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428 — THE MARINE REVIEW into fragments by the heavy guns of the enemy’s primary battery and be- come a distinct source of danger from the mitraille. It therefore seems use- less to expend good displacement in this manner. If the theory of the ar- tillerists is a sound one, that the bat- tle will be over in less than ten min- utes, torpedo boat attack during an engagement is impracticable and should be made preceding a battle. If, however, as many hold, the battle is to occupy considerable time, it would appear that the psychological moment for torpedo boat attack would be after the battle had been under way for some time and the auxiliary battery put out of commission. Speed as a means of defense seems to be solely in the ability of the vessel to keep out of danger by refusing to en- gage, but this would be against all traditions and avoiding the very pur- pose of the battleship. Location of Magazine The location of magazines at their best is forward and abaft the machin- ery spaces. There the magazines. can more readily be kept cool and the stowage of ammunition not interfere with the arrangement of the boiler and engines. cellulose, in our guns. deteriorates very rapidly when heated above 90 degrees Fahr. It, therefore, becomes necessary to ensure the stability of the powder and to prevent the gen- eration of dangerous gases caused by the decomposition of the powder by means of cooling the magazines arti- ficially and so keeping the tempera- ture down to a point of safety. To accomplish this the magazines are lined on the inside with compressed sheet cork varying from two to four inches in thickness. This is cemented directly to the steel plating, frames and beams of the steel structure. Af- ter the cork is in place the seams and joints are smoothed up with plas- tic cement and then the whole sur- face coated with plastic cement until a smooth surface is obtained. This surface is in turn painted with gloss paint, the object being to obtain a polished surface which will be slow in radiating heat. The rougher the surface the greater the radiation of heat, for each point acts as a radiat- ing fin. The smooth gloss paint gives as near as may be a uniform surface with slow radiation. The magazine having been insulated in this manner, a series of supply and exhaust ducts are fitted, reaching to all parts of the magazine. The air drawn in the first place from the atmosphere is forced through an air cooler and moisture separator. By closing the intake from The powder used, nitro- the atmosphere the air is circulated to the magazines and back through the cooler until the desired. tempera- ture is reached. The admission of air to the magazines is controlled by thermostats and dampers, which en- able us to keep a uniform temperature in the magazines. The present day battleship resem- bles a miniature city in its provision for the safety and health and comfort of its officers and crew, to which must be added all the apparatus for sending this mass through the water at a speed of 21 knots, or nearly 25 niles, an hour, and handling the vast engines of destruction lying latent “in its magazines and enormous guns. Let us look at these. First, we must have light throughout the ves- sel, so an electric’ plant for lighting inust be provided and wiring to con- duct the current to all parts of the vessel. Drinking water must be pro- vided, so an evaporating plant is fitted to enable the salt water to be turned into good potable water. This is conducted to the various bath rooms, lavoratories and drinking scut- tles throughout the vessel. Heat must be provided and means arranged whereby fresh air, heated by steam, is forced into and through the living quarters. The turrets and guns must be so mounted that each set may be trained at will, or elevated and depressed, as one man may elect. Reliable appara- tus for this purpose must be provided. The ammunition must be brought from the magazines down below the waterline to the breeches of the great guns in the turrets above; each shell may weigh three- quarters of a ton and must be brought precisely to the loading position at the rear of the gun. Then a rammer must reach forth its long jack-knife like arm and push the shell and then the powder home in the chamber of the gun. This must be done in any position of the gun, so that electric mechanism reliable and flexible to a degree must be provided. Stowing Small Boats The vessel must have apparatus for mooring and docking, so winches driven by electricity supply this want. Outside of a navy yard, when a war vessel is in commission, she is rarely tied up at a dock, so that small mo- tor and row boats are a necessity for communication with the shore. These boats must be stowed out of the blast of the guns, for, although in a battle the boats are lowered and moored in the open sea, yet in peace time the boats must be so stowed that the guns can be fired at target practice some 50 feet staff of life”. December, 1916 without tearing them to pieces by the blast. This necessitates nesting them and handling them by cranes or der- ricks operated by electric winches. A gear for the rapid coaling of the battleship must also be_ installed, which finds its best motive power in electricity. The most modern, ap- proved type of steering the vessel is by mechanism actuated by electricity, for this action is positive and reliable, and such an apparatus eliminates steam pipes with their heat and leaks in the living quarters and storerooms. In addition, the ice machinery, laun- dry equipment, galley and baking ap- paratus are operated by electric mo- tors, so that the battleship must be provided with no inconsiderable elec- tric power plant. The Ice Plant As referred to earlier, the maga- zines must be artificially cooled, the perishable stores for the food supply of some 1,200 men must be kept in cold storage, and ice for ship’s use must be made. To accomplish this an ice plant is provided. Up to the ~ present time the type of ice machine used is the “dense air’, in which the air is alternatively compressed and cooled, then expanded. A sewerage system must also be ar- ranged for, as we have on a Dread- naught as many people as are found in many villages of the first class. Consequently, drains from _ baths, toilets, washrooms, galleys and decks all have to be provided. The battleship is no exception to the general dictum that “bread is the Therefore, means for supplying some 1,200 men with good bread are ample and thorough. Bak- eries are fitted, provided with power operated dough mixers and with dough testing apparatus. In addition, all utensils for cake and pastry baking are provided. Next comes the laundry, for the clothes of the sailors are washed and ironed by machinery; so all the appli- ances, both steam and electric, found in a first-class laundry have their counterpart on a battleship. Then the sick must be cared for, ordinary cases of illness separated from contagious diseases and from those where the knife is the sole re- sort. We have, then, the ordinary hospital or sick bay with its conta- gious ward, and an operating room furnished with all the antiseptic ap- pliances and instruments needed for successful operations of the most se- rious character. Next comes attention to the moral and spiritual. side of the natures of the men. It is human to err, and the