The herald., 1897-09-19

marked difference between the cruiser
Ind the battleship, even to the unprac-
ticed eye, but this difference, barring the
smokestacks, will be greatly lessened by
the absence Of the double turret. 1t is
declared by naval experts that the Ala
bama will be beauty, and it is further
claimed that as a speed-maker she will
putclass even the Iowa. The general
dimensions and principal features Of the
Alabama are as follows: Speed, II knots
an hour; length of load water line 1868
feet; extreme beam, 72 feet 2.5 inches;
freeboard forward, 10 feet 60 inches;
treeboard aft, 13 feet inches; normal
displacement, 11,525 tons; mean draught,
% feet inches; horse power, $4,000; ca
pacity of coal bunkers, 1900 tons.
Her armament is ample, as will be
observed from the following: Batteries.
main, four 13-inch breech-loading rifles.
fourteen 6-inch rapid fire breech-loading
rifles; secondary battery, seventeen g.
pounder rapid-fir guns, four 1-pounder
rapid-fire guns, four machine guns, one
field gun. The four above-water tor
pedo tubes are placed two on each broad
pide amidships, and will fire through an
arc of go degrees. The four 13-inch guns
are mounted in pairs in two balanced
barbette turrets and Harveyized armor
fifteen inches thick, augmented on the
slanting faces by two more inches
Two of the 6-inch rifles will be placed
amidships on each side, firing through
an armor citadel of steel. Below on the
main deck, behind a casemate armor
amidships, four more Of these 6-inch
rifles will constitute broadside battery.
Forward of these guns, one on each side,
with six inches Of armor plate as pro-
lection, two 6-inch rifle PARROTS will be
located. The secondary battery is placed
In such portions Of the ship as need it
most. The armor belt, 16h inches thick.
will protect the hull at the water line
Its mean depth is ~ feet. This belt will
extend from the stern to abreast the
after barbette and will maintain MAXI
mum thickness from that point forward
to the forward barbette, gradually taper
Ing to four inches at the stem.
From the top Of the side belt up to
the upper deck. the sides will be pro-
tected by S 12 inches of hardened steel.
backed, below the main deck, by belt
of cornpith celulose and full coal bunk
ers. Athwartship bulkheads 12 inches
thick will run inward to the barbettes
from each end Of the thickest part of the
side armor, and on top of the four walls,
so framed, fiat protective deck, 3-4
inches thick, will rest. Below, and with
III the space embraced by this heavy
steel box. will be placed the engines,
boilers, magazines and shell rooms.
Slanting decks, running from the top
of the heavy, athwartship bulkheads to
the stem and stern, will form the con-
tinuation Of the flag protective deck.
This deck will be four inches thick aft
and three inches forward. The ship
will be propelled by two triple expan-
sion engines each in its own water
tight compartment. having cylinders
1875, 81 and rs inches in diameter. Eight
boilers, two in a compartment. provide
a working pressure of $50 pounds. Blow
ers in the fire room maintain forced
draught.
The Alabama will boast OF two fight
Ing stations. One Of them will be just
beneath the chart house and of steel ten
inches thick The cost of the Alabama
will be fully million dollars less than
the government anticipated when II ad-