New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-24
TILE NEU- YORK'S TILL.

The official trial of the cruiser New ori
has established her claim to be the fastest
ship in the United States Navy. The San
Francisco has been credited with a speed OF
2O17 knots; and the Baltimore and Phlla-
delphia have exceeded 10 IL knots. The
New-YOrl1 has apparently made 21.O7 knots
in continuous run of nearly 100 miles; and
this hourly average fhay be increased when
the engineers calculations are reported to the
Navy Department. This is a result which
challenges comparisons with the fastest cruisers
of her class in foreign naves. There are two
or three ships like the Neuve de Julio which
have nominally exceeded this speed, but under
less exacting tests and for short distances. a
squirt trial over measured mile would UNI
doubtedly bring the New-YoIk's record up TO
% knots, but that would not offer practical
evidence of her sustained speed over long
course So exhaustive and satisfactory have
been the tests that it is evident that she can
overtake and sail around the fastest cruisers in
the British, French, German, Italian Russian
and Spanish navies. She will also outclass
them in manoeuvring power and in weight OF
armament as fighting ship.
The Blake and the Blenheim were designed
as 22-knot ships with engines for 10000 in
dcated horse power. Both ships disappointed
expectations owing to miscalculations in the
boiler designs. The Blake with 14,450 horse
power made record of 1912 knots in her
official trial. The Blenheim's failure was COW
cred up by a scratch record on squirt test,
but in 'The Naval ANIMAL edited by Lord
Brassey she is rated as a 2O-Inot ship with
14.924 horsepower The NewIork, while
nearly as large as these ships, has developed
on her trial collective horse power exceeding
1900. and speed nearly knots ahead Of
one and l knot ahead Of the other. She is
at least knots faster than the French Jean
Bart, and is superior in speed to the Spanish
Rena Regente. Comparisons with the fastest
German and Italian cruisers are equally favor
able TO the American vessel, although She has
been subjected 10 more rigorous tests than her
foreign competitors The Newly FORK may fair
~ be assumed TO be the fastest and most formi-
dable cruiser afioat. Her performance on Mon
day attested at once the superiority of Ameri-
can designers and shipbuilders. The only mis-
calculation was an undertaking of her speed, by
which the contractors will earn 100000 in
premiums. The most powerful engines ever
set up in cruiser worked perfectly under the
abnormal pressure of high-speed trial.
While the results of this trial are most salts
factory, we must place on record our deliberate
opinion that the system of premiums for excess
of speed over the provisions of the contract is
wrong in principle. In order to make record,
which will never be closely approached in
actual service, the boilers and mechanism have
been subjected to a tremendous strain. The
maximum speed is ascertaincd TO be 2l.O7
knots; but in producing it 80 tons OF coal
were burned an hour That is at the rate of
100 tons a day. How useful that record is
for practical purposes may be judged from tho
capacity of the vessels coal bunkers, which is
1000 tons. The New York in service can
steam at that rate about forty-eigbt hours The
record has been made under conditions which
will never again be reproduced. 1t is an arti
fetal rating on paper to which designers and
builders can refer with patriotic and pro-
fessional pride; but practically it is not worth
what it costs. We are not speaking now Of the
$500, 900, which the Cramps have lcgitimatey
earned under their contract We are referring
to the strain upon boilers and machinery which
permanently weakens the ship for the sake Of
establishing an artificial record for the Ameri-
can Navy
At the outset it may have been necessary for
the Government to stimulate the energies and
inventive talent Of shipbuildcrs by offering
premiums. That was because the art of max
ing high-power engines and building cruisers
of the first class had to be introduced in the
United States. Now that American shipbuild-
ers have repeatedly demonstrated their ability
10 outsTip European competitors at all points
p.emiums are no longer required. Practically
it is mistake to overstrain the mechanism
of a new ship. 1t is system which tempts
the contractor to sacrifice everything to speed