The professional world. (Columbia, Mo.) 1901-192?, 1903-01-09
ALL FURNITURE OF STEEL.
Safe But Comparatively Expensive
Equipment for War Vessels.

The cruiser Baltimore, which has
been rebuilt at the Brooklyn navy yard
during the last three years, will be
equipped with steel furniture. The
staterooms and the crews quarters
alike will be furnished in a new kind of
metal furniture. which has been manu-
featured at the local navy yard, and
which will, within the course of five
years, be used exclusively on all war
ships of the United States navy.
This decision has been reached after
several months of experimenting, and
after a long discussion In the navy de-
partment as to the relative merits of
wooden furniture and the new kind.
The Baltimore will be the first man-of-
war from this country that has been
made entirely %fireproof. 1t will be the
first ship on the sea which has not car
ried a large amount of inflammable fur
niture and numerous decorative arti-
cles.
The adoption of steel furniture in the
navy is an important step in the devel-
opment of the naval architecture and
OF naval equipment. 1t is considered by
far the most important advancement
toward the perfection of a perfectly
equipped fighting craft that has been
made for several years.
The furniture is made Of thin sheet
steel. 1t is welded together In such a
manner that the seams do not show
The writing desks, cabinets, and chif-
foniers are patterned after the wooden
articles that are generally In use In pri-
vate homes. Rolltop desks are made by
using narrow strips of steel for the
flexible portion of the top. One of the
most novel articles that has been turn
ed out is the extension table. This is
really an improvement over the article
In general use. When closed the table
is four by six feet in size. 1t may be
opened to several times that size. The
central portion of the table, which op'
ems and closes, is made of narrow strips
of steel, similar to those used in the
rolltop desks, and the strips wind and
unwind on a roll.
The furniture has been painted
deep brown, in imitation of mahogany
and oak wood. The steel does not admit
Of a fine polish and it is at once no
ticeable that the article is not wood
The entire set . artistic.
The chief objection to 1t Is its weight
The steel furniture weighs about three
times as much as the wooden. This fac
will have to be taken into consideration
in e%quipping a ship, as the weights
placed In the various parts of the shiI
are figured to a nicely. An attempt will
be made to counterbalance this added
weight by eliminating some heavy
parts Of the ships outfit.
The steel furniture will cost the gov
eminent at least double what It hal
been accustomed to paying for wooder
furniture. The cost Is not considered es
sential, for If an article has been pro
duced which adds materially to thu
fighting capacity of u vessels 1t II
said that Uncle Sam will readily stanc
the difference in cost. 1t is thought tina
the cost may be considerably reduced
when the articles are manufactured II
large quantities.
1t will cost $40, 900 to fit out the Bal
timore with the new kind of furniture
1t is about three times as much rs 1
would have cost to reft 1t with woodeI
articles .-Brooklyn Eagle.