The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-08
BIGGEST IN WORLD.
Two Great Battleships, Connecticut
and Louisiana, Being Built.

Pittsburg Dec 8.-One of the two
biggest battleships that have yet been
ordered for the United States navy, and
which are declared to be the most
powerful fighting vessels in the world.
will be constructed almost entirely of'
steel made in the mills of the Carnegie
Steel company in Homestead. The con-
tract for the STEEL with the exception Of
the armor plate, has been awarded ana
the work of getting out the material has
taken shape so that before long the mills
will be ready to forward to the builders
a steady stream of plates, shapes, etc,
that will go into the massive fighting
machine The cost amounts to nearly
$500 600.
The two ships that are under con-
struction are of peculiar interest. They
are already named, one being the Con-
necticut and the other the louisiana
Under the law authorizing the construc-
ton Of these monsters, one is to be bullt
by the government workmen in the Nezf
York navy yard, while the other, which
is to be an exact duplicate Of the first,
has been given by contract to the New
port News Shipbuilding company. The
Connecticut VIII be built in the New
York navy yard and by government
Workmen and under government super
vision. It is for this vessel that the
Carnegie Steel company is to furnish all
the ship plates. nickel steel plates and
miscellaneous forms and shapes that
win go toward the making up Of the
whole mighty destroyer of the enemies
of this country in time TO come
The work on the Connecticut has al
ready begun, though it is of the prelini-
nary nature. The work on the Louisiana
Is also under way, and it IS proposed
by the government to watch each detall
of the building of the two vessels so as
to COMPARE tie cost and time of each,
one built by the navy yard and the
other by private corporation. Upon
the result will be determined much OF
the future work in the upbuilding Of tins
new navy.
The contract for the Connecticut to
be- filled by the Homestead mills calls
for 4,206 ship plates of steel, the total
value of which will amount to Sl19,0O7-
There is also 9S7 nickel steel plates
which are used for the decks, and the
less exposed parts of the exterior of
the vessel, and the cost of these vii.
amount to $15S.007 Then there Is in adj
dition 1926 plates of a miscellaneous
character, used in the various portions
of the vessel, but of ordinary open
hearth steel, which will represent a
value, varying according to later speci-
fications, not under $78 4S9. With other
material that will be furnished the
whole contract will reach close to $780,,
0O0
The only other contract that will enter
into the construction of the big vessel
will be for steel castings, which are used
largely in supporting the frame work
and interior shaping of the ship. These
will be supplied by the United States
Steel company of Everett Mass, which
makes a speciality of this class of work.
1t is this company that has so often
been confused with the United States
Steel corporation, though it is in no way
connected with the latter.
| The contract for the armor plates
which are always last to be placed or
| the vessel. are fitted over the general
frame and it is more than likely thai
they. too. will be made in the Home
ctr r,lso r,-c
needed. The contract for the engines
and general equipment of the vessels
| will follow later The main construc-
ton of the ship. however. will be sc
| wholly of Pittsburg steel that Pittsburg
will have special interest in the flu;
1 ture of the big vessel when she sails
/ for the first time under steam to defend
! the flag in any portion of the globe. -
Some of the huge dimensions of tn.
Connecticut is gained from the figures
given in the government specifications
| She is to be AGO feet long at the waite
| load line and the extreme breadth viii
| be 766 feet 10 inches. When loaded or, a.
| the official specifications say, ready fo
service, with coal bunkers filed anC
manned by her full crew. the ship will
4 have a draft of 265z feet and she mus
show on her trial speed at least II
knots an hour Her displacement viii
be $4,000 tons.
This speed for a battle ship will be o.
the highest for her size ship in tn
world. It will have a greater steamins
radius as she will have a coal carrvine
ca pacity of 1900 tons. The whole make
up of the big fighter viii be such as t
put her in the front rank of her class
being larger. faster and more powerful
than any other. Her defense will consist
of massive belt of arnaor plate which
in the centers or covering the vitals, viii
have a thickness of IL inches. This viii
taper on either end to nine inches, the
plates being the best krupp plates, face
hardened and as impenetrable as it is
possible to make them.
The largest guns to be carried are four
12-inch breach loading affairs two of
two in a turret aft. These turrets will
so that the guns can be pointed in almost
any direction
The rest of the guns will be of large
size, and so numerous that the ship will
be capable of almost blowing another or
binary cruiser out of the water with one
well-directed broadside. OF course the
ordnance will not be supplied by Pitts
burg, as there arc no guns made here. but
this does not detract from the general
interest in the building of the ship locally.
The total cost of the Connecticut has
been fixed at s4212.000 and this is divided
so that construction and repair work is
given S2,S52,O GOO: steam engineering, $1,100-
900, and equipment $4,000 This is of
course exclusive of armor and armament.
which is always considered separately and
will add heavily to the outlay.
The Nickel Plate Road.
iii aefcrd i4s IA irons an onr,ort,7ni4xy r.,