The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-09-16
WORK ON TIE new JERSEY
To BE the Largest Fighting Ship
in the Navy.

Over -Four Hundred Feet Long and
Heavily Armed-WiII BE Able 10
Take Punishment n Well In
nict 1.-THE Vessel Described
BOSTON, Sept IG.-At the Fore River
Ship and Engine Compa0y's new yard on
Quincy Point work has begun on the
United States steamer. New Jersey and
her sister ship. the United States steam
er Rhode Island. These Will be distin-
guishod as the largest fighting ships or
dcred for the American Navy and as the
most efficient heavyweight fighters build
ing for any navy IN the world
A number Of novel features mark this
new class In the first place. the New
Jersey and her sister ship viii be very
long for battleships. having a length on
the load waterIine Of no less than As feet.
A. feet in excess Of any other battleship
in the American Navy. and an eXtreme
breadth on the water line of 20 feet 2i2
iuches-just four feet greater than any Of
the others The New Jersey VIII be what
is technically called sea going. coast
line first class battleship. which means.
as indicated by the notable case of the
Oregon. ability to go round the Horn, a
feat which the New Jersey should be able
to accomplish in even less time than that
famous vessel. since her contract speed Is
nineteen knots, faster than anything Of
her class IN the navy. almost two knots
faster than the new Illinois which now
holds the record.
Her armament will be terrible. broad
side discharge throwing no less than 800
pounds of steel projectiIes, following the
American practice Of great fighting power
ia proportion 10 the size Of the ship. The
main battery viii consist first o. four
Of the new l3inCh f0-Calibrr EUl5. mOuT L
Cd I'm pairs IN balanced turrets, which VIII
each have an arc train" o. 80 degrees;
OF. in other words. their turrets can be
swung around for three q Ia-ters Of a cir
Gle There viii be one turrrt forward
and one turret aft These Pinch guns
are Of a new type, which surpasses in ef-
fective strength the 1S-inrh guns which
the Oregon carries. There Will also be
in the main battery eight S-iuch f5-caIibre
guns. two guns in each: while the other
four are in two turrets amidships. one on
either beam. Twelve 6-inch J5-calibre rap
Id fire guns viii be mounted, six on a side.
one the main deck with an arc of train %
10 degrees. Z we've 14-pOuGder and twelve
3-p1Under guns will be distributed in
commanding positions about the ship
with as large an arc of train as possible,
with the object Of guarding against tor
ped0 boat attacks. Each of the lower
tops OF the two military masts. veritable
fortresses I'm themselves. Will have two
automatic l-pounders. and there viii be
two single shot 1-pOunders in each OF
the upper tops. also for repelliug the
mosquitoes Of the sea-" TWO under
water discharge torpedo tubes. located in
one compartment, for the discharge OF
the IG3-foOt Whitehead t0TpcdOes. VIII
make the New Jersey dangerous Gus
toner at close quarters, without risk 10
herself. as is the case when torpedo tubes
( are placed above the water line. All the
tUrrcts viii be controlled and operated
/ and the guns fired by electricity
The New Jersey Will be able not only 10
give hard knocks, but to receive them
| for she viii be heavily armored- in the
first place there viii be u complete water
| line beIt eight feet in width amidships
/ eleven inches thick at the top and eight
/ inches at the bottom, tapering to -four
( inches uniform thickness AT extremities
I There viii also bee an armored central
citadel. OF redoubt, within which the g.
/ inch rapid FIRE guns VIII De mounted. as
[ in land fortress. This viii be formed by
an armoTcd belt 2t5 feet in length On thu
[ sides ana o. "a uniform thickness Of SIX
[ inches. extending from the top Of the
main. OF WatcTliue belt TO the main deck
! The barb.Jtcs for the tuIcets ~ The J.
Z inch guns viii bc ten inches in thickness
for the portion OUTSIDE the central re-
| doubt or citadel, reduced 20 SIX inches
within H.
The turrets for the Pinch guns viii De
further protected by lV-Iuch aru."rr the
turr,t port plates. howerer' being m
creased 20 eleven inches The o-inch tur-
I rrt7 viii have t-iuCh aTm0r and 1i1-iuen
I port plates The top OF the New Jersey s
/ l--ia,u TUT. Is VIII be- three and uNt-idli
. inches ira thickness. and the tops 90 h.r
/ n-IGaL gun turTets one ana out-ialI
inches. The barbetJes for the smaller
iurrats W!u De- protected by aTm'r SIX
inches iG thickness
The cnHU.uE tower and its Shla-u VIII pr
nine inches .g thickness. with "a t"o-iach
. floor e. as4rr plate. from when q SIX
inch .rI red tube. Tor the protection "i
voice pipes and wiring. leads o. TIE nickel
stool protective dock. which extends
throughout the length ~ ~" snip rms IS
ON. and oHe-half inches thick on tho nat
and three iuchss thick ON the Slopes. he
signal tower VIII carry Hrm'T p.al' HEe
inches thick In case the arHoT on IN"
side should be penetrated aF "a Sn"t Httle
,,s,-----....-s sfcl- baad