The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-07-12
a SPLENDID VESSEL.

The japanese are rapidly placing
themselves In position 10 easily main.
tain the prestige they have won AZ
sea fighters. and they now have anoai
one Of the largest and Finest fighting
machines that the world ever saw. The
vessel bears the name Of Fujiyama.
and she was launched at Blackwell.
England. few weeks ago.
Her name ls that OF the matchless
sacred mountain about seventy or eigh-
~ miles from Yokohama. whose snow
capped peak can be seen from the deck
OF an incoming vessel nifty miles or
more on the coast. The name Is inter-
prcied by the Japanese as THE Tn
cquallcd. and that ls what the new
battleahlp is expected TO be.
The Fujiyama In a vessel Of the typo
Of the Royal Sovereign. Of the British
navy. and she has displacement Of
i2.4b0 tons. Ia 800 feet In length. 70 feet
beam. and 9ss feet draught she is
one OF two vessels ordered in England
several months before the opening Of
hostilIties between Japan and China.
She In built upon designs drawn by
q. c. Maokrow. an English naval ar
chitect. In accordance with the Views
OF n commission presided over by Cap
tain Yendo. the japanese naval at
tache In London. Her construction has
been under the superintendent OF Cap
tains Yendo. Takayama. and aiiyahAra.
and Lieutenant Kitakoga. all officers OF
the japanese navy.
The recent Japan-chlna war suggest
ed some Improvements in this new bat
tieShip, especially to give further pro-
lection from the disastrous effects OF
shell Ore from machine guns. and metal
has been substituted for wood wher-
ever II was possible; the seamen's mess
shelves and captains cabin, the ward
room and other fittings. and the bulk
heads In the officers quarters are. ac-
cordlngly. Of steel or composition. The
armor belt runs ?26 feet OF the length
OF the vessel. and Is Is inches thick
abreast OF the machinery and boilers.
and i6 inches thick at the ends.
This armor. which Is Of the Harvey
ized process OF hardening. weighs 1900
tons. and some Of the plates weigh 2S
tons. and cost Sii35O each The total
weight Of the hull. as she lay on the
ways, was 1900 tons The armor deck,
extending from stem 10 stern. is 2h
inches thick. and terminates in a pow
erful ram. There are two military
top masts. each with double tops. with
derricks for lifting the boats She wilrI
carry thirteen boats OF various types,
including two vidette torpedo boats 56
feet In length. The coming tower is
constructed OF steel plates Il inches
thick; then there is a director tower
aft OF S-lnch steel plates.
The engines are OF the triple-expan-
sion type. OF 1900 horsepower, caleu- !
lated TO give a speed. with her twin |
screws. OF is knots, The boilers are Of |
the usual cylindrical type.
The armament OF this great ship will |
consist OF four l9-inch breech-loadlng
rifles. mounted in pairs in two bar
oettes plated with ll-inoh steel armor:
10 6-ineh rapid-tiring guns, mounted
N easements; 20 s-pounder and four
v FOUNDER Hotchkiss rapld-hrlng guns,
md Ave torpedo launching tubes-one
above and four below the water line.
There viii be n complete system OF In
ernal electric lighting, and five pow
'rful electric searchllghts.