The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1898-05-21
our Navy In a Nutshell.

Five battleships are now under con-
struction.
The oldest iron vessel is the Michigan
built in 1874.
Tie American navy has practically
all been built since 1888.
The Brooklyu IA and New York are our
armored cruiser.
A captain IN I nc navy ranks with IA
colonel ia the army.
Sailors are paid from $3.50 To $3.50
per month and their board.
1t costs $500 every time one OF the
big guns ON board IA ship IL fired.
Behind the armor there IL "A padding
OF either corn pi'h or cocoa husks.,
A submarine torpedo boat TO be
known as the Pluneer il now under
construction.
At present the total enlisted force OF
the naval militia is $3.50 officers and
men.
We have five armored battleshps--
the Indl IA, Iowa, Massachusetts,, Tex
az and Or, ycn.
The boilers oi the Iowa have heat
ing surfa e Of eight acres and hold 30
tons OF water
Five hundred and twenty-six men and
forty officers are required to man the
cruiser New York.
a bic battle ship has on board an
electric plant capable OF lighting "A town
OF ., 900 inhabitants.
The gtrs oi a battleship can carry
from six ) yelvc IN les, hurling shot
weighing hall IA tor
Marines are the police on board ship.
Originally they were employed to pre-
vent mutiny among the sailors.
The "erog" ration was abolished in
1868, and since then the crew has been
forbidden 70 d,ink while on duty.
Al the cruise ARE named in honor
OF ci ties, aud ne bettleships, except the
Kearsargo, IN honor OF states.
Battleshit s,a for the heavy work,
cruisers are 'he commerce dest royers,
nor tors q usaiei only for coast de-
fer SO.
The Ir'sna could lie outside Sandy
Hook and throw ,2O0-pound shot into
New York nt the rate Of four minute.
The fas .st vessels in the American
Navy r'e the torpedo boatg Porter and
Dupont, each Of which can travel 27.5
knots an hour.
| Some of the guns in the navy can fire
a shot ] . miles, farther than man can
see, for the 1 MS e"e aimed and sighted
by machinery.
Battlesbips cost from 50 100000 ia
81, 750 900 and cruisers from 10000
TO $1,000, 900. A good torpedo boat
costs over 81 900 900.
The origin Of the navy department
map bc said to date from Oct l3, 1875
when cougres authorized the equipment
OF two cruis 'rs.
In bat q 49, woodwork and al
articles OF wood nte either slowed below
or thrown overbonrd lest the men b,
injured by sp''nters.
Our battleships have speed 81 from
| - 10 IL knots I'm hour. Cruisers make
10 TO 2t knots. while the monitors car
travel only to z knots.
The amount expended by the navy
department in 1897 was S3f ,56l ,519
This il a larger sum than has been ex
pended ia any year since 1866.
Sixiy-one merchant vessels belong to
the auxiliary navy. These ships are
subsidized and 10y contract must b,
given 10 the Urited States on demand.
Bnrnnolos form on the hull oi ship
impending ils speed. A six months
cruise will decrease the speed OF n shiT
5 per cent. and it must then GO into
dry dock.
The biggest guns in the navy are 4a
feet long, big enough Tor man TO craw
into; feet in diameter at their largest
part, weight 1856 500 pounds or there
nbouts
The Iowa weighs nearly l2. 900 tons
and as 20 tons Is the average load OF q
freight car, and / 2 cars IL "A good load
for locomotive engine, IL would TAX,
so locomotives TO haul the great steel
structure