The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-29 00:00:00

Trial of the Iron Frigate Achilles.

The first of the official trials of the iron frigate Achilles,
in reality the pioneer of the squadron of ironclads to be con-
structed solely by the Admiralty, and not, like the Warrior,
'Minotaur, Northumberland, and others of our iron fleet, by
private shipbuilding firms, took place at the Maplin Sands,
near Chatham, yesterday. Since her launch, or rather
formal floating out of dock, at Chatham on Dec. 24 last,
about 1,000 hand 3 have been constantly employed on her,
in order to complete her for sea; but, notwithstanding the
unremitting exertions of those employed on her, so enor-
mous is the quantity of work still remaining to be executed
that several months must elapse before the public may ex-
pect to hear that she is fairly ready to be despatched on her
maiden cruise, Since her launch the Achilles has been
lying in the harbour at Folly Point, where the depth of
water at all times of the tido enables a vessel of her draught
to float without any fear of straining.

The Achilles got up steam at an early hour yesterday
morning, and by 9 o'clock the whole of the officials under
whose supervision the trials were to be made were en board,
including Vice-Admiral Sir C. Talbot. K.C.8., Captain W.
K. Hall, C. 8., of the Cumberland, 70, guardship of the
Steam Reserve : Mr T. B iker, chief engineer At Chatham
dockyard; Mr W. Rumble, principal inspector of machi-
nery afloat; Mr Thornton, and Mr Moose, principal wester
shipwrights at Chatham, under whose superintendence the
Achilles has been built; Captain John Lord Hay, C. 8.,
who is to command the Achilles, and other officers. The
frigate was navigated from the Folly Point to the Nore by
Mr W. Blakey, second master, and Queen's pilot at Chat-
ham, and was afterwards handed over to Mr Hilyard,
master, of the Cumberland, 70, who bad charge of the ves-
sel during her trial of speed. The engines were in charge
of Mr Wigzell, from the establishment of Messrs Penn and
Sons, Greenwich, the manufacturers. Just before the
frigate started Admiral Drummond, one of the Lords of the
Admiralty, and Admiral Fanshawe came on board. After
some slight delay in weighing the anchor by the auxiliary
40 horse power engine, it was at length stowed away in its
place, and the vessel's head was laid for the trial ground.
At this time the Achilles was drawing 22ft 7in forward and
23ft 9in aft, with her screw immersed 4ft, The total dis-
placement of the frigate was calculated to be 9,500 tons.
When fairly under way the height of the lower portion of
her gun ports from the water was found to be 1211 amidships.
The wind at this time was blowing moderately from the
eastward, with a force of 3, and everything was favourable
for the trial. Tho quantity of coals on board was 130 tons;
cables and other stores, 60 tons ; water, crew, &c., 400 tons.
By 12 a.m. the Maplin Sands were reached, and the Achilles
was at once placed on the mile for the purpose of going
through the most important portion of her day's duty. At

this time the boilers were emitting an abundance of steam,

the vessel was in excellent trim, the water smooth, and
everything in the ship's fc.vour. Six runs were first made
at full speed, with the following results :
Spend Revolutions Pressure
Run. Time. knots. of engines. of steam. Vacuum.
1 4rn 45s 12.632 46 2G 25
2 3m 42s . 16.216 46 25 25
3 4ru 51s 12.371 461 251 251
4 3m 40s 16363 47 26 25
5 4m 593 12.456 47 26 25
6 3m 43s 16.143 46/ 23 25

The first means of the above figures gives the average)
speed as 14.424. 14.293, 14.367, 14.409, and 144299 knots ;
and the second moans 14.353, 14.330, 14.385, and 14.354
knots, the mean of means or true speed of the ship, being
14.357 knots, or upwards of 16 statute miles per hour.
Taking these figures, it will be seen that the Admiralty
have every reason to be proud of the first of the iron ships
built at either of the dockyards, as she has proved
herself to be the fastest of our ironclads now afloat.
The above figures, however, only show what speed the
Achilles has attained at her light draught, but form a very
fair criterion of what she will do at her deep-sea draught,
when it may be safely affirmed that she will still further
surpass every other vessel afloat in her steaming qualities,
At the trial yesterday two causes operated to prevent a
gre,,xtcr F,ve,td bkin; the tact that the
blades of her screw were upwards.of a foot out of the water,
and also that the bottom of the frigate was foul from the
length of time she has been lying in the Medway. When

