The herald., 1898-04-03

paint one scarcely imagines her massive
steel structure of something over 1900
tons, so lightly does she seem to rest upon
the water; and clothed in her wartime
garb of ghoStly gray, she would be even
more delusive. But wait until she is seen
to lie unmoved upon a uninterrupted sea
that makes her smaller neighbors rock, and
then her ponderous might is realized. Think
of the force within that must be generated
to make her move against wind and tide
at the rate of sixteen knots an hour, and
then, try if possible, to picture the blow
that would fall upon the craft so unlucky
as to lie across her rushing course.
The Iowa is really navigable fortress,
$50 feet long, trifie over y feet wide, and.
emitting her smokestacks and bridges, is
80 feet tall from her keel up to the top OF
her superstructure amidships. Laden for
sea, half of this body lies below the water
line. That she may be comparatively insen-
sitive to moderate injury below water, she
has a double, or inner, bottom reaching
from the keel up to a short space below the
load line and the space between these two
skins, so to speak, is minutely subdivided
into numerous water-tight compartments,
to further localize injury
Her loins for a distance of quite two
thirds of her total length are girded by a
broad band of heavy armor, re feet wide
about equally divided above and below the
water line. Along the sides, amidships, for
1856 feet, this belt is II inches thick and
proof against all but the heaviest enc
mys shell at very close range. The cut
board ends of this girdle then turn inboard
at sharp angle, and then terminate on the
center line, where they form the main sup
port for the ponderous barbettes that shell
fer the vital mechanisms of the big Pinch
guns. This formation results in massive
hexagonal bulwark of hardened steel,
which presents a well-nigh invulnerable
front to shot or shell from any point off the
bow, the stern or either of the sides. Upon
this six-sided wall is laid the middle portion
of the protective deck, 2si inches thick,
which houses over the vitals of the craft.
Below this deck, behind many feet of shell
tering coal, so wisely is her supply of 1900
tons distributed, and beneath the water,
lie her engines, her boilers and her 80 tons
of ammunition, that await the coming of a
foeman worthy of that powder and hard
ened steel. From the lower edges of this
armor belt inboard the protective deck,
slightly thicker, runs forward and aft to
the ends and forms at the bow the spine
for the ponderous ram. which lies just far
enough below the water line to gore an en-
envy where he is weakest.
WITH TORPEDO TUBES
For a distance of 80 feet amdships and
to a height of seven feet above the heavy
Water-line belt, the sides are of armor five
inches thick; and it is from behind the pro-
tecting shelter of this steel wall that the
two torpedo tubes on each side are worked.
The ends of this thinner belt also turn
elantingly inboard and athwartships, and
terminate likewise against the barbettes
for the Pinch guns Forward and abaft
this lighter armor the sides are reinforced
by a broad band of corn pith cellulose.
which will swell and automatically plug
all shot holes admitting water.
The whole interior Of the craft is cut up
into something like 100 water-tight com
partments. and powerful pumps OF grea /
capacity stand ready to hold in check the
consequences of accident or leak. Wood
word is grudgingly allowed, ground cork
ana white painting standing instead for ap-