The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-03-24

heavier guns and more Of thsm hsavle
armor, moro widely distributed and pros
tecting more thoroughly the Wit ais Of the
ship and gun crews. Their normal speed
Is sixteen knots.
The United States have mover fallen into
this error as regards bnttle ships, and
In ovcry case have required that the maxi
mum contract speed should be obtained
under conditions which could be repro
ducea again at any time upon we'll
drilled ship. As ILLUSTRATIVE OF this fact. it
may be nciod that the Indiana, upon her
| trial trip, even though she had been in the
waite over u year and probably lost hulf
knot of speed through tho roughness of
hnr bottom, due to tic accumulation of
marine growth, still made over l5l4 knots
upon tri al, the contract requirements being
10 only. The Indiana and her class are
really 16-knot ships, and the Kearsarge
and hentacky, having about tho samo ex-
tromo speed.tWlll bo able to mnnueuver In
company with the Indiana elias, satisfac-
torily.
Tho vessels will each DO able to cnrry
th cir full supply Of coal--1,2l tons-with
til o greatest ease. their bunker space being
SO ample that this quantity may ba carried
wi thOut trimming or packing. The supply
will he ample for the ordinary contingen-
cies of cruising and for service in time OF
war along the coast, as, at II cruising
speed OF 10 knots, it will be sufficient TO
| enable tho vessels to steam over g. 900 miles
and ut l3 knots nearly 900 miles.
The general dimensions and features Of
the ships, as designed, arc aa follows:
Length of lead water. line, 1868 feet; beam
extreme, 73 foet 2 Is inches: frecboard, for.
ward, IA feet inches; freeboard, aft, IL
feet inches; mean draught, with no tons
Of coal OH board, IS feet 9 inches, cores.
punding displacement, l,525 tons; speed
in knots, per hour. IL; indicated horse
power, 1900; normal coal supply, 4l0 tons
Dun4er capacity, coal untrimYed l,2lO
tons.
sist of l3.inch brecch loading rifss, As.
inch recchloading rifles, II 5-nch rapid
lire brcech-loading rifles. 20 6pounder
rapld'flro guns, & l-pounder rapid fire
guns, machine guns.
Tho 10 ycr part OF the protection tho
barbetGr, so callel-will have armur 10
inches in thickness. The arnor Gr IS inch
turrets VIII also be 10 inches, exuopt im-
mediatoly in front, Wheie it will be II
inches. That protecting tho inch guns
will be 0 Inches
In addition to the heavy guns battery
OF fourteen 5inch rapid-fre guns will be-
mounted on The main deck bot wecn the
turrets, and will be protected by contin-
nous nrmor 6inches thick = u splinter bulk
nenu Slhches thick being worked between
each gun station. A numerous battery of
smaller pounder and poundor guns will
be carried such guns being placed where
ever they Gun fro to advantage.
The protection.of the hull against injury
to tho water line region will bs effected by
m cans of side armor belt OF IL maximum
thickness of l6I inches, with mean
depth of n feet. 50 disposed in reference
u the load line that the vessel, with 4lO
tons OF coal on board will have 31S feet Of
this belt ar1nor above the water and with
l,2lelons of coal on board will have 2 feet
above tho load line.
Pfoteotion will be afforded above tho
main slide arnor by o steel bolt five inches
hick, extending to the level OF tho main
deck and running in a fore and aft direc-
ton from the centre of the forward to the
centre OF tho after barbette On top of tho
main side armor belt will rest Hat steel
deck aA inches in thickness, and forward