The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1898-12-01
THE WISCONSIN.
Huge War Vessel Launched AT Union
Iron Works, San Francisco.
MI" Elisabeth Stephenson, Daughter Of
EI-CouErsssmsn Stephenson, Of MarIn-
ette, WIS, the Sp 'n.r Lescrip-
tion of the War ship

SAN Francisco, Nov. 2s.-The bis
battle ship Wisconsin was successful
ly launced from the ship yard of tn,
Union iron works Saturday in the
presence Of many thousand of specta
tors.
Miss Elizabeth Stephenson, daughter
OF ex-Congressman Stephenson. of Mar.
inette, Wis. christened the huge levi
athian as she started from the ways,
dashing over her bows a bottle OF
champagne and calling out, in perfect
ly distinct tones:
Il christen thee Wisconsin"
As soon as the great mass OF steel
was seen to move the thousands who
thronged the yards and neighboring
points Of vantage burst into enthusas-
tic cheering, while bells, whistles and
steam sirens throughout the city clam
ored and shrek in concert.
Following is n description of the yes
sci:
Length, on load water line, S6s feet beam ex-
ireme, ~ feet ~ inches; draft on normal dis
placement OF II .5s5 tons, % feet inches: max
imum displacement all ammunition and stores
on board, 49, ,s25 tons; maximum indicated horse
power (estimated). 10000; probable speed. lsl,
knots. Normal coal supply, 800 tons coal sup
ply, loose storage, 1900 tons; full bunker ca
pscity, 400 to 1900 tons. Complement OF Of
hcers, 10; seamen, marines etc. 4fo
The main battery will consist OF four i3-inch
oreech loading rifles in Hichborn balanced
turrets, oval In shape and placed In the center
line OF the vessel. and "A 6-inch rapid fire guns
The secondary battery will consist OF IS g.
guns two Colt guns and two field guns. She
will carry four torpedo tubes The
l3-inch guns have an arc OF fire OF 49,
degrees on each side OF the center line and
the 6-inch an arc OF % degrees on the broad
side, with the advantage OF those on the upper
oeck OF direct ure ahead and astern. An In
jury to or near either OF these 6-lnch guns will
be confined TO It's own compartment, as q ~
inch steel splinter bulkhead separates each OF
these guns from It's neighbor
The armor belt. which extends from the
stem TO abaft the after turret is to be l6li
inches thick at the top, and 81 inches thick at
the bottom Except at the forward end where
It will be tapered to inches at the stem. This
belt armor will extend from 4 feet below
the normal load line 10 81 feet above
IT, and will maintain the fun thickness
amidships between the turrets and for the dis
tance occupied by the engines and boilers.
Diagonal armor l2inches thick, connecting this
belt armor and b4rbettes and extending from
the slopes OF protective deck to top OF side
belt. on each side, is worked to give protection
from raking fires.
There will be two sets OF triple expansion.
twIn-screw engines, each in It's own separate
compartment; the collective indi-
cative horsepower will be 1900 with 100 reyo-
Iutons per minute Stroke, feet
There are eight cylindrical boilers, each l5h
'eot in diameter by feet ia inches long. hav-
ing crate surface OF es5 square feet with 81, 800
square feet OF heating surface pressure l80
pounds These boilers are placed two each.
n four separate water-tight compartments
The smoke pipes are two in number and stand
ABREAST OF each other.