The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-20 00:00:00

_,..~

THE AUST.RIAN SORBW

FRIGATE RADETSKY.

This splendid screw steam-fri:Tate, built by Messrs.
Wigrarn, left Greenbithe yesterday morning fur Trieste.
'The crew attached to this vessel consists of 200 men and
24 officers, and are under the command of Captain Josef
JuliOs Schmidt.

It may not be uninteresting; to state bow the crew of
this vessel is composed. In the first place, the captain
is a German gentleman of great affluence, and has been
35 years in the service, for, besides serving on the seas,
he is colonel in the Austrian army on land, and wears
two crosses, showing that he has done some service for
his country. The crew is composed of an equal number
of Au.trians, Italians, and Illyrians. The system em-
ployed in selecting them in that country is by lot, with-
out distinction to rank or fortune, so that the present
ship's company consists of—even the common sailors—
members of families of high distinction. Those who are
drawn for tare obliged to continue for four years in
the service, after which they are allowed to return or
continue as volunteers in the same service. The effect of
this is that although a strict discipline is maintained
among the crew and officers, the most friendly feeling
exists between both.
The vessel is fitted up with all the recent improve-
ments, and the engines were manufactured by Messrs.
Mandslay, of Lambeth. The cabins and saloons of the
vessel are most gorgeously fitted up
and appointed, and
are, in point of elegance, equal to any ship that has ever
left the port of London.
It having been ordered that a set of the patent fire-
annihilating machines should be placed in the ship incase
of the outbreak of fire during the voyage, it appears a
private trial of the machines took place at Erith previous
to the vessel taking her departure, principally for in-
structing the crew in applying the machines in case of
an accident by fire occurring, The trial took place in
the experimental grounds of the Annihilator Company,
near the railway station. A tank, 50 feet long and 5
feet wide, was filled with tar and in the presence of ,
Captain Schmidt, two of his officers, and 12 of the crew,
the whole of the inflammable contents of the tank was
set on fire. For a second or so, nothing but one im-
mense volume of black smoke could be seen, which
e
showed that no small body of fire was beneath. In less
than a minute a huge sheet of flame rose through the
smoke considerably higher than any housetop in the
o nwhich
to hisap shriepd, to appeared
every one
aset°nrishth appearede "
Ptain
naneidghabllouwrhhooobl,el-
ge
to doubt that the machines, however powerful, would be
able to subdue so vast a body of fire. The firemen be.
longing to the Annihilator Company went forward with
a single machine, and instantaneously discharged the
vapour upon the flames, and at once extinguished them.
The tar was relighted, when the flame rose as high as
before, when two machines were used, handled by one
of the sailors and an engineer, under the direction of
the company's men, and the flame was quickly subdued.
The fire was lighted a third time, and the crew of the
ship, by means of a single machine, extinguished the
flames in as brief a space as on the first occasion.
At the conclusion of the experiments, Capt. Schmidt
expressed to Mr. Curtis, the secretary of the company,
his thanks for the trouble he had taken, and in conclu-
sion remarked that he shoull never fear having the corn-
t mand of any vessel at sea, even if on fire, with such
powerful appliances at hand.

THE CLIPPER-SHIP RED JACKET.

