The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-26 00:00:00

TRIAL OF THE RESISTANCE.

The official trial of speed of this frigate, the fourth of
our iron ships in commission, took place yesterday at the
measured mile in Stokes Bay, near Portsmouth, with both
full and half power, end was attended with the most satis-
factory results. Captain Broadhead, commanding the re-
serve at Portsmouth, who conducted the trials of the War-
rior, Black Prince, and Defence, yesterday also conducted
the trial of the Resistance. The other officials on board
consisted of Mr. G. Murdoch, inspector of machinery
afloat, and Mr. Ward, assistant to Mr. Murray, the chief
engineer of Portsmouth Dockyard and Steam Factory.
Mr. Holliday represented the makers of the engines,
Messrs. Penn and Son. The ship was under weigh by half-
past 10, drawing 23ft. 9in. of water forward and 26f. aft., a
little more by the stern than her sister ship, the Defence,
drew on her trial, her draught of water on that occasion
having been 25ft. sin. aft and 24ft. 3in, forward. A run out
was first made as far as the Nab light vessel to secure the
anchor and clear the fires, after which she was taken to the
trial-ground to commence her runs at the mile with full
boiler power, The weather promised in the early part of
the day to be of a very unfavourable character, but by the
time the ship had reached the mile the wind had consider-
ably moderated, and the day eventually turned out un-
usually fine for the time of the year, and therefore favour-
able for developing the speed of the ship to its fullest ex-
tent. In making the runs to the westward the wind was
on the ship's port bow, and on the returning run to the east•.
ward on her starboard quarter. The six runs with full
power were made with the following results --

Speed in - Revolutions
Time. Knots. Steam. Vacuum. of Engines.
Min. Sec. Forward Aft.
1 .... 4 58 12.080 20 24 .. 23f 67
2 .... 5 17 11.356 fy f) • • 9,68 f
3 .... 4 43 12.721 „ „ ~ 68
4 .... 5 39 10.619 „ „ „ 68f
4 33 13.186 „ „ 67i
6 '.;.. „5.1 , 10.256 . „ „ 68
Mean speed of the six runs, 11.832 knots.

Run

With half-boiler power, two runs were made as follows :
Speed in Revolutions
Knots. Steam. Vacuum. of Engines.

