Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-03-24

| ,.>zI, 81 S'-'u Eoast1 uction the highest de-
NeFnpinenlS up to this date in nfrenSive
and defensive warfare as 49,. 80,
Same or naval strife would no ,,I,,.as
THt uiie eoasN Fine of the United Stn,tyss
i,.sp SAelf broad hulls are packed a1i
81 "lv' engine power. the arrnOr ana
lsie ''fdelance that the highest .cientif;c
| abHltT h5 able to concentrate i,, :, t,on,s
ing structure that is able To saalx !.
| odse u operations. a supply of fua,
arg aAiTnunltlon and on opportunity /.
slsai wounds received in battle. I.arg
eI STRIPS. ihUSa of deeper draft. nen.,s,o
fl9E. may NOT enter or attack our l1n.t 6
at lighting range. and this consideration
Was always kept in mind by Chief Com
strlctor Hir!l',orn. When the kean:arge
and Kentucky We're pllnned Tha, is
Tire explanation of the fact-a new one
IN iEavai design-thst these ships, With
u displacement Of 1l,525 tons, draw
| o!ilE - rect of alter, less than the ar.
nored cruisers New York AND Brook.
iSh. Which would not combined be eoua.
| IN combat 10 one of these bat,tlashins
Light draft on heavy displacement !.
plrty ONE of the many valuable Qualities
! 81 'aa%s:e battleSh:ps. Though by n,
means the least. Save the Intliarla
class. they carry the hes West BATTERIES
IN accord with modern naval practice
| ara Wlth primary batteries fully eulna,
10 that class. they mount second iry
guns. IN such fashion as to make the
cohinfnatlon almost Unequaled in nav7al
| afriltecture. The big rifles. four in
number. are mounted i'm two turrat s
one sweeping the entire sea from di-
rectlE ahead. fully half way as;ern
:re other With equal range. placed SC
as 10 command the sea from either
DOW straight astern. These. are of 49,
.tlan calibre, yet the British navy CON
mes ITS guns to 12-inch. In inches 1.hs
difference seems small. yet the Ameri
can gun has about 25 per cent. u,.n,.
| power
AZ rfi,s point i'm the armament of the
sEl.i2S ;me American designers have
embarked in a bold and eGlten7p-iSqns
experiment. the RESULT of which viii be
(s,WMted with interest by TINS. whole
|inafIame world. Instead Of descend ing
at ONE move from the heavy primary
battery to the small cNliole rapid fi,s.
guns, as is done in the case of cruisers
it has become the custom Of naval
2fch! tectS to interpuSe 4 battery of
| medium cahbre guns. six or eight inch
guns. for Instance, and these are p!aced
n smaller independent ;urrets ,ul,out
| the ship. 1t occurred to the Ans .i..y,n
designers that if they could dspe.i, (
wHah the Wv!shty and space ,.o.l.u:n-
| ms nhuGhinEly alta Gh5d TO these tur.e:s
such as tHe turning engines and ma
| eh.nerN, Nl'.ep5nI:snt 1mlnuni;:o:i hus $
| Shields ans; the like that much n1.,r.
null OF tie snip and ;.ltlt mu,-h more
armo!' could he carried. They sJlv ed
ihe pr"oem by rt!:a,!ly ats, ching i.llv.
smaller turrets. each containing two
S-inth rifles. to the top Of the big Is
| inch turis.ts THE plan had another
advantage than weight Saving. Tlleo-
| tetieaily. ut tended 10 a terrible CON
| centHatian of ii.e fire of the sh,n Prof.
ably the craft does no: nn..,.c;,har NJ
survive - ~. lwf,il i1npact from ihe ifnl,,
,L.iilis; If one Of ;lhas.. c,t,fn;.,ll ,u,.,.;s
lupon one small section Of lbs hun anC,
because they are trained IN unison thsli,
Ip,oiectiles must str;bs close I-n-,sth,.r
Wien ms saving in wei-hi IN. d..
.ii,ners We're able To give splendid ar
NOR protection to the Ships. All OF tn 5
arnu1- is of ,Harveyfzei nickel steel
If American invention, and the hes;
in the world up 10 ltl,is date. as is shown,
by the many European efforts to equal
r! by other processes of nln,lfactu1e
Moreover. il is slli.suly dispa:ed. so as
to make every ounce of steel count TO,
the protection of the crew. This. big
turr.-;S are seventeen inches thick i'm
front. t,inliG1.s i1ing in thickness to fiji
teen inches in the rear. where they are
less liable To be struck. i'e~alls-. in &C
tiSsn ;he guns are supposed! to 'is. always
turned toward the enemy. The smaller