The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1899-03-10
HUGE WAR SHIPS
The Plans for Three of Them Being
Worked Out by Naval Authorities.
The New Vessels Will Be of 1880 Tons
Displacement Contracts for These
Vessels and Six Unarmored
Cruisers to Be Placed.


Cruisers to Be Placed.
WASHINGTON, March S.-The plans
for the three big battle ships author
lied by the naval appropriation bill
just passed are being worked out The
general features of the ships have
been defined, subject to the approval:
of the secretary. The battle ships
will be 1000 tons larger than the
Maine and Missouri class, of total
displacement of Is, 500 tons, making
them by far the largest ships, in the
fnerican navy and about equal in di-
tensions to the best type of battle ships
Alow being constructed abroad under the
new practice. Though larger than the
Maine, the ships will be laid on almost
the same lines, being only a little
greater in every dimension. They will
carry each four 12-inch guns in turrets.
This caliber is an inch less than the
guns carried by the Oregon, but by i'm
proved design they will be almost equal
in penetrative power.
The S-inch guns of the Oregon type,
although they did very effective work
at Santiago and Manila, have beer
abandoned.
But instead of eight S-inch guns the
new ships will have no less than 1d
guns of G-inoh caliber, all rapid firers,
and 20 6-poupders. This battery rep
resents the ideal proportion between
guns as taught by the experience of
our own fleets during the Spanish war
and Of the Chinese and japanese YES
sells during their late war. The speed
of the ships will be IS knots, an adj
vance of two knots over the Ore
gon class, but just equal to
that of the new Maine. For
protection against the enemy's shot,
the battle ships will have but one belt
of armor seven feet six inch broad rum
ming clear around the water line three
feet six inches and four feet below. 1t
was originally planned to have this
armor 10 inches thick, but the design
ers have now reduced the thickness to
order to strengthen the easements
which will be made seven and a half
inches thick instead of five inches.
Altogether there is notable alb
sence of new features in the designs
<Of the battle ships, which fact, taken
in connection with the small amount
of progress reported in the designs for
the Maine class may be an indication
that our naval designers have very
nearly approached the ideal battle ship
in their work. AS far as these
particular ships are concerned, the
fact that the navy department
is limited to $500 per ton in the
purchase of armor makes it impos-
sible to build them in the alb
sence of further legislation and the
department will be obliged to content
itself with the mere preparation of de-
tailed plans during the coming sum-
mer. The six cruisers of the Enar-
mored type provided for can, however
be built, and Chief Constructor HIGH
born has already been working out the
designs upon lines approved by the
board of bureau chiefs. 1t is the pur-
pose of the navy department to place
contracts for these ships at the earliest
moment. They represent a type of
cruiser which would be of the greatest
value just now for our foreign. service.
The plans call for vessels of about
1900 tons, and the ships will be i'm
proved Marbleheads, so to speak, being
600 tons larger than ships of that
class and with better batteries and
more coal capacity. A most important
consideration is that they will be
sheathed with wood over the steel
hull and fully coppered, enabling
them to keep the seas even
in tropical waters for many
months without being compelled to
seek dry dock. The battery will be
made mp of six fve-inch guns for each
ship. The cost is expected to be con
siderably more than that of the Mar
blehead, which was S674,O 900, for the
amount allowed by congress was ST.
al, 500 each. This difference is &C
counted for by the many improvements
made in the Marblehead's design, a no.
table thing being the use of water-tube
boilers, giving much greater speed and
economy.
Counterfeit Dollars.
SBAMoKIN, Pa, March S.-Banks
stores and the post Office were Tues