The Dolores star., 1923-11-02

'hibIdNb Sldie nag lies on NeT 'nt
hundred and fifty Colorado boys are among
crew and more going. Reproductions of Col
oraGo scenery aGorn her. The silver service pre-
scented by the state to the old Colorado (now the
Pueblo is on board.
For other reasons the Colorado is of particular
interest to the nation-and to the world. - vast
experimental laboratory of marine engineering"
she has been called, and it is said of her: Though
she is primarily a fighting machine she need never
fire shot at the enemy to earn her cost of S27,-
100000 many times over for her country" 1t ap-
pears that the most advanced designs of shin
equipment have been installed in the Colorado
and the results of their will be placed the
disposal of American shipbuIers for their guild
ance in building the national merchant marine and
the future navy
Electric motor-drven propeIlcrs. 1sOOO-horse
power turbine generators, and OiI-burnng boilers
part of the advanced construction that is said
to make this 32,GOo-t0n superdrrJdnaught signIf
cant to marine engineers. Further unusual fea-
lures include these: From a forward speed of
twenty-one knots the Colorado can be brought I'D
stnading in three minutes. Her eighteennch
mor-pate Is supposed to be proof against sub
marines and air bombs, well direct fire With
yeriable hOneycumb Of water-tght compartments
she must be literally shot to pieces before she can
be sunk Eight 1G-inch guns in two forward and
two after turrets (the largest permitted by the
Washington cOuference) can drop eight tons Of
steel and high explosives the deck Of an enemy
twenty miles away-enOugh to put out of commits
sion anything alOat. A captive observation bal
loon and several scout arplanes also carried
Six men In the contrOrOom far down between the
two $4,000 horsepower turbO-cecric generators
and the four SO0OhOrSepower electric propeller
motors, control every movement of these two gi-
gantc mechaniSms, and every other important ma
chine, on orders from the bridge.
Another thing thnt adds to the interest in the
Colorado is the thut She with her sister shin
the West Virginia, is the last superdreadnaught
which the United States will undertake for four
teen years, under the Five-Power Naval treaty
That means that she may be the last of her kind
either because of universal peace or because by
that time the capital ship may be wholly futile
for the purposes of war.
The third Colorado designated as Battle
ship No. 40 Counting from the first in the new
navy, authorized in the building program of Aug
%. 1916, to be of $4,000 tons trial displacement
eight siNteen-inch guns in four line turrets
twelve hve-inch guns for torpedo defense. eight
antiarCaft guns and two torpedo tubes Her
main machinery is designated to attain twenty
one knots with about 5000 horsepower two main
turbine generators of Westinghouse type driving
motors on four shafts, one screw each. She is
armoreG on the waterline turrets coming tower
and smoke uptakes. She only fuel oil and her
steering engine, anchor windass and most OTHER
auxiliary machinery electric driven. She will
mount cataput for launching airplanes and gen
orally have all improvements of the best naval
practice
At the Washington conference on the reduction
of armaments, the Colorado and the West virginia
were on the list offered of uncompeted ships to
be scrapped, but the japanese were so bent on re-
tanning their newest battleship Mutsu at the time
all but completed, that scrapping program
was made, by which the Colorado and West Vir-
ginia were to be completed and the two oldest
dreadnaughts, Delaware and North Dakota much
smaller vessels. would then be scrapped, the re-
sultins tonnage offsettins the Japanese increase