Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-12-08
By the Yankee Shipbuilders in the
Marblehead'S Trial Trip.
SHE MAKES 1894 KNOTS AN HOUR
And Wins Premiums Amounting
to SITS, 900 for Her Builders.
She Was to Make II Knots
Under the Contract or Her
Builders Would Forfeit S25, 900
for Each Quarter Knot Under
that Speed.

New LONDON, CONN, December =
Another triumph for Yankee ship
builders and designers was scored on
Long Island Sound to-day when the
new cruiser Marblehesd crossed the nm
isb line Of her official trial trip this al
tsrnoop. The new cruiser had equalled
all expectations by making record OF
Is. "a knots an hour,
At o15 the great anchor was
weighed, and ss the proud white snip
SLOWLY turned and pointed her sharp
noso toward the Sound, the melting
frost an her sides glistened in the sun
fcb, of an ideal day, and the Marble
head improved her opportunity, for be-
for, she again dropped anchor in front
- Fort Trumbull she had made her
record and a snug fortune for her
huilders The starting point off Plum
island. about fifteen miles from New
T.oDdon. WAS in sight at $3.50, ana as tne
Marblehead approached the famous olo
shin Kesrsarge, which was stationed
there to mark the spot, she lncle@Seu
her speed psrceptlbly.
THE BUOY WAS PASSED
at 1927. .O3, making the time for the SIX
miIas 1s hours "a seconds, an average
~ 1Q4 knots an hour. The tide was
oesinst her after passing the SIX mile
buov, and her speed decreased iTtlo T.
for the rest of the western run 4ne
third stake boat, the Dolphin was
seven and a half nautical niles from
the Fern. the second stake bfat, at SIX
mile buoy. and was passed a. lO;o5'oo'
/ rbe distance being covered In 20 mi u
utes seconds, average sped OF l7'29
! knots. .bo No
The next marking boat was the Mar
tata located seven and hall miles
from the Dolphin. Tie big cruiser
nossad her on the port side at 11:l7.2S.
| IT, zine for the distatce was 24.2O an
a,,a-ogs ~, of 80 knots an hour. The
I tug For, de was next in line and her
ey, distance from the Dolphin was
Tns TS' dyngRR. She passed ~ ll'44;4o
80 - end Of the e"Episer Vesuvius marked
.S w. watches read 9U Of the run and
MSrbiahead passed her. On when the
/ tervSi l-A haen covered in %. IN
| ing the cruisers average for her last Z,
miles 1873 knots.
THE FIRST HALF OF THE COURSE,
thirty-si1 miles, had been covered IL
| 1853 hours, an average cf 1873 knots al
/ hour.
The Vesuvius was passed on the re.
turn trip at 12:26:47, and the race
down the home stretch was com.
menced. All the conditions were
favorable. The wind and tide
were with her and she was working
| finely. The Fortune was passed for
the second time at 12:4S5l. The Mar.
kota was passed at 1:13.27. The first
10 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 fur
naces by the barrel. The vessel
tremble1 from stem to stern like a
thing OF life and dashed forward. The
next marking boat the Dolphin was
passed at 1:37:94, just % minutes and
81 seconds after the Narkota. This
seven and half miles was made at 49, 5
knots an hour. Then came the Fern at
2:OO:1O. The distance being made in %
minutes and seconds at the rate Of
10 IS knots, and then the
ENGINEERS URGED THE FLYER
on for the final lap. Hardly breath of
air stirred. As the kearSarge, the last
boat, was passed, almost the entire crew
was seen in the rigging and far out on
ths bOwsprit. The time keepers stopped
their watches at 2:16:4S. The last six
miles had been made in l6 minutes and
SO seconds, at an average speed of 21.6
knots an hour, the fastest time the yes
sci has ever made, and nearly five knots
faster than required.
The last half of the course, thirty
six miles had been made in one hour
and fifty minutes approximately and
the hall bad been run at the rate OF
1867 knots an hour. The seventy-two
miles had been covered in three hours
and eight minutes at an average rate Of
speed of 1924 knots an hour.
The contract for the vessel called for
a speed Of II knots an hour. For every
quarter knot over this the builders re-
ceive S25, 600, and for every quarter
knot below it they would have to for
felt S25, 600. BY the record made to-
day it is estimated the Marblehead has
made for her builders SI75, 900.