The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1889-06-13
THE CRUISER CHARLESTON,
she Encounters atHeavy storm on
aSs4. Her Trial. Trip.

trip about $3.50 p. M, on Tuesday,
May 9Th, making under easy steam
during the last portion of the trip q
little more than fourteen knots per
hour. The cruiser left Mission rock,
San Francisco bay, at 5:48 o'clock
that morning under cloudless sky.
The scene presented on the deck of
the cruiser was in sharp contrast to
the smart appearance Of an Ameri-
can man-of-war in commission. She
had pig-iron bars in sufficient num-
Der to represent the weight of the
powerful guns. The brass ratings
and mountings lacked polish, while
great portion of the wood and
metal work was covered with tar
paulins for protection. On the berth
deck sleeping accommodation had
been improvised for those on board.
Apart from these features, which
had no bearings upon the working
capacity of the cruiser, she was in
readiness to attempt the duty assign
ed her of developing 1000 horse
power by her two compound engines
for four consecutive hours, more
severe test, it is claimed, than any
to which ships of war are usually
subjected in making a test Of power
and speed. The cruiser was in COM
mand of Captain Charles M. Good
all. The official inspection board of
United States naval officers consisted
of Commodore A. Z. X. Benham,
Commander Henry Glass, Naval
Constructor Joseph Feaster, Lieu
tenant E. F. Qualtrough and Chief
Engineer r. L. Harris. Naval Con-
structor Fernald, who supervised
the building of the Charleston; the
inspecting corps of engineers con-
sisting of Chief Engineers f. J.
Hoffman and Z. I. Warburton, As
sistant Engineers j. N. Hollis, G.
w. McElroy, j. NJ. Pickrell, c. w.
Disson, L. w. Kinkaid, w. S. Smith
and H. L. Leonard; representatives
Of the Union Iron Works, and
several naval officers in semi-official
capacity, were also on board.
After her compasses had been
satisfactorily adjusted, the Charles
ton at 8 o'clock headed down the
bay, the Union Jack flying at the
fore, while the American ensign was
hoisted aft. A strong southwest
wind had been blowing, and the
rolling waves on the bar, capped
with white, gave full notice that the
cruiser was to receive a rough bap-
tism. The engines had been gagged
to forty revolutions, which served to
press the ship steadily forward into
the sea, which was coming almost
directly head on, the waves rising
higher and coming with increasing
violence, besides breaking forward.
The water began to come over the
starboard side Of the main deck.
The cruiser held steadily on, rolling
very little, but dipping down sharply
after rising on big wave, lifting hel
stern high in the air, and during the
toughest portion of the passage bott
screws at various stages were com
pletely out of the water. This
rough passage occupied nearly ar
hour. Her head being turned 10.
ward the south, she finally rode Out
to sea, and the naval officers were
free TO say that the Charleston haG
behaved handsomely, and that the
test had been severe one in the
matter of her staunchness. Con
structor Fernald remarked that in
ten years service she would proba.
bly, not encounter a rougher sea OF
be subjected to a severer test as te
her structural sea-going qualities.
From 10 o'clock until O'Clock il
the afternoon the engines were
allowed to exhibit little more power
and the cruisers progress indicated
an even speed of eleven knots.
When off Santa Cruz the engines
were slowed down ON account of q
slight tendency to heating shown by
the cross-head of one of the high.
pressure cylinders and were finally
stopped to put shin under tn,
cross-head to relieve the tendency
The engines were again started at
o'clock in the afternoon, and were
run steadily to Santa Barbara, at
gradual increase of speed, without
showing further heating.
The engineers report shows tina
in the run from San Francisco t,
Santa Barbara not journal or pi1
showed heat, the engines had rul
smoothly and without jar, and
with the one exception noted, to tn
entire satisfaction of the contractor
and government engineer. The air
pump vacuum remained steadily a
~ inches during the run. Durin,
the four hours run from off Poin
Bench to Point Conception, ending
at 8 O'Clock, the speed of the cruise
averaged ID $40 knots an hour
From Point Conception to SAINT
Barbara the engines were maintaine,
at a steadily-increasing speed, an,
the cruiser exhibited maximum