Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-10-13
THE DOUBLE TURRET.
What the Inventor. Liput. Strauss, Has to
Say Abcutt II.


The current issue Of Golfers Weekly
presents some excellent views or the
hattleship Kearsarge, all OF Which
bring out the supernosed currents to
excellent advantage. The views are
accompanied by an excellent dcscr:p-
ton Of the ships appearance in New
York iharbor and her trial trip.
Sundays New YORK Tribune also
gives two fine views of the kearsarSe,
one showing the double turret from the
bow and the other showing the "hone
in her teeth taken from the fighting
top The Tribune representative inter-
viewed Lieutenant Strauss. the invent
or Of the double turret and the follow
ing extract from the story accompa-
nying the views Will BE- read with in
terest:
The feature of the Kcarsarge max
ing an innovation upon which the eyes
of the naval experts Of the whole worl1
are fixed is the supcr;mposed turret.
This is the first time that one tnrret
has been built upon another, and there
are grave doubts expressed by n:acy
officers regarding its practicability. It
has become known as the Sampson tur-
ret. but Lieutenant Joseph Strauss, u.
S. n. who was q member Of the rial
tative that lle was the inventor Ct it.
sie said that when he proposed it Cap
tain Sampson became convinced Of its
value and urged its adoption SO siren
uously that the latters name berumc
associated with the invention.
Veteran naval officers declare that
'lt IS folly to build one turret on top Of
another and that the discharge Of The
big guns Of one turrct Will render tho
other untenable. Some go so far as 10
say that it would result fatally to the
sunners in the other turret.
lieutenant Strauss says that this
theory is utterly Enfounded. Til, ,,oH-
or of the blast he asserts is limited to
the space in advance Of the guns. Two
feet behind the muzzle OF an S-inch
gun. or five feet behind the m,izzl.. Of
a 13-inch gun, a man may stand with
irapunity.
The great advantage OF the double
turret is the concentration Of fire Of
two 13-inch and two S-inch guns IN
both the bow and stern
Lieutenant Strauss says that the
safety of the gunners from the effect
of the conclusion in such a situation ~
that IN the double turret has Eaen
proved by pressure gauges and by act
ual experiment at the Indian Head
proving ground. a man stood under
a wooden sighting hood in a pit lie.
meath an S-inch gun in the relative no
Slt1on occupied by the sighting hou1 IN
the lower turret. He did not sufre:. the
slightest inconvenience when the gun
was fired.
Lieutenant Strauss says that the
kearsarge's battery is much more pow
erful that that Of the Alabama class
The big guns have all rapid closing ANA
opening breech mechanisms IF Tie
Fletcher Farcot system, and The
springs on the carriages 90 away with
the hydraulic gear. and permit their
being manipulated by hand in case the
electric motors break down.
The interference between guns,
Lieutenant Straus sasserts, is far less
than on any other ship in the navy
Unlike most great ships. the Kear-
sarge does not make a bow wave
properly speaking. There is g; mass Of
foam and spray rising about her nose
to the very deck, but there is no high
rolling wave at each side, which WITH
most Warships looks as if the ocean
parted. leaving a hollow for the steel
monster to rush through.
The tactical diameter Of the kaar-
sarge is remarkably small. She m tfi e
turn Monday in less than ] 900 fact
both screws going ahead full speed
with helm hard over, the severest tcst
OF the helm possible.
Humane methods have been taker
to lower the temperature in the engine
and fire rooms of this battleship, ana
they have been SO successful that life
in these regions in the <earsarge IS far
more endura BILE than on other warships.
In the engine room the temperature
was only 50 degrees and the vcntiia-
ton was excellent. In the fire rooms
Fit averaged only 120 degrees, and the
hottest part was only 1875. Only one
man was overcome by heat druns the
run, and Inc was a fleshy man.