Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-05-18
AMERICAN MANY LAUNCHES 81.
PERDREApNAuoHr TEXAS
At NEWPORT NEWS.
ARMAMENT AND ENGINES
MOST POWERFUL IN WORLD
eattIsship Will Have Speed Of Cruiser
and es Equipped With Fifteen Inch
ouns-TripIs Expansion Engines Of
Old Type to Produce Speed Of Twsn.
ty.ons Knots Per Hour.

dreadnought Texas the American navy
counted as it's proud possession the
biggest and the most powerful battle
ship the world has ever seen. Other
nations are trying desperately for the
honor of owning the greatest warship,
but It will be months after the Texas
and her sister ship, the New York.
which will be launched at the New
York navy yard in July, have taken the
water before the monster ships plan
ned to outsize them and now under
will be waterborne. 1t was deemed fit
ting that these two exemplars OF the
highest skill Of the shipwright should
bear the names of two warships which
covered themselves with glory during
the Spanish American war.
Has Speed Of Cruiser.
The Texas with all Of her stores
aboard will displace 2S.367 tons, or
1000 tons more than the great dread-
nought Arkansas, now about ready 1or
commission. She Is 573 feet long, 20
feet 2s inches beam, so that she Will
have almost fifteen feet to spare IN
passing thru the Panama canal locks.
Her draft will be 2s feet inches. ana
her speed q knots, which would nave
been high speed for cruiser re"
years ago. =,
II Ia a remarkable fact that the 27,-
900 horsepower required to maintain
this speed will be developed IN the
case of the Texas by twin-screw verti-
cal. triple expansion engines OF the oiu
type. instead Of by turbines whicn
have been almost universally adopteo
abroad in all naval constructions. rms
machinery is installed because OF the
conviction Of American navel en-
1ineers that the. reciprocating engine
is the. most economical and reliable
for battleship practice.
Remarkable Facts.
The Texas presents some features y.
interest entirely apart from ner srea.
size. In the first place. her iaunch'hs
comes lust about thirteen months from
the date her keel was laid, remark
able Performance for American snip
wrights and a practical demonstration
Of their ability to turn out warshlps
d
under proper incentive.
In the second place. the Texas Will
he the first ship in the world to carry
fourteen inch guns. She will nave Zen
of them distributed in five turrets ar
ranged on a central line from stem 10
stern. The biggest guns now ahoat IN
the American navy are the lS-incn
rifles of the famous old oregon type
while the best that the British navy
can do is to point to theilr 13.o men
guns on their latest battleships In ad-
dition to these monster guns the new
ship will carry no less than
sixteen five-inch rifles in place OF the
little3 and 4-inch guns that were
formerly regarded as sufficient for the
secondary battery. The increasing
size and power Of the torpedo boat de-
stroyers and the enormous speed OF
the chain lightning cruiser has brought
a bout this doubling Of the power OF the
battery. which must be re-
lied upon for very quick work In meet
ing these attacks
The Texas will be clothed with armor
in plenty; not only over her vltals put
even the ordinarily exposed ends OF the
ship, but in conformity with the new
rule adopted by the navy department
the details Of Its thickness and general
are withheld from publica-
tion lest the information might be OF
profit to a possible future enemy
Total Cost $1000o,00o.
The Texas after she is in the water
will be far from complete and she Will
not be ready to go into commission
until Dec. II next year. AS she emerses
from the builders hands her total cost
will be about s10.000,O0o.
The launching Of the great ship drew
to the yards Of the Newport News
Company. a notable gath
ering Of distinguished persons. Tho
President Taft was prevented by his
absence in the middle west from at
tending he was represented by Secre-
tary Meyer who came down from
with his family and his
naval aid, Lieutenant Commander
Palmer on the presidential yacht May
flower.
There was a liberal sprinkling Of
senators and representatives in con.
gress; most OF the heads OF the great
naval bureaus. Governor Colquitt. Of
Texas with numerous delegation
from that state, Governor Mann. Of
Virginia, with his STAFF and last but not
least little Miss Claudia Lyon. daush-
ter Of Col. Cecil Lyon. republican ma
tional committeeman from Texas spon-
sor Of the Texas.
1000 >>A~AaaA~ A 4 - s-.E.l