The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-22 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.
The cfficial trial of the paddlewheel steamer Sala-
mis, recently constructed at Chatham, which it is
said will be the yacht of the Prince of Wales, took
place yesterday at the measured mite off the Maplin
Sands, under the superintendence of Captain J. K.
Hall, commanding her Majesty's ship Cumberland,
74, and the steam reserve squadron at Chatham and
Sheerness. The Salamis is a remarkably handsome
vessel, her extreme length being 228 ft. Bin., and
her breadth 28ft. 2in. Her burden is 834 tone. She
is sister ship to the Pysche and Enchantress, but in
appearance differs somewhat from both, from the
circumstance of her stem being built without a
knee, which gives it a square and " tumble•home"
appearance. At present she is only rigged to carry
two masts, but it is the intention of the Admiralty
to fit her with three masts, like the steam yacht
Enchantress. Her engines were manufactured by
Messrs. B,avenhill, Salkeld, and Co., end their per-
formance yesterday fully j‘istified the estabashed
reputation of that eminent firm. The diameter
of the cylinders is 61 inches, and the length of the
stroke 4 feet 6in. There are 12 furnaces and four
boilers, and the latter are fitted with superheaters.
The paddlewheels are 21 feet in diameter, and are
fitted with Morgan's patent feathering floats, which
add materially to the speed of the ship. The floats
were immersed 6 feet. The coal bunkers are close

to the furnaces, and there is space on board for 180
tons of coals. With her cables, coals, and anchors,
&c., on board, yesterday, the Salamis drew 9 feet
10 inches aft, and 9 feet 2 inches forward. The
officials belonging to the dockyard on board to
watch the trials on the part of the Admiralty were
Mr. Baker, chief engineer at Chatham, Mr. Moore,

principal master-shipwright, and Mr. Rumble,
inspector of machinery afloat. Mr. Blakey,
Queen's pilot, navigated the vessel to the trial
ground. The Salamis left her berth at Chatham-
dockyard at 9.50 a.m. and by 10.40 was abreast at
Garrison Point. The engines were then stopped to
take on board Capt. Hall and the other officials,
when the vessel's head was laid for the east to
place her on the trial ground, which was reached at
11.15. The wind at this time was blowing from the
westward with a force of three, and there•was a
moderate sea on. Six runs were taken at full boiler
power, with the following results ;—lr. the first run
the time was 4m. 345., the speed in knots 12.139,

the pressure of steam 261 b., and the number of re-
volutions of engines 38; in the second run the time
was 3m. 365., the speed in knots
_16.667, the pres-

sure of steam 261 b., and the number of revolutions
of engines 39; in the third run the time was 4m.
365., the speed in knots 13.043, the pressure of
steam 261 b., and the number of revolutions 381; in
the fourth run the time was 3at. 355., the speed in
knots 16744, the pressure of steam 261 b, and the
number of revolutions of engines 371 ; in the fifth
run the speed was 4m. 385., the speed in knots
12.95, the pressure of steam 261 b., and the number
of revolutions of engines 38 ; in the last run the
time was 3m. 405., the speed in knots 16.364, the
pressure of steam, 261 b., and the number of revolu-
tions of engines 37. The average speed of the six
runs was 14.843 knots, equal to 171, statute miles
per hour. The result is in the highest degree satis-
factory, the Salamis having thus proved herself—as
her designers and builders always predicated she
would be—the fastest vessel of her class afloat. Her
sister ship, the Psyche, realised only a mean speed
of 14.521 knots per hour on the occasion of her offi-
cial trial, the Salamis thus beating her by a quarter
of a knot per hour. The Salamis afterwards took
a run towards the Girdlers to ease the steam down
and enable two of the boilers to be cut off, after
whicti she was again placed on the mile, and made
four runs at half boiler power, with the following
results :—ln the first run the time was sm. 125.,
sec., the speed in knots 11.538, the:numberr of revo-
lutions 38, the pressure of steam 26 ; in the secon d
run the time was 4 min. 22 sec., the speed in knots
13.74, the number of revolutions 30, and the pres-
sure of steam 261 b.; in the third run the time was
5 min. 9 sec., the speed in knots 11.65, the number
of revolutions 301, and the pressure of steam 26 ;
in the fourth run the time was 4 min. 23 sec., the
speed in knots 13.688, the number of revolutions
30, b,nd the pressure of steam 26. The mean ave-
rage speed of the four runs was 12.648 knots. From
these data the Salamis may be pronounced a 13• knot
vessel at sea, all circumstances taken into considera-
tion, which makes her one of the fastest of the pad-
dlewheel steamers belonging to the navy. At the

close of the official runs some experiments were made
in making the circle. At fall speed the complete
circle was made in 5 min. 10 sec., the rudder being
brought over to an angle of 35 deg. by three men
with 31 turns of the wheel. At half-speed the com-
plete circle was made in 5 min. 29 sec. With the
helm hard a port, the half circle was made in 2 min.
39 sec., and with the helm hard a starboard the half
circle was accomplished in 2 min. 23 sec., the rudder
in each case being over at an angle of 30 deg., and
the diameter of the circle being about three times
the vessel's length. At half speed, with the helm
a port, the half circle was made in 2 min, 40 sees.,
and with the helm at starboard in 2 min. 53 secs.,
with three men at the wheel, the rudder, which was
atan angle of 301 deg., being brought over in three
turns. The engines from full speed were stopped
dead in 13 secs. from the word being given from the
bridge, and when going astern the engines were
stopped in 3 sees., and turned ahead in 3 secs.
From full speed ahead the engines were stopped and
started astern in 40 secs. The experiments, which
were watched by the officials with the keenest
interest, were considered very satisfactory,
and under more favourable circumstances of
wind, (Pc 3,, it is confidently stated that the vessel
will make at least another knot per hour. The
boilers generated a full supply of steam, and not the
slightest appearance of hot bearings was indicated.
The engines, which were under the superintendence
of Mr. Ravenhill, the head of the firm, worked with
the greatest smoothness and regularity, and the
diagrams of the expansion cards were exceedingly
favourable. During the trials the average tempe-
rature was 82 deg. in the engine room, 92 deg. in
the afterstokehole, and 94 deg. in the forward stoke-
hole. At the termination of the trials yesterday
afternoon the Salamis returned to Chatham harbour
to await orders from the Admiralty.
The iron screw frigate Tamar, 2,800 tone, 500
horse power, was yesterday removed frcm Chatham
harbour, and placed in the steam basin at Sheerness,
to be brought forward for immediate commission.
A second trial of the armour plates supplied by
Messrs. Petin, Gaudet, and Co., of France, to our
Board of Admiralty, through Mr. Begbio, of Man -
sion-bouse-place, took place at Portsmouth on Wed-
nesday, and the results then obtained, together with
a subsequent inspection of the plates, prove the two
tried on Wednesday to be even inferior in their
shot-resisting powers to the two previously tried in
company with the Millwall plate. On Wednesday
Messrs. John Brown and Co. sent a plate 15 ft. Gin.
in length by
3ft. inin. In width, and 51in. in thick-
ness, for trial with the French plates, but not
to compete with them. It was built up in a
peculiar manner of cold blast and charcoal iron,
according to a plan laid before the firm, but
the theory of the plate's construction has
long been known to be unsound, and the result
was, as had been anticipated, another failure
among many. Notwithstanding its failure, how-
ever, as a merely experimental plate, it has received
a higher official classification than either of the
French manufactured plates. Messrs. Petin and
Gaudet's two plates were of the following diroen-
siena—The first way I.sft 71a in length by :I ft 41a