The morning news., 1889-05-10
THE CHARLESTON'S TRIAL
THE TRIP MADE WITH WAVE
BREAKING OVER HER DECKS.

| "HO AoSV GOEblOu Oh 16r 1Tlp-4 ne
Stanchness of the Vessel Consid-
cred Satisfactorily Demonstrated.
SANTA BARBARA, CAL, May 9.-The
United States cruiser, Charleston, arrived
here for her trial trip last evening, making,
| under easy steam during the last portion of
her trip, little more than fourteen knots
| per hour. The cruiser left Mission Rock, in
San Francisco bay. at 5:4S o'clock, Tuesday
morning. In the circular bulwarks fore
and aft, where the S-inch rifled guns are to
find position, and in the sponsons for the
accommodation of the 6-inch guns,
were piled pig iron bars in
sufficient number to represent the weight
| OF her powerful gum. The brass ratings
and mountings lacked polish, while gr eat
portion OF the wood and metal work was
| covered with tarpaulin for protection.
Lanterns were suspended in the ward
rooms and passage ways for lighting pur-
poses, in lieu Of the electric light plant,
| which is not complete.
WHAT SHE WAS TO TRY TO DO.
Apart from these features, which had no
| bearing upon the working capacity of tie
cruiser, she was in readiness to attempt the
duty assigned her of developing 7,000-horse
| power by her two compound engines for
| four consecutive hours-a more severe test,
| it is claimed, an any to which ships of war
are usually subjected in making a test of
their power and speed The cruiser was in
command OF Capt. Charles NJ Goodall. The
| official inspection board of United States
naval officers insisted of Commodore Ben
ham, Commander Henry Glass, Naval Con-
| Structor Joseph FeaSUer, Lieut.. E. F. Quail
| trough and Chief Engineer Harris. There
| were several representatives of the Union
| Iron Works on board and also Naval Con-
! structor Fernald, United States navy, who
| supervised the construction Of the cruiser
on behalf of the government. The in
| spectlng corps of engineers, acting on be-
half Of the government, to ascertain the
| horsepower of the engines, consisted of
| Chief E gineers F. j. Hoffman and f. r.
! Warburton, Assistant Engineers Hollis,
| McElroy, PickerelI, Disson, Kinkaid, w. s.
Smith and H. L. Leonard. he
| naval contingent was also supple
mented by Capt j. G. Watson, Commander
Others. There were about 100 seamen and
others who were present in semi-of1cial
| capacity. After her c0mpassss had been
satisfactorily adjusted, the Charleston, at
| o'clock, headed down the bay.
A STRONG RUNNING SEA
| A strong southwest wind had been blow
| ing and there were heavy waves on the
bay. She was soon In combat with strong
running sea. The engines had been gauged
to forty revolutions, which served to
press the ship steadily forward Be-
sides breaking forward, the water began
| to come over her starboard side. The
| cruiser held steadily on, rolling very little,
but dipping down sharply after rising on a
| big wave lifting her stern high in the air
| During the roughes5 portion of the passage
both screws at various stages were COM
Ill. .N.I.r e
| passage Commodore Benham, together with
| Capt Watson, vas on the bridge. At
| times spray came over the breaStwork OF
steel rising seven feet above the deck At
| one time the Charlesto took dup into the
| trough of the sea and Immediately pushed
| into second wave, which enveloped all on
| board.
OVER THE BREAsTwoRK.
A comb broke over the breastwork, COW
ering the officers or the bridge and hosting
the brass fanchion on the forward dec out
of position. At almost the same moment a
| wave broke fairly over the sta board 81 de
of the ship, followed by second which
| completely fioated the main deck. She
finally rode out to sea and encoun-
| tered less boisterous seas. The naval
| officers were free to say that the Charleston
| had behaved handsomely, and that the test
had been a severe one IN the matter of her
that in ten yea s. service she would prob
ably not encounter a rougher sea or be sub
iected to a more severe test as to her struc-
tural ssa-gling qualities From 10 o'clock
until l o'clock in the afternoon, the engines
were allowed to exhibit little more power
and the cruisers progress indicated an even
speed of eleven knots.
A HOT CROSS HEAD.
When off Santa Cruz the engines were
slowed down on account of a slight ten
dency to heatiug snown by the cross head
of one of the high pressure cylinders, and
we're finally stopped to put SHIN under
the crosshead to relieve this tendency. The
engines were again started at o'clock in
the afternoon, and were run steadily to
Santa Barbara at gradually increasing
speed without showing further heating
The engineers reports show that
in the run from San Francisco TO Santa
Barbara not Journal or pin showed heat.
The engines had run smoothly and without
Jar, and, with the one exception no ed, to
the entire satisfaction of the contractors
and the government engineers. The air
pump vacuum remained steadily at u
inches during the run. During the four
hours run from Cff Point Benchon to Point
Conception, ending at O'Clock yeSier ay
afternoon, the speed of the cruiser
averaged Is $40 knots per hour.
From Point Conceptiol to Santa Barbara
the engines were maintained at steadily
increa ing speed, and the cruiser exhibited
a maximum speed of fourteen and twelve
hundredths knots per hour during the last
stage Of tho run to thls port. A decision
wi probably be reached to-day as to what
time the four hours run TO te5t tEe engines
will take place
WORK ON THE SAN FRANCISCO.
WASHINGTON, MAY as ere ary Tracy
has extended for four months and four da, S
the time allowed the Ulion Work Of $ a
Francisco in which to complete cruiser No.
(tle san Francisco). This is one Of the
large 4,000-t n cruisers which was con-
tracted for Oct. 81, 1887. at a cost Of ST.
42S,000, and it was 10 be completed Oct. %
next. More than four-tenths Of the
work upon the vessel has been
do and the extension is granted
upon the ground tlat the department
had delayed the delivery Of the working
plans. Al extension Of one year was
sought by the contractors upon plea that
the sub-contractors who were 20 sup
ply the steel had been reniss in delive ing
/ , but the department was obliged TO deny
this application for the reason that it was
not responsible for the delay.
TRIAL OF THE PETREL.
BALTIMORE, May "a private trial trip
of the new government gunboat Petrol,
which was built by the Columbian Iron
Works Of this CITY, was made to-day and
was a success. She vas put under half
soeed, with 100 pounds of steam on, and
a Il. =. "a. 4 .lsasts