The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-11-28
OUR MONSTER BATTLEsHIPs.

OUR MONSTER BATTLESHIPS.
Our two new l6. COTTON baitleships. Con-
nectieut and Louisiana. while the largest
/ fighting vessels the government has ever
] built, will exhibit several entirely new
/ features Of construction and armament.
1 They Will be clad in q complete coat of
! steel, instead of depending merely upon
an army belt for their vitals, they wifi
carry rapid-dre guns Of a caliber and pat
/ tern hitherto unknown. and they VIII util-
! lie electricity far aiming as well az fir
Ing their guns.
The arnor of the Connecticut-the yes
sells are twins. exactly aliSe-w.H cost
Sl,5oe.o00. and she will carry q million dol
lars worth of guns Her steel protection,
instead of being concentrated in a water
line belt amidships, leaving the ends Of
the vessel exposed. after the method
hitherto adopted. viii extend from bow to
stern. and above the man waterline belt
viii be three thinner belts-the lower
casemate, upper casemate, the super
structure arnor.
The two baueships viii be the most
formidable fighting vessels on the seas.
Each of them will have four twelve-inch
guns in the turrets, which viii throw
projectiles weighing $50 pounds with
velocity of 2S0o feet. or a little over half
mile a second. This velocity is one
fourth greater than was obtained With
guns CT the same CALDER on the old Iowa,
the Improvement being due in part to the
new smokeless powder, but mainly TO an
enlargement of the powder chamber.
which is thus enabled 70 hold a larger
quantity of the explosive.
The guns next in size viii be seven-inch
"a caliber unknown hitherto In our serv-
ice. Taking the place Of the eight-inch
cannon mounted on the Indiana and other
battleships. they will be much more man
ageable and at least equally effective
They will be of the rapid-fire pattern, de-
lvering stream of proiectiles weighing
l65 pounds, each OF which will carry
bursting charge of thirteen pounds OF
black powder. These explosive shells. for
which armor- piercing projectiIes may be
substituted when desired. viii travel at
rate of three thousand feet a second.
and the damage done Dy them Will be
something frightful.
The explosion Of such enormous charges
of gunpowder as are required for these
huge weapors-the seven-inch calib-r
takes 101 pounds for each shot-produces
tremendous shocks aboard snip. and the
twelve-inch guns of the Connecticut and
Louisiana will be made five feet longer
than ordinary, so that their muzzles shall
project far beyond the vessels side when
trained aheam. Thus the blast from them
will be less likely to affect the smaller
cannon on the deck below. All of the new
projectiles, by the way, are made with
thicker walls, to resist the higher pres
sures of explosion, and many of the older
shells in stock have had to be thrown
away because too thin.
Hitherto. most of the guns of the sec
ondary batteries have been 3-pounders
and 6-pcunders, but on the two new bat
tleships these viii be replaced by weap-
onS of 3-inch caliber. rapid-fire Gischarg- /
ing llpound shells. The latter can be fred /
nearly as fast as the S-pounders, and they I
will infiict vastly more DAMAGE Twenty
Of them will be carried by the Connect /
cut, and it is easy to imagine what ire /
mendous execution they viii be capable t
IF, delivering a veritaLle hail of bursting
orojectiles.
The new battleships Will be provided
with a now kind of shell which. while ef-
'ective as an armor-piercer. contains n
arge bursting charge CT gunpowder. Up
q now the arInor- piercing projectile util-
zed exclusively for That purpose. has
been solid and non-exrlosive. but this
novel agent OF mischief is CAPABLE of
PASSING unbrolSen through armor plate a
foot thick thereupon brusting and doing
an amount of Damage well calculated 10
iemoraiize the enemy. Such shell land
ng in the engine room, would be likely
o put the machinery out of business.
Electricity win be employed on the Con-
lecticut and oLuisiana for purposes 70
which it has not hitherto been applied
There will be electric ammunition con-
'eyors. and it is probable that the large
guns will be aimed IS well as discharged
" electricity. In a seaway the roll of
hip interferes a good deal with accurte |
and it is now an accepted
heory that, in order 10 do satisfactory
shooting there should be continuous aim
hat is to say. the guns should be kept |
steadily pointed at the target. on matter
low the vessel moves. one method of do
ng this is by keeping the weapon hori-
.ontal by an automatically controlled cleo
r'c motor.
To train our gun-pointers in theb usi-
less of hitting the target vast sums Of
money are being expended by the Navy
Department. Three battleships OF the
Worth Atlantic feet have used UP a quar-
er Of a million dollars worth of am
/
purpose smokeless powder IS employed
lmost exclusively; the government has
lot made or bought any black powder
ince the Spanish war; except for load
ng explosive shells and making fuses.
from 1000 to 3.0o0 pounds of smokeless
'owder arc turned out every day at the
actory at Indian Head on the Potomac.
nd enough. IN addition, is purchased
rom private concerns 10 raise the supply
o 1900 pounds a day.
The government factory at Indian Head
omprises twenty-eight buildings. which
re scattered widely over about $50 acres
f ground. so that the destruction Of one
( them may not affect the others In
uly OF last year one OF the powder
ouses was struck by lightning ana wired
ut It is not known what was the CAUSE
{ a similar catastrophe at Mare Island
al. not long previously. where 3Ce tons
T smokeless powder blew Hp.
Smokeless powder Is likely 70 deCompose
nd deteriorate-s trouble against which
he Navy Department has To be constant
y on It's guard. In order TO detect such
cterioratiors when II occurs. the curious
evice has been adopted o. mixing With
ortons ~ the explosive a small quantity
+ coal tar coloring ca led -rosali1le "
fhioh imparts 10 It deep powder thus