Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1907-06-06
THE RATTLEsHIP KANSAS.


installed. in the battleship Kansas
June II, when Gov. Hoch will for
mally turn over to the captain at
jamestown the handsome $4,000 sill
yer service purchased by the state
for its namesake.
When the Kansas went into COM
mission a short time ago, the cher
ished dream of half a dozen secre-
taries of the navy was an accomp-
lished fact, and Uncle Sam had Ia
ken second place in the worlds ma
val powers.
The Kansas is interesting for her
self alone, independently of the fact
that she is the tally on the score
sheet of the nations that shows the
United States to have stepped into
second place as a naval power.
The new battleship can justly wear
the title that has SO often been ap-
piled to Rew ships, in fact nearly al
ways goes to the last one turned out
The Queen of the Navy
Such a title seems more than
tradition when applied to the Kan
sas. She represents the very last
word, the best we have been able to
do, to date And this is the same as
saying that the Kansas would nave
at least an even chance with any
thing af1oat.
Uncle Sam thought enough of the
Kansas to spend $4,250,0O0 for this
80, 100000 pound monster. Eight
hundred men have just been enroll
ed as the permanent handlers of this
superb creation of steel and electrl-
city, and to be in accord with
the fine equipment otherwise they
represent the pick of Uncle Sans
mechanics, electricians, sharpshoot-
ers, marines and fighting men gener-
ally.
The Kansas is ass feet long, with
a deck that is seventy-six feet in
width.
The most powerful feature of her
equipment are four Pinch mighty
guns, forty-five feet long apiece,
weighing sixty-two tons each, and
throwing a projectile weighing eight
hundred and fifty pounds.
1t takes one hundred and eight
pounds of gunpowder to fire this
huge engine of death, and nothing
within twelve miles is safely out Of
range.
Just as a sort of a side issue 70
these four big fellows that will bear
the brunt of battle are eight eight
inch guns, twelve seven-inch guns,
some twenty three-inches and thirty
smaller ones, finally getting down 10
machine guns that would be used
when the engagement got to close
quarters.
The turrets of the Kansas are con-
sidered to be the finest ever put on
any American battleship. Though
they weigh three hundred tons
apiece, they are so perfectly hal
anced that they can be moved
around with the greatest ease. Not
even the well-greased BARRIERS chair
wheels around as easily as these
huge compounds of steer.
The mechanism for lifting the
charges and taking aim to fire the
big guns are models of ingenuity,
and no such back discharges of gas
from the big guns as killed several
gunners on the Missouris turret a
few years ago can happen now, for
the Kansas guns are fitted out with
an automatic pressure that sends out
through a bore hole all the smoke
and burnt powder every time the
back door is opened.
This same regard for the comfort
and safety OF Uncle Sans fighting
men has been carried out to the last
detail. There is a refrigerating plant
to keep the food of the crew in just
as fine condition as it would be in a
great hotel. There are shower baths
for the men and comfortable living
quarters.
Drowned While Watering Stock. -
William Bell, ex-county commission
er of Republic county, residing north
of Concordia, went out to water the
stock, fell head first into the well and
was drowned
For Stealing Chickens. - Dave
of a good country family, was SEN
fenced to from one to three years in
the penitentiary for stealing chick
ems, and was given an equal SEN
tence for stealing whisky from the
Uniontown depot Oliver Williams
was sentenced from one to three
years for being party to the liquor
theft
Long Ride Postponed. - General
Godfrey, commandant at Fort Riley
has been notified by the war depart.
ment that the ride that was to be
made by Lieutenant E. R. McCabe
and Lieutenant William Reed, both
of the Sixth cavalry, on Homer Dav-
exports Arabian stallion and the
Kentucky thoroughbred owned by
General Castleman, of Lexington
KY, from SiIverton, Ore, to Morris
Plains, N. j., has been postponed in
definitely.
Plunged Into Mine Shaft. = An ac
cident occurred at Galena on Me
mortal Day in which four aged la
dies narrowly escaped death. A team
in the parade became unmanageable
and plunged into an abandoned mine
shaft about sixty feet deep. The car
rage overturned at the mouth of the
shaft. Mrs. d. NJ. Harris, wife of the
minister in charge of the services
was one of the occupants. No one
was injured One horse was killed
by the fall and the other badl,
hurt.
KirkendalI Released on Bond. =
Barney Kirkendall, travelling man
arrested at Concordia while in com
pany with 17-year-old girl, was re
leased on a $500 bond. He will be
tried in September on statutory
charge. He is said to be married.
Raided Joint at caney. = Sheriff
Paxson and deputy went from indie
pendence and raided the Joint a
the Caney glass plant. They cap
tured quantity of liquor and arrest
ed the man in charge. The Joints
are now all closed in Caney.