The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-05-13
Innovation Tried on IN,
Cruiser Chesapeake
at Annapolis.
CADETS PRA(TIG vtSSfl
HTIfD WITH A TRIPLE mi
New Method Of Protecting the Bottom =
the Ship Arouses Much Interest
Among Marine Men in
America and Abroad.


~A HE naval academy rr.,...
cruiser Chesapeake Is No, -
the only national yesse, h,,;,s !
the last twenty wears ,vA.ra
IL dependent upon sails ~. -.
pulsion, hut Is tba -
ship in the service TO have her ir,vr...'s
steel hull covered with wood ana th.s'r
turn protected by conner IN sec,r~- 4, ~
great advantage of clean bottou, al.
made the early vessels famous for $3.50
by their ability to make long v,vs~.
without frequent recourse "a drvSssss
and at the same time retain the sts,,sA
ness provided by the modern staal ~ .
struction.
The essential difference between thu II.
tom of the Chesapeake and the ura..
water bodies OF the composite sunhosts !,
the Annapolis Marietta class. built yos,
years ago, lies in the fact that tha srs
boats had no inner skin" of steel nls,ss
the wooden planking In them heinv 4,
tached directly to the frames. while X.
Chesapeake was practically a triple hull
The composite construction had ,he A..
advantage Of extreme fiexibIlty with M.
equal adaptation to changes OF temnsts.
ture, making the gunboats prone 10 ~
The chief difficulty encountered IN ~.
Chesapeake was due to the shortcomlus,
Of her builders, who have been notably I'M.
fortunate with all their naval coutrocts
After applying the wooden protection IA
the Chesapeake's steel hull ana lsunchi.s
her the builders having no dorkine fanei
ties to enable them to fasten on the con.
per protection were compelled 10 sesA
the ship to the Boston navyyard for con.
pletion. Here IL was discovered that the
plankirg had not been closely Applied Or
nicely fitted, and that 1t allowed water 10
leak in between the two skins" thereby
endaneering the life of the vessel throuoh
electrolytic action. Chief Constructs
Hichborn. whose earnest advocacy d
sheathing led TO the adoption OF the sys-
tenn in this country. as well as 10 Its popu.
larity abroad. readily devised a method Il
remedyine this defect by Injecting filtns
composition into the spaces, and the ~.
sci has now been completed at Boston nd
sent to Annapolis for the use Of the cadel1
at the academy
Inst how the Anal touches were nut upoa
the t,hesapeake's hull are ~
shown nv the following extrse
from thu off3cial renort submitted d
Admiral u,ehhorn nv Constructor Baat9;
THE vessel was docked March 10. and n
hottom uas immeda telv tanned. The to(nl
amount ~ water which flowed from b.
bipa tba shaatbins- was about TWENTY-FIVE
gaIlons eighteen gallons coming from IL
starboard and the remainder from the
mort side The water leakage was not
unite es salty as salt water. and was
strongly impreunated with flavor Of rcsin
md trrpentine. which was doubtlcss a.
sorhed from tho yellow nine sbeathing.
After the hottom had been carefully clean
ed and ,nsnected several holes were beesd
through the sheathing for the injection
Of the red lead putty. II was not infrs-
ouentIv found that twelve or hftesa
Quarts OF putty could be Injected into one
hole before the uress,re was twe4ty
mounds. and there was no marked how
from adjacent holes. The total amount Of
materials used was IA 40 mounds, about y
nor cent Of which was wasted. Fafsy
numns were use,l and tho entire bottom