The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-11-19
RULES THE SEA
Columbia, Queen of
War Ships.
SHE BEATS THEM ALL.
Speed That is Really
Wonderful.
FASTER THAN THE WIND.
f
She Flew Through the Waves o
the Atlantic.
cramps EARN A PRETTY PENNY
And the Navy Has Ship That
Can Both Fight and
Run Away.

BosToN, Mass, Nov. 18.-The Columbia
to-day fairly won the title of queen of the
ocean. Faster than ever sped warship or
merchant vessel. she steamed over the
coast from Cape Ann to Cape Porpoise on
her trial trip with the United States board
of inspectors on board. Her average speed
for the SS knots was 22.81 knots an hour.
But she steamed 7A knots of the run at a
rate that averaged 2503 knots. 1t was
magnificent display of speed. and by her
little four hours spin she won for her build
ers (William Cramp g. SOM the neat bonus
of $3.50, 500.
At sunrise the members of the board and
Cramp party appeared at the head OF Lewis
wharf ready TO start for ths ship. A light
breeze prevailed, which looked threaten
ing, but he day turned out fine. The ship
made false start. and Cramp ordered her
back for new run. One boiler was then
booming. When she got back one mile
beyond the Dolphin, the starting boat, she
turned and pointed her nose once more ON
her course.
AT $40 o'clock she was off for Point
Porpoise. speeding along at 2212 gait.
She reached Inana, the second mark. at
10 o'clock. making the first mark of her
course at the rate of 2206 knots. Here the
engines were given additional steam and
averaged 141 revolutions. From the Kear-
sarge, the next marking vessel, to the tug
Leyden, the speed of the ship was only
22.8 knots per hour and the revolutions
of the engines were reduced to about 131
per minute.
Then her speed was increased and the
whole form of the Colum bia vibrated with
the fearful velocity of the engines. The
mighty shafts revolved 21h times every sec
ond ana the huge screws churned the water
into great waves that rose high about the
quarter galley. 1t was soon seen that the
ship had passed the 23-knot mark. and
there was cheering all along her deck. The
Narkato was anchored ~ knots from the
Fern. and her stalky masts were just
visible on the horizon as the Columbia shot
with cyclone speed past the Fern.
Here the speed fell to q. 90 knots, but it
proved that the Colnm bia was only gath
erlng power. She swept by the Fortune.
the seventh mark boat. at II 81 :2S, and
then the three big propellers hauled up
mighty mass of seething, boiling water and
left trail couple of miles long in their
wake. The Fortune was left far astern,
and iH twinkling the spray leaped in
over the bow. drenched the forward deck
and whitened the whiskers of Captain
Sargent, who was on the bridge. The
Columbia was rapidly nearing the first half
of her trial, and was bent on smashing all
records.
''She is going 25 1-5 now," said MT
Cramp in a matter-of-fact way, "and l
guess we can get another knot out of her
if you amt satisfied"
"Well, Pun satisfied" said Commodore
Walker. ''She's hummer"
Never ship was built that equalsd the
tremendous velocity which the Columbia
had now attained. It was not an easy
task to stand on the deck and face the
gale which resulted. from the onward
sweeping of the mighty ship. The bells
of the engine-room jngled merrily as Cap
tain Sargent demanded every ounce of
steam that could be turned into the great
cylinders.
The Columbia had covered the last 7%
knots at the rate of 1881 knots per hour.
or little better than so miles, and her
average since the start had been 22.92
knots an hour. She took long turn to
seaward on the starboard helm before re-
turning over the course. The time occu.
pied in the turn was not counted In the
trial.
at 12:14:56 she crossed the line on her re-
turn. The wind was no " dead ahead and
was blowing twelve knots an hour. The
velocity it attained on the deck of the
Columbia must have been in the neiRhbor-
hood of thirty-ive knots.
The ship was reeling off 24.77 knot gait
aud one of the patent log-lines could not
stand the strain and was carried away Just
as the ship passed the Fortune. There
was commotion in the engine-room and
every light went out. The boiler which
drove the dynamo had given out and the
result was darkness. When the light was
restored the engines were set to work,
making 13S revolutions minute, and the
speed rose to 1884 knots almost imme-
diately. and when the Kearsarge's crew got
into the rigging and cheered her as she
sped by she was going at steady 23-knot
gait. From this to the END of the course
she kept up 22Aa-knot speed. Her time
on course, S8 knots, was hours 81 min utes
aud seconds.