New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-13
ruRrE GREAT SEA FIGHTERS
INC OR THE NEW BATTLE-sHIPs TO
RE OPENED TOMORROW.
,roRMIpABLE BATTERIES HEAVY ARMoR
a., POWERFUL ENGINEs-To BE NAMED
TUE CALIFORNIA. ALABAMA AND

PENNSYLVANIA.
,rs,on Sept le-On Monday next. Sep
~ "a bids will be opened at the Navy Depart
W. or the three powerful seagoing coastne bat
M .,ns for which Congress provided by act OF
LILO last limiting the cost. exclusive OF arma-
70 not more than 81. 5000 One of the vessels
NV. NE built on the Pacific Coast provided reason
n,,,d &c received and Congress specifically stipu-
W. hat the award should be made and contracts
.,snd by october s
rye firms have taken remarkable interest IN the
- and proposals are expected from the Cramps
:, Philadelphia, the SCOTS at San Francisco, the
a. (Me) Iron Works. the Newport News Com
y and, John Dialogue at Camden. n j., the iat-
L-,rm making its first appearance as competitor
..,ch large work. Proposals are requested either
~ he mans of the Department or such modiiica-
.,os as the builders choose to suggest adherng IN
.~latter case TO certain specified requirements I'M
o.d by the Naval Construction Bureau These
s..aes are combinations of the best features OF the
Ma and Kearsarge types. modified by such ad-
80. and improvements experience has sug-
re,ed.
,e,r general dimensions and principal features
80. Length on load water-ne. 1868 feet; beam. ex-
,,o,e p feet 25 inches; freeboard. forward 10 feet
s~ches: freeboard aft 10 feet inches: normal dis
r,cenent il.525 TONS mean draft. normal dispace-
rot q feet inches: indicated horsepower (est-
mred), 10000: speed in knots an hour (estimated).
.,,sen: normal coal supply. 500 tons, and total
mixer capacity. 100 tons.
BATTERY AND ARMOR
10 main battery consists Of four 13-nch
- ,our s-inch rapid-fre breechoading rifles. and
,h secondary battery Of seventeen 6-pounder and
tor l-pounder rapid-fre guns. four machine
Gus and one field gun The four above-water tor
moo tubes are placed two on each broadsde, amid
Gins and will fire through arc OF 80 degrees.
~ 1a-inch guns are mounted in pairs in two bal
ored harbette turrets and will have arc Of fire Of
c-seerees each. The turrets and barbettes will be
ofJarveyized armor fifteen inches thick. augmented
orthe slanting faces by two more inches Within
srarmored citadel of steel six inches thick. on the
uper deck amidshps. there will be two of the G.
Inn rifles on each side firing through arc Of 100
derees On the main deck below. behind the case
ME armor and amidshps. there will be broadsde
baery Of four Of these 6-nch guns. firing
thugh an arc of forty-fve degrees. and each gun
stion protected from the other by one and one-haf
IN, splinter bukheads. Forward of this bat
tel, one on each side. protected by six inches Of
sr,or and having similar sweep of fire. there will
bewo isolated 6-inch rifles.
TIE secondary battery is distributed on the main
dec forward. the berth deck aft, and the
briyes and in the tops. where 1t is calculated to
kivthe most effective fire against torpedo-boats,
Ugh craft and unprotected parts of the enemy.
II protection of the hull against injury TO the
vat-line region will be effected by means Of
sidarmor belt of a maximum thickness Of sixteen
andone-half inches. with mean depth of seven
snd)ne-half feet. disposed in reference TO the
nor al load line of the vessel that four feet of the
beltvill be submerged. This belt will extend from
the lem to just abreast the after barbette forward
10 u forward barbette, whence it will taper grad
uall to four inches at the stem. From the top or
tide belt up to the upper deck and throughout
the .gon occupied by the midship battery of 6-inch
rur the sides will be reinforced by six and one
hal inches Of hardened steel, backed. below the
ma deck. by belt of corn-pith cellulose ana
buiers full Of coal Athwartship bulkheads twelve
ines thick will run inboard to the barbettes from
ea' end of the thickest part OF the sac ali id
anon top Of the four walls so formed by the sue
sI,r and athwartship bulkheads nat protective
De two and threefourths inches thick VIII resi- ,i
rev box of steel will be placed the engines
hers magazines and shell rooms: .
sntinc decks running from the top or the heavy
Soa the n' continuation OF the fiat protectye deck
Fosard this deck will be three inches thick; art
ramch heavier.
THE PROPELLING POWER.
,e propelling engines will be composed Of two
trle-expanson sets each in its own water-ught
conartment having cylinders of 49, 81 and IS
lines in diameter with common stroke of IS
fines Eight large singe-ended boilers in four
vter-tight compartments will supply steam at
viking prssuTT Cd h pbowefs a in each reroom
,e ships viii. be lighted by electricity ana drained
Sd ventilated by steam: and several scores of aux
ary engines will lessen the manual tax upon the
ew Of 500 persons. Wood VIII be used as niue as
lssible. and where used will be hre-proofed by "a
pcess of tried efficiency. &c.,,
There will be two fighting stations That just
low the pilot house and abaft the forward turret
Il be Of steel ten inches thick the other imme-
ructure will be of steel six inches thick Elec-
lie signals on each mast will double the chances
,ainst accident in battle.
Unlike the Kearsarge and the Kentucky Nos I;
and 9 are devoid of the double-deck turrets ana
cir slpermposed batteries of S-inch guns
ne board in charge of this matter deemed that
eight more advantageously disposed in the shape
"a heavy battery of six-inch guns and a greater
primal coal supply. No premiums are onered o. i 6
creased speed; but a penalty at the rate or $2o0W
~ esch ouarter-knot is imposed for the first half
not below the maximum requirement OF sixteen
nOts. ,, 49,, cuso-,;o
10 Alabama and the Pennsylvania.
rur uuTTC UOESE REN0IATED