The morning call., 1892-09-07
UNDER FORCED DRAUGHT.
The Cruiser San Franoisco's
Remarkable Voyage.
HER COAL ALMOST OUT.
The Man.of.War Reaches Port With Barely
Enough to Take Her to the Mare
Island Navy.Yard.

The United States man-of-war San Fran
cisco, now in the harb0r, had remarkable
voyage on her trip from Honolulu to this
port.
1t was one her captain, officers and crew
will long remember.
So remarkable was the voyage that the
big cruiser came very near not reaching
San Francisco at all, and very nearly came
to be in helpless condition on the high
seas some hundreds of miles of shore,
where she would have drIfted about unable
to reach port
The cause of the whole trouble was coal.
poor coal at that. 1t was about all used up.
Had not the captain changed his tactics on
Sunday last, the naval authorities would
now be wondering what had become of the
twenty-knot cruiser, ten days out from
Honolulu. distance of only 20S0 miles. AS
II is, the San Francisco has hardly enough
coal to reach Mare Island, and when she
steaus to that Government station to-day,
her bunkers will be scraped TO the last
pound.
All on board are very reticent about the
matter, but a CALL reporter secured the
following facts about the case. On June 30
last. being the end OF the naval fiscal year,
money gave out for COAL The San Fran
cisco being at Honolulu sometime after
ward With almost empty coal bunkers, her
captain began TO look about him for coal.
There were only eighty tons in the bunkers.
On visiting Consul Severance at Honolulu
he discovered that there WAS some Govern
ment coal there. The captain Of the San
Francisco then was Captain Samson. now In
charge Of the torpedo department at the
Washington uavy-yard. He was succeeded
by Captain J. C. Watson, who was captain
Of the Mare Island navy-yard. Captain
Watson took command CT the San francisco
at Honolulu on July last.
Captain Samson ordered the bunkers
of the San Francisco filed with the Govern
ment coal at Honolulu and Consul Sever
ance charged him with 635 tons.
The coal had lain in the Honolulu coal
yard for four years and was the refuse from
various Government vessels.
None of that coal was used until the San
Francisco left Honolulu on the trip which
brought her to this port Then the quality
of the coal was discovered and there was
dsmay on board.
When Captain Watson steamed out OF
Honolulu, all revolutionary troubles being
over, he expected with his twenty-knot
cruiser TO make the voyage easily IN eight
days and so he would had h6 had good coal.
As il was he was compelled to steam
across the ocean under forced draught
Forced draught is only used when man-of-
war is pursuing merchantmen, or In other
cases of emergency.
The reason forced draught Is seldom used
is because ii Is rough on the boilers, and
when kept up for any length OF time is
liable 60 damage them,
The San Francisco was under forced
draught for almost nine days.
While steaming under this powerful fire
flames leaped from her smokestack twenty
feet high and left tran of flame in the
night time Ike the eruptons Of a small
volcano.
The San Francisco left Honolulu on
August q, with the intention of making q
squirt over. The cruiser only went slug
gIshly al0ug-elght and then nine knots was
all that could be obtained.
fhen II was found that the coal was poor
II was so full OF dirt aud sand that when
thrown into the fire il would cake and form
a crust or klinker and almost smother the
fire.
Captain Watson then ordered the force
draught in two Of the boilers. He expected
to make fifteen knots by this MEANS hut ten
knots was all the cruiser would snow. All
the heat of the coal escaped through the
smokestack. Tho usual daily amount of
coal needed to make fifteen knots, when 1t is
Of good quality, Is thirty-fve tons. Under
the forced draught sixty and sixty-fye tons
a day were used, and still the San Fran
cisco could only make ten knots.
This enormous expenditure of coal soon
began to play sad havoc with the bunkers.
This was kept up for eight days aud then
on consulting with the engineer 1t was dis
covered that the San Francisco would give
out of coal before she reached port.
On Sunday last, when about 800 miles
from port, with little coal in the bunkers,
orders were given to slow down. The
forced draugbt was discontinued aud from
sixty tons day the expenditure dropped
down 10 thirty.
Strange TO say. with this amount, al
though the big cruiser did not tremble aud
Ia "a
volcanic tongues of fame from her smoke
stack, she mada nine knots easily,
This fact was explained by stating that
she now sailed in smooth water, while when
under forced draught she had to make head
way against heavy seas.
By thus econ9mZng her coal the San
Francisco was able TO reach port late on
Monday night.
The boilers of the San Francisco are
thought to have been severely burned by
the long continued forced draughts, which
are only res0rted to in cases Of emergency.
When she reaches Mare Island thorough
Inspection of her boilers will be made.
It's not known on whom the blame will
fall for this condition Of affairs. :.
When she reached port she had lust
twenty-five tons of coal on board, enough
for half day. or just sufficient to steam to
Mare Island.
This is what made her voyage eventful.
The San Francisco will 90 to-day to Mare
Island to have her bottom scraped There
are plenty of barnacles on her bottom. but
they are soft and can be easily scraped off,
Those which attached themselves to the
San Francisco while in Chilean waters were
three inches long and so hard that consid-
erable difficulty was experienced in taking
them off
After coaling the San Francisco will pro-
ceed 10 San Diego aud participate in the
celebration of the discovery of the harbor
Of that beautiful southern town.