The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-06
THE TRIAL OF THE BATrLEsHrr.
There Arc 272 Compartments In the
Indiana and 354 Water-TIght


Park Benjamin IN the Independent.
Now what sort Of a structure IS this (bat-
tie ship)2 huge steel honeycomb-frames
and ribs and plates and braces in every di-
rection. Look at the inextricable tangle Of
them in the shattered Maine. No more
great expanse Of deck with the tiers of
guns IN diminishing perspective, such as
one sees in the old wooden frigates and
three deckers. But compartments every
where-272 of them in the Indiana. Little
steel boxes and big steel boxes-boxes en-
closing guns and boxes enclosing engines,
and a box for the helm and layrinthine
passages IN and out Of and around them
where daylight never gets, and endless
DOORS doors, doors-324 water tight doors
and matches on the Indiana, every one of
which somebody must look after and see
closed when the ship goes into action. ELSE
why compartments IL you cannot keep
them separate, so that II water comes In
from a ram thrust or torpedo or shot, you
can confine II to one or two cells and so
prevent the ship from filing. There are
more compartments in some of the small
Ter cruiserssthe Cincinnati has 487; but
cruisers run. and battle ships do not.
In this assemblage Of cells is placed
jammed Is q better word-one of the most
complicated aggregations Of mechanism
that have ever been brought together
There are from 100 10 $50 steam cylinders
in the multifarious engines; not so many
as in the cruisers. perhaps. The Columbia
has 1874; but the Columbia keeps out of the
way Of thirteen-inch shot. The battleship
Iowa has 1872 The New Ironsdes, the most
powerful fighting ship in our navy, at the
close of the last war had just three
What steam does not do, electricity hoes.
There are wires everywhere. The dyna-
mos are running constantly, for the closed
steel boxes get no daylight and must be
lighted, while with equal constaney the
blowers draw out the foul and force in
the fresh air. But on all sides there Is
machinery. Machines work the guns; ma
chimes turn the turrets; machines manage
the helm; machines propel and pump the
ship and feed the boilers and drive the
fires; machines hoist ammunition, boats
and anchors; machines find the position
of the enemy; machines transmit orders
from the captain to every part OF the
structure; machines make the light; r.a-
chimes condense the drinking water and
cool 1t; machines, themselves propelled by
other machines on board go out under
water 20 blow ZIP the adversary.
That Is the thing-1i 600 tons mainly OF
| steel shells crammed with mechanism of
extreme completely, and which stays
ahoat only as long as a certain number
OF the larger amidship shells remain wa
ter-ught: that is, the thing which is call
ed a battle ship,and that IS the thing which
Is the subject Of the coming experiment,
upon the result of which may depend ma
tional victory or defeat.
The more complex any mechanical struc-
ture, the greater the liability to derange-
ment, Like any chain. It's strength OF ef-
iciency Is that OF the weakest link; just
as In the animal organization, the higher
the development the more numerous and
varied its diseases. 1t follows inevitably,
therefore, that whether in a battleship or
bridge or building or any other engin-
eering lnkage of many cooperating parts,
high specialization carries with IL increas-
ed liability to injury, until the latter over
balances The battle ship experiment will
determine whether or not the limit ia the
war vessel has been passed. Battle ships
are not designed are buildings and
bridges. The sizes of the members of a Via
duct properly to resist all foreseen strains
and stresses can be prehgured. and an
abundant margin left to cover all accidents
by multiplying the result by, say ten. .
she so-called factor of safety But battle