The evening times., 1899-03-09
PLANS FOR OUR
new KARSHIPS
Additions to the Navy to Be
the Finest AfOat.
Increase in Dimensions and Speed
for Battleships.
Cruisers VIII BE Larger and Move
Faster-Features of the Big
Sea Fighters.

Under the plans prepared by the Bureau
of Construction and Repair the projected
battleships, armored cruisers, and unpro-
tected cruisers will, when completed be
the finest ships of their respective classes
in the world.
Rear Admiral Hichborn expects that the
plans for the battleships and armored
cruisers will be completed and approved
by the department by the time Congress
reconvenes in December, so that the Sec
retary will be ready to award contracts
the moment the armor controversy is set
tied. He said yesterday that it is pro-
posed 10 apply the electrical system in op-
Grating the auXiliSries of the new ships
more generally than will be done on board
the battleships of the Maine class, and he
promises that in all respects the ships will
be greatly superior TO anything OF their
respective types now afioat or under con-
struction.
From the Navy Department the follow
ing general features of the proposed bat
! tleships We're obtained:
Length 40 feet; beam, 75 feet; dis
| placement II 800 tons: speed, not less than
! Is II knots: draught mean, "a feet: horse
/ power. natural draught. 1880; forced
draught Is 400; coal capacity 1900 tons.
The hulls of the ships will be steel,
! sheathed and coppered, and will be pro-
! PEELED by twin screws. Their engines Will
! be OF the quadruple expansion type, ana
! they will be supplied with water tube boil
! ers. Each ship will be equipped with two
submarine torpedo tubes. With its maxi
mum coal capacity aboard one OF the pro-
posed battleships steaming at its economl-
! cal speed of 10 knots Will be able 10 steam
/ 10 500 knots.
! Each vessel will be supplied with this
armament:
Main Battery-Four l2-inch gurs. in
/ pairs. in turrets; sixteen 6-inch rapid fire
guns in redoubt or classmates, four OF
which will have end fire.
! Secondary Fire-Ten 12-pounders twelve
/ 6-pounders, six 1-pounders, and six ma
! chine guns.
Final decision has not yet been reached
] as TO the protection that will be given the
/ ships. but as so far determined it will con-
/ sist of Il complete belt seven feet six inches
I wide. twelve inches thick at waterline be
! tween barbettes thence tapering to five
. inches al eXtremities. The diagonal armor
! will be twelve inches in thickness
The side above the belt to main dec:
from barbette TO baTbette will be six
I inches and the classmates OF redoubts will
I be protected by six inches. The turrets
/ will be balanced. with inclined front plate
/ twelve inches throughout. The barbettes
viii be thirteen inches in front. reduced
( TO ten inches in the rear The coming
tower will be twelve inches, and the ar
mored signal tower nine inches. a cellu-
lose belt will be supplied TO each ship.
The Armorcd Cruisers.
on account Of having high speed, the ar
mored cruisers viii not be so well protect
ed or so we'll armed as the battleshipS.
Like the battleships, they will have steel
huIls. sheathed and coppered. twin screws,
4 and iw0 mastS These will be their dimen-
sions:
Length 900 feet: beam. 90 feet; dis
placement. 12.0G0 tons; speed, not less than
- knots; draugh;, mean. a feet 6 inches;
horse power. natural draught, 1870 fore
Cd draught, $500; coal capacity 1,S00
ions.
Sreaming at its economical speed OF
twelve knots each armored cruiser Will
have = stcamirg radius OF 7,230 knots. The
engines viii be quadruple expansion and
the boilers OF the wate--tube type. This
VIII he the armament Of each ship:
Main battery-Four S-inch guns. in
pairs in turrets. one forward and one aft
fourteen 6-inch rapid fire guns, in broad
side. the forward and after pair sponsoneI
for end fire
Second battery-Ten l2pounders. ten
6-pounders. six l-pounders, and six ma
chine guns.
1t has net been fully determined what
armCred protection can be supplied to the
ships. As originally contemplated, il was
| intended TO provide each with complete
belt six inches thick al the water line and
seven feet six inches wide, full thickness
from barbette to barbette, thence tapering
to four inches al extremities. 1t is ques
tionabe whether the 6-inch armor can
be carried above the belt. and it may be
that the thickness OF the belt will have to
be reduced at the ends of the vessels The
furrets will be balanced with inclined
font plate. and the armor will be nine
inches thick all around. The barbettes
/ will be ten inches thick, reduced to six
inches in the rear. The diagonal armor
will be eight inches; coming tower. I n
inches; armored signal tower, eight inch
es. and protective deck. six inches on the
( slope and three inches fiat. Cellulose bets
/ will be supplied to the ships
, Plans for the Third-CIass Cruisers
With respect TO the third-class cruisers,
as they Will be officially designated, the
plans will be completed as promptly as
possible in order that the contracts may
! be awarded within short time. There
will be six of these ships Their hulls will
he of steel. sheathed and coppered, and
! they will be supplied with twin screws and
two masts, and will have flush upper decks
These will be their dimensions:
Length. $50 feet: beam: 43 feet: displace-
ment. 1900 tons; speed. not less than 10
! knots; draught. mean. Is feet, 3 inches:
horse power (naturai draughtD, 2,450; fore
ed. $500: coal capacity. $50 tons.
Though the coal capacity is seemingly
small compared with that of the battle
! ships and armored cruisers. the little cruis-
ers will be able to steam 7,234 knots and
| keep at 33 days without recoaling
| Their armament will be:
Main battery, 10 5-inch rapid fire guns
, on upper deck with shields centre
line; s in broadside, forward and aft pair
! spCnsoned.
Secondary battery. 10 3-pounders, l.
Founders, and machine guns.
/ The engines will be quadruple expansion
and the boilers water tube Each ship will
have coming tower with 6-inch protec-
ton. water tight deck and celiulose
belt.
The Department of Justice has so con-
strued the personnel law that the Navy De-
partment will be required by June 90 to
take steps TO retire officers voluntarily and
compulsorily il order to make the num-
Der of vacancies which the law provides
shall be made in any one year
At Bedtime