The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-12

triolty. The cruiser Brooklyn, however, has
luch an apparatus, and 10 Is said to work salts
are nred by electricity. On nearly all OF them
an eiapornto telephone system is IN place and
the helm Indicator, which shows the navigator
OF the ship the exact condition of tho helm at
any time. One of the commonest uses Of cleo
tricity on shtpboHrd 10 the steering telegraph
whereby the navigator communicates with tho
engine room and Is enabled in return to SEQ
have been carried out. Another electrical in.
strument, which Is coming into use on war
which reveals to the navigator Of tho ship not
only the number but the direction of the rovolu-
lions OF the shaft of each engine.
Then there Is tho range Hinder and range In.
dicator whereby, with dials. the Captain Of n
snip can regulate the direction and all the dc.
his station In the coming tower. Another
electrical, apparatus is tho electric telescope
range indicator. II has been found that whom n
snip Is rolling the man who Is sighting the, gun
rear sight into line, and that he has only about
one-hfth OF a second in which to do this work.
Through the, operation of this tolescopio sight
the man who 10 elevating the gun merely
watches the range indicator and keeps the gun
In a certain vertical plane, The man at the
horizontal oross.hairs rest upon the target. as
he looks through his telescope, and the pro.
jectile goes straight toward the mark when he
presses tho button to Are a gun.
A scientific paper recently called attention to
inc IaCJ thul IL WINS impossible 10 provide any
more searchlights for our larger ships owing to
the scarcity Of the mirrors, used in them. They
are Of a PECULIAR make, and cannot be produced
quickly. This emphasizes the fact that the war
ship of the present time is something that can.
not be put together, in a heltcr;skelter, slam.
bang fashion. like the warship Of 1862, when
even q battleship was made In something like
six months. The modern scarchlight. such as is
used on the Massachusetts, or the Indiana. has
100000 candle power. and there is no NANTES.
tation, OF electricity on a warship that so
| from one of theSe inRtrunlpnta in IA dark night
The average, ship, also. is full of various indi.
Gators which are operated by electricity and
which, although apparently of trihinR i'm
portance. are of serious moment. One of these
is a thermostat. which is placed on the walls Of
fire alarm in case the temperature OF the maya
zine rises 70 dangerous point. Another indi-
actly when any compartment of the double
bottom is perforated In, any way. and also
exactly where the injury is. II it IL a serious
electricity, and by the mere pressure OF a button
blows that car-splitting instrument Of torture
known as the siren whistle. This is u signal to
close all water-tight compartments throughout
the ship. SO that, II possible, a tragedy. may be
aVerted II the vessel Is In danger of sinking.
Another use Of electricity on warships that
invariably attracts the attention of the speCta-
tor at night has to do with the signalling nppa-
ratus. Red and white lights are strung from a
yard to the deck, and the various combinations
OF lights form certain letters. which are the
The operator of this signalling system sits Mt a
little table on which are arranged Ia large num-
uoI VI DlhCk Keys WIN Teu anu "nlJe Spots
painted on them. representing every possible
combination of the two colors in the use Of five
many mnnsF% domi HSSs '0 Tbc o omese Hey BECOMES .oUK s'X Vss so
expert in the manipulation of these keys. and
can place his finger on a certain letter or sign
as quickly us an expert operator on u type
writing machine can touch a certain key.
THE DISTANCE INDICATOR.
In battle form ltion it is very necessary for
ships to keep at exact distances from each other
so as to mnneuvre properly. An electrical
device is now in use on some OF our wHrships
whereby the vessels are enabled to fix the
desired distances accurately. This is done by
means Of the measurements of angles. The dis.
lance from n given place on the deck OF n pre-.
ceding ship to a spar above on that same shin is
measures the angles at the base of the triangle
involved indicates the distance between the
two ships. The navigator OF the ship on which
this apparatus is situated can see by frequent
Chances whether he is going too fast or too slow
one or the other of the engines. or both of them,
a certain number of revolutions, he can manage
to keep his exact distance from the vessel pre-.
ceding with practical certainty.
The helm indicator. another electrical device
in use, simply tells the man at the wheel at
what angle the Captain wishes the helm set To
bridge, operated by electricity, notifies The
Captain whether his orders have been carried
out. a mistake in obcying the orders OF the
Captain in time OF battle in this respect might
result in a collision, and how serious that might
be the fate OF the Victorin when the Camper
down sunk her in the Mediterranean several
The range finder on ships has been described
repeatedly. 1t consists Of two sighting appara
tus. usually situated well up on the superstruc
ture of the warship. with an operator for each
station. The exact distance between the sta
tions is known, and this forms the base of n ti
angle. The operators simply focus their instru
ments upon the target. An automatic device
registers the angles involved and this at once
indicates the exact distance OF the target from
various guns and the man who has charge Of
the elevation Of a gun knows the exact range.
There are other electrical devices which are
being used or perfected for use on warships
One Of them is a sounding apparatus to take tn,
depth OF water when the ship is going at full
speed and to give warning Of danger. Another
Is to secure some means Of communication be
tween the various ships of a squadron without
these systems has been successful yet, but boti
serve to indicate the trend of events in cleo
trical engineering, SO far as 1t applies to war
ships. Hence it is that the use OF electricity OF
such vessels would probably grow. and it mus
be a very positive and learned mar who car
indicate the limit OF its future use.
THE ARMoR OF II HIP.
While all the work is going on at the shipyart
in shaping the vessel and in making the engines
armor, guns, and ammunition are being pre-
pared. Within two years great advance ha
armor. Ever since the United States began t
make armor. seven or eight years ago. ii has lee
me r %"rld u t tnis rhe resp md a ahrSa has Pee Peen proye,
Government three years ago showed what /
thought OF American armor when 1t gave orders
plate for the equipment Of its vessels then build
ing. The production OF armor Is a fascinating
process Of manufacture. 1t involves tremen
dous furnaces. the application OF great force
and the use OF enormous tools, such rs are fount
in no other kind Of manufacture. 1t Is a chem
ical as well as n mechanical process. The stee
Is liquefied and certain proportions of nicke
and other metals are mixed with 1t, and when |
Is all properly cooked 1t Is drawn Off into al
inRot, which is cooled and thon made ready TO
further treatment before being fattened int
Il plate OF armor.
Five or six years ago the ingot was ~fiattencc
by the use OF an enormous hammer. Thi
system Is now practically abandoned. and M
picturesque scene of great hammer scattering
II myriad of sparks us II fell, blow after blow
upon the glowing ingot, directed in its opera
ton by a wildly Kesticulating man, unable Il
give orders. owing to the great noise and con
fusion, except by the motion of his hands, OK
lists no more. Now the glowing ingot is flat
tened almost exclusively by the use of hydrauli
pressure, After the ingot assumes shape il i
treated by various annenlinR processes. and, II
the former days of simple Harvcyizcd armor
1t was surface hardened by a bath Of carbon int
which it was placed when hot.
1t was thought then that. after having bee
surface hardened. it would be impossible I
treat the plate to any further extent so far n
its resisting powers were concerned. With
two years, however, II has been found possi
bic by the use of hydraulics to reduce the thick
ness OF armor plate after 1t has been subjecte
to the Harveyized carboni2atlon process.
former II inch plate OF hardened armOr On