Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-10-05
New Bdttle-Ship to Pevolutionize Sea
Fi9hting-For Horbor Defense.

Whether or not the art OF battleship
construction is destined to be revolu-
tionized by the newly patented inven-
ton of William Weegar, of New York
city. remains to be found out, but his
idea is unquestionably striking. He
vessel, by means of towers, huge ar
mored chamber running from bow to
stern and holding battery of rapid
fire guns arranged in broadside. Two
of the towers. one at each end, will be
coming towers, but the other two OF
large size will be surmounted by tur-
rets containing pairs of Pinch breech-
loading rifles. There will also be four
eight-inch rifles, forward and aft. so
that. with forty quick-firing guns in
all, the armament will be most formid-
able.
Perhaps the most notable point about
this novel fighting craft is its invulner-
ability. 1t is practically shot-proof,
its construction being such that she'll
striking any part of it must meet a
slant and so glide off. In order to ac-
complish this end, the armored cham
Der is made polygonal in section, while
the towers are cylindrical. The deck
IS whaleback. its upper part barely
rising above the sea, and all the ma
chinery and ammunition are below
water level, so as to be safe from in
jury. Staircases and ammunition hoists
run up inside of the towers, and the
waves may wash freely across the body
of the ship without entering the gun
ports or interfering with the operation
OF the fighting oparatus above.
Not less n able than the foregoing
is method newly invented by Gin
cinnati, man, Andrew Van Bibber, for
rendering harbors impregnable against
attack by sea. 1t is guaranteed to ac-
complish the purpose with the use Of a
comparatively small force of men and
without the aid of warships, thus be-
ing equivalent to an increase Of the
navy, inasmuch as it relieves fleets to
a great extent from the duty of defend
Ing the coast. OF this latter point the
Importance was illustrated in the re-
cent war with Spain, during which the
operations of our maritime forces were
seriously hampered by the ever-present
necessity of looking out for the protec-
ton of the cities along the Atlantic
seaboard. AS the inventor says: 1.-THE
greatly increased range of naval guns
demands that defensive works be more
remote from the place defended than
formerly-else the defended city may
be ruined while the attack is being re-
pulsed. A city, of course, affords a
very large target, and it's protection is
proportionately difficult, especially in
these days of high-power cannon. Be-
sides. the fleet urgently needed for it's
defense may not arrive in time. The
Van Bibber system consists in txtend-
Ing from the harbor mouth seward
two lines of entertainments built OF con-
crete and so arranged as to form an
artificial entrance to the port. On
these embankments are placed bomb
proof forts, consisting substantially of
revolving turrets containing high
power guns. The tops of the embank-
ments are slightly below low-water
mark, but submarine chambers are pro-
vided for magazines and other uses
The forts themselves, as a matter of
course, ought to be protected by armor
thick enough to be practically impen-
etrable by shell. From this brief de-
scription it will be understood that a
hostile warship approaching city thus
defended could get into the harbor
only by passing through the artificial
it would be exposed to murderous at
tack at short range by the forts on the
fanking entertainments. Meanwhile,
another fort, situated at the landward
end of the entrance, would rake the
latter from end to end with a storm of
projectiles Under such circumstances
ii. would be impossible for the enemy's
vessels to maneuver freely, and being
confined to narrow gut, they would
face almost certain destruction by
mines, while held at a distance from
the city by guns much heavier than
their own and capable of smashing to
pieces their armor plates. The chan
mel may be 200 yards or half mile in
width, but the longer it is the more
efficient it will be for defensive pur-
poses.
Charles e. Quimbly of New York has
just taken out a patent for a method
OF preventing the fouling of ships bot