The daily sentinel., 1901-02-07
SHE is A SEA TERROR
THE ILLINOIS IS A POWERFUL
BATTLESHIP. .

Frown from the Big Revolving Tur-
rsts-spssd, Armament and Size Con-
sidsrsd Her Superior Does Not Exist
The United States battleship Illinois,
built at the great dockyard OF the New
port News Shipbuilding company at
Newport News, Va. is one Of the most
powerful battleships under any flag.
Larger and OF greater speed, stronger
in guns and armor than the Oregon
type of battleship. this magnificent ves-
sci will be a veritable terror Of the
seas, and Is in every way an honor to
the state whose name she bears.
Lieut.. George E. Gelm, U. S. N, who
is in charge Of the photographic Office
in the Masonic Temple, says the Chi
cago Chronicle, has studied carefully
the lines of tho big s.; and he talked
enthusiastically of /. vessel and the
splendid addition she would make to
Uncle Sans navy. He took from
pigeonhole in his desk a small bunch
OF papers which contained data OF the
ships guns, her powerful engines and
the armor with which she is sheathed,
and as he talked OF the wonders of the
great fighting machine his eyes glis-
tened. The enormous thirteen-inch
guns that frown from the big revolving
turrets, together with the glistening
row Of six-inch, rapid-fire guns on the
gun deck, can pour into an enemy's
ship nearly five tons of steel each min
ute Then there are the swapping,
cracking guns Of small caliber in the
fighting tops and at other points on
the vessel that will increase this rec
ord. The five tons OF metal do not
leave the belching mouths of the guns
haphazard, but the speed has been es-
tablished on aimed shots. Then the
great engines that are to drive the
vessel through the water are marvel
ously powerful. They are devoted to
nothing but the propulsion OF the ship,
for Ill dynamo room are high current
dynamos that will furnish electrical
power for the raising and lowering of
ammunition and boats. These dynamos
furnish as great horse power alone
as did the engines that drove Admiral
Farragut's flagship, the Hartford. "The
Illinois is identical in every way with
her sister ships, the Alabama and Wis
consin," said Lieut.. Gelm. "She Is 1868
feet long on the water line, with
beam 72 feet 2 inches, displacement
when loaded of 1926 tons, and speed
of from 1917 to II knots. With her
bunkers filled with 1.50O tons of coal
she should be able to improve the Ore
gon's record trip around the Horn. Her
officers and crew will number 4S9 men.
L-A ;1te r,f
four thirteen-inch breech-loading rifles
in the elliptical turrets, fore and aft,
and fourteen six-inch, rapid-fire guns,
seven on each side. The secondary
battery to be used against unarmored
parts of the enemy's ship and torpedo
boats consists of sixteen six-pounder
rapid-fre guns, four one-pounders ana
two Colt automatic guns. Two three
inch field guns for the use Of landing
parties are among the equipment, and
the vessel is fitted with four torpedo
tubes. The ship is magnificently ar
mored. The Harveyized steel belt that
extends from the ram to abaft the
after turret is sixteen and half inches
thick amidships. This belt extends
from four feet below the load line to
three and a half feet above it, being
thickest over the boilers and engines.
Then there is diagonal armor, twelve
inches thick, connecting the belt armor
and barbettes and extending from the
slopes of the protective deck to the top
of the side belt on each side. The pro-
tective deck that covers the vitals Of
the vessel Is four inches thick on the
slope The space for the crew is large
and well ventilated. All fresh water
used is distilled from salt water, and
an ice machine is provided to keep
provisions and furnish ice for the cool
ing of water in the tropics. Altogether
the vessel, besides being remarkable
and one OF the most formidable fighting
machines in the world, will have near
ly all the comforts of modern hotel"