Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-08-29

sixteen tnoushnu ION battleship Lou
isiana was successfully launched on
James river at high tide.thls morning.
Lieut.. Gov. Sanders and many other
people of Louisian were present. Miss
Lallande of New Orleans received an
ovation as she smashed the bottle of
champagne on the brow of the neyy's
newest fighter In point of armor the
Louisian and her sister ship Connec-
ticut are In advance OF any ships in
the navy.
NEWPORT NEWS. Va. Aug. 27.-
In the presence OF 10000 persons the
battleship Louisiana was launched to-
day by the Newport News Shipbuild.
ing company. In addition to the of.
iicial party from New Orleans there
were present delegations of naval OF,
ticers from Washington, PhiadelpnIa
and New York and visitors from mum
erous other point.
| The naming party was escorted to
the platform by c. b Orcutt presi-
dent of the shipbuildlng company
The sponsor. Miss Tuanta Lalland of
| New Orleans, was attended by several
Young ladies as maids of honor Gov
ernor Blanchard and other Official rep
| resentatives of the State of Louisiana
were present
As soon as the ceremonies were over
| President Orcutt conducted the guests,
numbering some 500 persons, to the
steamboat Newport News. aboard
winch the party went to Old Point
Comfort, where they were entertained
at banquet in the dining room of
he Hotel Chamberlain.
Description Of the BattIeship
Louisiana.
The Louisiana and her sister ship
,he Connecticut. which is to be launch
| ed at the New York navy yard few
weeks hence. are counted to be the
most powerful fighting machines of
the new American navy. They will
| usher in one important innovation in.
| asmuch as their batteries will contain
| I-inch guns in place of the 6.inch rapid
firers which have prevailed since the
vessels of the Kearsarge- Kentucky
type were planned IL is doubtful
whether any ship afloat will match
| the Louisiana in armament. In ad-
| dition to -four l2-inch guns, in fore and
| aft turrets, she will have eight S-lnch
rifles. In the main battery these will
be supplemented by twelve finch riff.
les, each throwing a projecticle weigh
ing 1865 pounds,
The Finch guns carry shell
| weighing $50 pounds at a velocity of
$500 feet a second-a speed one-fourth
| greater than that attained by the
| 13-inch guns on the ships of the In
| diana class The finch shells have
| bursting charge of thirteen pounds
of black powder. The explosive shell
| may be replaced by an armor pierc-
ing projecticle. which attains a veloc-
| ity of 5000 feet a second driven by
charge of l0l pounds of smokeless
powder
| Hitherto the secondary batteries of
| the battleships have been composed
| mostly OF 3-pounder and G-pounder rap
| id-fire guns. On the Louisiana these
wIu be superseded by twenty 3-inch
rapid-fre rifles, throwing a fourteen
pound explosive shell. There will also
be twelve 3-pounder semi-automatic
guns. eight 1-pounder automatic guns
and two 3-inch field guns and eight
machine guns for the fighting tops
The armor for the Louisiana will
cost about s1.5O0,0OO. While the
| greatest of her steel protection will
| be concentrated at the water line
amidships. she also will be protected
the full length of her hull and above
the main belt of armor plate there
viii be three thinner belts of plates
the lower casemate, the upper case
mate and the superstructure armor
Electricity will be employed to as
large an extent on board the Louisiana
as on any other ship in the navy.
! There will be electrical ammunition
hoists and conyeyors. and It is more
than probable that electrical devices
for both aiming and dicharging the
guns will be installed There also
will be an automaticany controlled
motor for the purpose Of keeping the
big guns on a horizontal line while
firing in heavy sea.
The Louisiana has a length OF $50
feet on the load water line. an ex-
treme breadth of rs feet 10 inches
and a total displacement OF 10000
tons. She will be fitted with twin
screw vertical expansion engines OF
an Indicated horse power of 1G 500 and
capable of developing a speed OF 1S
knots or better.
The mean draught of the vessel
will be "a feet inches and the coal
supply 900 tons. Twenty-six feet nine
inches is the maximum draught. and
II shot should pierce the hull be-
meath the water line, layer of corn
pitn, placed between the outer and in
ner shells, will swell and effectually
stop the leak. The ships compile
ment will include AZ officers and 7Gl
men.
The total cost Of the Louisiana will
be in the neighborhood OF $4,000 900.
The progress OF her construction ia
being watched intently BY naval Of