Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-11-20
COLUMBIA, 22.8l.
Uncle Sam Owns the Fastest
Naval Vessels Afloat.
Made Over Is Knots an Hour in One
Burst Of Speed.
Gives Builders $3.50, coo 3eaa, essiss Cen.
tract Pric. Of $1,000. 900.

we're on board tue tfthls-sGfSs 9nRsnhorrfi
cruiser Colambis yes'er4sy, on her ofsiciai
trip of eight hours speeding, ssy that she
| should be counted anong the seven won
Iers Of the wcrld, for the reason that, ST.
though she made an avrrsge of y II knG,s
for the entire distance Of ss knots and
over, she made speed Of % 81 knots be-
tween tFo buoys, distance OF ! n knots.
f. vas deCi led 10 shox the trial board what
she could do and the full capacity Of steam
vas let into the engines.
Il was the plan OF the Cramps 10 mske a
record Of e knots. but by souis accident
considerable water gus 1t the pos, engine
room ard il was nees s.ary 10 slow that IN
giEe 1oSu. Hence the average fell TO p 5
kaots GA Tuesday she made \ record OF
a IS knots between the same two baoys,
bat the performance of today must stand IS
the Ccluritis's record wien comparison is
made wilh vessels. whether warships CT
ncrchantmen, OF any other na,iJa, for that
J.. the way records are made on the other
sile Of the ocean.
The result of yesterdays trip means the
large premium Of 1850 000 for the con
tractors Of the ship. the Messrs. Cramp, of
Philadelphia. 1t does more than that, for
il establishes probably for all time the sd-
ysab.lity Of prepellins Big ships with three
,cruas Instead of txo. and the effect will
soon ht (, Il in the merchant marine.
Bus. perhaps, the most important insult
OF all fIpm the standpoint of patriotism Is
The fact that this performance re-establisbes
bey ond the possibility Of questioning the So
premacy in one way Of the United STAT On
th= seas. II is within only 10 years that.
beginning with nothing, We tried to strive
again to equal other nations n shipbgiliIng.
In i've year we had caught up with most Of
them in quality; year ago We had caught
up with all of them, and were slightly IN the
lead. Nos. with a jump, We pass them
all.
There are oAly two other iriple-screw
steamships of any size IN the e0ti. oac
is the French msG-5t var Dupuy dc Lone,
= hich, thus far. has not given satisfactory
results in speed or n the workings or the
engines, ant the other is the German ksi-
seiia Augusta. which came fre,h from the
binders hands to participlta in the Column
si,n review in New York last spring.
Since tnen she has bee n tested for speed,
and Inns made a record of % knots. Both
If these foreign vessels are under Jooo
tons in size, POO tons smaller, at le4st,
t.an the Columbia.
Without doubt the Columbia can 20 evcn
faster that she din yesterday. What speed
there /. in her the Messrs. Cramp DO no,
know. They ,lo know that on We lnes,lay
night after an extended conference on board
,lr,y decided to be safely within the dmit
Of accident and rot pu-h her beyonl %
Knots. They were anxious to win every
,oIlar they could in a premium on the trip,
.,,l. an4t
them that it Was better to be careful than
to be reckless.
Il /. difficult to say What the Columbia
sil do after her engines get smoothed
lown. but this much is known: That the
vessel is not il existence today or even IS
not Isid down, II we except the Columbia.
sister slip, Minneapolis, that this vessel caG-
not overhaul CT run away from. She "a
A commerce destroyer, and IS meant To run
,rav If desired. Ii was regard for pru-
deuce that made the Cramps keep her down
Yesterday, although they naturally wanted
20 get very dollar they could earn on her,
iesplte tire condition of Mr.. Carlisle treas
1ry nnd the possibility Of 0fciusing Chairman
wilson Of the ways and means committee
in Washington TO rearrange his new tafn
schedules.
m. Columbia went on the course at 3.5i
s'clo k, having once crossed the line ard
futnel back because of trouble with the
bort engine. The Dolphins crew had
m, cred Ler enthusiastically, and she passed
9uov altar buoy, at one Of which the Old
kasrssrge was stationed, and reached the
npprr buoy, guarded Uy the NesuVius' at
II '4q. was betgeen the last TWO buoys
that the phs nomenai burst OF speed Vas
made.
ON the way up Pilot Chambers had gone
behind one of the buoys. Capt. Sargent,
,ho vas in charge, and Pilot Chambers had
ie, i,ied that it vas little Uut OF Alignment
The fsures sor the up trips average were
y " knots.
On the downward trip at i240 o'clock,
hety epu the second and third bunys It be
r,n,e necessary TO slow duwn the port en-
oirc +, gst rid of the water, and between
the last txo buoys snother tio~do"n toll
I,erd The speed feil to q '3 knots. The
.n,,d was sent up again aad az 2. O'Clock
the vessel crossed the lin
can't. Sargent, Mf. +. S. Crampr Pilot
Iaw Chambers, Chi Engineer Tovne OF
he uavs. who designed the engines, came
+, FIR many cunsrat1lat ors. One Of the
navy officials saii tAa- the humorous sltua-
n,n of az whole affair wss that anything
N tremendously fast shouii come from
Psil4leipAia.
,y,suix.rax. Ncv. ~ = ~ cratary Her
hort sneaking OK tiie Columbia = rlal sad
We ha! expected run of z knot-' but
t,j. surn,sses our exp cations tbihk
that sae is b. all odds the fastest cruiser
,eo,f tLink, if this trial mad taken place
:. I.I,,,5 vybsrr they have a measui ed