St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-08
OUR NEW CRUISERS SPEED
THE MARBLEHEAO MAKES A RECORD
or 1894 KNOTS AM HOUR.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RACE
Contract for the Vessel Called for
a Speed OF Seventeen Knots an
Hour, so That Her Builder Will
Receive the Handsome Bonus
of Great shipbuild-
ing Triumph.


Receive the Handsome Bonus
of $175.OOO-Grea shipbuild-
ing Triumph.
NEW LONDON, Conn.,, Dec. Am
other triumph for Yankee shipbuilders
and designers was scored on Long
Island sound today, when the new
cruiser Marblehead crossed the finish
line of her official trial trip this after
noon. The new cruiser had equaled
all expectations by making record of
1894 khOts an hour.
When the first rays of the morning
sun peeped over the historic hills of
Groton today. and, lighting up the old
battlefield, rested on the deep waters of
New London's broad harbor, the strong
steel sides of the new cruiser Marble
head were covered with the finger
marks of Jack Frost, and his icy pres
ence was manifest in the very air.
At $40 the great anchor was weighed,
and as the proud white ship slowly
turned and pointed her sharp nose to-
ward the sound the melting frost on her
sides glistened in the sunlight of an
ideal day, and the Marblehead
improved her opportunity, for be-
fore she again dropped anchor in
front of Fort Trumbull she had
made her record and snug fortune for
her builders. The starting point off
Plum island, about fifteen miles from
New London, was in sight at $3.50, and
as the Marblehead approached the ia
nous old ship Kearsarge, which was
stationed there to mark the spot, she
increased her speed perceptibly.
The buoy was passed at 1927 :O3, max
ing the time for the six miles 1854, an
average of 1914 knots an hour. The
MarDlehead was doing her prettiest,and
she dashed through the water,
CHURNING THE SEA
in great Snowwhite waves on each side
of her spear-like bow, leaving long
milky wake astern. She presented
beautiful sight to the sailors of
the Fern, who crowded the decks
OF the vessel i'll large numbers. The tide
was against her after passing the six
mile buoy. and her speed decreased a
little for the rest of the westward run.
The third stake boat, the Dolphin, was
seven and half nautical miles from
the Fern, and was passed at 10:53:OS,
the distance being covered in twenty
six minutes five seconds. an average of
1929 knots.
The next marking boat was the Mar
keta, located seven and half miles
from the Dolphin. The big cruiser
passed her on the port side at IL lips.
Her time for the distance was 24.2O, an
average of 1875 knots an hour.
The tug Fortune was next in
icto
the Dolphin was not known. She
was passed in IL :44:46, the time for the
stretch being 26:2s. The dynamite
cruiser Vesuvius marked the end of the
first half of the run, and the watches
read 12:06:29 when the Marblehead
passed her. The last interval had been
covered in 22:13, making the cruisers
average for the last fifteen miles 1873
knots.
The first half of the course, thirty
six miles, had been covered in 1:5S
hours. all average of 1873 knots anshour.
The Vesuvius was passed on the return
trip at 12:36:47, and the race down the
home stretch was commenced. All the
conditions were favorable. The wind
and the tide were with her, and she was
working finely. She sped down the
course like frightened deer, while the
patent log
FAIRLY BUZZED
as it spun through the water. The
Fortune was passed for the second time
at 12:4S:36, the run from the Vesuvius
being made in 81 minutes and As Sec
onds. The Narketa was soon in line with
the flying cruiser, and the timepieces
marked 1:13;27 when she was passed,
the time from the last buoy being
"a minutes So seconds. The first fif-
teen miles of the return trip was made
at an average of 1913 knots an hour
Then the engineer let her out another
notch. The coal was poured into her
furnaces by the barrel; the black smoke
poured from her stacks in thicker vol
umes and the cinders fell in showers on
her decks. The vessel trembled from
stem to stern like thing of
life, and dashed forward toward
the finish line like race horse
turning into the home stretch.
The next marking boat, the Dolphin,
81 seconds after leaving the Narketa.
This ~ miles was made at 1875 knots
an hour. Then came the Fern at
2:O0:10. the distance being made in %
minutes 6 seconds at the rate of 10. 49,
knots, and then the engineers urged the
flyer on for the final lap. Hardly
breath of air stirred. The water wa
scarcely rippled, and only the
HOMOGENEOUS THROBBING
OF the engines could be heard as the
interested little crowd Oh deck held
their watches and counted the seconds.
As the Kearsarge, the last boat. was
passed, almost the entire crew was seen
in the rigging. and far out on the bow
spirit. The seconds were counted faster
as she neared the wire, and as she
passed was saluted by the cheers
of the Kearsarge's crew. The time
keepers stopped their watches at
2:16:4S. The last six miles had been
made in 16 minutes 3S seconds, an av-
erage speed of 21.66 knots an hour, the
fastest time the vessel has ever made,
and nearly five knots faster than re-
CURED.
The last half of the course, Sc miles,
had been made in hour and so minutes
approximately, and the half had been
run at the rate of 1867 knots an hour.
The ~ miles had been covered in
hours and 8 minutes at an average rate
ofspeed of 1884 knots an hour.
The contract for the vessel called for
speed of seventeen knots an hour. For
every quarter-knot over this the build
ers receive $4,000, and for every quar-
ter-knot below it they would have to
forfeit S25, 900. By the record made today
it is estimated the MarbIehead has
made for her builders $4,000 The
official report of the naval board of the
variations brought about by the tides
may make her record for the seventy
two miles little less than 1894 knots,
but it is believed that it will not fall be-
low 1875, and 1t may be increased to 10
knots.