The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-12-20
COMMOpORE PHIILP HICHRQRN

WSMWWWSNN&NM@M =
COMMODORE PHILIP HICHBORN.
(ae Has Charge of the Construction of
New Naval Vessels)
the evident purpose of Congress, and
the plans now approaching completion
represent five of the most powerful
battleships ever projected.
Sheathed and Coppered.
The vessels appropriated for in 1899
are required to be sheathed and cop
pered, whereas those of the later APP
preparation have been held by the Navy
Department not to be covered by the
provision as to sheathing, and the bu-
reau has, therefore, designed two
classes of vessels, one sheathed and
the other not sheathed The designs
have been further complicated by the
decision Of the board of construction
to fit three of the vessels with the SUI
perposed turret, similar to those on
the kearsarge and Kentucky, and to
provide the other two vessels with
what has been designated the quadrila-
teral arrangement of the eight-inch
guns of the main battery The gener-
al dimensions and chief characteristics
of the sheathed and coppered vessels
are:
Length on load water line, 435 feet;
breadth, extreme, at load water line,
rs feet, 10 inches; trial displacement
about $4,000 tons; mean draught at
trial displacement, about "a feet;
greatest draught. full load, about 2G
feet. The general dimensions of the
unsheathed vessels are: Length on
load water line, 435 feet: breadth, ex-
IRENE. at load water line, 76 feet 21h
inches; trial displacement about IA COG
tons; mean draught trial displace-
ment, about "a feet; greatest draught,
full load, about 26 feet.
Speed of Nineteen Knots.
In the $4,000 tons represented in
each Of those vessels, the many an
tagonistic qualities essential to per-
feet fighting machine have been COM
promised and incorporated in proper
tions which experience seems to have
pointed out as the most desirable and
efficient. To begin with, they will
have a speed of at least nineteen knots,
which compares most favorably with
any battleships under construction
abroad, as we'll as any in the projected
stage. AS all the vessels previously
designed by the bureaus have shown
excess of speed over that called for it
may be expected that this figure will
be exceeded by from a quarter to j
half knot.
The vessels will be propelled at this
nigh speed by twin screws driven by
two four-cylinder, triple-expansion en-
gines of about 10000 indicated horse
power, having a stroke of four feet,
running under conditions of maximum
speed at about 100 revolutions min
ute. The steam necessary to this DOW
er will be supplied at a pressure of
ESQ pounds square inch by twenty
four Babcock & Wilcox straight water
tube boilers, placed four in each of six
Independent water-tight compart-
ments.
-Four Big Guns on Each.
A|1SAA ohAP WILL Cdlly lOuf Twelve
inch guns, forty calibers in length.
mounted in pairs in Hichborn balanc-
ed turrets, having an arc of train OF
27O degrees, one forward and one aft
in each vessel Of the eight-inch guns,
forty-fve calibers in length, which
will be carried on each of the three
sheathed vessels, four will be mounted
in turrets of the Hichborn type, super
posed upon the twelve-inch turrets,
and four in two turrets amidships
having an arc of train of $50 degrees.
and in the two unsheathed vessels all
eight eight-inch guns will be mounted
in four Independent turrets, having an
arc of train of 145 degrees, placed two
on each side at the ends of the SUPER
structure, thus forming a quadrila-
teral.
In each vessel there will be broad
side Of twelve six-inch rapid-fire guns,
fifty calibers in length, mounted six
on each side on the main deck, each
with an arc Of train Of ITO degrees.
and each will also have twelve four
teen Founders and twelve three-pound-
ers,, mounted in commanding posi-
tions, and having very large arcs of
fire. In the two lower tops there will
be four automatic one-pounders, and
in the upper tops four single-shot one
FOUNDERS.