Evening star., 1898-08-27

screws about $50 times a minute, develop
ing an indicated horse power of quite 5000,
and inducing a speed in the neighborhood
easily of twenty-Seyen knots. The liberal
margin allowed by the bureau of steam
engineering promises even better than
this, and ii is needless to remark the con-
tractors will make the most of every
pounds weight in those engines. Steam
will be supplied from three water tube
boilers of considerable capacity, at work
ing pressure of $50 pounds, and that one
chance shot may not impair the whole bat
terry of boilers, they will be placed in two
compartments, one forward and one aft
of the machinery spaces. The boats will
have coal supply of quite seventy tons,
which should yield a pretty good radius of
action. and this fuel is slowed abreast the
boilers to offer a sheltering bulwark to an
enemy's shot so long as it remains.
There will be one small signal mast with
the usual light outfit for night work, and a
number of small auxiliary engines add to
the efficiency of the craft and lessen the
drain upon the muscular efforts of the
crew.
No bid will be considered at all that con-
templates craft of less than twenty-six
Knots upon the bidders design, and the
individual cost limit of these boats is fixed
at $4,000. No premium is offered for
speed other than the chance of building
the boats, and that was enough to induce
some very exciting bidding.
The Destroyers.
In the destroyers, of which there are
10 De Slkleen we SNdll nave feIlGI hdDle
boats, and exceptional pains have been
taken to put them head and shoulders
above the best abroad. AS has been said,
they are the Spanish boats bettered, and
they were the finest ever turned out from a
British shipyard-the birthplace of the tor
pedo-boat destroyer of today.
So far as the wicked appearance of such
craft Will permit these boats may be prop
erly termed beautiful, for their models are
exceptionally fine and graceful, while hav-
ing all of the important elements of sea-
worthiness and reasonable steadiness.
The boats. will have a water-line length
of 24o feet maximum beam of only y;
feet and will draw. upon a trial displace-
ment of 420 TONS just eight feet of water
over the tips of their screws. The stern
has been made full at the water line. but
tCnneled out below so that the boats shall
not squat" When going at full speed
they give their propellers a chance to race
IN the air when running in heavy sea.
With the single exception of the Rowan,
all OF our torpedo craft have had the usual
turtie-back deck at the bow, but in these
destroyers the sides have been run well up
and support forecastle deck of some
length. The purpose of this is twofold-
hrst, to prevent the boats burying their
heads in deep swells when running al full
speed and handicapping their progress and
easy maintenance of gait, and, second, to
PROVIDE ampler accommodation for the
crew OF siXty-odd persons. This freeboard
also gives more commanding range for
the gun mounted on the forward coming
tower, and, too, makes it possible to work
II in pretty bad weather.
Completely Equipped.
AS in the torpedo boats there. are two
coming towers, each of which has its steer
ing wheel, but only the forward one. where
most of the navigation under cover will be
done will have steam mechanism. On the
after part of the bridge upon the forward
tower there will be a third steering wheel,
and there the boats will be worked in fair
weather and in the daytime Above this
steering station, on a stand, will rest
sCod-sized searchlght and all that applies
10 It's usefulness on the smaller boats is
equally applicable to these "destroyers
The single mast, just abaft the forward
TOW er, viii be used only for signal purposes
and will be fitted with the usual Ardois
electric light code. The boats will also be
lishted inside by electricity, and an ampli-
fed system of ventilation and drainage will
De installed like that the torpedo boat
proper All woodwork will be fire-proofed
anu, where possible, wood will be supplant-
eo by metal castings, while the decks will
De covered with liIoleum instead of plank
ing. Every effort has been made to reduce
the danger of fire and those murderous
splinters- All furniture not easily tumbIed
oVerpoard Will also be fireproofed by an eff
fective process. The boats are subdiyided
into something like eighty COMPARTMENTS
and the bulkheads, as far as possible are
hSpl lhtdCls communication between them
oeing effected only by passage up to the
deck ard then down again through another
hatch to the next compartment. Pumps of
considerable capacity will provide against
nre or ieak, and everything has been done
to localize ordinary injury.
Accommodation.
The ACCOMMODATIONS for the crew for
ward are arranged much on the order of
those for the men on the smaller boats.
her he fAlI
when not IN use, and care as in parlor
cars, has been taken to make the most of
every available bit of space The cooking
VIII be done in a galley just abaft the
crews quarters and next the boiler space
SO that AN interval may be placed between
the steam generators and the mems seep-
ing place. The officers will be placed aft
below the main deck, and there are state
room accommodations for three commits
stoned officers, and berthing accommoda-
tions FOR about dozen warrant and petty
oH!cers- These quarters aft will be prettily
finished in light wood and upholstered in
red leather, and they will be both snug
and attractive even though naturally
somewhat narrowed. Shower baths will be
fitted for the crew and neat porcelain ined
tubs for the officers-commissioned and
otherwise.
The armament will be composed or two
2-pounder and hye 6-pounder rapid-fre
guns and two 1S-inch Whitehead torpedo
tubes. The 12-pounders will be mounted on
the coming towers and the 6-pounder will
be placed on the main deck-two of them
being placed forward where they will have
a direct bow fire. The torpedo tubes will
be placed on the center line-one amdships
and one way aft, and they will be able TO
fire on either side.
Powerful battery.
The battery of these destroyers is an ex-
ceedingly powerful one. Each gun is ca
pable of twenty aimed shots a minute, and
the murderous effect of such discharge
would play havoc with pretty nearly any
gunboat in service. either here or abroad
The 12-pounders are able to penetrate about
three inches of mild steel half a mile
away, and their explosive shells would
spread havoc wherever they burst. The g.
Founders have already shown in actual
conflict what they can do, and there is no
torpedo boat extant that could get near
enough to do any damage with her tor
pedoes in the face of such a saluts.tion
Eighty rounds will be carried for each of
the 12-pounders and 1913 rounds for each
of the 6-pounders, while there will be four
large Whitehead torpedoes for the two dis
charges.
The American Ordnance Company has
submitted a bid for supplying the guns for
these boats, and especially novel offer
is IN the shape of 15-poundcr guns of the
same weight as that of the I2-pounders