The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-06-01
FOUR GREAT DRAWBACKS.

The famous monitor cOast-defenSe YES
sci Monterey returned to anchorage at
SausaluO yesterday morning at O'clock
from her trial trip, having been at sea con-
tinDbnsy for mere than sixty hours. four
hJurs OF which time she was DIR ven at
,0.aximum speed under forced draGght and
WIGHT hours steamed along with big
Betsy" and her mates booming away as if
fgbting be whole Chinese navy.
Inc Monterey had one Of the severest
trials ever~g!ven a ship of the new navy,
and she came out of it sound as a dollar
from keel 10 quarterback and is pro-
nounced by the members CT the board Of
inspection the officers in command o.
her and the three experts from The navy
yard and Union Iron works to be perfect
in every respect, and not only the most for
midabla but the fastest and best sea-going
ship OF her tyne in the known world
Some Of the enthusiasts, men who have
served as cfiicerS in the navy for score
and more Of years and have seen the navies
of the world. even 90 so far as to assert
That there isn't snip afloat whlch the
Monterey cannot WILD IN fair single
handed combat
'turn turtle" or tip over. although given
splendid opportunities Tor doing SO.
Neither did ''her guu-carriages break
down." nor the great guns shake her
seams until they leaked when they were
fired, all OF which was prophesied when
The rial trip at sea was announced.
In dealing the account of the trip four
things must be considered, and to those
who understand what a drawback they
would be 10 monitor Warshlp under triai
for che FIRST time at sea the Monterey's
performance must seem little less than
wonderful, despite the great things pre-
dlcted for her and expected of her. The
first drawback was the bad coal, which,
when bought, was OF the poorest quality Of
English ship coal, and which has laid out
in the weather at the nRvy-yard for up
ward OF two years, and when loaded in
the ships bun kers was found 10 be fully
one-haf dirt and sand. The second draw
back was the fact that the ship has not
been on the drydock for more than FIVE
months, and, in the language of seafaring
men, her bottom Is IouE' with seaWeed
and slime.
She carried on the trip An almo st green
crew. 1weniy-one OF the men were Dor
rowed from the Thetis for the trial trip,
: none Of whom had ever been aboard tie
Monterey, and consequently knew nothing
about her machinery or her guns. OF the
rest of the crew more than score were
1andsmen WHO had never been 10 sea in
their lives, and some of them had never
even seen a breech-loading gun fired.
The last draw back mas that all of the
armament for the big guns and parts of
East, rendering t necessary TO transfer
certain parts of the machinery from one
gun to another in order 10 hre them, thus
lessening the support the tremendous can
non should have.
II would naturally seem that under the
circumstances the trial trip At sea, the
monitor never having been out OF the bay
and none of her guns ever having been
fired aboard of her would have been de-
layed, bur the Navy Department knows no
such thing as wait, f'r four months ago
they dAcreed that 1.-The Monterey must be
run in the omen sea for at least forty-aight
consecutive hours, and that all her guns
must be fired and the trial must be on or
before June g. Finding it was no use walt
ing any longer for better coal, Iuii crew
or the missing armament the officers at
the nayy-yard decided to obey orders as
soon as possible, and they have done more
Than was REQUIRED of the ship To be ac-
ceptabe to the Washington oiilelais.
When the Monterey left her berth at
Mare Island on Saturday morning she
carried The following officers:
Captain Louis KemDf.
ieutenart-Commander E. Q. Pendleton,
executive officer.
Lieutenant j. n. CarliD, navigator
Lieutenant r. f. Nicholson.
Lieutenant A. G.. Amy.
Ensign w r. Shoemaker
Ensign G. II. Burrage.
Chief Engineer joseph Trilley.
Passed Assistant Engineer Howard
Gage.
Emil Thesis, assistant engineer
Surgeon George f. Winslow.
Passed Assistant Surgeon William f.
Arnold.
Carpenter j. E. Keen.
Gunner William Halfnrd.
The Naval Board Of inspectors consisted