Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-05-09

length Is 4Ss feet over all. She is 10
feet inches beam, and II feet inches
seep
These proportions mean that the new
.raft IS TO be 10 feet longer and inches
wider than the largest battleship which
now floats in any waters. or has been
contracted for Her total displacement
Is 70 be Il $50 tons. The class of British
warships which comes nearest to her in
size carry 500 tons Of coat each yet the
Japanese vessels bunkers will only con-
tain 700 tons which. with her improved
fuel system. viii more than equal 40
tons. The new ship, in fact, VIII have
10 tons greater displacement when she
Is I'm sea-going trim than any other
battleship afoat. To the naval mind
his fact at first does not reveal the I'M
mensity Of this vessel. Perhaps 1t cam
not be better indicated TO the layman
than TO say that she Is to the ordinary
hattlcship what the new German steam
shin Kaiser wilhelm der Crosse VIII be to
the vessels that are now considered OF
ordinary capacity in the passenger traffic.
She Is 10 be armored as few ships have
ever been. There will for instance be
continuous belt Of armor from stem
10 stern This IS an entirely new de-
narfure from the method of construction
adopted with the other ships Of Japan's
,e,-v II Is accounted for by the fact
that the British idea. rather than the
French. IS being followed as modeh
Jauan has already had two oattleshlns
built in this country. the Euji ana fasn-
ma. but neither was anything IKE tne
poual OF this giant craft that Is rapid
" assuming form on the stocks.
over the central part OF the ship the
continuous belt of armor referred 10 VIII
h. 0 inches thick. and feet inches deep.
A. tho ends OF the vessel the thickness
,s less the decrease being gradual. until
n minimum Of from TO inches Is
reached. This line of arnor Is known as
che lower belt Above this belt between
The harbettes. or In what the landsman
calls the middle Of the vessel there Is
another belt OF e-inch armor, this iatter
extending TO the height OF the main deck:
SIS total length being 30 feet. CurVeu
transverse bulkheads of 14-inch armor
profect the ends OF this space. The bulk
heads extend from the protective TO the
main deck. Thus IT will be seen CUM
r'ete citadel 90 feet long Is torme'
The steady Improvement that IS tahi,ls
place in the equipment. or ralher' w
projection OF battlesh'ps ana o,ie' VIZ
-essele IS demonstrated by the WaV
In which the harhettes are arranged
mis- belng very different from the plan
ordinarily adopted. The barbettes on me
Iananese vessel are contained within the
.urved bulkheads. an Improvement tho
le instantly manifest to the students OF
naval architecture and of the best me
mods 10 nrotect these modern triumphs
d the shipbuilder's art. The bulkheads
IRE protected by 14-inch armor with 4-inch
leak backing They rise TO height OF
'eei above the upper deck Screeneu
bulkheais. extending from the baroet'es
% the ships side are worked between
the main and upper decks. a continuous
srmorcd deck extends from stem 70 stern,
This deck Is 2 inches thick in the nat
part and inches thick on the slope,
tapering towards the ends. II rises from
the lower edge Off the armored belt 20 a
height OF feet above the water line.
The construction is Of the usual doupie-
h0itorned system, the double-bottom con-
Meeting with water-tight fats at the enns
o. The vessel, thus carrying the double
bottoms practically TO the ends OF the
ship
The value Of this method Of construc-
ton u inestimable. The craft VIII De
protected from torpedoes TO far greater
extent than almost any other vessel or
any navy. This very fact VIII renaer
her exceedingly formidable, ana, IN inc
eyes Of British naval officers, England
would would do well TO copy the enter
prise OF the naval authorities OF the
country she once scorned Indeed, II has
been a mooted question whet Ter Britain
should permit a foreign Power 10 have
constructed within her own gates, as X
we're. a vessel that Is really more fornni-
cable than any craft that flies the Bri-
rsh flag The navy OF the United States
has made the British naval authorities
Uneasy enough and for Japan TO step IN
with project OF this sort Is little more
han that old salt John Bull. Is ready 10
submit TO-
IN addition TO her splendid construction,
ne japanese battleship will have a su-
perior equipment The main armament
consists OF four 12-inch 40-caiibre guns,
Two being in each barbette On the main
geek are eight 6-lnch rapid-bring guns.
mhle the upper deck boasts OF six more.
These are all above the side armor. ana
ere therefore placed In separate cave
mates having C-inch armor. These case
mates can be transformed into water
sght chambers. There are aiso twenty
,~pounoer rapid-frire guns on the upper
eeck, and eight 47-milllfnesre rapid -irirg
suns on tho upper and main decks and
w military tops. There are also four
"'a'liimeire Quick-frlng guns on the