The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1897-02-04

suited Tree, personally or by letter.
ment consists Of eight four inch rapid
fire guns for the main battery. From
each gun 10 shots can be aimed and fired
per minute.
Gunboat ) received the name Machas
to commemorate the event OF the first
naval engagement of the revolution,
which was fought near Macllas, this
| State, in May, 1775, but a few days after
the battle of Lexington
Gunboat q is duplicate of the Machias
and was appropriately christened Castine,
in honor of the historic town on the east
shore of Pepobscot bay. On Dec %,
1894, the L. s. gunboat Castine visited
Castine, where she was presented with
fine silver service 10y citizens of the town.
The Machas and Castine both develop
ed speed considerably in excess of the
contract amount in fact exceeded the
| contract requirements more than any war
vessel yet built for this government, and
the Bath Iron Works were awarded a
bonus on the two vessels of sos, 600
After they had been in service for a
time the claim was put forward that they
We're top heavy, but the builders We're in
no way responsible for this, the vessels
having been constructed according to the
plans submitted by the government de-
slgners. The vessels were finally locked
at the Brooklyn navy yard, where they
were cut in two amidships and lengthen-
ed, a l4foot section being added to them.
The Machias and Castine are both in ac-
tive service to- day.
The ram kathadn, designed for harbor
defence purposes, is perhaps the most
unique craft in the U. S. Navy. There
is but one naval vessel that bears even
slight resemblance to the Ammen ram,
and that is the Polyphemus of the British
navy, craft designed for torpedo service
The points of similarity between this vessel
and the Ammen ram are the general shape
of the hull and the method of submersion
by means of filling compartments in the
double bottom with water.
The Ammen ram is in no way planned
from the British vessel and in fact, an
tedates her as far as the design goes. She
is entirely the fruit of American ingenuity,
the original idea having been conceived
by Admiral Daniel Ammen prior to his
being placed ON the retired list in 1873.
The design was worked out and improved
by the bureau of construction and repairs.
and elaborated from time to time, until
January, 1891, when the contract was let
for building the vessel.
The construction of the katahdin was
authorized by the act of March 2, 1889,
but it was fully a year and half later that
bids upon her were called for. They We're
opened on Dec. 20, 1890, and as there was
but one bidder, the Bath Iron Works, the
contract for the construction of the ram
was given to that one, being signed on
Jan. 2S, 1891. The bid was 5000, 900 for
the hull and machinery, the speed to be
II knots, with premium of SIS, 900 for
each quarter knot in excess of that rate,
shown in trial of two consecutive hours
with an air pressure in the fire room not
exceeding two and one -half inches of wa
ter, and with the vessel weighted to a
mean draft of Is feet.
But instead OF the usual similar deduc-
lions for not coming up to requirements,
which in this case would be forfeit of
SIS, 600 for each quarter knot below II.
the vessel was to be rejected altogether.
Thus there was some unusual stipulations
in this contract. One, trial trip of two
hours instead of four, as is usually the
case; two, complete rejection for not
reaching the contracted speed of II knots,
and third, in the fact that even the pre-
mlums fixed upon were to be subject to
approval of Congress.
~
inches long, 43 feet 5 inches inside at her
| widest part, with Is feet draft and having
| displacement of 2, 155 tons. She is twin
screw, steel and armor plated. Her en-
gines are of the vertical triple expansion
type, and are designed for 1880 maxi
mum indicated horse power. The nor
m u coal supply is 175 tons with 1872. 70 as
her bunker capacity. With her bunkers
full and ready for sea the maximum draft
! aft is 16 feet
| The Katahdin was in due time com
p'eted, and throughout the naval world
there was widespread curiosity as to
whether vessel on such original lines
would be a success. Her trial trips de-
/ veloped she had no defects excepting in
the line of speed and for this her builders
We're not responsible, as they had con-
/ structed the craft strictly in accordance
with the specifications of the government
| named in the contract.
| Her engines were to be of 4, 800 horse
power, and have shown nearly 5000
horsepower. They were to sustain $50
revolutions, and have record of 1855. 1t
was only by a fraction of mile that the
ram failed to come up to the contract re-
quirements of II knots, and Congress by
special act authorized the Katahdins ac-
ceptance.
The palatial steamer City of Lowell,
running between New London and New
York, was built at the Bath iron works.
She was launched Nov. 81, 1898, and
her dimensions are as follows: Length
over all, 1856 feet; length on water line,
32O feet; extreme breadth over guards, 66
feet; beam nodded, A 1-2 feet; load draft,
10 feet; depth of hold, II l 2 feet; dis
placement, 2, 400 tons; registered net ton
mage, 1S172S tons; gross registered ton
mage, 1918. "a tons.
The steam yacht Eleanor, the finest YES
sci for pleasure ever constructed in Amer
ca, was built at the Bath iron works for
William A. Slater, millionaire of Nor
wich, Conn, at cost of $4,000 The
principal dimensions of the Eleanor are
as follows: Length over all, 232 feet;
length of waterline, POS feet: length Of