Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-02-16
The TENNESSEE
Description Of the Ship aud Her Fitness for
Sea - Reasons Why She Should
Net Yet be Heard FFsm.
r-0m thu Nav York Herald I

From the New York Herald
As there seems to be some uneasi-
ness about the steamship Tennessee,
with the San Domingo Commissioners
on board, a short description of the
vessel and the opinion Of high naval
authority here concerning her viii be
OF interest TO the public. The Ten
nessee was formerly the MadaWaska,
and was built as a fast ship to over
take the swift blockade runners. She
went on her trial trip, under the COM
mand Of Commander Rowe, on Jam
uary II, 1867. She went as iar
as the Gull stream, and was
out about six and a half days,
during Jour days OF which she Wasln
series of hurricanes and heavy Dl0WS,
had all her sails blown out OF the bolt
ropes, and her hull was subjected TO a
severe test; she made no water, how
ever, but shipped a good many seas,
being too low in the water and an
. ogenedecked ship. Her engine per-
formed well, and she made sixteen
. knots with all her boilers, and thirteen
. knots with her four main boilers,
. which she now has in her. She had,
on her late equipment, a spar-deck
nut on her and a light bulWark above
it, which very much strengthens her;
gave her ample accommodation for
her officers and crew, and would, ia 9
gale, keep the water tcOm coming
on board. 1t was found on her trial
trip in 1867 that she vas not proper
Nv spared, and this defect was
remedied by changing the posi-
ton of her masts and giving her more
sail. She was a very strong snip,
with IiVe-Oak frame, and dOubly
strengthened by putting the spar-deck
on her: therefore there is no reason to
apprehend that any serious accident
NAV have happened to her. She may
have broken some parts of her ma
chinery and been obliged to make her
Wav under sail, which she might ac-
cOmplish in about sixteen days. She
intended to stop at SANTANA Bay,
where they would likely be detained
five or six days coaling ship, as there
are very poor facilities for getting coal
on board. If she steamed all the way
out. twO-thirds Of the time she would
likely have head winds. Her engines
were not doing very well when she
left the harbor, as she was not max
ing more than eight knots, while,
with the same boilers, as ap-
pears by Commander R0We's re-
port, she made thirteen in smooth wa
ter and ten and q half in head sea and
head wind. She carried about twelve
days coal, moderate steaming, and as
the commander may have anticipated
trouble in getting coal, and as there
was no great necessity for haste, as
the expedition could not get back un-
til Congress adjourned, he may have
concluded to get along under sail
alone. The distance from New York
to SANTANA Bay is about sixteen hun
dred miles, which, at seven knots an
hour on a direct course, would make
1853 miles a day, and thus it would
take at least nine days to make the
voyage. Five days at SANTANA,
two days at St. Domingo City
and six days to Havana, sup
posing a steamer was ready
to 90 right of and carry the news,
and twenty-five days is the shortest
time she could be heard from under
favorable circumstances. 1t is now
twenty-five days since she sailed and
ifthere should happen to be nOsteam-
er stopping at San Domingo City, or
if the steamer should stop at Other
ports to take in passengers and mails,
it would be some days later before
the Tennessee could be heard from,
certainly not before the 18th of this
month. On the whole, there seems
to be no ground for apprehension nor
no real foundation for the rumOrs
that prevail concerning her.