Evening journal., 1891-03-27
AN lmpoa1Anr oplNloN.
j. TayIsr Cause Talks About the De-
GREASE of speed in War Vessels.

GREASE OF speed IN war vessels.
The American Shipbuilder this week
reprints long interview, which a repre-.
sentative of the Scientific American re
Gently had with ]. Taylor Cause. presi-
dent of the Harlan and Hollingsworth
Company OF this city The interview was
on the subject of 'eThe Falling of in
Speed Of Our War Ships In the course
OF the interview Mr.. Cause says:
"There are three very simple and, it
seems to me, obvious reasons why these
vessels do not maintain their trial
records:
First. The object Of putting vessel
through a trial trip is to see what the
utmost speed is which that vessel can
possibly attain. 1t is not in actual SER
vice. The contractors see In the horizon
one little word, speed, and with that be-
fore them they shape their course. They
are on the dress parade, and the every
day regulation incidents, such as heavy
guns, ammunition for the guns
and for thel hungry crew, appli-
ances, etc, are laid aside 1t is
now or never with the builders. But
when it comes to ordinary running, the
circumstances are changed. The vessels
are laden with guns, with provisions,
and With all the necessary outfit for a
long voyage. All of this means weight
and with this enormous additional
weight she puts to sea, with her decks
nearer to the surface of the water, and
with a consequently argumented dis
placement But this makes it more
difficult to propel her through the water,
and her speed must therefore suffer
Secondly. An iron bottom when ex
-. -
time begins TO foul, to accumulate vere-
Ia the water the greater will be this
growth, and consequently the greater
will be the deterioration in speed from
that Of the trial trip, when the bottom
was clean and free from anything that
would retard the speed of the vessel.
This retardation in cases where vessel
had been in the water for month is inn
mense. and this one fact alone would be
enough to cause great falling off in speed
In fact it is not too much TO say that, all
other things being equal, a vessel with 8
clean bottom can make q speed oil
twenty five knots in the same time il
would take vessel with a foul bottom
to make ten knots
Thirdly. The two foregoing reasons
are sufficient to explain why the govern
ment cruisers do not maintain their trial
speeds The third reason why they dc
not do this is because they certainly
ought not to do it. The most industri
GUS day lahorer viii not perform much
more work than his fellows, for the
reason that he will gain nothing thereby
and further labor would be energy mis-
| directed And so it is with the govern
ment cruiser. There is positively nc
reason why these vessels should be con.
stNntly kept up to their maximum speed
Nothing is gained BY it. One such
trial is enough to demonstrate what the
vessel is capable Of. And more would be
a gross extravaganza Of fuel. and would
lead to a strong demand for retrench
ment in the government service In
short, the question may be summed up
thus. With foul bottoms and heavily
laden hulls and decks, the Navy Depart
ment could not, If it would, keep the
vessels up to the trial records, and be-
cause of the enormous but necessary
consumption OF coal the department
would not, If 1t could, because no useful
/ Ourpoup puouId he carvpd tharabv