The evening times., 1899-06-21
GREAT SHIPS OF war
BUILDING FOR RUSSIA
Needed for the Protection OF
Her Merchant Marine.
Captain TchernigOvsky Describes
the Variag and Retvizan.
Two of a Fleet to Patrol the Coast
Sens From st. Petersburg
to Odessa.

Philadelphia yards with the actual work
as it quietly Tor. to be more accurate,
noisily) progresses toward completion.
The tables ON the second floor are covered
with manuscripts containing abstruse cal
culations of weight and strength Of metal.
power of engines, consumption of coal. re-
sistance power of ornaments, and the walls
are papered with blue prints of sections.
transverse and oblong. of the battleship
Retvizan and the protected cruiser Variag.
Captain Tchernigovsky. naval construc-
tor of the Russian navy. in conversation
with reporter yesterday. said:
1T is but few years since Russia has
known her necessity for navy. Our
very expensive. Then We began to open up
in the Far East in the Pacific, and 1t was
found that transport by sea was absolute
ly unavoidable. The consequence was
that. there being but few Russian COM
panies owning many vessels. the govern
ment began to offer chances and oppor-
tunities heretofore unheard of to persons
with money who would be willing to in
vest il in merchant vessels that could be
utilized in case of war by the government.
The whole of the so-called Volunteer
Fleet-there are, | think, sixteen vessels;
two of over 900 tons and twenty-knot
speed are now being built-were built in
England or Scotland, and all these YES
sells are now practically owned by the
Russian Government. 1t is the same with
the Russian Steam Navigation Company S
vessels. large fleet plying mainly in the
Black Sea: these are now practically owned
by the government.
1T was found by experience that it is
much cheaper to send goods of all kinds
from St. Petersburg to Odessa by sea than
by rail, the latter costing nearly three
times the money and only saving one
third of the time. On this account, in the
first place. arose the need for an increase
in our merchant marine. and the need
being immediate. the restrictions form
erly placed upon foreign built vessels in
the shape of heavy duty, was removed
The presumption was that Russian hold
ers OF money. when they see that the
Russian government really means 10 foster
the merchant marine service. will invest
some of their money in building shipyards,
instead of, as present, leaving the whole Of
that work to be done by Belgian, French
and German companies.
NAV since we have found the necessity
for an increase in our mercantile marine,
we have also discovered the need OF an in
crease in our navy. For our ports and our
merchant vessels must be protected. Our
war vessel program does not end with
the Variag and the Retvizan. There are
two cruisers building at Eavre. in France.
and three in course of construction at
Stettin, the great German shipyard on the
Baltic. No, al present none are being
built in Great Britain.
The twin-screw protected cruiser tari-
ag, which is similar to those to which l
have referred, will be 400 feet in length
between perpendiculars. with a o2foot
beam. She will have - feet inches dIaf.
and $500 tons displacement. Her full
speed will be % kots. The hull is to be
constructed Of double bottom and not
sheathed the supply of coal to be II per
cent Of the normal displacement. and the
speed must be twenty-t&ree knots during
continuous trial of twelve hours. The
coal bunker capacity must be so celebrated
as TO allow radius of action of ) 900 knots
at ten knots an hour speed. The vessel
will be fitted with water tube boilers of
the Niclausse type. The cruiser will have
a protective deck of extra soft, mild steel
plate one and one-half inches thick at the
horizontal part ard three inches thick on
the slopes extending the whole length ci
the ship. The coming tower viii be siX
inches thick and the protection around the
smokestacks will be one and half inches
twelve officers. nine petty officers. and 80
crew. The ship will be provis.oned fer
sixty days, with water for ten days. The
armament will consist of twelve 6-inch
Is calibre guns, two 15-miilimetre 80
calibre guns, six i7-millimetre Hotchkss
one barrel guns, two Baranovsky's guns,
and two 3.-millimetre Hotchkiss guns.
Provision will be made for storing $50
rounds for each 6-inch gun. 2,3SS rounds
in all. For the 75-millimetre guns, 5000
for the =, i1milimetres, 5Oi0
for the -millimetres, 25Si
rounds. and for the Baranovskys, 149O
rounds. Besides this there will be provis-
ion for storing necessary amount of am
for small arms There will be
four broadside torpedo tubes and two at
each end of the ship. She will carry four
teen Whitehead torpedces. thirty-fve
Aoating mines, six small toIpe6oes for her
two launches and six searchlights. The
ship will also be finished with two forty
foot steam launches, two twelve-oar cut
ters, one sixteen-oar barge, one fourteen
oar working cutter, two six-oar whale.
boats. and two siA-oar yawls
''It has been stated said Captain
that the ship will be fin
ished by the end of July, but l very much
doubt IL she will be done before the end
of August, and even if finished by that
time it will be remarkable performance"
The general features Of the design of
the twin-screw battleship Retvizan," went
on the genial Russian. "are that her length
in load-line will be 3S4 feet, her extreme
breadth 72 feet IL inches. her displace-
ment 12.775 tons, her draft about 25 feet
her estimated horse power $1,000. her
sped at displacement of 49, 775 tons during
twelve hours IS knots, her indicated horse
power at 10 knots speed 2,00O her nomi-
nal coal supply LOIS tons. with capacity
for 1000 tons. her radius of action at 10
knots speed $3.50 knots. and her radius of
action at full speed 5000 knots. Her coal
at full speed will be two
pounds per indicated horse power per hour.
The hull protection will consist of main
belt lower casemate and upper casemate
armor and armor on protective deck
Side. casemate turret, barbette and coming
tower armor to be made by Krupp's pro-
cess, and protective deck to be of extra
soft nickel steel plates for upper thick
ness. and of hull steel plates for lower
thickness.
For the extent of not less than two
birds of the vessels length the thickness
If the armor plate along the water line |
will be inches. the lower casemate armor |
will be inches thick. the upper casemate
lrmor will be 5 inches thick The armor |
IN the turret will be . inches thick, and |
hat on the barbette inches. Her ar
nament will consist Of four 12-inch guns,
welve 6-inch guns, twenty 75-millimetre |
,uns. twenty 47-millimetre guns, six 81
niilimetre guns, and two 21-2-inchBara-