The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1899-02-23
The New Maine.
Anniversary of the Blowing up OF Oul
Battleship.

Battleship.
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 15.-The anniver-
sary of the blowing up of the battleship
Maine in Havana Harbor was marked
here with the beginning of work on the
powerful man of war which will bear the
name of the historic battleship.
The new Maine will be built by the
Cramp Shipbuilding Company, and at the
company's yards at II O'Clock today the
first piece Of the keel of the vessel was
laid There was no formality in the pro-
ceedings, but the shipyard was thrown
open to the public, and great cheer was
given by the crowd as the group of work
men set in place the first steel piece of the
keel. Other pieces of the steel keel were
Immediately hosted and placed by the
side of the first, and thus was started
what will be one of the most powerful
fighters of the new navy.
The builders will endeavor to have the
new battleship ready for launching on
Feb. Is of next year, and to have her
ready for service on the third anniversary
of her predecessor destruction.
The Maine will be sister ship of the
Ohio and Missouri, the contract price for
each OF which is 81, SS5, 600. She is to
| have speed of Is knots. With a length
on water line of 1913 feet and beam of y
feet, 2 IL inches, she will have normal
| displacement of II, 800 tons and a draught
of % feet, 6 inches. Her bunkers will be
large enough to carry POO tons of coal, and
her complement of officers, seamen and
marines will be about 600
The Names armament will consist of
four u inch breech-loading rifles, sixteen
6inch rapid fire rifles, twenty 6-pounder
and four FOUNDER guns and few smaller
r1in l,n
calibre and of the new high powered type,
designed to use smokeless powder, With
a muzzle velocity of 3, 900 feet per second,
and firing an S50-pound shell, each gun
will have an energy of 4S, 900 foot tons,
equal to the penetration of four feet of
solid iron at the muzzle. The gun will
have arcs of fire of $50 degrees.
Twelve of the inch rapid-fire guns
will be mounted on the main deck and
four on the upper deck. Two g. Founders
will be on the main deck just abaft the
two bow 6 inch guns, and four will be
located far aft on the berth deck, while
the remaining four will be placed Oil the
bridges and in the superstructures. The
3pounders are Calling guns and will be
mounted in the tops. The torpedo tubes
of the underwater type will be located
out of the ordinary reach of shot or shell.
CLAIMS FOR INDEMNITY.
| WASHINGTON, Feb. Is. A statement
prepared by the Auditor for the Navy De-
partment to-day (the anniversary of the
destruction of the United States Steam
ship Maine), shows that the total num-
Der of claims filed to date on account
of that disaster under the act of March 80,
1898, is 1926, amounting to 1928, 342.
OF these 92 are claims for indemnity 10y
survivors amounting to S35, 1916. Two
hundred and four are gratuity claims ag
gregating $S7, FOG; 20 claims are now on
hand awaiting evidence and 30 cases are
, yet to be heard from.
The records show that the total number
of persons on board the Maine at the time
of the explosion was 355, of which 266
were killed and 80 survived.
, FLAGS AT HALF-MAsT
New YORK, Feb. Is. A year ago to-
day the United States battleship Maine
was blown up in the harbor of Havana and
266 American seamen lost their lives.
The event is being Remembered in this
City to-day. Flags are flying at half
mast on the City Hall, the public schools
and all other public buildings, national,
State and municipal Nearly all the
vessels in the harbor had flags at half
mast. 3esides the public buildings,
suspended at half mast 10 memory of the
dead American seamen, and in many OF
the stores are pictures of the Inflated
battleship with the phrase Remember the
Maine