Mexico Missouri message., 1912-05-09

look rs II they might be carried IN
shawl straps.
Ii requires about eighteen months
to construct one OF the fourteen-inch
guns. and already six have been com
pleted and taken out to the naval
proving ground at Indian Head, where
they are tested. The rest OF the TWEEN
ty guns are in. various stages of max
ing, but all are expected to be ready
when the New York and Texas are
launched next year.
Although the fourteen-inch beauties.
are the creates. attraction to visitors
Just now, the other naval armament Ia
the shops is of tremendous interest
Twelveinch giants weighing tifty-sik
tons stick out from the lathes They
cost even more than the fourteeninch
guns to make, $4,000 being the
amount each gun costs without It's
mount, which costs $4,000 additional
They have longer range than the
larger sized guns, but their life IL
shorter, lining being necessary after
200 rounds have been fired 1t costs
$424 each time one OF these is fired
With a war charge and proJectile
Horsepower Figured.
In the shell shops workmen may be
seen transforming blocks of brass In
to tubes, an interesting process, while
in vast tank In another building.
models OF war vessels are being test
ed. This workshop is next to the gun
| factory in interest. Wooden models,
| as large as a canoe or rowboat, OF ev-
cry vessel ordered for the navy are
made by the shipbuilders. The pro-
| portions are exactly the same as those
| of the projected ships of war. Above
| the long tank travels an appliance
| not unlike a crane When the test Ia
made the model is weighted In pro
portion to the weight OF the actual
boat in order to determine the dis
| placement The model Is connected
with the travelling overhead device.
which drives 1t through the water al
| varying degrees of speed. A machine
| records the resistance, and from this
| Is figured the horse power required
to drive the actual vessel at given
rate of speed y
The completion of the Texas and
the New York next year and OF the,
! Nevada and Oklahoma In 1914 VIII
| give the United States thtrty-seyep
lirst-class battleships with tonnage
OF 61O,796. When Germany finishes
! the nine dreadnoughts that are TO be
completed at the rate OF three a year
before the close of 1914, 1t Will have
thirty-sx battleships with tonnage
OF OSLO Great Britain, which II,
| building ten new dreadnoughts, tive
to be finished this year, four next year
and four in 1914, will have a total OF
seventy battleships, tonnage l,lS9,-
| 600. In battleships the United States
| will rank second, but in armOred
cruisers IL will have twelve, as against
Germany's fourteen and Great BT5G-
aims forty-four by the end OF 1914
The tonnage OF the battleships ana
armored cruisers built. building ans
provided for according to the latest
navy year book, is: Great Britain.
1909 $50; United States. 76S,2Ils
Germany, S7,63S; France, 626.726=
Japan, 42l,S45 Russia, S7,0l6, Italy.
299,7O7, and Austria-Hungary, 17l.lSS
In number and displacement OF All
war ships. built and building, OF ,gOsl
or more tons and Of torpedo craft Og
more than fifty tons, Great Britatp
has $50 vessels of 2,324,579 tonnage,
Germany, 2GS vessels and 1887 1898
tonnage, and the United States, 1915
vessels. tonnage SS5,066,
As TO large guns, the United States
navy will have forty fourteen-incb.
thirty-two thirteenlnch and l4s
twelveinch guns, total of 22O: Ger
many will have 176 twelve-inch aRC
ninety-siX eleven-inCh guns, a tottS
Of 272. and Great Britain will have
300 twelve-inch and 1874 thirteen-tECh
guns, an aggregate OF asa.