Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-16

latest prestige of the navy and the tradi-
tional dignity of old glory.
Owing 10 the present exigencies of the
Eeryice and the desire to have the vessels
building as soon as possible, It was deemed
expedient to have our three latest battle
ships fashioned much on the lines of the
Illinois type. now well along. but with such
improvements as the course of construction
and certain mechanical advances had point
ed out as wisest. The same light draft of
the Illinois class has been retained, by
which the ships will be able to operate in
waters ordinarily denied to foreign craft of
anything like the same power, and there is
good reason to believe that this admirable
feature will be Of inestimable value under
the conditions likely to be imposed upon
US as u result of our present conflict.
General Dimensions.
Their general dimensions and principal
features are as follows: Length on load
water line, 1868 feet; extreme beam, Il feet
"a inches. mean draft 600 tons of coal,
2-s stores and 2-3 ammunition on board'
es feet Il inches; corresponding displace-
rnent H. 25 tons; mean drart, WITH run
sJDpIies and 200 tons of coal on board,
"a feet inches; corresponding dlspiace-
meut II 140 tons; indicated horsepower,
10000: speed (contracO in Knots an
i
IONS. bunker capacity, unpacked, 200 tons;
Observation-Disclosures, seamen and marines
so.
The fighting force of the ships will be
centered primarily in their batteries OF q
and 13-inch rifles. The main battery
proper will be composed of four i3-lnc n
breech-loading rifles, which upon an even
keel will have an effective range OF some
thing over five miles. This is only scant
half OF the possible bombarding range OF
guns of this caliber. The secondary bat
terry will consist OF fourteen 6-inch guns
OF the rapid-fire order, seven on eacn
broadside. The 13-inch guns Will be mount
ed In pairs in two ehpticai balanced tur-
rets of the barbette type, so fashioned
that they may be swung from side to side
through their total sweep of 30 degrees
without affecting the trim of the vessel
This is not possible with the unbalanced
turrets some Of our ships These ID
inch turrets are OF steel fifteen inches
thick except on the slanting face plate,
through which the guns peer, which Is two
inches thicker.
ImpenetrabIe Armor.
This armor IS HarveyiZed and IS the de-
fensive equivalent of quite twenty five
Inches Of ordinary steel 1t would be i'm
possible for any gun yet fashioned TO
pierce this armor even at the closest fight
ing ranges. The mechanisms turning the
turrets and feeding the guns with powder
and shell are all housed within the bar
bette, on top OF which the turret revolyes.
This barbette Is a massive column of steel
with a diameter of nearly thirty feet and
& uniform thickness Of fifteen inches. 1t,
too, is face hardened like the turret Each
of the barbetteS rests on the solid founda-
ton Of the heavy protected deck, from be
meath the sheltering cover of which come
the powder and shot for the guns. The
6-inch guns are placed on the upper deck
amidships and on the main deck amidships
and forward The guns in the Two citidels
h. oT0 he
sides the main deck are sheltered be-
hind six inches of the toughest armor, and
each gun Is stalled between splinter bulk
heads of steel an inch and a half thick.
This prevents bursting shells from scat
tering destruction and limits damage to
the immediate gun injured. Each one OF
the 6-inch guns bears heavy Haryeyized
shield, and the gun ports are formed
that there is little chance Of pro1ectiles
getting in save by virtue of force enough
To- pierce the obstructing armor. The two
6-inch guns we'll forward and Just abaft
the bow anchors have a wider arc of fire
than the four 6-inch guns amidships and
are able 10 fire dead ahead as well as on
each brOaGSide. These guns will have
rate OF IRE of quite five or six times a
minute, each time sending a 100-pound
armor-pieTcing OF explosive shell on its
errand Of demolition. All armor from six
inches down would wither before the
gtorm of such attack.
Heavy Batteries.
Compared with the 1.100-pound shot OF
the 13-inch. guns the 6-inch shell does not
seem so formidable. but it is in its fire.
queucy of fire that IT will tell most against
the lighter defenses of similar pieces on
other ships.
In addition to the main and secondary
batteries there Is an auxiliary force OF
sixteen 6-pounders. four 1-pounders and
one automatic Colt gun and a couple OF
Aeld pieces for landing parties. The
6-pounders. intended especially to repe
torpedo boats and 10 enfiiade the unpro-
tscted portions of an enemy are mounted
on the berth deck way aft. the main
deck forward and up on the bridges for
ward and aft. giving a complete circle OF
IRE from bow to stern. and making 1t ut
terly impossible for torpedo boats to Greer
up within the shelter of dead angles oil
any sort The Colt and 1-pounder guns are
mounted In the two military tops on each
mast. where they will command a good
fire against the tops OF the enemy and
also the unguarded positions Of the Hght
guns In q Soeman's superstructure. These
enail guns have shown their wonderful
effectiveness already in our present war
tnd with an individual output of sometime
S9ke twenty aimed shots q minute IL Il