The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-05-13
OUR MODERN SHIPS OF WAR,
Complicated Machinery Crowding in
Them from Stem 10 Stern.

While in one sense all warships are bat
tIeships. the craft which bears that teen
meal name is a steel structure usually
about $50 fet long. 20 feet wide. and -
feet deep. She weighs, with everything
on board. about HOO tons. Her engines
can propel her at about j. knots per
hour. Her guns. about - IN all, vary In
calibre from the huge lS-inch' throwing
a projectile of 1850 pounds, 10 the lite
Calling OF % inch, throwing a bullet
Weighing about three-tenths OF an ounce.
To protect her engines and her guns. and
10 insure the buoyancy and stability OF
the ship she carries steel armor varying
from 10 is inches in thickness; and
finally. she is the abiding place Of some
800 men.
Her chief characteristic is the predomi-
nance Of guns and armor. as compared
with speed and coal-carrylng capacity.
I'm which respect she IS the opposite OF
the cruiser.
The cruiser plays on tho enemy's com
merce and swoops down upon his coasts
therefore she must have speed and en-
durance-speed TO enable her TO capture
the swiftest ocean greyhounds, and en-
durance. which means coal-carrylng ca
pacity. enough 10 let her steam around
the world. II need be. without reDlenlsn-
ing her bunkers. The Minneapolis. FOR
example. can steam at % knots per hour,
and about half Of her entire weight IS
that of propelnng machinery and coal
The battleship. on the other hand. Is
a pure fighting machine. Her normal
endurance is about 1000 miles. In the
Iowa one-half Of the total weight IS that
of the ship herself. three-tenths in guns
and armor. and only two-tenths engines
and coal The cruiser Is not intended 70
fight any vessels more powerful than
herself She runs from a bdttleshp.
The battleship fights anything ahoat.
Now. what sort Of a structure Is this!
A huge steel hOney-comb-frames ana rlps
and plates and braces In every direction.
Look al the lnextricablc tangle OF them
I'm the shattered Maine. No more great
expanse of deck with the tiers OF guns
in diminishing prospective. sch as one
sees i'm the old wooden frigates and three
deckers. But compartments everywhere
2.2 OF them I'm the Indiana. Little steel
boxes and big steel boxes-boXes inclosing
guns and boxes inclosing engines, and a
box for the helm and labyrnthine pas
sages I'm and out of and around them
where daylight never gets; and endless
doors. doors, dOOrs-3G water-ught doors
and matches on the Indiana, every one OF
which somebody must look after and see
closed when the ship goes mo action.
Else why compartments n You cannot
keep them separate. so that II water
comes In from a ram thrust or torpedo
or shot, you can confine II 10 one or TWO
cells and so prevent the ship from hlling.
There are more compartments In some
of the smaller cruisers-the Cincinnati
has 4S7; but cruisers run and battleshlps
do not.
In this assemblage OF cells is placed
TANNED is a better wOrd-one of the most
complicated aggregatiOns Of mechanism
that have ever been brought together.
There are from q hundred to a hunded
and nifty steam cylinders in the multifa-
.lous engines; not so many as IN me
cruisers, perhaps. The Columbia has 1884,
hut the Columbia keeps out OF the way
of 13-inch shot The battleship Iowa mas
l52. The New Ironsides, the most power
ful lighting vessel I'm our navy at the
close OF the war had three.
What steam does not do electricity
does. There are wires everywhere.
The dynamos are running constantly, for
the closed steel boxes get no daylight and
must be lighted while with equal con-
stancy the blowers drag out the Noul
and force I'm the fresh air. But on all
sides there is machinery. Machines work
the guns; machines turn the turrets;
machines manage the helm; machines
pTOpel and pump the snip ana ieeu the
boilers and drive the fires, machines hoist
ammunition. boats and anchors; ma
chimes ind the position of the enemy;
machines transmit orders from the Cap
tain 10 every part Of the structure; ma
chimes make the light; machines con-
dense the drinking water and cool II;
machines. themselves propelled by other
machines on board. 20 out under water
10 blow ND the adversary The lndcpend-
emit