The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-04

New York. Dec. 23.-The first week
in the new year the greatest defensive
war craft in any navy OF the world
will steam gayly out of the harbor on
her first ocean "trip. she VIII go down
the coast 20 join the North Atlantic
squadron at Hampton Roads under
Admiral Bunce, and of all the great
warships in the fleet the newcomer,
the double turreted monitor Puritan,
viii rank supreme as a floating engine
of destruction.
The Puritan is unique in more ways
than one. In the first place her keel
was laid during the civil war. vet she
only went into commission the other
day at the Brooklyn navy yard. where
the finishing touches are now being
put to her Thirty-twO years 10 build
a warship IS a pretty long time, but
the patience of Uncle Sam has been re
warded by the most complete coast de-
Tense vessel in the world
Not the mightiest battleship in the
vast navy of Great Britain would care
TO enter a duel against the Puritan,
and the second rate vessels forming
the cream Of SPANS navy would be
the merest playthings for this warrior
Of the seas
Naval officers agree that with score
of defensive vessels of the Puritan
tvpe TO patrol the thousands of miles
ifavulnera BILE against attack by the
strongest fleet that any nation could
send across the ocean
DESIGNED BY ERICSSON.
John Ericsson. the inventor of the
monitor type of fighting machine, was
the designer of the Puritan. She was
ordered by the navy department when
the end Of the late war seemed to be
a iong distance off, and her keel was
laid at Chester, Pa. in 1854 Since
then there have been many changes in
the architecture of the boat, but that
same keel is in the Puritan today, and
the general ideas of EricssOn's design
exist in this newest and most formid-
able Of Warships.
VERY little work was done on the
Puritan after the close Of the war, I'M
riI 1915. when John Roach got the con-
tract FOR Completing her, together with
contracts Tor four other warShipS. The
work progressed for a short time, and
then it stopped. to be resumed later on
at irregular intervals. In those days
congress was indisposed toward max
ing naval appropriations, and from 1874
10 1882 a period of i've years, not a
single days labor was put on the
Puritan or the other boats in Roach'S
ship yard.
CONDEMNED AS UNSEAWORTHY.
During these five years several ex-
aiming boards Of naval officers made
official INSPECTIONS Of the Puritan, and
they agreed quite unanimously that she
was a very fine ship, barring the fact
that she wouldn't float, owing to the
mass of heavy metal used in her con-
Struction.
In 1888 some little work was done on
her and she was launched. As she
foated very we'll the members OF the
various examining boards were duly
astonished. After the Puritan reached
the water there was another long spell
OF idleness. Finally, in 1889. she was
lowed to the Brooklyn navy yard and
apDroDriatiOnS made to complete her.
The progress in modern arming neces-
STATED many changes and additional
appropriations, and the work of finish
ing the craft dragged accordingly. To-
dav. however, she is complete and
READY for sea. as soon as she gets her
fun crew and the necessary stores on
board.
with 90 feet ~ inches greatest breadth
and a draught of water Of IS feet. Her
displacement is $3.50 tons.
The Puritan carries four l2-inch
breech-loading guns in two turrets;
six 4-;nch rapid-fire guns. protected by
aruaor shields and Sponsors; two six
nounder rapid-fire guns on the bridge
deck: four ix-pounder rapid-fre guns
on the superstructure deck, and two
one-pounder rapid-fre guns, which are
mounted in the military top aloft.
There are two big turrets on the
main deck, one aft. and one forward,
and both can be revolved easily by
hydraulic power, so that a rapid fire
can be maintained in almost any di-
Tectjon. The turrets known as the
Hitchborn turrets, make it possible to
raise the guns to a height of ten feet
six inches above the water line.