The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-03-16

while at the same time their moderate cost
has opened the country's eyes to the
charges put upon their predecessors
The "kearsarge" and the Kentucky" are
naVlgabe fOrtreSseS Of formidable type
and in action, would render a good account
of themselves in behalf of Old Glory The
dimensions OF one apply equally to the
other, and their general data are:
Length on load Waterline ... 1868 feet
Beam extreme ........... - feet inches
Draft on normal displacement ..23 feet in
Normal displacement ............. II ,525 tons
Maximum displacement all ammu-
milton and stores on board 49,. T. 325 tons
Maximum indicated horse power
(eStlmateD Observation-Disclosures. 10 900
Maximum speed, required by con
tract ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 16 knots
Normal coal supply NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 41O tons
Maximum coal supply bunkers
1ull ............................ 1210 tons
Complement, officers seamen and
marines NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 511
The strictly novel characteristic of these
ships is their exceedingly moderate draft
of water-but Is feet when full laden, by
which they may enter practically any har-
Dor of Importance along our coast line
sometimes denied to most of the armored
cruisers of all other nations. The offensive
advantage possessed in this single feature
can not be over valued.
The power to meet an enemy will be
centered effectively in the twenty-five guns
forming the main and auxiliary batteries
and these will consist of
Main battery ............... 10 inch B. L. r
inch b. l.. r.
Auxiliary battery IA inch rapid-fire rifles
For the purpose of resisting torpedo boat
attack and enflading the open decks or I'M
protected gun stations Of enemy, 20 six
Founders, six one Founders and four Cat
lings will keer up a destructive nit
railleuse; and woe to the venturesome small
steel-clad blast Four torpedo tubes, two
on each side amidships. will complete the
offensive phase Of the ships.
The 13-inch and the S-inch guns are
housed In two two-storied turrets. The s.
inch guns are in the upper half which is
fixed rigidly to the lower half. The whole
structure has a total swing of go degrees,
and all four guns pointed in the same
general direction and swung from side to
side by the great turning gear engag-
ing the lower half. The design has been
seriously questioned here and abroad, and
there is a prevailing opinion that the ex-
pertinent will never be repea tied.
The S-inch guns are sheltered behind walls
generally nine inches thick but augmented
to II inches at the front. The 13-inch guns
are covered by Is inches of hardened steel
also except at the front, where there is an
added thickness of two inches. To pierce
the walls of the lower turret, a shot would
have to strike them from a distance of 800
yards with all the pent-up energy equal to
bearing that shot quite 13 miles.
The auxiliary battery of IA 5-inch rapid
fire guns is mounted in the superstructure
on the main deck. This superstructure
where it faces an enemy, Is composed Of
hardened steel six inches thick; and eX-
plosve 6-nch shell could ever get through
that bulwark. Each gun station is separat-
ed from the adjoining gun by Pinch wall
of steel, that the effect of penetrating shot
and bursting shell may be localized. Each
of these guns has a service rate of speed of
quite six aimed shots a minute; and as
each shot weighs so pounds, little arith-
metic tells the story.
The 6-pounders are mounted in part on
the berth deck forward and aft. The rest
of them are placed in the superstructure
above the 5-inch guns, where they have a
very desirable range of fire. The 1-pound-
ers and the Cuttings are placed on the
bridge and up in the military tops.
To feed all these guns, each ship will
carry five hundred tons of ammunition