Much interest and curiosity were manifested last May,
it wig be remembered, as to the relative sailing merits
of the clipper-ships Red Jacket and Lightning, and '
numerous wagers were made by the friends of the re-
spective "crack " ships, that they would go out in
less than 70 days. The Red Jacket has performed
her task admirably, having arrived at her anchor-
age at Mtlbourne in 69 days 11 tours and 15 minutes.
of which she was under sail only 67 days 13 hours, and
we feel assured that the homeward passage would
have been made in the same, or even less time, had
she not, unfortunately, fallen .in with large masses
of ice off - Cepa Horn, which materially interfered
with her progress. The qualities of the Lightning
have yet to be ascertained, her run out not offer-
ing a fair comparison, ' and we feel confident .
that' she will recover her prestige for speed on the trip
home. A brief review of the log of the Red Jacket may
not prove uninteresting to our nautical readers. The
Red Jacket left the 31.easevon the 4th of May, tat
one p.m., in tow 'off a.: steaMetug, which asccoroplineed
her as Ihr as the Old - Heada-- of Kinsale, when- she
cast ~f r, and all sail was put on the versal, the wind
blowing strong ; from the 9th of May to the atone
time the ensuing month easterly winds generally
prevailed, the weather being sultry and , calm ;
on the 10th' of June the wind veered round -to
the southward and westward, fresh breeze, which
continued until the 19th, when it again changed to the
eastward, with light and moderate weather, which con-
tinued until the 25th, when the weather, which had
hitherto been very agreeable and fine, became the reverse,
the wind being strong from the N.W., with alternately
rain, hail, and sleet, the fore part of the ship at one
time, on the 29th of June, being covered With ice,
and the thermometer at 19 degrees, with very strong
gales, wind strong, and heavy squalls ; from the 3d of
July to the 12th, N.N.W. winds were encountered, the
ship during that time making wonderful progress, ave-
raging about 350 miles per diem ; at 10.50 p.m., on the
12th, King's Island was made, and at 10.50 a.m., on
the 13th she crossed the bar in charge of Captain Reed,
thereboing no pilots out, though he obtained one shortly
afterwards inside the heads, ar d at 12.25 p.m. came to
an anchor. From the time the steam tug left her until
noon on the 12th, she ran 1507 miles, average 150 2.10;
during the ensuing ten days, namely, to the 22d, she
made 1,619 miles, average 161 9-10 ; from the 23d May
to the sth June she accomplished 1,677 miles, average
167 7-10; from the 6th to the 15th June 1,809 miles,
average 180 9-10; from the 16th to the 25th 2,236 miles,
average 223 6-10 ; from the 26th June to the sth July,
she ran 2,662 miles, average 266 2.10 ; and from the
6th of July until the 12th, 2,285 miles, average 326 3.7
miles. pu the 3d of July she ran 312 miles during the
24 hours ; 4th, 300 miles ; sth, 28S miles ; 6th, 400
miles ; 7th, 299 miles ; Btb, 350 miles ; 9th, 357 miles;
10th, 334 miles ; 11th, 2545ana., iul,eys
e;satenrddsoyn, tphaessisel,etv24dhe3t
seventh,
:eh.
thm,
Holy-
head, y17re.d.4:7
covered 300 miles ; the passage
.from the Rock Light-
house to Port Philip Heads having occupied the brief
space of 69 days, 11 hours, and 15 minutes, sail being •
on the ship only 67 days, 13 hours. The total dis-
tance logged was 13,880 miles, which gives an average
of 205/ miles per day during the whole of the passage.
From 17.45 E. to Port Philip Heads, a distance of
5,579 miles, she was only 19 days, 15 hours, giving an
average per diem of 2841 miles. The above astonish-
ing passage is, beyond doubt, the speediest ever
made between this country and the Antipodes, and
exalts the Red Jacket to the first place on the list of
clipper-ships sailing between this country and Australia.
On the homeward trip the Red Jacket has again eclipsed
everyt'uing, though scarcely equalling her run out,
which may be easily accounted for in this manner—
having lost some time in the ice, and being compelled
to shorten sail and heave to to insure her safety. She
