Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-09-24
The Four New Monitors Will Show
Every Radical Advance
IN MODERN FIGHTING MACHINERY
For Safety of Mainland and Our
Island Possessions.
N A NJ ED A FTER STATES

The United States revolutionized naval
! construction and methods in 1861, and II
| has been revolutionizing them ever since.
| 1t is true other nations have been progress
| ing more rapidly numerically, but scientific
ally. in hulls, machinery and armament the
| United States naval constructors have
| again set the pace of the world. The ex-
periences of the war with Spain have sug-
| gested new departures. The ships of the
| future additions to the American navy will
be a marked advance on former designs
The naval program for 1S9s-99 under the
| act of May 4, 1888, provides for three first
/ class battle ships, four coast defense mont
tors, twelve torpedo boats and sixteen tor
pedo destroyers.
The four harbor defense monitors called
| for will present some of the most radical
advances in the modern fighting machinery.
The monitor principle has always been dis
| tinctively American. There are many who
| regard them as the best all-round Warships
yet designed.
The act of Congress appropriating for
| the naval service for the fiscal year ending
| June 30, 1899 under increase of the navy"
| referring to the four harbor defense vessels
| Of the monitor type, limits the cost OF these
vessels to I,JO0.0o0 each. The limit of time
| of completion is twentyseven months, with
penalties from $500 to 5000 day for failure.
! The Navy Department in the construc-
ton of this class Of vessels, securing the
| greatest results at the least expenditure of
| money, has in view not only the securing
of the mainland harbors of the United
| States, but also of its island possessions in
| the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
| The design of the monitors, which have
been named the Arkansas. Connecticut,
Florida and Wyoming, was prepared by
| Chief Constructor Hichborn. 1t was de-
| clded that the best alI-round arrangement
| that could be built with the available APP
L
| single-balanced turret the center line
| forward, containing two high-powered 10
inch breech-loading rifles, a gun that has
| just been designed to be used with smokeless
powder; four finch rapid-fire breech-load-
ing rifles, also to be used with smokeless
powder, completes the main battery The
| secondary battery will consist of three g.
| pound rapid-fire and four 1-pound automat-
ic rifles.
| The general characteristics of these YES
sells SHOW in the elements of design will
be:
| Length on load water line. 225 feet.
| Breadth, extreme, at water line, 30 feet.
Mean draft, at normal displacement, II
feet 6 inches.
| Normal displacement, about . 700 tons.
Total coal capacity, loose stowage. 200
tons.
Details of the Design.
The hull is to be of steel, not sheathed,
with double bottom and close water-tight
subdivisions.
| There will be military mast, fitted
| with fighting and searchlight tops.
Seven boats are to be slowed clear of the
| blast of the guns. Two, being the life
| boats are to be carried at davits, so as to
| be quickly lowered.
| The protection of the hull against injury
| to the water-line region is to be afforded
by means of a side armor belt, the maxi
mum thickness being IL inches, tapering to
| ) inches at the armor shelf, the depth being
! < Tho ms yirnnpo thickness iS al aSf
| the engine and boiler spaces; from thence
forward and aft it is reduced by steps to a
minimum thickness of inches at the bow
and stern. The barbettes for the Pinch
| guns will have armor about 10 inches thick.
The turret is of the Hichborn balanced
| type, with front plate inclined forty-two
| degrees from the vertical The side plates
| of the turret armor are to be nine inches
! thick.
The main or protected deck is to extend
thro ughout the length of the vessel. to be
worked fiat. The total thickness will be
one and half inches.
A coming tower of seven and a half
inches in thickness, having armored
communication tube three inches in thick
ness. will be carried in a suitable command
ing position forward, the tube extending to
the armor deck and affording protection TO
the voice tubes, bell wires, &c.
The vessel will be driven by twin screws.
The engines 1.-TWO in number) are to be of
the vertical, triple-eXpansion type, in one
water-tight compartment. The high pres
sure cylinder, II inches in diameter: the in
termedate, 26A inches, and the low pres
sure, 40 inches: the stroke of engine to be
"a inches. The boilers -four in number) are
to be of the water-tube type, constructed
for working pressure of 80 pounds, and
are to be placed in one water-tight COM
partment. There will be the usual auxil-
larry machinery and workshop tools.
Distilling apparatus and evaporators will
be fitted for supplying fresh water.
The total coal-bunker capacity will allow
at least 200 tons with loose stowage with
out trimming.
24O Tons of Moving Power.
The total weight of machinery Cbut not
including turret-turning machinery, cap
stan, wfndlass, steering gear or winches)
is limited to 240 tons. Fifty tons of water
for steaming purposes must be carried in
the double bottom.
Steam windlass, steering engines and boat
winches will be provided.
These vessels will have state rooms, in
addition to one for the captain, for six Of
ficers: require a complement of crew of
lbs, for whom ample berthing space has
been provided. Store rooms are provided
for one months supply of clothing, contin-
gent and small stores.
The electric generating plant will consist
of four units. each unit to have an engine
dynamo and compensation bed plate, and
each dynamo a rated output of 400 am
peres of so volts.
Inc gear. ammunition
hoists, hammers and ventilating apparatus
will be operated by electricity.
The estimated speed of the vessel is to |
be twelve knots-amply sufficient for a har-
Dor defense vessel.
All wood used in the construction of the |
vessels will be fireproofed.
The vessels will be fitted with docking
keels, which will also serve the purpose of |
bilge keels. !
These harbor defense monitors which |
will have all the latest improvements
known to naval science, will be important |
additions to the navy, and being small
with large accommodations for crew for |
vessels of their size. they will be valuable |
for the and instruction of the naval |
militia, that important organization which |
has SO ably served the government in the |
late war with Spain.