cry T space furnish additional security aTainst
hostile shot or other damage. The coming
tower + Of Hsryeyi5ed steel . and !,1us another
while from the fore-and. aft coming bridges.
employed for navigating under ordinary con-
The nominal coal capacity is $50 tons, with
nrovis'on for carrying nearly twice as much.
The complemsnt Is go 1sers Rs Gn6S SSd ,sh; men
i7.inch, and eight 12-pounder Knns, all rapid
and sbss. aPs bep s
fss1 tubes the ' two % foremoSt are submerred. and
the one aft is above water; Her two mast;
yard yard Is % on the foremast. and the new mutt.
pie. fibre signal lamp AT the masthead.
ssS ere sTH srns ,s r.. G
the. intermsdiate 30 inches. and the low =
nShss 3hss wh The sisFs sae 'Sa on es
drical, each with three corrugated furnaces. In
sS G sdspa tor sS%T s'fF; o
pounds. and svailable for either pntural, or
sns s. ns%
Ess setlvs "'SSTs horse power m @ ssss With @
psws1 @as wS 14es
The boilers Furnished all the steam reqnired.
coal-consumpyon trial. and in this the mean
with ils.oh mean revolutions, while the con.
al%red lss pIw1E bw EnSneerSs which give. the "details
nirssdy lssn, mentioned TO DO remarkably eco
Turning now 70 or Olympia, we tSs snd that
she % carries The FAR heavier battery Of four sineR
and ten rapid FIRE 6-inch guns. besides fourteen
S.poupders, six one. .pounders. and four Cat
IinRs In the secondary battery. She has six
torpedo Tubes where the Venus has three, and
the much heavier protective deck of ~ inches
on the slope and two inches on the nat. Her
complement ot officers and men 10 smaller,
mai coal supply OF the olympia 70 only 400 tons.
but her extreme bunker capacity reaches
Finally. against the 9.T44 mean collective
horse power OF the Venus. Developed on trial
under forced drauRht. we have 1913 maxi
mum indicated horse Dowe- for he Olympia
Tho speed Of the Venus in her trial is not given
by the authority quoted, but II was originally
with 0.oO0 horse power. which is nearly what
was secured. On the othe- hand tho Olympia
hours trial, which heats tha expected speed
of the Venus class by over two knots. Yet the
Olympia was designed moro than half doson