New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-26
THE CRUISER BENNINGTON.
SHOWING A SPEED OF SEVENTEEN KNOTS
SHE STARTS TO lake HER FOUR HOURS, OFF
GAL STEAM TRIAL.

SHE sTARTs TO MAKE HER u HOURS. OFF,
GAL sTEAM TRIAL.
A ashore; your last chance!' was the order
,bouted at o 80 a. M. yesterday 10y Captain +. VI.
Hel1. on the deck Of the new third class cruiser Zen
nincton, Just before she left her pier, at East l"ei'"-
Il. 10 make her official steam trial in the Long Island
Sound. Captain Bell 10 the pilot detailed to Keep the
vessel from s~lranding on the shore or punching a mole
through her bottom by some sunken rock. AT present
she has neither of The two masts which are 10 be
fitted in her: there is not a single gun on the ship, but
whore they are to be mounted there were Yesterday
piled M bars Of pigiron equal TO the weight Of each
gun and its mountings none Of the torpedo tubes have
vet been fitted in her and not a pound OF ammunition Is
on board.
soon after daylight yesterday steam was raised and
the engines were run slowly. Other preliminary ar
rangements for the trial were also made. n haIi
dozen men, whose faces are familiar to diners at one
Of the fashionable catering houses in this city. walked
ND the cangplank and into the ward room Of the YES
sci an hour before she sailed. each one carrying
baskets Of dishes, great hampers OF cataDleS' ana
wicker baskets, on the outside Of which was con
spicuously marked Extra Dry This ammunition
is to be used for saluting purposes in case the trial IS
"a successful one. but not until after The tfal Is
finished. All of the preliminary work was super
viscd by y. L. Palmer, jr.. the senior member of the
firm of builders.
In addition to the captain. pilot. engineer and fire.
men employed BY the builders to run the ship theH
were the following detail by the secretary OF the
Navy: General BOard-Commandcrs W. Il. IridgInan
and LOYAL b. Bradford Uhe latter to be the com
mander Of the ship on her first crnlscl' Ll'utcIaht
commander Joseph y. Hemphill. Chief Engineer Rob
ert Il. Hine and Naval Constructor William ii. NarhcN'
Board Of Engineer E~Xperts-Chief Engineers Kob'lt
T.. Hine president, John Lowe and w. W.. Itcatoh'
Passed Assistant Engineers Holland y. stephenson
Alexander T.. Bates and Frank II. EldriGcc: Assistant
I,rfroo.- florouco A Carr William r smith. FRANK
NJ. Bennett, Dewitt G. Redrave, Martin y. AndcI-
son. Albert M0ritz, Charles W. Dyson, william e.
Herbert and Harry G.. Leopold. Among others on
board were Lieutenant Arthur p. Nazro. y. +. Palmer,
IT.. and william Rowland. Promptly at 0:i5 a. IN
the lines wc,c cast off from the wharf, and then the
bennington backed out into the East River ana
headed toward Hell Gate and the entrance Of Long
Island Sound. The vessel was weighted 50 4 bring
her down to her mean draught Of fourteen iert' ana
when the engines were run at their full spccd there
was no sign Of structural weakness" or "cXccSsivc
vibrations She went up as far as City Island
where her trial trip was begun.
When out on Long Island sound she was sent
ahead under fall pressure Of steam. the Gaii2e su?".
ing IC2 pounds OF steam and the counters indicating
Is revolutions Of the p%rOpcllcrS. The run OF three
quarters Of an hour u the eastward showed a speed
4 about seventeen knots and that cNef\rhlhs ~
the cngine-rOOm WAS working smoothly. Inc SNIP
was then turued and headed back toward The city. and
was anchored OF CITY Island for the night. During
the afternoon a thorough inspection Of the vessel was
made from stem TO stern, both above and below
decks. The trial will be continued this morning at
9 O'Clock, the object being 10 develop 3,iOO horse
The result of this i Of rs great interest 10 Officers
Of the Navy as it is to the builders. The vessel. In
the official COPY Of the contract. j, "A steel gunloat.
| no. 4 but officers attached 10 ho sister vessels, tho
Concord and Yorktown, don't like the name gun
boat ard speak Of then m as I, tn, cas- as tc c"' Lcrn
Is Sd feet depth Of hold and ZOO tons displacement.