Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1898-10-29
LAUNCHING
The ILLINOIS

launching of the Illinois, the most now.
errui battleship ever constructed.
This great ship. with the Keararee
ana Kentucky. also building here: the
Alabama, being constructed nj
Cramps and the Wisconsin under
way At San Francisco, constitute the
nucleus for a new navy greater in ev-
cry respect than the one which has
]ust triumphed at Manila and Sant-
ago.
Inc navy department. in designing
tne plans for the Illinois. showed a.
great an advance over former de-
Hgns As previous plans had shown
over the types OF fighting ships which
we're supposed to be satisfactory In
1850. The Illinois belongs to the class
OF designs known as those OF 1865,
while the Kentucky and Kearsarge
belong to the class OF 1895. As IL the
designers had foreseen the conclusion
Oh naval experts after the close OF our
war with Spain upon the efficacy OF
guns, In the Illinois the s-inch gun Is
eliminated and the weight and power
OF the secondary battery tremendously
Increased. To add to the value of the
seagoing qualities of the battleship. a
spar deck has been added to the first
three-quarters OF the ships length. and
The freeboard increased from thirteen
feet In the Kentucky to twenty feet
In the Illinois.
The four terrible 13-inch guns will
IRE an 1.1o0-pound shell. with a muz.
ale energy OF 33.627 foot tons. equal
to the perforatlon OF thirty.four and
half inches of wrought iron. The two
iSlnch guns forward are twenty-six
and half feet above the water line,
which enables them TO be used In bat
Tie even when heav sea is on and
the battle ship In headed Ut II. The
after turret stands above the main
deck and is eight feet lower than the
forward tnrrct. The turrets are of
the slliptical type. They are lighter
than on the other battle ships and
provide more room for the handling
OF the guns and their loading.
The fourteen 6-inch guns of the sec
ondary battery VIII fire a 1oo-pound
shell. Each of these guns is TO have
muzIle energy of 1904 tons. with a
power of penetrating 1876 inches OF
Iron. The guns are widely separated.
and greater protection is afforded the
gunners than on any other of the bat.
tie ships. Eight of the guns will be
In the central battery on the main
deck. protected by a wall of Ave and
one-haif inches OF steel. Two 6-inch
guns on the same deck. but forward
VIII he protected the same way. Foul
6-ineh guns on the spar deck win have
n protection of six inches of steel. ant
can be fired dead ahead and dead
, astern. as well Hs on the broadsde
The two smokestacks have beef
placed abreast of each other.
In calling attention to the superb
. quality of the Illinois. Alabama an,
Wisconsin type OF battle ships. TIL
Scientific American makes a compari
sou with the Majestic Of the British
navy. which officials of the navy sta
toned here regard as eminently fair
The Majestic has n displacement load
ed of about 1900 tons TO 1.525 ton
for the Illinois.
Nevertheless. against this seemin
disparity the Illinois carries four II
Inch guns. ms against four Pinch 70
the Majestic: she has fourteen 6-inc
rapid-are. as against twelve; she
protected with sixteen inches OF sid
armor. as against fifteen inches: sh
has seventeen.inch turret armor, a
against six inches. and her speed
only one and one-half knots les'
Further. being a smaller ship she pr'
sents less target TO the enemy, an
drawing four feet less water she ca
navigate harbors and rivers and char
neIs into which the Majestic dare nc
enter.
The technical description Of the Ill
uois Is: A double turret battle shil
length 3es feet. and over all 3T3 fee
and q inches. Extreme breadth, 2
feet 2I5 inches Mean draught, wit
500 tons of coal on. two-thirds {
stores and two-thirds of ammunition
ia % feet and inches There
twenty feet of freeboard at the bo'
and thirteen feet three Inches at th
stern.
The armer belt Is Harveyixed. TT
central portion of the ship is con
pletely inclosed by armor. extendin
from four feet below the load waite
line TO the level OF the upper deck,
height of twenty-three feet. TT
principle on which the ship was d
s,uped is to obtain greater rigidit
and strength over other battle shiI
with use of less material.
She carries n pair of propelling Ell
o,p.s with an estimated collect,
borse power Of 10000 indicated and
corresponding legend speed Of siStee
knots. The areN Of the mid-ship Sc
tion Ia 1913 square feet and Of Il
load water plate $4,000 feet. The pr
ne,bnr machinery weighs LIPS ton
and the armor and bolts in her 2,7l
tons.
Miss Nancy Letter, the queen OF Il
coming christening is Of blonde typ
,na like her sisters, Mrs. Curzon al
Mas Daisy Letter, Is famed for h
h.suty. She is tall and slender ar
80 l. .,St