The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-23
AN ADMIRABLE VESSEL
Opinion of a Naval Officer who Made Two
Trips in the Dolphin.

Washington Special to Chicago Times
The Times correspondent had conversation
to-day with naval officer who was on the Dol
phn on the occasion of her last trip on Long
Island Sound and her trip ut sea- He said: THE
Dolphin did everything that has ever been ex
pected of her. | wouldn't like anything better
than to 60 around the world in her. On the
sound she made fifteen and ahaf knots az hour
for six hours. She made about fourteen and a
half knots on her sea trip, but she wasn't forced
at all, and according to the letter Of the Secre-
tary she not required to show her greatest
speed. You remember that in calling for sea
trial of the Dolphin the Secretary said he would
not require her to show speed Of fifteen knots
He wanted simply to know how she would act at
sea under ordinary crcums tances and speed of
twelve knots would be sufficient. We found
that John Roach not intending to run her
over twelve knots, but we told him that he ought to
get higher rate out Of her, lest the newspapers
should say she could not run over twelve knots
at sea. She made about fourteen and half
knots, starting off at siXty-two revolutions and
coming IN at sixty eight. There was no attempt
to force the draft; the fires were worked with
the natural draft There was ONLY a gang of
stokers on hoard. They worked from 4 in the
morning till 10 at night. 1t was pretty tough on
them. and of course they couldn't feed the fires
rs fast though fresh men were set to work
from time 10 time. If she were in commission
and at sea there would be reiefs of stokers. and
of course the fires would be kept up better.
What the Dolphin did on the Sound she can do
at sea in all ordinary weather. She can make
fifteen knots an hour all the way
from New York to Aspinwall 1t is all
nonsense about her being weak. We made a
careful calculation Of the location of the greatest
strain and the most strength-the spot where
any weakness would show in the sprn.ing of
the plates or the cracking of the cement After
the trip we found not single evidence of weak
ness. There wasn't a crack in the cement nor
the slightest trace of anything working loose
As to the vibration, I'll give you an idea Of what
it amounted to. Both in the Sound and sea
trips glass of water filled till the water stood
in bead above the edge of the glass was placed
on the STERN where the vibration is the strongest
On the Sound trip there wasn't motion enough
to carry a drop of water over the edge of the
glass. On the sea trip there was triie Of
water split by the rolling of the ship. The
water was as smooth as mill pond the sur
face, but there slight swell that rolled the
ship six seven degrees. The board ap-
pointed 20 supervise the sea trial consisted of
Captain Belknap Lieutenant Commander Evans
and Mr. Herman Winter. Not one of them had
with anything like SO large engines in her. con
sequenlly none Of them had any idea of how
much vibration to expect. The amount Of vibra-
ton is no test of strength anyway A ship
that Is oVerstrung will sometimes vibrate more
than ship that is weak. But the DOLPHIN has
about one and half horse power of engine to
every ton of displacement Mr.. Winter never
went to sea, and the two naval officers associated
with him never sailed ship that had the
DolpLins ratio of power TO displacement
have been on some of the high powered ships of
foreign navies, and the vibration of the Dolphin
was nothing i'll comparison"