The Washington critic., 1889-05-09
ApEcIpEp SUCCESS.
The Trial Trip of the Charleston sat
isfactory In Every Way.

isfactory In Every Way.
The trial trip of the United States
cruiser Charleston was decided sue
cess. The vessel behaved admirably,
and, at times, attained high rate of
speed. She left Mission Rock, in San
Francisco Bay, about o'clock on
Tuesday morning and arrived at Santa
Barbara last evening. During the last
portion of her run, under a moderate
head of steam, she made little over
fourteen knots per hour Pigs Of iron
bars Of weight equal TO the guns she
Is TO carry in her circular bulwarks fore
and aft and in the Sponsors, were
utilized in the absence of her arma-
ment.
Lanterns were used in lighting the
vessel in the absence Of the electric
lights, with which she Is TO be fitted.
Captain Charles NJ. Godall was in
command. The official inspection
board of United States naval officers
consisted of Commodore A. +. X.
Benham, Commander Henry Glass,
Naval Constructor Joseph +. Easter,
Lieutenant Il. +. Qualtrough and Chief
Engineer r. l.. Harris. Representatives
of the Union Iron Works and Naval
Constructor j. l.. Fernald, U. s. ~,
under whose supervision the Charleston
was built, were also on board. In addi-
tion TO these were corps OF engineers,
representing the Government. deputed to
note the power of the engines, and about
100 seamen and others. When the vessel
started out the bay there was heavy
swell on and stiff breeze from the
southwest, but she made steady head
way and was soon clearing the waves
| like racer. Her engines were making
forty revolutions. The spray came
| over her starboard side and bows in "a
| lively manner Her motion was very
| steady, and there was but little rolling.
She dipped considerably during the
toughest portion of the trip,
| and on several occasions her
| twin screws were out of the
water. At times the spray came over
| the breastwork of steel TO the height of
several feet above the deck. On one
occasion the vessel dipped into the
trough of the sea and instantly pushed
| her way into the succeeding wave,
| flooding the bridge and shifting the
brass stanchion on the forward deck
| Almost at the same instant two heavy
waves, following In quick succession,
| struck her on the starboard side,
completely submerging the main
deck. Turning her head little
south she finally rode out the sea and
during the remainder of the trip en-.
countered comparatively light seas
| The naval officers were unanimous in
saying that the test as to her staunch-
ness was about as severe one as she
could have been given, and that she
would probably seldom encounter
rougher sea. For several hours the
cruiser maintained an even speed of II
knots. A slight tendency to heat in
the crosshead of one of the high pres
sure cylinders caused short stoppage
when off Santa Cruz, in order to
allow it TO cool down. When the
vessel was again got under way she was
steamed steadily to this port without
her machinery showing any further
tendency toward heating. The engi-
neers report, with the exception noted,
that the machinery of the Charleston
worked admirably. She will shortly be
| given four-hour run for the purpose
of fully demonstrating the power of
her engines.