New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-10-24
THE BALTIMORES HORSEPOWER.
REASONS FOR THE INACCURATE REPORTS THAT
SHE MADE 1o3Oo-FINDING OF THE
TRIAL, BOARD.


Washington, Oct 23-It Is only natural that the
criticism against the Navy Department and the
board Of officers which conducted the recent trial
of the cruiser Baltimore should some
Of the officers feel offended. 1t is also natural
that the opinion should prevail that these charges of
ignorance and worse, inspired by the friends
Of Messrs. Cramp &c Son. Tho official trial of the
Baltimore took place September ii, just a year
from tho day first set for her to be launched. The
report sent to the newspapers on the day following
gave a semoNcla statement that the vessel had made
a maximum speed of 20 Is knot and developed
more than 10000 horsepower witch, had this been
true, would have given the builders moro than
O0O00 I'm premiums. This statement was given to
the Associated Press, and based upon statement
made by Commander Glass, a member Of the trial
board 10 Secretary Tracy. To quote his words, ne
said The average horsepower maintained during
the four hours was probably as much, II not more
than 10000 but the exact figures cannot be obtained
until the computations finished. This is 1000
above the contract requirement Of 90O0 and Will en-
title the builders to premium Of 100000"
1t was on the strength of this report that Secretary
Tracy sent the following dispatch to ex-Secretary
whitney
Permit me to congratulate you on the magnificent
performance OF the Baltimore.
The computations having since been made by the
board Of expert engineers, entirely different results are
shown which promise no financial good whatever to the
builders These computations show that the vessel
made less than 1900 horse power or In exact hgres
so77. ss. This means actual loss to the buuders
OF 20 212 in penalties for not reaching the required
horse mower And now the officers of the board are
being charged with incompetence and worse things.
One Of the officers Of the Department gave your cor
respondent statement which explains the situation
He said:
The blame for this misunderstanding lies with those
who made these scmi-Oflicial statements beioN th9G
A. ho1b WOrlnl
before the indicators had been retested ana parncu-
larry Of two indicators which the Cramps had put on
the ship and which showed great errors when they
were testei can perhaps make this more comprehen
siye by detailed explanation; Al OF me
vessels are made especially for the Bureau OF steam
Engineering Before using them they are careiully
tested and adjusted and then Pack0 cr tSey have
been used they packed away again ana TAKEN %
the New York Navy Yard to be retesed for allowance
of errors In the trial Of the Baltimore two OF tnese
indicators became doranged and We replaced them
with two furnished by the Cramps to the ship In mes
were new and had not been tested by us IN any way,
The cards taken from them showed eight to ron
pounds more steam pressure than tho gauges mn .i
Gated and as the engineers had not worked out the
correction for them they could not calculate the
on The dav before the official trial the Cramps had
worked the en- glnes half hour at full speed song
side of the dock. They were carrying ABOUT 10.
10 tIc MAXIMUM speci Tire rough estimate by The
engineers showed about 10000 horsepower but tht
Cramps afterward gave a moro liberal estimate
10 500 horse power on the day Of the official trial
when the engines were making 118 revolutions PEI
minute, the remark was made NOW S snes rasnordoS
& She's making 10000 good" But this was baset
upon the REVOLUTIONS OF the Sic tReS w
found that the horse-powc was consideraoly oeiov
The estimate made atS Sn as oT eeng 81 s Here ar
the official figures Pressure OF steam at boilers ~
pounds pressure 90 st IS eng 5nS ryoons pc
minute I18; initial horse power, s,977.so' speed
l"' yo1 as 70 her maximum speed of 90 Is knots
There is much doubt about It in Wow OF the fact ina
the patent log used was made Tor ~ KNOTS peer o
and az a speed Of 10 or 10 knots no patent log cav
he deucndcA upon. The true way to get AT the spec
Is TO run over the measured mile ,u,,...ous ,,so,
nm tho trial in anticipation OF another trial In FAC
they have arranged with secretary Tracy w ~ ~
her. NAV he no doubt whatever about tho ACCURACY
81 the indicators used. II has been agreed that me;
e1oam Caupr COMPANY and by the naval engineer
| nj the New-York Yard both before ana auer IN
trial so that each Indicator viii be submitted 10 lou
sanarat q tests The mean of these tests VIII the
he talen as giving the necessary CORRECTION for insWu
monfs The question as 10 who should bear the OK
ncrec nj The trials has been settled by agrecmen
that the Government will pay for me hrst trlal ~.
tho contractors for the last Ihe engines an O%
worked sp'cndldy during the trial, with the eycepI3
m aLout three quarters Of an hour, during which IN
boilers nrimcd because OF the mixing OF SAT- wa,er WI
the fresh To remedy this az me new tila III LII \
water will he carried f. the hull compartments 10 max
up deficiencies II is also proposed 10 give Tb
viii probably result In slower speed but may ouaoi
the CONTRACTORS to got an increased horse power .,
| The baltimore was built upon plans designed 10
II Cruiser No or FOR the Spanish Government an
drawn by W. II. White, Chief Naval t9nNtruC'oo .
! OF the British Navy II provided that the engine
should develop 1880 horse power under force
draft but Spain concluded 10 build the Rcina Regenia
n vessel OF larger displacement ard the other pan
were purchased by Secreia AIRY whitney The SecTetar
consented that the horsepower requirements Nigh
he reduced 1000. with the view. he said,
| encourage American builders and give them NOR
protection against loss and margin Of profit IN N
I,av OF premiums. Hence II the American builder
had done what the British builders had guaranteed
the Spanish Government TO do tho builders OF IN
! baltimore would have got a profit of $4,000
premiums alone.