New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-28
VIM. KlaDG & Co.
PIANOS,
uHEsuALLsD IN
Tone, Touch, workmanship DuraOlllty'
Invite special attention to their new arn''''
STYLES finished in Designs OF
HIGHEST DECORATIVE ART'
1913 FIFTH AVENUE
THE CHARLESTON IN COMMISSION.
SKETCH OF THE FIRST CRUISER BUILT On AhH
PACIFIC coAsT-HER TRIAL TRIPS

sKFTcH OF THE FIRST CRUISER BUILT oN lie
PACIFIC coAsr-HER TRIAL TRIPS.
Vallejo Cal. Dec. e7.-The United States cruiser
Charleston went into commission yesterday AZ inc
Mare Island Navy Yard. Commander Louis ken'pn ior'
mally turned the cruiser over to captain ueo' b.
Remey, The American Jack and the s'arS ""'
Stripes we're hoisted. and the captains penn".S e.
raised 10 the masthead. The band played Inc 7'a'
spangled Banner the flags were oe'nS 100
Commodore A. f.. X. Bcnham ana omCerS "' -
N the Navy Yard and large number Oh o'hei
persons witnessed the ceremony. Inc ohaicS'oH WIN
nrobabIy not be ready for sea until February
The Charleston was the third of the war vesseis
begun under the Cleveland Administration anu .ne
frat war vessel ever built the Pacific coast WIN
the exception of the crank and two shatS, n"u' W
Krunp at Essen Germany, all the steel used III ne'
e NJ domestic manufacture. The beams ou'siuo
Mating for the hull. and plates for tne pro'o''''
deck we're made at Pittsbnrg; but inc pio'o"' 'u
other forgngs for the engines. the fahes' anu on
the steel castings for the hull ana engines ."
from the Pacific Rolling Mills. at San FRANCISCO
IT. ,n,rde spch castings as stern-post weighing
=, 1ao nonnds: a stem weighing 1880 pounds ana
. ruddcr frame weighing 1920 pounds. one COLI
en,cuous feature about the building Oh the
charleston is that she was to have Deeh hiisHeu o
Iuno % 1888 but was not launched until July "a Oh
that wear; and it was more than year later Oeior'
she was ready for her final contract tlal' Inc con
tract nrice for her hull and machinery was Slol' ooo
Tho Charleston is twinscrcw cruiser Of the central
nors+r,cture tvpe somewhat after the celebrated
Ionapese cruiser Namiwa Kan, built in England. Inc
vessel has complete double bottom, divided mto
numerous watertight compartments; and, IN auuluoh
10 having engine and machinery completely surrouueu
and protected with coal, she has protectloh-uech
which curves from the point Of her ram 10 the ca
trcmitv Of her stern, with coferdams fitted to all
4 electric
Liant Is fitted to the vessel and electric instruments
are fitted for lighting both the ship and the search
lights.
The nrncipal dimensions Of the Charleston are FIX
IRENE length 800 ga feet breadth OF BEAM 40 10 leee
deph of hold from top Of main deck to top oil hoors
80 IL feet mean draught Of water, 10 IL teeV
The armament consists OF six sixinch breech loading
rifles three on a side, in projecting sponsors in a
entral omen superstucture; two sxnch brceclloadng
rifles mounted i'm light barbetes at either end Of the
superstructure These four barbete guns viii later
be replaced by two eghtinch breech-loaders)' Inc
secondary battery consists Of four sxpounders two
three FOUNDERS, and two onepoundcr HOtchklss rapid
firing guns; four Hotchhiss machine guns, ana TWO
Gatngs. There are four above-water torpedo launch
ing tubes.
on May last after week or ten days spent IN
running the engines at the dock for the purpose OF
adjusting the main bearings and working parts the
Charleston went to for the official trial. WHICH,
according to the terms Of the contract was TO be
for four consecutive hours, the required initial morse
power being 600 The place selected Tor the trlA
was Santa Barbara harbOr, and on the run down from
san Francisco the high speed of the engines llOO
revolutions minutc) caused the crosshead sIldes 10
become heated. As a successful trial could not DC
had with this arrangement, the vessel was run back
~ san Francisco The trouble with the crosshead
slides was due TO the that the guide was steel
har and the slippers of cast-rOn, without any anu
friction metal intervening and the result was natural
one at such high speed OF reciprocation There were
other defects in the machinery, but alterations were
made; new vertical air-pumps and new crosshea'l
guides and shoes put in, and changes were mace
in the thrust bearing.
on August 81 the vessel proceeded to sea for an,
other trial The first attempt for a speed trlai
moved a failure, because of the overlooking OF the
auxiliary condenser. Another attempt was maze on
fine same day but, after run Of two hours, an &c,
centric of the sarboard air pump engine slipped, ana
the attempt was abandoned On August 23 the ma,
chinery being then In excellent condition the vesse
was run at full power for six hours, the last four
hours being taken as the period of the Official trial
The machinery and boilers performed their work per
fectly throughout The average speed maze was
Is 1853 knots and the total initial horsepower OF tle
main engines and auxiliary machinery in operation was
scot The maximum horse power, however; was
6o43. The cruisers performance for the SIX hOuIS,
al full mower under forced draft compared favoraby
with the many trials-more than twenty short runs
of her prototype the Namiwa-kan; but her builders
received no benefit from the English contractors ex-
perience.