The Portland daily press., 1897-07-02

3IS feet length, GO feet breadth, and 81
feet depth be turned into similar dimen-
sions of the built up streets or blocks of a
city or town, the meaning of its bulk
may become palmer. This steel mass is
belted with armor half yard in thick
ness, and mounts guns which weigh 81
tons and throw shells that will penetrate
80 inches of iron, or fly through the air
for a distance of 11.miles. Forward. with
, its beak near the water line, monster
ram projects, built at that level because If
placed lower it would plough the water
so as to arrest speed, be too weak for q
siding below, or, when entangled in the
wreck of vessel rammed below the
armored deck, be freed with difficulty
Bilge -keels, long projecting fins curved
with the sweep of the hull, are bolted to
each side at the turn of the bottom, to re-
duce the rolling; and to preserve stability
of fiotation, two well-separated and indie
pendent skins surround the framework
of the ship.
The armored redoubt built upon this
monster fabric has walls 1-2 feet high,
all-plate, bolt and rivet-of the finest
STEEL At either end of this redoubt a Cir
cular fort, crowned with a turret, carries
a pair of 67 ton guns, which sweep the
encircling horizon. Ashore such a
structure would be considered marvellous,
impregnable; but here it's possibilities are
a hundredfold multiplied, for it can move
to any threatened point at speed Of 16
knots an hour, stow 1900 tons of coal, and
carry $50 men and officers. In its hold
are stores and provisions sufficient for a
six months cruise, and in its magazines
and shell rooms slumber powder and pro-
jectiles sufficient to sink fleet. Its bat
tery-its armament-is composed of four
a13 inch guns, eight inch, four inch,
and thirty rapid fire and machine pieces.
We're all these guns discharged at the
same instant. three tons of metal pro-
jected by ton and a half of powder,
would fly whizzing, shrieking, bursting,
through the air. Each of its 10 inch guns
can be loaded and fired in five minutes
every one of its s inch in one minute; and
the combined energy of its four ID inch
reaches-what 1874, sos foot tons; or, less
sufficient to throw the 10000 ton Indiana,
or any other battleship of her size, IS liz
feet straight into the air. Imagine this
energy pounding destruction upon the
armored sides of an enemy, while each of
the s inch guns is moving 250 pound
shell, developing $500 tons energy every
eight seconds, against the lighter armored
- 4 a.. - IL
and, fortifying this hurricane of death
and destruction, fancy the automobile
torpedoes, charged with gun cotton or
other high explosives, darting at the un-
potected underwater body of the ship,
while rapid fire and machine guns are
moving down with pitiless storm of shell
and shrapnel the exposed crews, and seek
ing OUT the, hidden recesses of the ship
imagine this, and perhaps an idea may be
formed of what battle ship can do in
action. Tt seems generally believed, SO
far as may read within the lines of
newspaper discussion, that one of the
notable distinctions between the three
decked ships of the line of the naval era
just passed and these grim battleships is,
apart from. enormous differences of
calibre, to be found in the number of
guns carried. -
1t is doubtful if visitors are allowed on
the Massachusetts, today, as she has just
completed long run and her whole crew
and all of the officers will be busy getting
the ship in shape for her stay. in port.
The official visits between the mayor of
the city and the captain of the ship will
probably be made some time this1norn-
ing. Yesterday afternoon Captsin Rodgers
of Fort Prebie made his official cali on
Captain Rodgers of the Massachusetts and
during the afternoon several other, calls
were made by prominent citizens or
government officials.
THE OFFICERS.
The battleship Massachusetts, is Differed
as follows:
Captain-Frederick Rogers, command
ing.
Lieutenant Commander-Seaton Sohro-
eder.
Lieutenants-Templin M. Potts, James
II GIanDoD