Evening star., 1897-04-10

and Industrial growth than a reflection
upon the grandest of naval fabrications
sixty years ago
The First sea-GOing Battle Ship.
In six decades We have passed from an
age Of wood to of steel; from depend
ence upon the free winds of heaven to the
dependence of power plucked at will from
the bowels of the earth. and from the sim
pie structure of the past to the complicated
fabricltions of the present. The Iowa is
the first Of our so-called 'sea-going' battle
ships-a term that is intended 10 express
her sure-ior 'wea therliness and the capabfh-
ty OF lighting her guns under more trying
conditions Of the sea With a Water-ilne
length of 3:il feet, maximum beam of
u feet and i fraction. and having an aver
age draft of "a feet when ready for sea, she
represents a tot2! mass of II 40 tons.
From the bow back to the after s-ineh
turrets, her freeboard or height out of wa
ter is ~ feet-to attain which without un-
due weight her sides amilshiDs tumble IN
board yielding an easier curve Of stability.
whils facilitating a wider arc of fire for the
broais:Je guns on the main deck. Like all
modern craft of war. she has an inner or
double bottom. reaching from the keel up
10 a HEIGHT of ten feet above the water lie,
and rninutely subdivided into w4taCtislit
connplT tments-a regular metallic honey
comb, By which damage is localized within
narrow compasses-
The SrDIOr Protection.
The arraor protection for the null consists
OF seven and 9ne-half-foot band Of Har-
veyizei steel fourteen inches thick, three
feet above and four and o1e-half feet below
the water lir.e running fore and aft for
distance Of 1S5 feet amidships. The ends
of this band on either side are joined in
board by diagonal athwartsEip bulkheads
twelve inches thick and resting fiatly on
this six-sifed bcx Of steel Is pro.active
deck two and three-quarters inches thick
Below and within the compass OF this
armored region lie the engines boilers and
magazines. sheltered, far human
skin 2~d the case will admit. from the shot
and shell OF an enemy FROM the diagonal
bulkhetdS. ranging from side to side and
running thence to the bow and the stern.
are decks CT three-inch steel. the forward
one terminating in the stem and forming
spine for the ram.
Above the heavy water-line belt and up
to ,he main deck for distance of ninety
feet amiiships the sides are five inches
thick. and back Of this casemate armor
there are many feet of coal, carefully Gis-
posed for the sake of added protection A
wide coferdam. filed with corn-pith cellu-
lose, which swe!is rapidly when wet and is
capable Of plugging automatically shot
holes admitting water, affords protection
TO the lighter parts Of the hull forward and
aft OF the heavily armored midship region.
Much of the ship-shaped part OF the craft
may be shot away. bat so long as her
float, and so long her guns are t.nim-
paired she can fight.
Boilers and Engines.
Way below the water, the protective
deck and many feet of coal, thirty two
glaring mouths, quivering under the added
draught OF great revolving blowers, will
glare with the ceaseiess glut of tons UPON
tons Of coal, and corps Of unfagging fire.
men must meet that greed that the boilers
may be kept up 10 their working pressure
OF LOO pounds.
Two triple-expansion engines. eacn IN its
. own compartment and each driving one of
the two great s!xteen-foot screws, consti-
tu:e the propeliing mechanlsn1s of the ship
while eighty odd auxiliary engines-hy-
draulic, steam and electric-are ready to
turn the rudder, move the turrets, raise
the ammunition, anchors and boats handle
the heavy stores. provide fresh water and
Ice, force out the foul air and draw down
the fresh. and light every nook and Granny
OF her great organ ia tion-in other words
DO hundreds Of services far beyond the
power OF her whole complement of 400
souls.
She Is a great aggregation of modern
cunning, and might almost be said 10 be a
being Of steel. complete but for the lack-
ing brain element which her officers and
crew must supply Great revolving nlow-
ers form her lungs. and down through the
red nostrtls Of her ventilators the fresh air
is drawn TO feed her vital flames and the
rcen that watch them, and again, up
through her sTnokestacks ard her open
hetches go the exhalations. Through a sys-
TEN OF miles upon miles of piping pulse the
energies for her numerous parts, ard back
egsin 20 her boilers and throbbing pumps
comes The exhaust for revigorati tion. From
every cell and every compartment come
means Of communication, and to and from
every position of Importance run nerve
Ike wires that put the guiding brains In
touch with a perfect knowledge of every
phase OF her great organization. From her
bridges four great eyes look into the night
with the penetration of thousands upon
thousands Of candle light. while many 9TH
ers OF milder glow brighten her interior.
Down In her bunkers are stored some 17S0
tons OF coal, and, Ike a racer. she cannot
stop 10 feed upon ths way: but. instead,
must gnaw away at the fat that has been
stored about her vttals: and. II Is estlma-
TED, upon that allowance She Will be able
to cover a distance Of 7.400 miles at q COM
Portable ten-knot Jog. while at a continued