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Show THE PR.'DC OF THE NAVY. A Formidable New Wiir Voel Wholly of American Make. Tho United States of America, by its officials and tho employes at tlifl Brooklyn Brook-lyn navy yard, will soon liiunch the largest warship ever net afloat. Not the largest yet begun, but tho largest ro far completed. Brooklyn is full of Kit and calls on all tho Union to rejoice with her, for this is the most thoroughly American war vessel ever built, i Her bull was designed by the bureau S of construction, her engines by tho I bureau of steam engineering, and all her THK AHMORED CKX'IHKR MAINE, ordnance by the bureau of ordnance. All the metals in her ai'o tho product of American mines, furnaces and rulliii"; mills, and from the first blow to the launching all the work was dono at the Brooklyn yard. She is christened the Maine and classed as an armored cruiser. She was authorized by act of congress of Aug. i), her cost is not to exceed t'i.fiOO.OOO, and she is to bo ready for active service by Oct. 3, 1802. Her dimensions are 310 feet length bo-tween bo-tween perpendiculars, 57 feet extreme breadth, 2H feet draught of water and 6,018 tons displacement. She will be run by two vertical triple expansion engines, en-gines, whii.h aro to be placed in two separate water tight compartments and supply 0,000 horse power, with a premium pre-mium of $100 for each unit of horse power attained above 9,000 and a penalty pen-alty of tho same for each nnit below that, but in no case is less thau 8,000 horse power to be accepted. Her economy of fuel is to bo such that sbo can be coaled for a voyage around tho world, and her machinery and guns to be protecte 1 by steel plates that will resist any shot that can bo tired into them. Extraordinary care is taken to test every ev-ery piece of iron and 6teel used. Tho motors are to be two screws of three blades each and fifteen feet in diameter, and the total weight of the machinery, made by the Quintard iron works, of Kew York, at a cost of ;SO,000, will be about Mm) tons. Her speed is to be at the rate of 17 knots an hour for 0(50 knots, or 13 knots per hour for 1,617 knots, or at a 10 knot rate for 4,2-0 knots. Her armament arma-ment will consist of six 0 inch breech loading rifles, four 10 inch breech loading rifles, four 0 ponnder and two 1 pounder rapid firing guns; four 87 millimeter Hotchkiss revolving cannon and four Gatling guns, distributed fore and aft and on the bides in the usual manner. Tho largest guns, the 10 inch rifles, will be mounted in pairs in two revolving revolv-ing turrets on the weU known monitor principle, and will fire projectiles of 500 pounds each, 250 pounds of powder being be-ing required for each charge. The Maine will also carry two torpedo boats. , Such is a brief description of this ocean monster of which the first keel plate was bud Oct. 10, 1388, and which will, tho navy officials are confident, be long the pride of the American navy and a ' match for anything that floats. j A Home for Ex-Couvlct. The rapid growth in New York city of societies for social and industrial reform re-form is attested by the erection every year of new buildings for their use. The event of this year in that line will be the construction of a home for ex-convicts on West Sixty-third street, between be-tween Tenth and Kleventh avenues. The growth of the society engaged in this work and the success it has at- , tained are among the most encouraging evidences of practical reform in dealing with criminals. j In 1879 Messrs. E. C. Homans, A. 8. 1 Hatch, M. C. Brown, William B. Bliss, John H. Boswell, Jamps Talcott, Michaol Dunn, John N. Stearns, William Hamilton Ham-ilton Harris and II. F. Cutting organ- ?2&&m THK PROPOSKO HOMB. ized as a society for aiding discharged convicts to earn an honest living, and began the work in a small building on Water street. From that time till last January gome 2,400 men had been received re-ceived into the home, of whom 1,131 had been furnished with employment else- , where. The work grew so rapidly that the organization twice removed to larger j buildings, and it has now paid f 17,000 j for three vacant lots on Sixty-third j street, and begun the erection of a building build-ing which is to cost fiO.OOO. The method is simple and practical. A few manufactures requiring little room and machinery are carried on, the ! ex-convict thus earning something mora than his support, and as fast as possible tho inmates are furnished permanent . employment in places where they may . begin life anew without the stigma which ' is such a hindrance to reform as long as I they remain near their former homes. The society has already miiied one-third of the $110,000 needed for the new building. |