The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-02-23
NEW WARSHIP MAINE.
of the Havana Tragedy
Celebrated by Beginning Work on
Ship That is to be the Equal of the
Host Formidable Ship in Any Navy.

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 15.-The an
niversary of the destruction of the
Maine in Havana harbor was cele-
brated here to-day by laying the keel
of a great battleship to bear the name
of that Inflated vessel. The builders
of the new engine of naval warfare
will strive to have her completed for
enough for launching on the second
anniversary of the sad event, while
they will endeavor to have her ready
for service on the third anniversary.
The Maine will be one of a trio of
tirst-class battleshi ps of the same
type, the contract price of each being
$2,S85.OO0. The other ships are to
be named the Ohio and Missouri.
All three are to be the equal of any
fighting ships of any country of the
world. The length Of the Maine on
load water line will be 3SS feet, and
beam u feet 2! inches, with draught
at normal displacement of % feet
inches. The normal displacement
will be $500 tons, and the indicated
horsepower 10000, while the speed
will be Is knots an hour. The coal
bunker capacity will be 1000 tons.
OF officers, seamen and marines the
complement will be about 600 men.
The hull of the ship is to be similar
to the Illinois type, with the added
length of twenty feet amidships.
The armor is to be treated with the
Krupp process. Details as to the
armor have not been decided upon,
but the side water line belt will prob
ably be of armor, having a maximum
thickness of twelve inches for depth
of four feet, thence tapering to eight
inches at the armor shelf, three and
one-half feet below.
The turrets and barbettes will have
a maximum thickness of II inches, a
reduction being due to the superior
defensive qualities of the Krupp
plating. Considerable less weight
will also be a result. A coffer-dam
80 inches wide, that will reach for
ward and aft to the bow end of the
stern from the thwartship armor
bulkheads, in the space between the
protective and the berth decks, will
be filled with briluettes of corn-pith
cellulose, the worth of which has
already been established in conflict.
Another cofferdam, so filled. will be
on the berth deck.
Two sets oftriple-expansion engines,
actuating twin screws, will propel
the Maine. The engines, which will
be located in separate water-tight
compartments, will be of the three
cylinder, vertical, inverted cylinder,
direct acting type, and the cylinders
will be 3S4, 9 and 92 inches in dame
ter, with a common stroke of ~
inches. When the main engines are
making about 1926 revolutions a min
ute the collective indicated horse
power of the propelling air-pump and
circulating pump engines will be
1000.
The Names armament will consist
of four 12-inch breechloading rifles,
sixteen 6inch rapid-fre rifles, twenty
6-pounders and four 3-pounder guns
and few smaller pieces. The 12
inch guns will be Of 4O-calibre and of
the new high-powered type, designed
to use smokeless powder. With
velocity of 5000 feet per second and
firing an S50-pound shell, each gun
will have an energy of $4,000 foot
tons, equal to the penetration of four
feet of solid iron at the muzzle. The
guns all have areas of fire of 2SO de-
grees.
The motive energy of many of the
auxiliary engines will be supplied by
electricity, which will also operate
the ventilating blowers, hoist ammu-
milton, turn and control the turrets
and furnish light within, and also
without, in the shape of four search
lights and double set of night sig
mails.
There will be comparatively little
wood used in the construction Of the
Maine. With the exception of the
main deck, without the superstruct-
ure, the upper deck and the bridges,
the decks will be covered with linol-
cum. Wood other than decking will
be tire-rubber thing, wire mats or
cement proof, but light metal work
will suPplant wood wherever it is pos
sible.
Remember you can have goods deliver
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