The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-03-12
TW,';IN''TERROjIRS,II
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-, A total swing OF go degrees. and all
Sonr guns are pointed In the same gen
,,si direction and swung from aide to
lido by the one great turning gear en-
rscIpE the lower half. The design has
SISn seriously questioned here and
abroad, and there Is a prevailing opin-
Ian that tho experiment Will never DO
repeated, x, .f.ig
The eIght.inch guns are sheltered be.
mind walls generally nine inches thick,
hui augmented to eleven Inches at the
hoat. The thirteen-inch guns are, COW.
cred BY flfteen inches OF hardened steel
cIso. except at tho front where there Is
an added thickness OF two inches. To
pIercc the walls OF the lower turret. a
sho, would haveito strike them from a
distance Of fifteen hundred yards, With
all the pcnt-up energy equal to bearing
that shot quite thirteen miles. N
The auxiliary battery OF fourteen five.
inch rapid fire guns Is mounted In the
superstructure on the main deck. This
superstructure. where 1t faces an enemy
Is composed OF hardened steel six inches
thick; aud no explosive six-lnch shell
could ever get through that bulwark.
Each gun station Is separated from the
adjoining gun by a two-lnch wall OF
steel. that the effect OF penetrating shot
and bursting shell may be localized.
Each OF these guns has n service rate o.
speed OF quite six aimed shots a min
ute; and as each shot weighs fifty
pounds, o little arithmetic tells the
story. 7Fs 8ti s.}Aa tfis r
The six-pounders are mounted In
part on the berth deck forward and aft.
The rest OF them are placed in the SUI
perstructure above the iive-!nch guns.
where they have a very deslra bic range
OF fire. The one-pounders and the CAT
llnEs IRE placed on the bridges and up
in the military tops. %
To feed all these guns each ship will
carry 600 tons OF mmunition---enough
to welcome an enemy with exceeding
warmth. iy-t t.3s s ~
The water-llne region Of the sides will
be protected from attack by broad
band of 16s-inch armor, running along
the siden amidships for distance of ia
feet. and tapers thence to four Inches
at the stem. This belt Is ~ feet wide,
and under normal conditions only 81
feet will be above the water line. At
the extremitles Of the thickest part.
athwarsship bulkhcads turn inboard
and end against the barbettes or heavy
tubes OF 15-inch steel which rise from
the protective deck and shield the am
munition hoists and the turning gears
- he m oyfl hull I,a-af Il
Is 10 inches thick; the after one u. A
protective deck of hardened steel 2st
inches thick rests on the four walls
formed by the athwartship bulkheods
and the inner edge OF the inlaid side ar
NOR. Under the protecting shelter oil
this heavy roof and many feet of coal
lie the engines, the boilers and the mag
aZines and the shell roomS-the "vitals, y
in fact. OF the ship. A broad band OF
cellulcse. extending from stem TO stern
and back OF the 1ive-inch armor which,
protects the sides anidshlps from the
heavy armor belt up to the main deck
will automatically plug all shot holes
admitting water.
The protecting deck covering the vi.
tails amidships Is run slantingly to the
bow and the stern. and forward forms
the backbone. of the murderous ram
which lies just below the water.
Two sets OF triple-expansion engines
each In its own water-tight compart.
ment. will actuate the twin Screws
while five great boilers. teeming with
the pressure of $50 pounds of steam, will
supply the energy needcul to drive those
engines and turn those screws quite III
times q minute.
The turrets will be turned and con,
trolled by electriclty-the first instance
on so large scale on any vessel, and
the same power will bring the ammuni.
lion from its store-rooms 10 the
breechcs OF all the large guns--the six
Founders and less excepted.
Each mast will be fitted with its own
signal outfit, and the lower half OF eaci,
mast MIL form vast w!nd-pipe down
which fresh air will be drawn 10 the
depths OF the craft.
Eighty odd auxiliary engines will re-
Guce the tax upon the muscular energies
OF the crew and add 10 the efficiency Of
the ship by handling and lowering the
boats. raising the anchors, loading the
coal, d!scharging the ashes, bringing
shot, shell and powder from the depths
below to the gun stations, and turning
the turrets; and, except for the guild.
ance OF these Techanisms. manual Ia.
Dor Is practically unneedful. NEs
Compared with any OF our old wooder
ships OF the line, the contrast Is in.
s;ructive. Steam will spread It's com.
fortins glow for all alike where the oc.
casional small stove or hot cannon bal
did service In the past; and immense re.
volrinS fans will force fresh air into tht
most secret recesses of these ships ant
make every nook and Granny purel
than the actual living spaces of our an,
Client craft, whose between deck quar-.
tiers were so often foul with the noxlou:
fumes OF bilge water and rotten wood
while the refulscnce Of hundreds o.
electric lights vii! shed brightness cv.
erywhere and substitute the. tallow dill
SO grudglngly allowed OF yorc. DIstlll
ers, with daily output OF thousand!
OF gallons. will give fresh, pure watc,
where once the rusty tanks yielded {
tainted stInted portion. Splendid gal
!eys will cook in liberal bounty tn,
warm bread and wholesome food fc,
me modern crew; and Refrigerator;
plant. with daily cooling equivalen
OF ton OF ice, will preserve afresh til,
proVender. and. instead OF tho galt
horse and bareback OF tradition. tn,