The record-union., 1898-05-19

ment and the Cramps, the
Builders, Extremely Cautious.
PHILADELPHIA (Pa), May 1S.-The
battleship Alabama was launched at
Cramps ship yard shortly before l
o'clock this afternoon. Miss Mary z.
Morgan, daughter of Senator Morgan
OF Alabama, had the honor of breaking
the traditional bottle of wine on the big
fighter as it slid from the ways. The
fact that the launching of the ship was
one of the most successful ever witness
ed at Cramps is regarded as an omen
Of good fortune
So eager was the Alabama to get
into her native element that before the
swing of the shoe" which holds the
cradle in place had been completed the
mOnstrous hull, Juggling with a weight
Of thousands of tons on the strips of
oak, tore them apart, and the big mass
Of steel glided gracefully into the wa
ter a few seconds ahead of schedule
time.
Miss Morgan stood on a dais built of
the launching platform, directly under
the bow of the Alabama. She was at
tended by her father, Senator Morgan,
and her sister, Miss Corneha Morgan.
AS the ship began to tremble prepara-
tory to sliding off the we'll creased
ways, she took a firmer grasp on thu
gaily bedecked bottle of native Ala
bama wine which she held in her right
hand, and swinging it above her head
smashed it against the nose of the
ship, saying as she did so: II crown
thee with magnolias, brave ship, and
christen thee with proud name, Ala
bama."
The bow of the boat was hung with
great festoons of magnolias, gray moss
and roses gathered by ladies of the
State of Alabama, and sent here for
the occasion.
Only a few hundred people witnessed
the launching, as against the thous-
ands that are usually in the yard on
such occasions. For some time past
the yard has been closed to all WISH
tors, and the rule was not relaxed to
any extent to-day Fear of Spanish
treachery has made the Government
and the Cramps extremely cautious, as
a single bomb exploded by a hostile
visitor would do almost incalculable
damage. The war time launching
was, for this reason, almost a private
affair.
After the Alabama had come to a
standstill in the Delaware, tugs towed
her back to her dock, and workmen
swarmed over her, beginning at once
the work of preparing her for service.
If the armor is contracted for now and
delivered promptly, the ship will be
ready for commission within a year.
It is a curious coincidence that the
yard number of the Alabama, 29O, is
the same as the yard number of the
old Alabama, built for the Confederacy
in an English ship yard during the re-
bellion
The Alabama is the first to be
launched of three battleships of her
type, the other two being the Illinois
and Wisconsin. She presents marked
divergences of design from the first
three, the Oregon, Indiana and Massa-
chusetts. These differences involve both
the arrangement of the battery and
the disposition of the armor, as well
as a considerable increase in size and
displacement. The first type had the
armor arranged in water-line belt
and easement amidships. with the ends
forward and aft of the belt protected
by submerged armored decks and the
entire batteries were mounted as fol-
lows: Four 13-inch guns in two tur-
rets, eight 8-inch guns in four tur-
rets, one at each corner of the super
structure, and four 6-inch guns mount
ed at the corners of the casemate be-
low the superstructure.
In the Alabama the water-line armor
is carried clear forward, the protected
deck, instead Of being submerged as
in former battleships, is raised to the
level of the belt by slopes at each
side, the same as in protected cruisers.
The S-inch guns of the Indiana type
are done away with entirely, the main
battery of the Alabama type consisting
Of four 13-inch guns in turrets and
fourteen 6-inch rapidf1ring guns, of
which ten are mounted on the gun
deck, eight in the broadside between
the turrets and two firing in straight
ahead forward of the fore turret on the
gun deck; four mounted in a small re-
doubt on casemate deck, two on each
side. The broadside 6-inch guns, in
stead of being mounted to projecting
sponsors, are mounted in recess ports,
in order to secure extensive train for
ward and abaft the beam.
The general dimensions of the Ala
bama class are as follows: Length
over all, 374 feet; BREADTH y feet; free
board forward, 20 feet free board
abaft the after turret. - feet A inches;
draught. % feet inches; displace-
ment, 1920 tons. The guaranteed
speed is to be sixteen knots, and the
estimated horsepower 10000.
The main battery has already been
described. The secondary battery con-
sists of seventeen 6-pounder rapid-fire
guns, six 1-pounder rapid-fire guns and
four Cuttings.
The arrangement of the boilers in
the Alabama class differs from that in
the Indiana, in being eight single end
er boilers instead Of four double end
ers, and in being placed athwart ships
afore and aft f1rerooms, instead of
longitudinal with athwart ship fire
rooms as in the former class.
Examinations of the plans of the
Alabama as compared with those of
the earlier ships win show that the
departure in the details in construction
are in the direction of simplicity. and
also the reduction of the number of
different calibers of ammunition re-
quired to be carried on board, the eff
fective weight of fire in various posi-
tions remaining substantially the same.
Dispensing with the S-inch turrets also
clearly reduces the weights to be car
ried high above the water, which it is
| believed will be an advantage in a
heavy sea
On the whole the armament. armor
and speed of the Alabama with a dis