Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-12-03
LAUNCHING OF The
BATTLESHIP WISCONSIN
Vast Crowd Watches the Mighty
Warship Slide Into the Water
at Frisco.
ONE OF THE NAvY's FINEST
Resembles the Iowa. but Has Some
Modern Improycnicnts---Dc-
scription Of the Great
Warship,

San Francisco, Nov. 2S.-The batt!eshlp
Wisconsin was successfully launched this
morning from the Union iron works yards.
Miss Elizabeth Stephenson, from Wis
i~onsin, broke the bottle OF wine on the
bow and christencd the vessel as it slid
into the water. A great crowd Of people
witnessed the launching of this. the
largest warship ever built on the Pacific
coast.
Description OF the Vessel.
The battleshlp Wisconsin, designed in
the bureau Of construction and repair of
the navy department., Is a sister ship Of
the Alabama, building az the Cramps
yard I'm Philadelphia, and also Of the llli-
nois, building at Newport News.
The dimensions of the Wisconsin arc as
follows: Length OF load water line, Ss
feet; beam extreme. ~ feet 2l2 inches,
draft on normal displacement OF 1l,52j
tons, % feet 8 inches; maximum displace-
mcnt, all ammunition ana stores on board.
2,325 tons; maximum indicated horse
power (cstimatcd). 1900; probable speed.
l6Ia knots: normal coal supply, 500 tons;
coal supply, loose storage. loo tons; fun
bunker capacity, 400 to 1,j0 tons; com
PIGMENT of officers, 10; scamen, marines,
etc, 40.
The main battery will consist OF four 80
inch brCcchlOadiug rifles in Hichborn
~ 'F'a 80 faHl 'f''
placed I'm the center line OF the vessel. ana
fourteen G-inCh rapld-iirc guns. The
secondary battery Will consist Of sixteen
~G-poundcr rapid-tirc guns, four ~l.pounder
rapid-iirc guns, two Colt guns ANA two
Held guns. She will carry four torpedo
tubes. The l3-inCh guns have an arc Of
lire Of l35 degrees on cnCh side of the CEN
ter line, aud the G-inch an are Of 80 de-
grecs on tn" brOadside, will the advan-
tage Of those on the upper deck of a di-
rect fire ahead and astcrn. Any injury
10 or near either Of these G-inch guns will
be confined TO It's own apartment, as Il
one and One-half incl steel splinter bulk
head separates each Of these guns from
Its %ncighbor.
The armor belt. which extends from the
stem TO abaft the after turrct. Is to be
sixteen and One-half inches thick at the
top and ninc ana Onc-half inches thick AT
the bottom, except AT the forward end,
whore II Will be tapered to four inches at
the stem. This belt armOr VIII extend
from four feet below the normal load line
10 three and onC-half feet above IL, and
Will maintain the fun thickness amid
ships between the turTctS ana for the dis
lance occupied by the engines and boilers.
Diagonal armOr twelve inches thick, con-
meeting this belt armOr ANA barDcttcs ana
extending from the slopes of protective
deck TO top OF the side belt on each side
Is worked 10 give protection from "A rak-
ing fire. Abaft the after turrot the pro-
lection Will be completed by thickening
the protective deck TO -four inches on the
El'l'Tt VIII NNb anu lli''FIlliN VI lllAlllN
on the fiat. on the slopes of this deck
forward 1t Is three niche thick and two
and th~ree-quarter inches or the fiat. The
armcr on the l3-inCh gun turrcts viii be
seventeen inches on the front and fifteen
inches on the rear and sides. while on the
barbettcs for these turrets, which are cir
"ular I'm shape, will be fifteen inches on
the front aud ten inches on the rear and
sides. The sides Of the vessel above the
belt armOr In wake of the 1G-inch bait
terry ana forming the Cascmatc win be
armorcd with five and unc-half inches OF
steel, extending between ;he turrcts with
diagonal armOr Of same thickness at the
ends, connecting with the barbettCs, and
working above the l2-inCh diagonal arr
NOR below. She will bc protected against
the entrance OF water. i'm case Of injury
TO the side, at the waterlinc, by Golfer
dams extending for the whole length of
the vessel on each side, ana having a gen
cral width of three feet, with a total ca
paCity Of about II, 800 cubic feet for stow
age Of iirc-proofcd corn-pith Cc,lulosc.
independent Of the numerous SINAI water
tight pockets or cells forming the entire
scheme of COlfCrdamS, the inner bottom
and hold, the platforms, splinter ana
berth decks. are divided i'm two between
200 and 300 water-tight Compartments,
both for the accommodation OF the motor
power and tho stowagc of coal, provisions
n ammunition and other stores, ana
also for the preservation of the ship in
the event of rupture OF the outer skin or
injury in battle. All these nan Compart-
menus arc DrONlutt Win pipes 'bllllfil-
ing with powerful steam pumps for tho
purpose OF removing any water tina may
get I'm them, either from accident or de-
sign. Arrangements are also made Tor
flooding all ammunition rooms In the
event Of fire on board the vessel. Nj
these compartments, together Win all
living spaces, StatcruOms. etc, etc, uCCu-
pied by the officers or crew, have special
pipes or ducts ranged with n view or
supplying fresh air To the occupants, n
to make the temperature of all store
even in the most remote parts or
the vessel, comfortable and healthy:
These pipes all OnncC with powerful
blowers, which draw fresh air by means
of vcntilatOrs extending from ten 10 TWEEN
~ feet above the ships deck.
The forward coming tower armor Will
he In thickness ten inches, oval In shape,
size in the clear, I by II feet, with an
armorcd tube seven inches thick extend
ing down to The protective deck 10 house
all wires on other means Of interior com
muniCatiOn, so that the officer coming the
vessel in action can be in constant and
safe communication with all parts of the
vessel. An after coming, OF signal tower,
is also provided, having an inside diam
Ctcr of six feet ana Il thickness of six
inches.
> The height Of free board forward of the
vessels hull proper Is twenty feet and
At the stern thirteen and one-Quartcr feet.
n floor Of the |pilOthOuSc is forty-tiNc
feet high, thus placing the eye Of the
for ordinary cruising about
lifty feet above the water. The sight
holes i'm the coming tower for use I'm close
lighting are thirty-four ANA une-half feet
above the water. The bore Of the for
ward l3-lnCh guns will have an elevation
IF twenty-siX and one-half feet M the
after l3-inch nineteen feet above the sur
Of the water. The G-inCh guns vary
fifteen to twenty-five n Onc-half
feet and the 6]-pounder from thirty TO forty
ana onc-half feet above water, according
TO their location ON the vessel. The
smaller guns are counted in the military
tops at heights Of from ffty-nine 40 soy
feet. This great height above
water Of both main and secondary bate
will enable the vessel to he fought I'm
any weather. n quality always sought for,
obtainablc only in vessels of good
size and considered of immense van
by all naval authorities. She is also
provided with bilge kcels, placed before
and aaaft the midship body only, SO as
not To interfere with docking her. These
keels have "a maximum depth Of three
feet. and will largely tend to lessen her