The morning call., 1893-05-23
BEATS THE WORLD
Wonderful Speed of the
New York.
THE QUEEN OF THE SEAS.
She flakes the Fastest Time on
Record and Earns Her Builders
a Handsome Premium.
THE QUEEN OF THE SEAS
Special to THE MORNING CALL

BosToN. May 22.-With forward torpedo
tubes buried deep in the sea and the water
pushed almost as high as her forecastle.
the cruiser New 7 ork steamed across the
line To-day. breaking the worlds record
and winning for her builders the largest
premium ever paid in any country. When
twenty-one knots was predicted as the
speed for the new cruiser many hoped but
few believed Ter engines would ever be
able to drive such an immense mass OF
steel through the water at thatrate. When
she crossed the line to-day, however, with
a speed of 21.09 knots through the water.
and some corrections yet to be added for
the tide. the enthusiasm on board was in
tense. This gives the United States not
only the most powerful, but the swiftest
armored cruising vessel.
There has been great enthusiasm in Eng
land over the performance of the cruisers
Blake and Blenheim, some claiming that
the latter had attained a speed OF twenty
two knots. These vessels are not armored,
however. but are simply protected by fonr-
inch decks over the machinery and boilers.
Even equal speed for them, therefore, woald
be nothing remarkable against a vessel
carrying, in addition to her 6-inch pro-
tective deck, 5-inch side belt and two
turrets, each eleven inches thick. And
then, neither of these vessels ever had an
official trial over ameasured course. The
Blake broke down from leaky boilers
after reaching a speed of 1917 miles in
shoal water and developing only $4,000
horsepower, while the Blenheim was
gaaged only by the patent log. which, it is
claimed, indicated 22R knots. This same
instrument on board the New York showed
a speed of % knots, and the difference be-
tween that and the actual distance covered
is proof of how unreliable these patent
logs are as official tests.
At 8 o'clock this morning the New York
hoisted her anchor and headed for the
open sea. The wind was light. from the
northwest, and the sea smooth. The
cruiser moved off at an easy pace, but
gradually warmed up, and by the time the
Vesuvius was in sight was going over
twenty knots, with her engines making
about 130 turns per minute.
Gloucester was off the port beam at 9
o'clock. Twenty-Five minutes later the red
flag was broken out at the port yardarm.
and the New York went over the line, max
ing 130 revolutions per minute. The steam
pressure was then 165 pounds TO the square
inch and the vessel was making a trife
over 20 knots. In a few minutes the
revolutions jumped up to 135 and the steam
TO 10 pounds, both of which were held
throughout the entire trip.
Now the great furnace began to roar and
on few the cruiser, increasing her speed
at every jump. Nina was passed at 9:46
Bennington at 1906 and Fern, the half
way mark. at 1921. Then came the tug
Fortune at 1874, Leyden at II :05 and
finally the historic old Kearsarge at IL %.
The rigging OF the corvette was black
with men, who cheered the warship as she
passed.
A neat turn was made and the race back
over the course began at II A The Kear-
sarge was off the starboard beam with the
New York headed to the southwark Ley
den was passed at u :O4, the Fortune at
10 :27. the Fern at 12:4S. Bennington at
l :01, Nina at 20 and the Vesuvius at Al
The entire course was 31.65 nautical
miles, which were steamed over twice.
On the first run the speed was 20S3
knots. and on the second 21.35, the differ
ence being due to the tide, which was
against the vessel on the trip north. The
average of speed gives l.09 knots, with
possibility Of its being greater when the
true current correction is added.
On the whole the days record was a tri-
umph for American skill and genius and
will stand pre-eminently alone until some
of our new warships beat it.
The cruiser New York, the sixth vessel of
that name in the American navy,is designed
to run and fight equally well, and is espe-
claly adapted to long cruises in foreign
waters. Her bunkers afford coal space
enough for run of 1900 miles. She is a
monster, even for modern times. being $50
feet in length. 70 feet beam, % feet mean
draught, having a displacement of S1o0
tons. and was designed to have speed of
1875 knots. Her complement of officers and
men is 475.
She las four separte engines. each hav-
ing power Of 400 horses. Two of these
work the shaft for the star5oard screw
and two for the port. These engines are
so arranged that they may be disconnected,
allowing the vessel to cruise under half
power. They are technically known as
vertical, inverted. direct acting, triple ex-
pansion engines, and are arranged in four
water-tight compartments. The cylinders
are three In number, having diameter of
thirty-:wo. forty-siX and seventy inches
respectively, with stroke of forty-two
inches. The air and circulating pumps
are driven independently, and the four
main condensers have an area of $3.50
square feet.
Steam is furnished by six boilers. heated
by eight furnaces. The former are of the
type known as horizontal. return fire
tubular boilers, and are placed two abreast
in three water-tight compartments They
are 10 feet inches in diameter and IS feet
in length. The working steam pressure is
I60 pounds to the square inch, the total
CRATE surface 800 square feet, and the total
heating surface 3l.190 square feet. In addi-
ton to these there are two auxiliary boilers
above the protective deck. Both the main
and auxiliary boilers are fitted to work
under force draught on the air-tight fire.
room system. Experts agree that the ar
rangement of the engines in the New York
shows great economy at low speed. She
has three smokestacks. an additional one
having become necessary since the original
boiler arrangement was changed.
Tho main battery of the New York will
consist of six S-inch rifles of So caiibers in
length, firing an armor- piercing proiectile
of 250 pounds weight. The barbettes on
which these 8-inch guns will be mounted
are to be ten inches in thickness, and the
e. tho