Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-10-02


EFFECTIVE RICHTER IN ThE
UNITED STATES NAVY-DESCRlP-
TION QF THE BIG BATTLESHIP.
Washington, October Next Tues
: eds a. IL o'clock there will glide off
the ways at the yards of the Newport
News Shipbuilding Company the Dig
gest, most powerful. and probably the
most genera effective balt.eshlp in the
| United States navy lnIs Will be the
Limos, Wnlcn is expected by the naval
designers TO be worthy godcniid OF
the State whose name sae bears. Larg-
er by thousand tons man the Oregon;
larger tnan the Iowa, now the biggest
battleshlp in serylct, the ILLINOIS is
Sui so designed that she viii be able
TO enter any narbor open TO the smaller
! battleshipS, while in the mater of
! speed she will rank with any or them.
! i he most striking dinereAce between
! the Illinois and the bbttlesnlps now in
] service is the high free board or the
| former enabling her to fight her guns
| from the great elevation ABOVE the wa
! ter in seas SO heavy that the guns of
/ the lower vessels would be submerged
and useless. Splendid sea-going pow
| ers are also expected to result from this
increased free board by which is meant
the height of the hull above the water
! line.
Some of the details of the great ship.
which vary in many important partlc-
ulars from the existing types are given
| in the following description prepared
/ by
! CHIEF CONSTRUCTOR HICHBORN:
The dimensions of the Illinois are as
! follows: Length on load water line.
! sos feet: beam extreme, Y feet ~
! inches; draft on normal displacement
of II 525 tone, % feet 8 inches; maxi
mum displacement all ammunition and
stores on board, Il, 1926 tons; maximum
! indicated horsepower (estlmated),
/ 10,CC0; probable speed, 161a knots; nor
NAL coal supply, 800 tons; coal supply,
loose storage, 1900 tons; full bunker
capacity, 1.400 to 1900 tons; compile
ment 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 or the
vessel, and II six-inch rapid-fre guns.
! The secondary battery will consist OF
! 16 six-pounder rapid-fire guns, four
one-pounder rapid-fire guns, two Colt
guns and two field guns. She VIII carry
| four torpedo tubes. The 13-inch guns
have an arc of fire of 1876 degrees on
each side of the center line and the
six-inch an arc Of 90 degrees on the
broadside. with the advantage of those
on the upper deck of a direct fire ahead
and astern Any injury to or near
| either of these six-inch guns VIII be
confined to its own compartment, as a
one and a half inch steel splinted bulk
| head separates each of these guns from
its neighbor.
The armor belt, which extends from
the stem to abaft the after turret, is
to he 1917 inches thick at the top and
go inches thick at the lotion, except
at the forward end, where it Will be
tapered to four inches at the stem.
This belt of armor will extend from
four feet below the normal load line
! to three and one half feet above 1t, and
will maintain the full thickness amid
ships between the turrets and for the
/ distance occupied by the engines and
| boilers. Diagonal armor,
TWELVE INCHES THICK,
connecting this belt armor and bar
bettets and extending from the slopes
| of protective deck to top Of the side
| belt on each side, is worked to give
protection from raking fire. Abaft
the after tur1et the protection will be
completed by thickentng the protective
| deck to four inches on the slopes, with
| 234 inches on the fiat On the slopes
| of this deck forward ii is three inches
thick and "a inches on the fiat. The
armor On the 13-incA gun turrets Will
! be II inches On the front and Is inches
on the rear and sides, while on the
! barbettes FIR these turrets, which are
! circular in shape, will be Is inches on
| the front and 10 inches on the rear and
| sides. The SIDES Ct the vessel above
| the belt armor N the wake OF the six
| inch battery ana forming the casemate
! will be armed with 81 inches of steel,
extending be:wean the turrets with
| diagonal armOr d same thickness al
i the ends, coanectlgA with the barbet-
| ties and worked abo9e the 12-inch dag
on2l aTmor below.
The forward coming tower armor
will be in thickness ten inches, oval
in shape, size in the clear XII feet,
with an armored tube inches thick
| extending down to the protective deck,
to house all wires or otter means Of
interior communication, 50 that the
officer coming the vessel * action can
! be in constant and safe equalization
with all parts Of the'vessel An after
coming or signal tower is atso pro
vided. having an inside diamete- OF six
feet and thickness of six inchts. The
turrets will be operated by electric
power; also the ammunition HOSTS, and
the dynamo and auxiliary blowers for
ventilating purposes.
There will be some so odd
AUXILIARY ENGINES
in the vessel. The cranes for handli&
the beats are operated by steam; all
the deck winehes, pumps, windlass a
steering gear (the latter is located -
meath the protective deck and several
feet below the wafer line). The intro
duction Of these auxiliary engines
brought about mainly by the variety
and nature Of the work TO be done, AMI
the demand for the latest and best il
, every branch Ct mechanics are repre-
sented in man-cr-war
The height OF free board forward Ct
the vessels hull power is 20 feet and
at the stern 1874 feet The floor Of the