Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1901-08-15
TORPEDO BOATS LAUNCHED.
AN INTERESTING CEREMONY AT
SPARR0W'S POINT.
A Description of The Truxton, Whipple
And Worden, Three Torpedo Boat
Destroyers, Which Took
The Water Today.

An interesting ceremony, the notable
launching OF three torpedo boat destroy
ers. took place this afternoon at o clock
at the marine department OF the Mary
land Steel Company, Sparrows Point.
Baltimore. The occasion was a brilliant
event in the history of the Steel Com
pany. Special cars from Washington,
philadelphia and New York. took officers
of the navy and other invited guests, as
well as the iaIr sponsors for the craft.
The torpedo boat deslroyers are offi-
cially known as Nos. ID. IS and 10. and
were named, Tespeciively-"Truxt
"Whipple' and "WoTden," after the
noted naval officers ofthose names. Miss
Isabella Truxton, of Norfolk, acted as
sponsor for the TTuXton. She is grand
daughter of Commodore Truxton, after
whom the boat is named. Mrs. Emile
b. N. Worden, of New York. who is re-
lated by marriage to Admiral Worden.
was the sponsor for the vessel which is
TO bear his name. The sponsor for the
Whipple was Miss Elsie Pope, of St.
Paul, MINI.
The vessels are all alike Each is 2so
feet inches long over all and 24S feet
on the trial l)ad line. They are % feet
3 inches nodded beam at the deck and
% feet 8 inches at the water line. The
depth amidships is ID feet 8 inches, and
the specified trial displacement is about
453 tons, with a draft of feet. The
greater portion of these boats is taken up
oy the machinery and coal bunkers, the
machinery being OF necessity extremely
powerful, in order to give the vessels the
great speed which the contract calls for,
and the bunkerS have TO carry big coal
supply. The vessels are 10 travel at the
rate OF 80 knots an hour, and they have
power II times as great as that OF the
average steamer.
They are propelled by two screws and
two triple expansion engines. which will
develop $500 Indicated horsepower.
These engines have one high-pressuEe
cylinder OF % inches diameter, one in
termediate cylinder OF "a inches dame
ter, and two low-pressure cylinders OF 81
inches diameter, all with - inches stroke.
They will make at full power about $40
revolutions a mlnute-working with
steam pressure of 74o pounds. The steam
pressure is something remarkable, being
so pounds to the inch greater than that
of the most powerful locomotives. The
engines are as perfectly balanced as pos
sible to avoid vibration. and each is in
its own engine room, together with its
own auxiliary machinery.
These engines are situated about the
middle of the vessel and forward and att
are the four Thornycroft water-tube boil
ers, two at each end in a separate COM
partment. These boilers have a total
CRATE surface of 3I5 square feet, and
heating surface OF I7,7oS square feet.
They are worked under forced draft
there being two large blowers in each
fireroom. Each vessel carries I85 tons
of coal. against $50 tons on the next
largest of the destroyer class. Forward
OF the machinery and boiler space are
the galley, quarters tor the seamen,
various storerooms and a compartment
for the steam windlass. Att of the ma
chinery space are quarters for the ma
chinists and petty officers, and aft of this
again are the officers quarters and the
wardroom. A noticeable feature of these
craft will be the almost entire absence OF
wood, metal, asbestos or other materials
being substituted nearly everywhere.