Evening star., 1897-07-31

maximum draft of eight feet over her
screws. Forward and at the stem she has
a frceboard of ten feet. while amidships it
is seventy feet five inches
She will be driven by two triple-expan-
sion engines of the four-cylinder type ar
ranged IN common compartment These
engines Will each have one cylinder of
twenty inches one OF twenty-nine inches
and two of thirty inches in diameter with
a uniform stroke of eighteen incehs. When
running at full speed. the screws will make
SUI turns and an indicated horsepower of
o,GtD Will be induced.
Steam, at working pressure of 245
pounds will be supplied by four Seabury
patent Water-tubc boilers. These boilers
IN TWO water-tight compartments will
hank the engines forward and aft: and this
arrangement is calculated to lessen some
"hat the danger of general disablement in
| making attack or In fleeing The coal sun
| ply Is slowed abreast the boilers and ahead
ana athWart the forward boiler. Again so
long as the coal lasts. this disposition of the
| forward coal may help to shield against
| hre in approaching.
me poat, like its predecessors is sub
uiVided INTO some ten or a dozen water
| tight compartments entirely closed tn in.
ternal communication.
For Officers and Men.
There are accommodation forward for
ihirty-siX, and quarters aft for seven off,
cerS-2etty, warrant and commissioned
canvas folding berths are provided for the
ehisted men, while transom berths are fit
ted Tor the officers. Again. the nice adj
justment or space is considered and COM
tort anu convenience assured as far as nos-
slble. About the only woodwork in the
crait VIII be in the officers quarters. and
there pretty panelng will DO a good deal
10 give an attractive finish to the cozy
surroundings This boat like the others
VIII be fitted with baths for the officers
put Jacky will have to take his bucket of
90 trtN
remarked here that, in active service. OFF,
GERS ana crew alike will be very apt to
choose the latter
Ihe decks will be covered with linoleum.
ana, IKE the others. she will be lighted by
tlectriclty and ventilated by blowers while
small s1eam wndlass will do most of the
heavy lifting.
AS in the other boats, there are two con-
hihe towers, each fitted with the usuaI
means or Internal communication
She VII; carry four 6-pounders. two of
which VIII ne on the deck, while the other
TWO Will be placed, one each on the con
hihg towers. 1t may be remarked that
.Whiie these guns on the towers have SUI
perior arcs of fire. they are. nevertheless.
seriously hampcred by augmented vibra-
tlon, and the experience abroad excent In
very moderate weather and under easv
speed, mas proven them very unreliable
ohe Will carry two torpedo tubes for Is
men whitehead torpedOes. placed on the
center-line amdships and way aft where
they will have effective arcs of fire
Exclusive of armament the contract
price is $2iuGH
"A paid statement of the features and
dimensions of these boats gives no notion
or what they really are as pieces of naval
architecture and examples of the cunning
ol marine engineers, nor from such facts
ana ana LEures can layman grasp the work
tnat these tiny vessels must do nor appre-
tiate the tax upon the men that have TO
manage them. ~
Inc vibration CT those racing engines
transmits IA tingling jar to every bit of
hef Set-ur, and also. a taxing culver tn
S,arf;;o 10y soui on board that will wear out the
iiaroiest nerves. In times of serious sery-
zee TINS must be aggravated by the nerv-
rs tehS!cn or apprehension and danger
Wnlle at all times when at full speed the
,lieiheh ana engineers must face the cease
less drain the service of those engines and
boilers puts upon them. Every ten min.
utes the boilers evaporate their contents
OF water and drive it out in the form Of
potent Steam to feed those tearing en-
si,es. s.ai, lo 40 this the firing must be main
.aineu , almost 1ncessantly, the gauges
watched and the pressures checked ond
al an inls While the furnaces glow with a
piiIoing DINO hcandescence and the air swims
win Hylng particles of coal dust
II locomotive were on wheels tho size
OF the propellers of these boats and were
orlFen four hundred turns a minute ~
auId MouId make quite eighty miles an hour
inese boats will make between thirty and
ava LINE nnne knots-something over thirty
engines and boilers will demand a nnoh
more eNacting watchfuness on the mart
~ ier nIemen and engineers than ever the
sPesclest locomotive called for.
- 'olpeuo boat destroyer is an aggre-
s".ioi VI great powers, enormous stresses
ana hgh speed, and the men that man
.Hen must respond as far as human flesh
can 10 the same exhausting drains.