Rensselaer Journal, Volume 11, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 June 1901 — LAUNCHING OF THE NEW MAINE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

LAUNCHING OF THE NEW MAINE

Beside perpetuating a name which must ever have a prominent place in the history of the world as written in these later days, the launching in Philadelphia of the new battleship Maine ft to American hearts a sad reminder of one of the most terrible tragedies of modern times. It is now three years and more since the enactment of that horror in Havana harbor, and since then the survivors have been scattered to all quarters of the globe. Capt Charles D. Slgsbee, who commanded the Maine at the time of her destruction, has applied for the command of the new Maine, and it ft more than likely that the request will be granted, and that she will fly hft peasant when commissioned for service. Of the 25 officers who were attached to the Maine at the time of her destruc-

tion, four are dead, Lieut. F. W. Jenkins and Engineer Darwin R. Merritt losing their lives in that tragedy, Lieut. John J. Blandln dying shortly afterward in hft Baltimore h o.m e, and more recently Chief Engineer Charite P. Howell died in this city. BUI Anthony, who was the first to no-

tity CapL Slgsbee of the explosion on that fatal night in Havana harbor, sui> elded In New York last year. Ca.pt Slgsbee, who was given oommand of the St Paul when the war broke out and who did some excellent service while commanding that vessel. Is now ohfef of the naval intelligence office In Washington. His most efficient tnst lieutenant of the Maine, Lieuten-ant-Commander Richard Wainwright, he who commanded the Gloucester In that bloody reprisal off Santiago, la now ■ superintendent of the Naval Academy at Annapolis, with the rank of commander, having been advanced

10 numbers for hft gallant work in destroying the Spanish destroyers. Between the new Maine and the old are few points of resemblance. The first was rated as a second-class battleship, with a displacement of only 6,682 tons. Her namesake ft nearly twice as large, displacing 12,300 tons at normal draught

The principal dimensions of the new battleship are: Length, between perpendiculars, 888 feet; length over all, 393 feet 10V4 Inches; extreme breadth, 72 feet; mean draught, 28 feet 8 inches; displacement at normal draught, 12,300 tons; estimated displacement at full load draught. 18,600 tons. As to type, the new vessel is to be an improved Alabama, two knots faster than that fine battleship, equipped with a more powerful armament and hedged about with a greater area of armor protection. In the contract it is stipulated that she must on her official trial maintain

a speed of 18 knots for four consecutive hours. Krupp armor—the kind which has recently given such striking proofs of its resisting qualities—is to be used tlp-oughouL The armor belt, which is to be 11 inches thick at the top, tapering to 7Mi inches at the bottom, extends to within 60 feet of the stern, shielding the sides 3% feet above the water line and four feet below IL The casemate armor Is to be six Inches Sick; .the barbette armor 12 Inches la mt topering to eight Inches in the ar. The protective deck will be 2% inches thick, while aft, where there is no belt armor protection, it is thlckened, being four inches on the slope and three on the fiat

The forward conning tower will have 10-inch armor, and the signal tower 8-lnch armor. Leading from the conning tower to, the protective deck is a steel tube intended to proteat the voice tubes and telegraphs extending from the commanding officer's station to the stations below. This

tube 1* 12 inches In diameter and is protected by a steel covering seven inches thick. The engines are of the twin screw, triple expansion Inverted vertical type. The 24 Nlclanase boilers, which are already well advanced, and which will be nearly completed when the ship strikes the water, are expected to give 18,000 horse-power. The vessel will have a bunkertcapaclty of 2,000 tons. Thia, at an eight knot speed, will give her a •teaming radius of 8,860 knots—almost •nfflcleAt for two round trips from New York th Queenstown, Ireland, er a trip half axoundi Cape Horn.