Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-04-15
Our New Navy and its Equipments.


DuIII DN tramp q CONS. ana us Keel was
laid in February 1898 This keel is
formed Of steel, and is the very bottom
part of the ship. In the construction OF
wooden vessels the keel is very different
from that made of steel The latter is
formed of pieces Of steel bolted sOlidly
together; in each the lower ends Of the
ribs Of the ship are laid, and from which
all is built up. In the building Of the
Iowa, very little wood has been used in
any part Of the ship; and where it was
used the wood was treated chemically in
such a way that it Will not burn. The
snip is substantially Of steel. 1t is 800
feet long, at the load water line, y feet
p inches wide. and will cary the en-
ormous load of II, 40 tons. It draws
p feet in the water. and carries coal
supply of 625 tons; but when preparing
for long voyage, this ship has a coal
carrying capacity for |, $50 tons, and has
maximum horse power Of II COS. It's
contract price for speed is Is knots an
hour. A knot is longer than the Ordi-
nary mile, by nearly 900 feet, the Dauti-
cal mile being $3.50 10 feet This will
give about Is miles an hour. Her com
plement of officers and crew in fighting
trim, is 400 men. The hull is Of steel,
with double bottom, and close water
tight subdivisions extending up to the
height Of 10 feet above the water line.
If one portion Of the ship should be per
tOrated and filed with water the other
water tight apartments would float
her.
The formation of the sides amidshiD,
where they roll inboard, secures in
creased free board without the added
weight consequent, were the lines car
ried up with the Water-line fullness,
gives an easier curve Of stability, room
Ter quaterS for the crew, greater sweep
for the guns in the brOadside sponsors
and promises efficiency Of the great guns
IN almost any fighting condition of the
sea.
For a distance Of 1S5 feet amidships.
the water-iine region is re-enforced by
y foot belt Of ii inch steel; three feet
above and tourand half feet below the
water line. The forward and after
ends of this belt turn inboard and run
athwartship with a thickness of -
inches. Upon the walls so formed
rests fiat, protective deck, Of
steel q inches thick, and from the
lower edges Of the athWartship bulk
heads, running and aft to the bow and
stem, are two other protective decks,
three inches thick, the forward one
terminating Just back Of the ram.
From the top of the br0adside belt
and up to the line Of the main deck,
running forward and aft admidships,
for Il distance of 90 feet, the sides are )
inches thick, backed by number of
feet of coal, and several inches of vel
low pine. Forward and abaft the case
mate armor, from the protective deck,
up to the main deck, the outside plating
is backed by Il wide cOtterdam filed
with cellulose, and divided into numer-
GUS compartments.
The Iowa will carry main battery of
four y inch breech loading rifles,
mounted III pairs, in two Hichborne
turrets of the balanced type, Is inches
thick firing through an arc Of 27O de-
grees, and eight s inch rifles in four bar
bette turrets S inches thick, mounted
on the upper deck, and possessing in
dividual arc of 10 degrees.
The secondary battery will be com
posed of SIX inch rapid-fire rifles, four
deck i'll armOred sponsors and
sheltered by thick buIkheads of steel,
and the two remaining mounted on the
bridge deck, sheltered by fixed shields,
20 SIX FOUNDER, four FOUNDER, and four
gatling guns, will constitute an auxiliary
force, and be mounted on the main
deck, on the superstructure and
bridges, and up in the top of the
military mast.
From the bow and two places on
either side there are torpedo tubes for
the discharge Of torpedos
The prOpelling machinery will con-
sist of three double-ended boilers q
feet long with djameters of IS feet 9
inches, and two singIe-ended boilers 10
feet long with diameters of Is feet 9
inches in four water-tight compart-
ments, and Of two sets of triple-eN-
pansion engines, each in it's own com
partment and driving its own shaft.
Carrying 100 pounds pressure of
steam, the engines making 112 revolu-
lions in minute, it is estimated that
the ship will develop a speed Of 1G
knots an hour. With her bunkers
filled and at a cruising speed Of ten
knots an hour, she would be able to
steam about 400 miles without addi-
tiOnal cOaling.
Nearly 100 auxiliary engines adds to
the efficiency of the ship by turning
the tuTrets, working and loading the
guns, lifting and lowering the boats
raising the anchors, controlling the
rudder, bringing up the ammunition
from the magazines, providing fresh
water, lighting the ship by electricity,
making ice and preserving the fresh
food, and thoroughly ventiiating the
ship by blowers Of great capacity.
The small rapid-fre guns are
mounted in manner assuring the
greatest sweep; and to them will fall
the duty of repelling the torpedo boats,
sweeping the decks of an enemy, and
driving from partly protected guns
their working crews.
In armor distribution, scope of fire,
possible speed, power Of battery, and
sea-gong properties, this ship is unex-
celed by any in the world She is
made especially for sea-gong vessel
and is one Of the most powerful ships
known to modern times.
This ship when fully equipped, am
munitioned, and provisioned for war
will cost about 100000. One can
hardly form an idea Of her magnitude
without comparison. Her 1880 tons of
coal is not her load, but simply her
fuel to permit her to haul her load
The enormous weight of these great
guns, their carriages and their ammuni-
ton, her great length and width, must
all be taken into consideration as we'll
as the enormous weight of steel which
forms the armOr plate Of her sides.
Compliment to Cong. rIinor.