Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-09-25

game of battleship building has not al
together escaped the United States,
and while the great nations of Eu-
rope, especially Great Britain, are
launching bigger and swifter and more
powerful ships than ever before, the
United States is not idle She, too, is
looking with pride and confidence upon
the building of big battleships which
Will in every way be the equal if not
the superior of the Dreadnought, the
new type of battleship in England.
But in addition to the construction
OF these immense fighting ships, the
navy is at work providing a new type
OF fast cruiser which eclipses anything
now afloat in the world The first of
these warships has just been
launched at Quincy, Mass, and chris
tened the Salem. These boats, be-
cause of their speed, will serve as
scout ships. The estimated speed of
the Salem is "a knots, which is greater
than that of any other cruiser of the
navy, and is exceeded only by that of
the torpedo boats and destroyers; and
while it is knot less than that of
the English scouts now building, the
difference in speed is more than com
pensated for by the ability to main.
tain the high speed in all conditions
of weather, by coal capacity more
than double that of the English scouts,
and consequently greatly increased
radius of action.
The leading characteristics of the
SALEM as given by the Scientific
American, are as follows: Length
between perpendiculars, 420 feet;
length over all, 423 feet two inches
breadth, nodded, 46 feet eight inches;
draft, fully loaded, 10 feet 11a inches;
depth amidship, nodded, sc feet 5 1-16
inches; displacement, fully loaded
4,64O tons; displacement on trial
$3.50 tons; draft on trial, 16 feet 91l
inches; total coal capacity, 1886
tons; coal on trial, Ats tons; maxi
mum speed, average of four hours
run, "a knots; steaming radius at ten
knots per hour, about $3.50 knots;
steam1ng radius at full speed, about
1875 knots; maximum brake horse
power, main turbine engines estimat
ed, $4,000; indicated horsepower, aux
iliaries, 400.
The freeboard of the vessel is
greater than that of any other vesse
In the navy, being, at the normal draft
10 feet 81 inches amidships, "a fee
at the stem, and FL feet six inches a
the stern. The high freeboard insure.
good sea-going qualities, gives grea
range of stability, and provides a SAT,
and dry vessel under all conditions O
weather. On account of the high free
board it has been possible to provide
commodious quarters for the officer
and crew, we'll above the waterline. /
forecastle has been provided abov
the main deck, for about one-quarte
OF the length, and deck houses hav
been arranged abaft the forecastle.
Ample subdivision has been made Il
insure the vessel --eeping afloat witt
no serious change of trim or loss O
! stability if several of the compart
ments are pierced. In planning tn,
structural details the greatest care ha
: been exercised to provide hull which
shall combine with lightness tn
strength and stiffness necessary t,
successfully withstand the sever,
shocks which the vessel may be Gale,
upon to undergo, and particular atten
ton has been paid to the Longitudinal
strength of the vessel and to tn,
strength of the watertight bulkheads
that they may be able to withstan,
the pressure due to the flooding of an,
! compartment and thus avoid endanger
! Ing the vessel as whole.
The hull is built of steel through
out; two longitudinal bulkheads ar,
worked continuously throughout tn,
engine and boiler spaces, one on eacl
side, extending from the bottom O
the vessel to the main deck, and in
clined slightly inboard at the top. Ii
order to avoid any break in the contin
uity of the strength of the vessel, tn,
upper and lower strakes of these bulk
heads extend we'll beyond the limit
Of the machinery spaces, formin,
large brackets gradually tapered of
Between these longitudinal bulkheads
and extending throughout the boile
and engine rom an innor hottor, 4