Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1897-04-21
CAPITAL ITEMS
Our New Navy and it's Equip
mentS.

we promised In our letter this
week to give something Of an idea
OF how great ships were built. The
Iowa, which has just been admit
ed for her trial, will be perhaps as
good an illustration as we can Sc
lect. This ship was built by Cramp
& Sons; and its 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 anv part of the ship; and where
it was used the wood was treated
chemically in such way that it
will not burn. It is subtantial-
ly of steel. Il is $50 feet long, at
the load water line, 70 feet q inch
es wide, and will carry the enorm-
Gus load of IL, 40 tons. 1t draws
"a feet in the water and carries
coal supply of 625 tons; but when
preparing for long voyage this
ship has coal carrying capacity of
1880 tons and has maximum
horse power of ,O08. Its contract
price for speed is Is knots an hour.
A knot is longer than the ordinary
mile, by nearly 1000 feet, the naut-
ical mile bel g 6 1850 ITO feet. This
will give about Is miles an houl.
Her compliment of officers and crew
in fighting trim is 400 men. The
hull is of steel, with double bot
tom and close water tight subdiyis-
ions extending up to the height of
10 feet above the water line. If
one portion of the ship should be
perforated and filled with water the
other water tight compartments
would float her.
The formation of the sides amid
ship, where they roll inboard, Sc
cures increaed free board without
the added weight consequent were
the lines carried up with the water
line fnllness, gives an easier curve
of stability, roomier quarters for
the gnns,in the broadside sponsors
and promises efficiency of the
great guns in almost any fighting
condition of the sea.
For distance of 1876 feet amid
ships, the water-line region is re-
enforced by u foot belt of IA inch
steel; three feet above and four and
a half feet below the water line.
The forward and after ends of this
belt turn lnboard and run athwart-
ship with thickness \of twelve
inches. Upon the walls SO form
ed rests a fat protective deck of
steel 2 ga inches thick. And from
the lower edges Of the athwart-
ship bulkheads, 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 bloadside
belt and up to the line of the main
deck, running forward and aft
amidships, for distance Of 80 feet,
the sides are 5 inches thick, back
ed by number of feet of coal, and
several inches of heav, yellow pine.
Forward and abaft the casemate
armor, from the protective deck,
up to the main deck, the outside
plating is backed by wide Golfer
lam filed with cellulose, and divid-
ed into numerous compartments.
The Iowa will carry main bat
terry of four - inch breech loading
rifles, mounted in pairs, in two
turrets of the balanced
type. Is inches thick, firing through
an arc Of 27O degrees and eight s
inch rifles in four barbette turrets
inches thick, mounted on the up :
per deck and possessing individual
arc of ITO degrees.
The secondary battery will be
composed Of six 4 inch rapid fire
rifles, four of which are mounted
IN the main deck in armored spon-
< 4 IA 4 II 81 L Il