The daily sentinel., 1903-04-20
COLORADO"
The New Armored Cruiser, Will
Be Launched on April 18th,

in Cramps ship yard in preparation
of the launch of the Armored cruiser
Colorado ON April 25th is busy one.
The last rivets are being driven into
the Colorado's plates and the vessels
monster steel hull afiame with fresh
red paint is at present propped up be-
tween almost interminable scaffold-
ing. The Pennsylvania, which is of
the same class as the Colorado. is also
on the ways a short distance away in
the great shipbuilding yards. A
Turkish cruiser looking like an infant
in comparison, is being built at the
north.
At launch it is the hull only
which is sent into the river. Then
from the builders point of view. the
real work of building ship begins,
for when a war ship first takes to
water. it is not. as rule more than
fifty per cent complete. 1t is rule,
then taken in hand and improved by
degrees. Great engines and boilers
must be placed in the depths of this
frame of steel; thick plates of armor
must be bolted around its water line
and over the ships vitals as protec-
tive deck. All the internal fittings
must be put in place and lastly it
receives its guns.
The cruiser Colorado is veritable
beehive of industry. The noise of
innumerable pneaumtic riveters and
chisels ON the interior of her great
steel hull il music to the ears of the
Z 200 employees, but to the layman it
is little short of deafening. Work
men fairly swarm over the ship from
swinging scaffolds hung at seemingly
impossible places. Similar scenes
prevail on the Pennsylvania, which
will slide down the ways in May.
when the fair hand of Miss Sue Quay
daughter of Senator Quay, bursts the
golden corded bottle ON its prov.
The Colorado is one of six crack
ships for the new navy. These six
ships were provided for by the sue
cessive acts of March 3rd, 1899, and
June Z, 1900, but owing to prolonged
discussion as to whether or not they
should be sheathed or unsheathed, it
was not until January of 1901, that
the contracts for their construction
was finally signed. By the delay,
however the navy secured six identi-
cal vessels again that will be felt if
they are ever required for concerted
action in the time of conflict
The ships are 502 feet long ON the
load water line-a tenth of mile
and they have a maximum beam of
nearly seventy feet. When laden for
sea, with the normal coal supply,
they will draw one incn to twenty
four feet of water, and represent a
dead weight of quite 800 tons.
70 move this mass against wind
and tide in calm and in storm, is the
task set the driving engines of these
ships and to accomplish the work at a
twenty two knot clip, they are given
twin screws, and twin triple-expan-
sion engines of a united energy of
23. 900 indicated horsepower. To
make this PLAN by comparison with
facts commonly known to most of us,
equivalent of twenty-five and one
third statute miles. and the average
freight train laundering along at a
speed of twenty miles an hour, repre-
sents about a Thousand tons.
To supply these engines with steam
and to feed also the scores of mechan-
ical auxiliaries the Colorado and her
mates will carry no fewer than thirty
boilers of a quick steaming water
tube type working at pressure of 250
pounds to the square inch-a hazard
Gus tension unless everything is tight
and sound.
All the Armor is of the most i'm
proved Kruppized type. Its distribu-
tion is as follows: The water line
region is guarded by broad seven
and half foot belt reaching from bow
to stern. Amidships for distance
of pa feet abreast the engines, have
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