the latter cause has been removed, and the screw immersed
to the required depth with the vessel at her deep-sea
draught, there is little doubt that the Achilles will attain a
speed of 16 knots per hour, in which case she will be the
fastest vessel belonging to the Royal Navy. During ;the
trial yesterday at lull power the frigate carried a rather for-
midable wave under hor bow, but fi ow her form of construc-
tion this was thrown off, and offered no impediment to the
ship's progress through the water. The water thrown up in
her wake was very considerable, owing to the circumstance
of the screw not being sufficiently immersed. At the close
of the full-boiler trials the vessel's head was laid for the
Margate-road, while five of the boilers were cnt off to
ai2ow of her being tried at her half-boiler power. This ac-
comp;ished, the frigate's head was again laid for the Maplin
Sands, whol two runs were taken over the mile, with the
following resu:;.e:—First run—time, 5 min, 39 sec. 1
speed, 10.619 knots ; re;elutions of screw, 38 ; pressure of
steam, 251 b; vacuum, .27i- Second run—time, 4
min. 34 sec,; speed, 13.131 knots; revolutions, 37;
pressure of steam, 2311 b. ; vacuum, 27k. Tho mean speed at
half-boiler power was 11.878 knots per boar, the Achilles
thus maintaining her high character when tried under half-
boiler power. During the time she was oa her trial the
engines worked with wonderful smoothness, steadiness, and
regularity. Although in a wooden vessel the movement of
such enormous engines would have caused the greatest
vibration, in the Achilles their action was scarcely percep-
tible. During the time the frigate was tutning to make
her third run over the mile she came into collision with a
brig which was lying across her bows, when the frigate's
starboard quarter caught the bow of the brig and carried
away her bowsprit, besides causing some other damage.
The Achilles is steered by the old gun-room tiller, which
has been again adopted by the Admiralty in consequence of
the absence of the screw-well hitherto found on board our
largo screw steamers. This gives an enormous advantage
in steering a vessel of the vast size and tonnage of the
Achilles, and this was apparent during the trials yesterday,
when the vessel answered her helm as sensitively as a cut-
ter. It is evident, however, that much remoins to be done
in the mode of steering our large vessels of war, as yester-
day it required 16 men to bring the helm over either to port
or starboard. Although we continue to construct vessels of
the size of the Achilles and Warrior, yet no improvements
appear to have been made to increase their steering powers,
the same method being practically in use which was em-
ployed half a century ago. At the close of the speed trials
some experiments were made in turning the circles and half
circles with the following results :—Tho approximate area
of the rudder immersed in the water was 135 ft ; the
time occupied in getting up the rudder with eight men at
the wheel was, to starboard, 1 min 45 secs, to port, 1 min
50 sees; turns of wheel, to starboard, 3f to port, 31. The
time occupied in making the half-circle at full boiler power
was to starboard, 3 min 25 secs, to port, 4 min 40 secs ; the
revolutions of engines wore 46. The time occupied in mak-
ing complete circle at half boiler power, with 15 men at the
wheel, was 6 min 15 secs, and the time occupied in getting
up the wheel 2 min 30 secs. The diameter of circle was 900
yards, as calculated by the ingenious invention of Mr.
Martin, assistant master shipwright, by which the diameter
of all circles can be most accurately measured at sea. This
diameter is considered a fair one for the sin of a vessel of
the Achilles class.

The average temperature during the trial was—On deck,
49 ,deg; in engine-room, forepart, 98 deg; middle part,
107 deg; and aft, 102 dog; forward stoke-hole, forepart,
80 deg, middle 92 deg, and after part 98 deg; after stoke-
hole, fere part 76 deg, middle 102 deg, and after part 96 deg.
By direction of the Admiralty, Mr Gisborne's patent elec-
tric telegraph has been fitted on board the Achilles, the
first vessel to which the invention has been applied, and the
instantaneous manner in which the messages were trans-
mitted from the bridge to the engine room, and its admirable
working, proved the great value of the invention.
At the close of the trials yesterday the Achilles steamed
up the Medway end took up her former moorings at Folly
Point, Admiral Drummond having left the frigate at the
Nere, and embarked on board the Lizzird paddlewheel
steamer, which lauded him at Sheerness.

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A Navajo woman, who recently acted as guide to
a party of Mexicans in a journey from the Canejo country
to Santa Fc, says that in her country gold is so common
that the Indians use it to make bullets. We imagine the
Navajos draw the long bow also,—Botton Advertiser.