A COLOSSUS OF THE DEEP.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 526, 5 June 1909, Page 6

A COLOSSUS OF THE DEEP.

IN CUSTOMHOUSE QUAY,

(Br.O. W. Leswb.)

. '.Dreadnoughts are, just, now in the air, or on the tapis, or in some equally incongruous ,and and a' few discursivp jottings 'on-tn'ti-sttiting: peculiarities' of ■ the present model 'inay ( therefore be of interest. : It will probably be , news , to many that the particular .Dreadnought which has been occupying tho attention'/ and disturbing the..rest t of iso.many..of his. Majesty's loyal, snbJGc'tls, "'and. \apparently getting ba the 1 nerves-of 'his'traditional enemies in Germany, is the ninth of the "name that has boon constructed' for the British -Navy. ■ Its designers evidently believed in quality: rather than quantity, ( for there is,this curious fait Jabput its armament, that whereas th'e.'-gun'a of the-previous Dreadnoughts Varied' in nuiriber.'irom;26. (inithe ,Bth) .to 120 (in .tho'ftbthis epochal (battleship only carries ten. Yet it ,is to' knock..all her predecessors into a .fine.rain' of ruin. < . '.-

, .The' size of the' vea'Sel and of all- her accessories'is enormous. ,'fo bo {old .that -the ' displacement';o(' tho; Dreadnoughtis' -17,900 . .tons,' conveys; to 'the oi'dinary'lay mind only a nebulous notion of her actual ,sizb. : The, accompanying; ;* illustration, 'slib'wiiig ' her dumped down; on CustomfaQase'VQuay;bo- , ;twobn!., ; the' Gpvernirien,t/ Insurance',,,buildings ! and ( ..the\: railway line, .Will, probably brings Tmdly/beforo'the'Mmagiriatibn. a: clcot conception'- of her stupendous bulk. In this position he?.;.beam" would 'almost complotely block.-the street'.; 'her precipitous 'topgallant- - forccastle';.would preach of'*he" building; ,and,-: tier ; stem being set, dowii, some' sixty feet north of Panama': Street, her stern would'; ; tb'uch*:,the ..Queen's 'Statue. If' you were; t-o; prop "her-, up, against."'"the'' "new Destructor '.chimney-stacki, the truck of her' mainmast would tower nearly forty foot above that"dizzy structup.:-'Hbr great ,12in. guns are by far.; themost irresistible' engines of ,destruction-yet .designed'.Prop' one of them up against the .Government Buildings, and its. muzzle'.would touch their' eaves. .'Tho enormous... shells ' weigh seven and 'a half sft. long.Ihese, she: can.'scatter around, at tho rate' of : twenty;. a , minute. Lying off' Terawhiti. she could/.plump one; of them : half way., up I icton: harbourwliile. from .tlie. man-o'.-war anchpraggv.in -'Ayellington' harbour she.', could ■ armour of ■: any - other • type >of; : _ battleship' lying 'off/'Petbhe ' -'Tlie almost, inconceivable vblocity- of the proiectili l may. be.jgauged ; ; from ' the -fact that, wore the, muzzle '.telocity'/manitained, a shell "fired from 'WeUingtoh,: would reach' Palmerston : North iii\:twp, ; -minutes, and S half. . the most ciiribus/peeijiarity about the ; construction, of this egregious'' supermanne monster,. i^the, mast, which,: instead ef being, set upinone piece,: is, like a gigantic sheer-legs,of,, tripod design, and each steel is .-supported'by steel stays in such a manner that,, if either .two legs 'wore shot, away, ,;the,, remaining ; oho. "would still stand and; supportwhat' is.one.-,of the most : important;..,, stations , in, : a \ mah-oWar—that ; fire^nfroK ; station. which ■.isat' tho ' apes .of. the tripartite mast; " ' : ,■' A-, desecrating. innovation i which. gives -lone.

a sentimental shudder, and' which must > supply .bo; a' 'grievous'.infliction on departed i BBades;of many.great seamen,.is tho aban- i donmerit of the qnartor-deok by.the'ofßcerßl The-quarter-deck of the Dreadnought ie not , saored .to the superior.officer, but .resounds i to tho -unhallowed tyead and the equally. | nntmlltiwiid' kasunge oi ev«iy ■ mb«t'<&^i

":handy. i man,".-while ,, the.officers livoj.-mdvei and ihavej;their..being forward . of the funnels. ■.•■.-. "•.- .'.,. , : - . -.:. ■'~..,, ;,.'■ '~•.■■.'. •..-, -. Tlle ,/Dwadnpught. is practioally immune from the havoo of the'torpedo, having really five, hulla, which, renders her. probably un.sinkable.' There are all sorts of innovatingconveniences -in ■ tho internal economy; of this mighty fighting machine,,. one 'of - the , ' niost conspicuous being a very complete telephone .service connecting every* .'parts of .•.Cheship by- means. of over- a: hundred -miles of> telephone wires, ■ ~ . ...- ■ ; -. .:

The WeUmgten Sava'ge Club remind membors * 'ft if VO'V"* the next'korero .will be held I'e ' Wsfc m ° ! '' Boalcott StTeet - to-nifrbi,

nfS.H^f 8 '!? Dinil ' g - , Eooms elsowhere. draw attention to. thoir speciality, viz., oysUr suppers. Mn^w^^'^V' ° £ - ">«■■ Premier-Auction ..Marc, .Wellington, , have, buyeri •. waiting for brpro^e^^ n^duoinß . 6ubui :

and.Westorman, Manners Street,' fcV" 1 ih H' lssa <> a number.of salo "scatter" odTertisements.on page two. ~ Those In soaroh of wedding gifts or articles of fciniieteto-iiliie.fiittlKii , own use shonld inspect the,haadsome stocks of Messrs btewart, .Dawestj md Co., a nd country , roii.