The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1900-06-07

length. That is, it is sharp-prowed,
and the freeboard, or the distance from
the sheathed deck to the water line. Is
very slight 1t Is almost awash, as
they say at sea. When In motion this
forward deck is usually under water
Ii the vessel picks a bone in her teeth
1t would certainly be washed by the
waves caused by swift motion.
The vessel has dimensions approx
mating those of the warship or the
Texas type. She Is about $50 feet over
nj, with about forty feet beam. The
warship has a proportion Of one In five
between length and beam. Thus the
Wisconsin, with trife under 400 feet
in length, would have some sixty five
feet in width. Gathmann's ship has
this proportion extended to about one
in seven. The reason for this is to in
crease the speed capacity. She Is con
structed aft Of the armor belt and gun
station much like the torpedo-boat or
to-day, with a curved deck reaching
down to the water line and curved
stern. Her propeller wells are covered.
She displaces about 1850 tons and
draws sixteen feet. to some twenty
two for the Texas on an S,000-ton dis
placement Her engines are aft and
well In the hull Her coal bunkers and
quarters for officers and men are abaft
the armor belt.
Speed of Thirty Knots.
She is of light steel construction. fol-
lowing the modern method of using
hin metal In preference to heavy tim
Der. But her sides are not protected
against an ordinary field rifle of to-day.
She could be hulled IL broadside on by
an old time muzzle-loading, smooth
bore. Her speed Is TO be not under
twenty-three, and In forced draught
may run up to thirty knots. Speed and
the low freeboard are her strong
points. She presents almost no target
and is so swift as to be able to choose
her own position for attack.
The main dependence Of the Gath
mann warship is, of course, its battery.
Back of one single plate of armor VIII
be mounted gun which will throw
600 pounds Of gun-cotton at the enemy
at each fire. The shell will leave the
muzzle at the rate OF 1000 feet sec
ond. A single discharge Of this gun
will be equal to broadside from the
Oregon, or about $4,000 foot tons. One
shot well directed. Mr.. Gathmann be-
lieves. will wreck the most formidable
armored warship ever constructed.
Two or three guns will be mounted on
the main battery, each with bore of
sixteen inches.
One of the peculiar features Of the
Gathmann ship Is It's so-called armor
belt. The vessel has no armor proper,
but a part of It Is protected by an ar
NOR belt. This belt rises to point
tribe above the roof of the after portion
of the ship. 1t Is plnced on at an acute
angle with the lateral diameter Of the
ship. The angle Is placed farthest for
ward, with the two arms extended aft
and to the sides of the ship. The belt
also curves from the deck plane back
ward to It's highest extremity. Thus
any shot not delivered squarely at right
angles to the arm Of the belt, and with
a plunge sufficient to overcome the
backward slope. no matter how fiercely
delivered. will not even start rivet.
1t will inevitably glance of. because
full impact is relatively impossible.
The belt being placed far enough aft
to pass the point OF equilibrium may be
made as heavy and as impenetrable as
science can devise.
The vessel lies so low In the water
that with an ordinary sea on she would
be practically invisible a great portion
of the time In action. Its superior
specials great as that Of any torpedo
boat afoat-would enable this ship to
choose its own position In a fight
against any heavy. unwieldy warship
of to-day. She could sail all around
such fort on water, and could always
present her bows to the enemy. thus
materially reducing target surface, and
also presenting her protected deck
alone to attack.