Evening star., 1896-10-10

they wouln. and it is instructive to find that
they turned naturally to the two nations
foremost in the evolution Of this class of
vessels.
In form of hull and arrangement of ma
chinery the Bath boats are practical dupli-
Gates of the Forban of the French navy-a
craft that has made 81 knots an hour
but slightly heavier by some seventeen
tens displacement. The armament will con-
sist of four oDe-pounder rapid-tire guns,
mounted along the sides wherever calcu-
lated to afford the widest field of action;
and of three eighteen-inch torpedo tubes,
two admidships, ore on each side and one
aft Oh the center line and firing through an
arc of $50 degrees. There will be two con-
ming towers. In the forward one there will
be steam steering mechanism and the
usual annuncia ors, telesraphs and speak
ing tubes to all centers Of Importance: Ill
the after tower there will be a convenient
place for the coming of charts and other
work of navigation. end just abaft the
after tower there will be another steering
wheel, by which the boat will be steered
when heavy spray or freezing scud clouds
the lights in the forward tower.
The boats will he each divided into some
thing like ten separate water-ttght COM
partments, the bulkheads being unbroken
by doors of any kind. While preventing
communication between decks-for one must
pass up TO the main deck and down again
to gain another compartment-the arrange
ment VIII preclude danger from unclosed or
jamming doors IN event of accident admit
ting water, and localiZes damage Of any
other sort.
deduction in Vibration.
The engines, of which there will be one
set on each shaft. are located in a common
compartment, and will have cylinders with
diameters respectively of TN, 24A and 81
inches, with uniform stroke Of 81 inches,
and making $40 turns a minute when going
at full speed. BY the adoption of SO long a
stroke, the number of revolutions Will be
happily reduced by a hundred turns and
more below that common to these high
speed boats, promising a corresponding re-
duction of that troublesome vibration in
herent in these deStroyers.
To one unfamiliar with the stress of a
constant agitation imparting an electric
like tinsle to everything touched. besides
keeping ones teeth chattering without rest,
the taxing and fatiguing consequences of
this vibration cannot be realized 1t SIM
ply saps ones energies and produces
state of nervous collapse. Besides adding
greatly to the comfort of the crew, this
lessening of shake admits of better gun
fire.
Steam will be supplied by two water-tube
boilers, in a single water-ught compart-
ment; and at a pressure of $50 pounds to
the square inch.
The full coal supply of 80 tons will be
slowed abreast the boilers. both for con-
venience and for protection against gun
fire; and upon this allowance each boat
Will have a steam,ng radius of ], 1,4SS knots
at speed of IA miles an hour.
The accommodations for both officers and
crew will be quite as commodious as could
be expected in so small craft, and every
thing that can turn Up and out of the way
will do 50 to afford even greater comfort
and convenience
For the Western Coast.
With g. commissioned draft of 273 tons.
the single boat to be built by the Union
iron works of San Francisco has been
designed to meet the special demands Of
the western coast and the long, trying
swells of the Pacific This craft is really
slightly lighter duplication of the British
Desperate, carrying eighty tons Of COAL
only four tons more than this boat Of ours
twenty-five tons lighter in displacement
There Will be two coming towers, steering
wheels in each, with a supplementary hand
and-steam steering wheel on the deck just
forward of the after tower
The torpedo armament will consist of
two 1S-iEch tubes. mounted on the center
line and aft of the after coming tower.
Each tube will fire athwartships and have
wide arc of train. She will have a force
of six six-pounder rapid-fire guns, placed
four en- the main deck and one on each
tower. These latter guns, while having an
enviable sweep and beyond the wetness of
the deck below, will be, notwithstanding,
seriously exposed to all the aggravations of
vibration and roll and will hardly be
counted upon for good practice when run
ming at full speed or in a good-sized sea
way.
Like the Bath boats, this craft will be
cut up into number of non-communicable
compartments and each under efficient
pumpage control.