Time.
Min. Sec.
1 .... 5 6 11.764 201 b. 27
2 .... 641 . 8.9.77 )9 1,
Mean speed of the two, 10.370 knots.
These results give the Resistance a superiority of speed over
the Defence, both vessels being of precisely the same build
and dimensions, with engines manufactured from the same
patterns—at full power at a quarter of a knot, and at half
power of no less than 1.315 knots, the latter a very impor-
tant gain. At the close of the runs at the measured mile
the ship took several runs through Spithead to get up her
steam again to full power, when she was tested in making
circles to port and starboard, the two experiments having
the following results :—With helm hard a-starboard, the
rudder was hove over to an angle of 24/ degrees in 40
seconds, with 31 turns of the wheel ; the half-circle made
in 3 minutes and 11 seconds, and the full circle completed
in 6 minutes and 19 seconds, the revolutions of the engines
being 591. With helm hard a-port the rudder was hove
over to an angle of 241 degrees full in 38 seconds, with 3a
turns of the wheel ; the half-circle made in 3 minutes 17
seconds, and the full circle completed in 6 minutes 35
seconds, the revolutions of the engines being 59. The
angles of the rudder obtained are very remarkable,as show-
ing a greater power of wheel and tiller over the rudder than
has ever yet been experienced in any of our large screw
ships. This increased power is obtained by a simple altera-
tion and addition to the wheel on a plan suggested by Mr.
Robinson, assistant-master shipwright of Sheerness Dock-
yard, by which the.spindle of the wheel is sufficiently pro-
longed to receive an additional wheel to the ordinary two,
thus gaining great additional force with the tiller ropes.
The tiller is a long massive piece of forged iron, standing
out from the rudderhead fore and aft the ship, with a curve
from the rudderhead to give it play round the screw well,
and working over a quadrant which gives the angles .of the
rudder. So long as rudderheads, gudgeons, and pintles stand
this application of immense power to rudderheads may
answer in getting the rudders of our screw ships hard over
when required, but an application of steam power below
the water line would be far more simple, efficacious, and
free from all danger of accident. In testing the action of
the machinery, and the control which could be possessed
over its working by the engineer, the engines were stopped
dead from full speed in 19 seconds from the time of moving
the telegraph to give the order, were started again in 9
seconds, and when again at full speed were stepped and
turned astern in 20 seconds. The indicated horse power of
the engines was 2,372, or nearly four times their nominal
power. The propeller, like those of the other iron ships,
is an improved Griffiths, or 18 feet diameter, and with a
pitch of 21 feet, having an immersion of its upper edge of
7 feet. The temperatures were :--
Aft
Engine- Fore
stokehole.
room. Stokehole. 128
At 11 o'clock 91 .. 110 ." 138
At 11.30 9B
.. 131 . 138
At 12 - 142
At 12.30 96
.• 132 • • 146
At 1
• • ~. into the fore stoke-
Under the cowl which admitted the ..“
hole the temperature stood at 100 deg.*,
the 11th of April from
The Resistance was launched o:rd, near Millwall. She
Messrs. Westwood and Bailliths Y
has
a breadth of 54 feet,
is 292 feet in her extreme lengthy has
fret, and is of 3,668 tons,
a depth from her spar deck
Her
rig,
like her form of hull, is
builders'
precisely the same as the,_re and main topgallant yards on
she carries in additioniiircue
certainly z I improve her ap e
sliding plater PolaEhowr armament she carries
townott) upper
deck greatly aloft.diar pivot Armstrong guns,
deck two 110-Peun4o 32-pounder smooth bores of 45Lunt.",
6 Armstrong field-piece and smooth-bore
der Armstrongs,
ander
besides a 12-Pci-bont service. On her Main deck she carries
tress Piece°, —11:r throwing 681 b. shot, and four 110-pounder
tie cwt.TSon sliding carriages with directing bars. The
Arme ge,
appearance of her decks and their arrangements are
.„„eraj sp.
°
all that the most fastidious t in such matters could desire. AMERICAN DISTINCTIONS.--The Yankees are a
with an utter absence of all useless ornamentation, wonderful people. They have the fastest trotting horses
everything is in splendid order, and has more the a ear- and the lightest waggons, the largest hotels and the tallest
ante of being the result of continued exertions during pap two drinks, the cheapest and most scurilous newspapers, the
years' commission instead of being only of as many months. most disgraceful bankruptcies, tiler most corrupt olitical
The ship in her
obbing, and, to crown all, the biggest l warP in the
equipment carries two things on board j
which are seldom found on board ship—the electric tole- world. They go the whole hog in everything and think
graph and gas. The former has been fitted on a plan that little of spending two millions of dollars a day' as they pre"-
was worked for many months on board the Wonga steamer, bably would of paying them when they come to be due, re-
running between Sydney and Melbourne, under the super- pudiation being a favourite method of a in
ld debts
intendence of Mr. Gilmore, formerly commander of the when they are found I)
y - o
troublesome and pressing, Even the
Wonga. In the Resistance it forms a communication English language has been remodelled on the other side of
between the fore and after bridges, and by the officer of the the Atlantic, and the style of Bennet and Barnum is a de-
Wofe owe
watch at sea moving a handle on a dial plate a needle in a cided improvement on that of Swift and Addison.
vcaeu, csucs) :übpub.no-:
case hanging in front of the quarter-master at the wheel some of our finest words to the taste and ingenuity
points to the signal wished to be given, starboard port, or Yankee cousins—such as IBoocofilohte:soloceaxptiroesain,
steady, as required. The whole arrangement is very kuM, stampede, sockdologer, and last, but not least, sire-
to describe the recent strategic
simple, end cannot well be misunderstood, either by the da4cllo-- a delicious word,
officer working the handle ion the foreword bridgi or the nious, and so admirably fitted man at the wheel, The gas is manufactured from oil, movements of the Federal army' They advanced from
on Mr. cineney.s plan. The gasometer is on the upper deck,
Washington to Richmond, and they have now
betwoou skedaddled
the boom boats and before the main hatchway, in from Richmond back to Washingtone—Zdinborgh Conran
1

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