The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-23
A FORMIDABLE VESSEL
THE MONITOR MONTERREY, WHICH is
TO DE SENT TO MANILA.
Her Armament, Speed and Fighting
AbiIities-.HOw She Received Her
Name-May BE lowed.
Chicago Times-Herald.

Chicago Times-Herald.
Military men think that with the Monte
rey added to Admiral Dewey's squadron,
the three hundred artillerymen to be sent
with the first detachment from San Fran
cisco, and the trained gunners from the
ships already in the Philippines, Gen. Mer-
rift will be able to Withstand any naval
force the Spanards may send to the Philip
pines. Admiral Dewey has been busily en-
gagged recovering the guns from the sunken
Spanish ships in Manila bay, and he has
possession of the cannon in the forts at
Cavite and Corregidor island. 1t is the in
tention of the Americans to restore and
strengthen the Notifications at the entrance
to the bay, and to man them with gun
ners who will not go to sleep with an enemy
at the door. The channels at the mouth of
the bay will be protected with mines and
torpedoes, and the Monterey will be sta
toned near by to bar the passage of an
enemy. With these defenses General Merritt
and Admiral Dewey can welcome the Span
ish armada with smile of confidence.
While the Monterey has record of thir-
teen knots an hour it is not expected she
will make more than eight or nine in cruis-
ing unless pushed to do better. Her coal
capacity will carry her about one thousand
miles, but she can be taken across the Pa
cific in two ways. She may be accompanied
by collier or may be towed, and it is re-
ported the latter method will be used.
The government has bought of John D.
Spreckels the tug Iroquois, which has
steel hull of $50 tons displacement. The Iro-
quois is the finest and fastest seagoing tug
on the Pacific. She can make seventeen
knots an hour and her steaming radius is
$500 miles. She was bought about a month
for X65 O(O and has hpan onuinned with
four rapid-fire guns.
HER ARMAMENT.
The Montereys armament excites the ad-
| miration not only of the experienced naval
officers, but of the untutored landsman as
we'll The main or primary battery consists
of four monster guns. In the forward tur-
| ret are two i2-inch and in the after turret
| two 10-inch steel breech-loading guns, mar
wells of workmanship and power. The two
| Finch guns have been named Betsy and
Alice by the crew, and big Betsy is quite a
strapping girl, whose exact weight is 10O.916
pounds. Alice is quite small compared with
her sister. but is branded with the figures
10, 2S9 as indicating her avoirdupois.
These guns are handled by hydraulic
power, and shoot an S5O-pound cartridge,
requiring 425 pounds of powder for a single
discharge. The range is ten miles, and the
demolishing powers of these guns is fright
full to contemplate. The length of the Pinch
are twenty eaght feet four inches long, and
shoot a 4oO-pound cartridge. Three kinds of
proJectiles are used with these guns, the
common cast-iron SHE'LL the common steel
shell and the armor-piercing projectie.
The secondary battery consists of six
6-ponder Hotchkiss rapid-firing rited can
non and four 1-pounder HotcRkiss rapid
hiring guns. The six-pounders are mounted
on the deck of the superstructure, three on
either SIDE of the pilot house trained for
ward. The other two 1-pounders are in the
hghting tops on the military mast, about
twenty feet above the deck one trained for
ward and the other aft. The vessel is also
plentltully supplied with small arms. cut
laSSes, etc.
mored monitor of 1854 tons displacement.
In fighting trim the displacement is 1850
tons. The length between perpendicular is
25O feet: over all. 262 feet 4 inches. 1t is II
feet from keel to main deck, and the mean
draught of 149 feet. leaving freeboard of
2.3 feet. The barbette armor is 10 inches
thick and the turret armor inches thick.
The light draught enables the Monterey
to choose her own fighting waters. She is
short enough to be easily handled, making
a complete turn in five minutes, and broad
enough for good stability. She is SO low in
the water as to present limited target
to the shots of the enemys guns. and so
well protected with armor as to prevent her
engines or, guns being. disabled by the
and has been strengthened for ramming
purposes. The thickness of her armor belt
is thirteen inches and her speed is thirteen
kIlOIS an HQuT. Inc steel DclL drmOr eX-
tends the entire length of the vessel from
2 feet inches above the cruising load water
line.
NAMING OF THE SHIP.
The story of the naming of the big coast
defense monitor Monterey, that is on guard
now at San Francisco, has never been told
in print. When preparations for her launch
ing were being made at San Francisco Irv-
ing NJ Scott, general manager of the Union
iron works, was at Washington and num-
Der of Californians wired him to use his in
fuence with Benjamin F. Tracy. then secre-
tary of the navy, to have the ship named
for some California town, and Scott hit upon
Monterey as a name that appealed to him
as approprte and the request was accord
ingly preferred
"I'll see what can do said the amiable
secretary and, ringing a bell, he summoned
the head of the War Department having the
matter in charge. When the matter was
explained the chief of bureau replied:
But you know, Mr. Secretary, the rules
require that ships of that class shall be
named in honor of some naval battle in
which the Americans have participated So
of Monterey"
This rule has been changed since, but Mr..
Scott seeing the corner he was in as the
matter stood, retorted promptly:
Yes, it is true that there has never been
battle at Monterey but let me tell you a
story. In 1916. when we were having our
little unpleasantness with Mexico. an Amer
lean man-Cf-War was lying IN the narDOr or
MaZatlan. Near him lay an Englishman,
who had an uncomfortable way OF keeping
her guns pointed in the direction of the
American. Now, that Yankee skipper. who
was typical of his class. got ii into his head
to raise his nag at Monterey. Cal. which
was the capital Of that territory and it so
happened that the Engfishman got the same
notion just about the same time. The YAM
kee suspected something of the kind and
made up his mind not to be outwitted.
Late that afternoon he sent lot of his
men ashore, and when the boats returned to
the ship without them the Britisher made
up his mind that they would not be back
until the following day. Satisfied with his
conclusion. he sat down to wait. But the
Yankee wal a hustler, as Yankee sailors
always are. The night was as dark as a
stack of black cats and along about 10
o'clock the American boats with muffied
oars rowed the crew back to the ship and
in the inky darkness that Yankee skipper
slipped his cables and warped his ship out
of the harbor without the fact even being
suspected by the Englshman. When dav
broke he was fifty miles up the coast scud-
ding along before a ten-lxnot breeze
THE other fellow saw he had been out
generated, but he made an effort 10 rectify
his blunder. He had smart crew and a fast