The Topeka state journal., 1898-11-26

and placed in the center line of the YES
/ sci; and fourteen 6-inch rapid fire guns.
The secondary battery will consist of
sixteen 6-pOunder rapid fire guns, four
1-pounder rapid fire guns, two Colt
guns and two field guns. She will
carry four torpedo tubes. The 13-inch
guns have an arc OF hre of 135 degrees
on each side of the center line; and the
6-inch, an arc of 80 degrees on the
broadside which the advantage of those
on the upper deck of direct fire ahead
and astern. Any injury to, or near,
either of these 6-inch guns, will be con-
fined to it's own compartment as a IL
inch steel splinter bulkhead separates
each of these guns from its neighbOr
The armor belt, which extends from
the stern to abaft the after turret is
161R inches thick at the top, and 9A
inches thick at the bottom, except at the
forward end, where 1t will be tapered
to inches at the stem. This belt ar
NOR will extend from four feet below
the normal load line to 31Rfeet above
it. and will maintain the full thickness
amidships between the turrets, and for
the distance occupied by the engines
and boilers. Diagonal armor II inches
thick connecting this belt armor and
barbettes and extending from the slopes
of protective deck to top of the side belt
each side, is worked to give protection
from a raking fire. Abaft the after
turret the protection will be completed
by thickening the protective deck to
inches on the slopes, with pa inches on
the fiat On the slopes of this deck
forward it is 8 inches thick and 2sz inch
es on the fiat. The armor on the 13-
inch gun turrets will be II inches on the
front and Is inches on the rear and
sides; while on the barbettes for these
turrets, which are circular in shape, will
be 15 inches on the front and 10 inches
on the rear and sides. The side of the
vessel above the belt armor in wake Of
the 16-inch battery, and forming the
easement, will be armored with 51a inch
es of steel extending between the tur-
rets with diagonal of same thickness
at the ends, connecting with barbettes,
and working above the II inch di-
protected against the entrance of water,
in case of injury to the side, at the wa
ter line, by cOfferdamS extending for the
| length of the vessel each side, and
having a general width of feet, with
a total capacity of about II 500 cubic
! feet, for the stowage of fire proOfed corn
pith cellulose. Independent of the nu-
| merous small water tight pockets or
| cells forming the entire scheme of cof-
ferdams, the inner bottom and hold, the
| platforms, splinter and berth decks, are
| divided into between 200 and 300
| water tight compartments, both for
| the accommodation of the motor power
and the stOWage of coal, provisions and
ammunitions, and other stores, and al
I so for the preservation of the ship in
| the event of rupture of the outer skin,
| or injury in battle. All these many
compartments are provided with pipes
connecting with powerful steam pumps
| for the purpose of removing any water
| that may get in them either from acci-
| dent or design. Arrangements are al
! so made for flooding all ammunition
rooms in the event of fire on board the
! vessel. All these compartments, to-
! gether with all living spaces, state
| rooms, etc, occupied by the officers or
crew, have special pipes or ducts ar
ranged with a view of supplying fresh
air to the occupants, and to make the
temperature of all StOrerOOmS, even in
the most remote parts of the vessel,
fort III
a-E connect with powerful blowers which
draw fresh air by means of ventilatOrS
extending from 10 to 20 feet above the
ships deck.
The forward coming tower armor
will be in thickness 10 inches, oval in
shape, size in the clear by II feet
with an armored tube inches thick
extended down to the protective deck
to house all wires or other means of in
terror communication, so that the officer
coming the vessel in action can be in
all parts of the vessel. An after con-
ming or signal tower is also provided,
having an inside diameter of feet, and
a thickness of 6 inches.
The turrets will be operated by cleo
trio power; also the ammunition hoists,
and the dynamo and auxiliary blowers
for ventilating purposes. There will
be some eighty odd auxiliary engines in
the vessel, this adding greatly to the eff
hciency of the ship, in the celerity and
certainty with which the work can be
boats are operated by steam, also the
deck winches, pumps windlass, and the
steering gear (this latter is located be-
meath the protective deck, and several
feet below the water Hne). The intro
duction of these auxiliary engines is
brought about mainly by the variety
and nature of the work to
be done, and the demand for the latest
and best in every branch of mechanics
represented in a man-Of-war. Manual
labor is therefore reduced to a mini
mum; a. condition of affairs which must
result in a greater interest and deVel-
opment of the crew in their special du-
ties, as now required in a modern bat
tleship, where fighting and all that
line of art, is not handicapped by the
constant drudgery so universal in the
old time vessels in our navy.
The height of free board forward of
the vessels hull proper, is 20 feet, and
at the stern, 1914 feet. The floor of the
pilot house is 45 feet high, thus placing
the eye of the steersman for ordinary
cruising, about SO feet above the water.
The sight holes in the coming tower for
use in close fighting are 3412 feet above
the water. The bore of the forward
13-inch guns will have an elevation of
25R feet and the after 13-inch, 19 feet,
above the surface of thewater. The
6-inch guns vary from Is to 221A feet,
and the 6-pOurderS from 30 to 4012 feet
above water, according to their location
on the vessel. The smaller guns are
mounted in the military tops, at heights
from SO to 79 feet. The great height
above water of both main and secOnda-
ry batteries will enable the vessel to be
fought in any water; a quality always
| sought for, but obtainable only in ves-
| sells of good size, and considered of
| immense advantage by all naval au-
thorities. She is also provided with
| bilge keels, placed before and abaft
| the midship body only, so as not to in
| terfere with docking her These keels
| have maximum depth of three feet
and will largely tend to lessen her mo-