The new era. (Walden, Colo.) 1906-19??, 1907-09-26

The spirit of rivalry between the ma
tons of the world in the expensive
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 II 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 1t 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 a 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, As feet eight inches;
draft, fully loaded, 10 feet IN inches;
depth amidship. nodded, SO feet 1-16
inches; displacement, fully loaded.
4,640 tons; displacement on trial,
3.750 tons; draft on trial, 16 feet 91a
inches; total coal capacity. 1880
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;
steaming radius at full speed, about
1875 knots: maximum brake horse
power, main turbine engines estimat-
ed, 10000; indicated horsepower, aux
iliaries. 400.
The freeboard of the vessel is
greater than that of any other vessel
in the navy, being, at the normal draft,
10 feet 81 inches amidships, "a feet
at the stem, and 81 feet six inches at
the stern. The high freeboard insures
good sea-going qualities. gives great
range Of stability, and provides safe
and dry vessel under all conditions of
weather. On account of the high free
board 1t has been possible to provide
commodious quarters for the officers
and crew, well above the waterline. A
fOrecastle has been provided above
the main deck, for about one-quarter
OF the length. and deck houses have
been arranged abaft the forecastle.
Ample subdivision has been made to
insure the vessel .-eeping afioat with
no serious change of trim or loss of
stability If several of the compart-
ments are pierced. In planning the
structural details the greatest care nas
been exercised to provide hull which
shall combine with lightness the
strength and stiffness necessary to
successfully Withstand the severe
shocks which the vessel may be called
upon to undergo, and particular atten-
don has been paid to the longitudinal
strength of the vessel and to the
strength of the watertight bulkheads,
that they may be able to Withstand
the pressure due to the flooding of any
compartment and thus avoid endanger-
ing the vessel as a whole.
The hull is built of steel through
out; two longitudinal bulkheads are
worked continuously throughout the
engine and boiler spaces. one on each
side. extending from the bottom of
the vessel to the main deck, and in
clined slightly inboard at the top In
order to avoid any break in the contin-
uity OF the strength OF the vessel, the
upper and lower strakes of these bulk
heads extend well beyond the limits
Of the machinery spaces. forming
large brackets gradually tapered of
Between these longitudinal bulkheads,
and extending throughout the boiler
and engine room, an inner bottom is
worked. 30 that the vessel 10 well pro.
tected from injury in case of ground
ing.
There are five decks, designed as
forecastle. main. berth, orlop. and plat
form. respectively, the main and berth
decks being continuous from stem to
stern. Nickel steel protection of 80
pounds per square foot il worked on
the shell plating for the length Of the