The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-26

Go forth. thou ship with the wen-loved name,
The waves of the to breast;
Leap out. like line from Iifebark flung.
To the pillows waiting crest.
Thy charge, stand firm in the battle fray"
AS firm as the plne-clad hills
OF the State whose name thou bearest-her
The training of mighty wills.
Stand firm her shores by the lake
Ice girt as the years roll by
Flower decked when the laughs out in Joy
And the spring birds northward fly.
Go forth as the eagle skins the blue
Defiant, and brave and free.
| challenge to might, menace TO wrong
Wherever thy path may be-
Ten thousand hearts with hopes leap high,
| Wisconsin, for thy veal,
! Sail fearless, swiftly, proudly forth,
| Thou giant, armed in steel;
Claim Lain foremost place on on history's page
| Forth to the MAN, thou gallant bark,
| Mans trust, beneath Gods will.
The tide is expected to serve at pre-
cisely $50 o'clock, and at the tick of
the clock little Lucille Gage will press
the button and start the big boat slid
| ing toward her element. Near the bow
| Miss Stephenson will be stationed with
| the baptiSma1 magnum, and at the f1rSt
move of the big ship seaward she will
| dash it's bubbling contents over the
| curving prov in the name of the good
people of Wisconsin and to the long life
| and safety of the big warrior that will
| do them honor among all the navtes or
| the globe.
over seven thousand invitations have
| been issued by the management, and
| for as many SightSeerS seats or clear
points Of view have been provided; but
the thousands who have received no in
vitations are evidently as much bent
on witnessing the magnificent sight as
| those who did. Nearly every tug and
| small craft on the bay has been char
| tered, and there is a gay bit of decora-
ting being done to lend color to the oc-
casion. The steamer Sausalito will
carry a load of passengers from the
| regular slip at 8 o'clock, and a number
of other big excursions were in prospect
| last evening.
! The hattleship Wisconsin, designed II
| the Bureau of Construction and Repair
Of the Navy Department, is q sister
ship of the Alabama, building at the
Cramps yard in Philadelphia, and also
Of the Illinois, building at Newport
News.
Her dimensions are as follows:
Length on load water line, 1868 feet:
beam extreme, 72 feet 21z inches;
draught on normal displacement cf
11,525 tons, 23 feet inches; maximum
displacement, all ammunition and
stores on board, 1926 tons; maximum
indicated horsepower (estimated), TO-
900; probable speed, 161a knots; coal
supply. full bunker capacity 14O0 to
1900 tons; complement of officers, 40;
seamen, marines, ETC., 449.
The main battery will consist of four
13-inch breech-loading rifles in HIGH
born balanced turrets, oval in shape,
and placed in the center line of the YES
sci; and fourteen 6-inch rapid-fire
guns. The secondary battery will con-
sist Of sixteen 6-pounder rapid-f1re
guns, four 1-pounder rapid-fire guns,
two Colt guns and two field guns. She
will carry four torpedo tubes. Any in
jury to or near either of these 6-inch
will ho fiT1n6 70
partment, as a 112-inch steel splinter
bulkhead separates each of these guns
from its neighbor.
The armor belt, which extends from
the stem to abaft the after turret is
to be 161S inches thick at the top, and
91a inches thick at the bottom, except
at the forward end, where it will be ta-
pered to four inches at the stem. This
belt armor will extend from four feet
below the normal load line to three and
half feet above it, and will maintain
the full thickness amidShipS between
the turrets and for the distance occu-
pied by the engines and boilers. Di-
agonal armor twelve inches thick, con-
Meeting this belt armor and barbettes
and extending from the slopes of the
protective deck to the top of the side
belt on each side, is worked to give
protection from raking fire.
The armor on the 13-inch gun turrets
will be seventeen inches thick on the
front and fifteen inches on the rear and
sides; while on the barbetteS for these
turrets, which are circular in shape,
will be fifteen inches on the front and
ten inches on the rear and sides. The
sides of the vessel above the belt armor,
in the wake of the 16-inch battery, and
forming the easement, Will be armored
with 51s inches of steel, extending be-
tween the turrets, with diagonal armor
of the same thickness at the ends, con-
Meeting with the barbettes and working
above the 12-inch diagonal armor be-
low.
She will be protected against the en-
trance of water, in case Of injury to
the side at the water line, by Golfer
dams extending for the length of the
vessel on each side, and having a gen.
eral width of three feet, with a total
capacity Of about II 500 cubic feet for
of fire-proofed corn-pith cellu-
lose. Independent of the numerous
small water-tight pockets or cells form
ing the entire scheme of cofferdams.
the inner bottom and hold, the plat
forms, splinter and berth decks are
divided in two between 200 and 800
vater-tight compartments. Arrange
ments are also made for flooding all
rooms in the event Of fire
IN board the vessel.
The forward coming tower armor
will be in thickness 10 inches, oval in
shape. size in the clear, XII feet, with
IN armored tube inches thick extend
ng down to the protective deck to
house all wires or other means of in
.erior communication, so that the off,
,er coming the vessel in action can be
n constant and safe communication
With all parts of the ship. An after
or signal tower Is also pro-
7ided, having an inside diameter Of 6
eet and a thickness of inches.
The turrets will be operated by cleo
rfc power, also the ammunition hoists
md the dynamo and auxiliary blowers
or ventilating purposes There will be
ome eighty odd auxiliary engines IN
he vessel, thus adding greatly to the
Efficiency of the ship. The cranes for
handling the boats are operated by
team, also the deck winches, pumps,
and steering gear (this latter