The Holbrook news., 1912-03-15

built has just had her keel la1o
 in the dock yards at Newport
 News She has already been
 named the Texas, and, once afoat, she will be the most formidable fighting ship in the world. This. how ever, with the qualifying statement that her sister, and twin-newly called the New York-is in like early stage of construction at the navy yard in Brooklyn. They will make a marvel our pair. as may be judged from the facts respecting them presently to be set forth. For one point. they will car ry bigger guns than any now ahoat
 Three months before the outbreak of the war with Spain. our navy pos sessed Gin addition to other more formidable craft. such as the Oregon and Indiana) two second-class battle ships. One of these. the Maine, is now being dug out of the muddy bottom of the harbor of Havana. The other was the old Texas, which today Is tunk-having been utilized recently as a target to test the effect of up-to- date projectiles. e4s
 Now we are to have a new Te1as to take her place. But what a difLer- ence between the two. It4ss no exag- geration to say that if Spain had pos sessed one ship like that now building here she might easily have defeated us in the memorable struggle of 1898. Such aVessel. speedy enough to choose her own distance. could have knocked our best naval fighting machines lit- eralIy to pieces, while keeping beyond the effective range of their g-ns.
 The Texas Clilke the New York; will carry ten of those wonderful fourteen inch guns which are now to be placed for the first time on board of fighting craft There is nothing like them in the world today. foregn nations having contented themselves thus far with twelveInch rifles The projectiles they, throw are 41k feet long. weighing 1.l00 pounds. and are hollow. the va cant space being packed with 40 pounds of a high explosive which is the most powerful in existence. it's secret.
 Now, the efficiency of either one of these vessels as a fighting machine may be judged when 1t is explained that the half-score gigantic breech- loading rifles will occupy five turrets. the latter being arranged in a straight line from bow to stem. so that in bat tie all of the guns can be fired as a broadside either to port or starboard. Two of the turrets will be somewhat higher than the other three. in order that their guns may fire over the oths CTS in cases where shooting has to be done directly ahead or directly astern.
 The two ships represent an entirely new type of "super-dreadnought" One of their most remarkable features will be a secondary battery of 21 fveinch 1 breechloading rifles which. though in themselves very formidable weapons. | are not meant for use in battle at all | Under such circumstances. indeed. | they would not even be fred-their | business being merely defense against torpedo boats. At night they would be utilized for this purpose in connec- ton with powerful searchlights.
 What the Texas (like her twi sis ter) will depend upon is the delivery of smashing blows at long ranges with her great fourteen-inch guns. Under present conditions the normal fighting distance. where battleships are en- gagged, would be from 5000 to 12.O00 yards-that is to say. from three to six miles, roughly speaking. They would start firing at about six miles Ten years ago the fighting distance was only 1000 yards; but 1t is being steadily pushed out with the improve ment of guns and other elements of lighting power.
 With all ten of its guns concentrat- sd upon the target (the range being once correctly obtained.) the Texas.