weighed at anchor at 1 p.m. on the let of August, and
at 1 45 p.m. was towed from Hobson's Bay by the
steamers 'Washington and Hercules, in charge of a pilot,
but came to anchor again at 6 p.m. above the
lightship, where she remained until 6 a m. on the 2d,
when she again tripped anchor and proceeded ; crossed
the bar at 10.30 a.m., and discharged steamer and pilot
at 11.30 a.m., set all sail, and passed between Custis Island
and Kent's Group ; and at 3.30 a m. en the 3d, was clear
of all, with a stiff south-west breeze. From that time until
the 17th, she encountered variable weather, with
southerly and westerly winds, and hail, snow, and
sleet ; at 11 a.m. on the 18th saw a large island, about
three miles and a-half long, high in the centre, and gra-
dually sloping to the east and west ends, covered with
snow, and, from its formation and the absence of
ice islands, concluded it was land ; during the ensuing
six days had fresh and steady north-west winds, the
ship carrying all sail ; on the 24th, at 5 a.m., fell
in with closely packed field of ice, and, after great diffi-
culty, got through at' noon, with considerable damage
to stem and copper ; at 7.40.p.m. next day she again
fell in with the ice, and hove to for daylight, and at 11
a.m. on the 26th cleared it ;at 9 p.m. same day short- •
ened sail, and proceeded under easy canvas, with every •
indication of ice; at 7 a.m. on the 27th fell in with
large masses of broken icebergs, and cleared them at
11 a.m. ; at 8 p.m. same day shortened sail for ,the
night, in the course of which and 'following day
passed a large number of icebergs ; from that time
up to the 15th of Septembersic:instibiE,lout,i
continuing,
:dexperienced g eenebl.a-11. 7
fresh winds, ship carrying all sail
from
witht.l calms,
of September the wind was vatiablea,
the 22d the
the ship making very poor progress ; o
-wereh
h‘.iluldi
noi ib,nvtpiatrihno veade dcah,aecaehrniddnagywf
.tticffi 1 atsiN,
e.
li.9.E.chvih.enrabsestretezte;ehz
aeboyenift,oitlterdhrt
fortunately
ala3tutalthlbtyes
.
with clear weather,
following
el;s, e wind ()um
passed"a..l.lnng.,dy several
p tehceas
a' i Lriv'el
bore
N.. .
light
, aanndd S
took.NV.. ;p
pilot t on board
3760 ff 0 rtn he ad at 8 a.m.
Her greatest distance run was miles on the 14th
of August, with a stiff W.N.W.W gale and high sea,
and lowest on the 18th of September, when she
only logged 31 miles. During the first seven days she
ran 1,61 S miles, thus averaging 221 I.7th miles per
diemL 3; miles, second,
average2,j7l miles,2s 4 5-a7v2teh2la; g
1e.73t1h0; fourth,l
B,ooasverarailgees,2a3v7e6rag76_,,'
average 205 3.7 th ; fisafihetr,halg;l,e6ll.sl
eighth,s mile
from Port Philip Heads to:tehe
' n 1 ,i 321 sixth,:l2 '4lB.7st'eh6ra;
miles, g eanvi miles,ule:roha67 49
RagovecekraLgeighlt:h6a;ditsetanutho:
until her arrival, ei.47ml29illessativtehra; and from Friday last
of 14,863 miles, was thus made in 7232/
average of 202 • i miles per day. From the Heads to
Cape Horn, 5,572 miles, the run only occupied 21 days,
averaging 265/ miles per day ; and from the Heads
6ray'rs,
geivpiansgsnane
to this side of the Equator, 10,243 miles, 42 days,
an average of 244 miles. The Red Jacket circumnavi-
gated the globe in 62 days 22 hours • thus, on June 11,
she was in long. 26 25 W., and on September 2, at noon,
attained the long, of 26 W., having run, by observation,
the total distance of 15,991 miles, and averaging fully
01 knots per hour, or 253 miles per day.

LIVUT. 12EART OF THE46-:-T11:---- A. petition, entrusted to
Mr. J. H. Parrett, of 1, King-street, Dover, is now in
course of signature here, having for its object a memo-
rialising of the Queen that the whole of the proceeding*
coofntiiiieactteodfliwceirthothheis court-martiallortue ruposi
tioonn. Lwrieeeto.
bPs earvrry.
Imhaart
be laid before the judges, with a view to the restoration
the names of the Mayor of Dover and two of the magis
trates are attached to the petition, and we are reminded
that Thursday next is the day
memorial, so that those concurring in the step must
axed for despatching the
avail themselves of- an early opportunity of attaching
their signatures.—Dorcr Telegraph.