The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1898-12-03
Description of the Vessel.

The battleship Wisconsin, designed in
the bureau Of construction and repair of
ne me navy department. is a sister ship Of
nois, building al Newport News.
The dimensions of the Wisconsin are as
follows: Length of load water line. s6s
draft on normal displacement of l1,a25
tons, % ieet 6 inches; maximum displace-
ment, all ammunition and stores on board,
l2.S2o tons; maximum indicated horse
power (estimated). 10000: probable speed,
l61s Knots; normal coal supply, 500 TONS:
coal supply, loose storage, 1920 tons; full
bunker capacity. 1.400 to 1.50O tons; COM
etc, 449.
The main battery Will consist of four 49,
inch bre%echloading rifles In Hichborn
~ nalaneed ]t.rrets. oval in shape; and
haurte IN inc si nehter line Of the vessel, and n
secondary battery viii consist of sixteen
~G,pounder %rapid-fre guns. four %1-pounder
rapld-flre guns, two Colt guns and two
tubes. The 13-inch guns have an arc of
fire Of 1876 degrees OF each side of the cen
ter line. and the 6-inch an are of 80 de-
gfees on the broadside, with the advan-
rect fre ahead and astern. Any injury
TO or near either of these 6-inch guns will
pc confined to Its own apartment. as a
one and one-half inch steel splinter bulk
its %neighbor.
The armor belt. which extends from the
stem to abaft the after turret. is to be
top and nine and one-half inches thick at
the bottom, except at the forward end.
Wnere It Will be tapered to four inches at
me stem. This belt armor will extend
from four feet below the normal load line
10 three and one-half feet above It, and
Will maintain the full thickness amid
ships between the turrets and for the dis
Diagonal armor twelve inches thick, con-
Meeting this belt m and barbettes and
extending from the slopes OF protective
deck TO top of the side belt on each side
ing lire. Abaft the after turret the pro-
lection will be completed by thickening
tho protective deck to four inches on the
slopes, with two and three-quarter inches
on the Hat. On the slopes of this deck
forward 1t is three inches thick and two
and t~hree-quarter inches on the fiat. Tho
m on the 13-inch gun turrets will be
seventeen inches on the front and tifteen
inches on the rear and sides, while on the
barbetteS for these turrets, which are cir
cular in shape, will be fifteen Inches on
the front and ten inches on the rear and
belt armor In wake of the 16-inch bat
terry and forming the casemate viii be
with five and one-half inches of
steel, extending between the turrets with
diagonal armor of same thickness at the
rnds.. connecting with the barbettes. and
working above the Pinch diagonal ar
nor below. She will be protected against
me entrance OF water. In case of injury
TO the side, at the waterline, by Golfer
dams extending for the whole length Of
the vessel on each side. and having u gem
srnl width OF three feet, with a total ca
hge of tirc-proofed corn-pith %ccllulose.
independent of the numerous small water
light pockets or cells forming the entire
scheme of cofferdams. the inner bottom
rnd hold. the platforms. splinter and
berth decks. are divided in two between
200 and 300 water-tight compartments.
both for the accommodation of the motor
power and the stowage of coal. provisions
and ammunition and ether stores. and
hlso for the preservation of the ship in
tho event OF rupture of the outer skin or
injury IN battle; Al! these many compart-
Ing with powerful steam pumps for the
purpose of removing any water that may
ret In them. either from accident or de-
flooding all ammunition rooms IN the
event of fire on board the vessel. All
these compartments. together with all
living spaces, s~tateroons. etc. etc, occu-
pipes or ducts arranged with Il view OF
supplying fresh air to the occupants, and
to make the temperature of all store
rooms. wen IN the most remote parts of
These pipes all connect with powerful
blowers which draw fresh air by means
OF NentllatorS extending from ten to TWEEN
" feet above the ships deck.
Tho forward coming tower will
be In thickness ten inches. oval In shape,
size In the clear.q7 by II feet. with an
tube seven inches thick extend
down to the protective deck to house
all wires or other means Of interior com
muntcation. so that the officer coming the
vessel In action can be in constant and
communication with all parts of the
An after coming. or signal tower,
is also provided. having an inside dam
etcr of six feet and a thickness of six
vessels hull proper is twenty feet and
at the stern thirteen and ~one-quartcr feet.
The floor Of the %pilothouse is forty-fve
feet seetra high, thus thu placing the Eye e the
feet above thef-water. The sight
fighting sraethttaysfour and one-half feet
ward 1s-ineh guns will have an elevation
of twenty-six and one-half feet and tho
after ls-inch nineteen, feet above the sur
face Of the water. The e-inch guns vary
from fifteen to twenty-five and one-haif
feet and the %6-pounder from thirty to forty
and one-half feet above water, according
to their location on the vessel. The
tops at heights Of from ~fifty-nIne TO sew
enty-nine. feet. This great height above
water OF both main and secondary bate
rtes will enable the vessel to be fought in
ahs aoottSS Always Bought Tor,
but obtainable only in vessels Of good
size and considered Of immense advan-
tage by all naval authorities. She is also
provided with bilge keels, placed before
and abaft the midship body only, so as
not to interfere with docking her. These
keels have q maximum depth OF three
feet: and will largely tend to lessen her
motion IN a seaway, and so contribute to
her ~steadiness as II gun-platform, SO es-
sential for correct gunfire. Four power
full electric searchlights are also pro-
vlded. two on top OF the forward chart
house and two on each side of the after
military mast; also having an elevation
of twenty-five feet above the water and
a complete all around range.
will be two sets of triple expansion.
twin-screw engines. each in its own sepa-
rate Water-tlght compartment. The col
lective Indicated horsepower will be 10000,
with 12o revolutions per minute; stroke,
The turrets will be operated by cleo
tric power: also, the ammunition hoists
and the dynamo and auxiliary blowers for
ventilating purposes. There will be some
eighty add n 1St1fn y&y "a, ,v;,,ao T., t1,a .n.