Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-05-27
Des Moines Is About Ready to Be
Launched.
SPECULATION ABOUT THE VESSEL
Builders Are Anxious to Make Rep
utation and Will Put Their Best
Efforts Into It-Description of the
Fighting Machine.
WASHINGTON. Nav 2S


The United States Cruiser "Des
Moines" is practically completed so
far as the hull is concerned, and the
date for the launching will be set with
/ in a few days.
Is One of Six.
The "Des Moines" is one OF large
family of six of Uncle Sans naval
offspring. The sisters of the Des
Moines are the Chattanooga, Cleve-
land, Denver, Galveston and Tacoma.
Alike in Every Detail
The popularity of these cruisers is
that the six are precisely alike in
practically every detail; that is the
plans and specifications are similar
for all the ships. 1t is also peculiar
lty that Notwithstanding each sister
viii be as near alike as builders fol-
lowing identical plans can make them,
each is being constructed at differ
ent shipyard. This being the case
there may be some difference, not ap-
parent or tangibly real.
How Will 1t Perform.
1t is well known that locomotives
have pronounced peculiarities, even
when built from the same plans, in the
same shops and composed of pieces of
metal exactly of the same dimensions
and weight and fineness. Old engi-
,neers say that two locomotives SO near
alike that no person could distinguish
one from the other but for the number,
will be as dissimilar as two children;
that one will be devil and the other
an angel. That one will run like a
watch and steam like a house-afire on
a small allowance of coal, while the
other will hammer and thump and
groan and worry along and burn coal
like witch.
The Kearsage and the Alabama are
sister ships of precisely the same de-
sign, type and build throughout, yet
the former seems to outclass her sis
+ ter at every point.
New Firm Building Her.
What sort of a record the Des
Moines will make compared with her
five sisters, of course remains to be
seem She has one advantage, at the
outset. She is being built at the works
of the Fore River Engine company of
Weymouth, Mass, new concern of
ample capital very anxious to make a
reputation. 1t is very likely that moth
ing will be left undone to produce in
the Des Moines the highest, type of
cruiser of her size and horsepower,
both in points offensive and defensive,
as we'll as in the matter of speed.
Descriptive.
The Des Moines, and the other five
sisters, are exactly 1872 feet long. on
the load water line, A feet in breadth
and 10 feet inches draft. The nor.
NAL displacement is 5000 tons. with
$500 full load displacement The en-
gines will be Of the twin screw, YER
ticle, triple expansion, steam being
furnished by the most approved type
of water tube boiler
The estimates call for a speed of
1876 knots, or about 10 miles per hour,
driven by engines of 400 indicated
horse power. Coal capacity, 700 tons.
Intended to Fight.
These cruisers are intended to do
some fighting II occasion requires, as
we'll as plumber merchantmen The
main battery consists of ten five-inch
breech-loading 'rapid-fire guns, five on
each side. Secondary battery: eight
siX-pounders. two one-pounders and
four Colt automatic 1.3 inch firers.
With this outfit of guns the sisters
Will be able to give a very good ac.
count of themselves even in q general
miX-up. Their rapid fire guns would
do terrible execution; in fact, it is
acknowledged by naval men in Wash.
ington that the small calibre rapid fire
guns at Santiago really did the bulk OF
the business, in that they swept the
decks of the Spanish ships with such
continuous hail of shot and shell