Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-06-12
THE MACHIAS
Made IS 464-lOOO Knots on
Trial Trip Saturday,
Earning $45,000 for Builders, the
Bath Iron Works.


Mss cisss Aasat."
| NEw LONDON. June f0.-"She is tn
tiuest gunboat Of her class aiioat," sai,
Rear Admiral Belknap this afternoon whe,
the Machiss crossed the line winner ii
her race against time.
Buiit under u contract calling for ].
knots sn hour, she made an average spec,
today of i5.l7 knots during four hours
run on Long Island sound, earning for he
builders, the Bath Iron Works, the nea
little bonus of at least $4,000.
Corrections for the tidal influence ar,
yet to be made, but as such corrections ar,
practically sure to be in her favor there 10
bare possibility that she may be credite.
with 10 l2 knots, which would mean $40, ,0o'
more in the way OF premium to her con
structors.
The Bath men are jubilant, and well the,
may be. The first gunbOat of the ne~
navy has proved a success beyond the ex
pectations Of the builders. Gen. Hyde sai,
"Wednesday that from IA l-a to IA s.
knots WAS all he hoped for.
The day dawned clear and beautiful, witl
ligh westerly wind and sea like the ira
ditional millpond. The starting time hat
been set for 80 and by that time the mem
bers of the naval board. headed by ReaI
Armiral Belknap of Brookline, had come
aboard with the truants from the vessel W he
had spent the night ashore.
| On board all had been made ready fol
the run. Topmasts were housed, flagstaff,
lashed to the decks, davits trimmed fore
| and NJ and hnn.n To tb.,
way on the quarterback taken down and
| slowed away. In a word, so far AS practi-
| cable every surface was removed which
might offer resistance to the wind.
Water had been let into the hold. bring
ing it down to the required draft, l2 #. 3-4
in. The water to be used to feed the boil
ers is warmed before being used. Upon
the gun decks are two immense water
tanks, into which all the mornings exhaust
steam has been discharged, so that us il is
pumped into the boilers il may be all the
more readily converted into steam
The anchor was raised at 10. 40, and the
trim little gunboat was soon moving slowly
down the river and out upon the sound for
| the starting point of the course, two miles
away. At |. .33 she was close to the line.
The forced draft was turned on, the
thr0ttles thrown open, and with bound the
,."a d., !, ~ ~. - 's.i ~ M .ie
run, SO the vessel was put about on long
turn. She was pointed again for the line,
winch was crossed at 40. her engines
making 2Is revolutions A minute. and a red
flag at the foremast indicated 10 passiny
vessels that the Machias was on her official
trial trip.
During the irst hours run she made IL
II knots, the tide favoring her. Her en-
gines were making an average of about 22O
revolutions per minute and working so
smoothly as to excite the admiration of the
engineers who were watching them.
The naval officers were enthusiastic. the
boilers were more than making the requisite
steam and a slender line of white from the
exhaust pipe mingled with the great volume
| of black smoke which was pouring from the
funnel and stretching away to the north
east.
Gen. Hyde was about the ship AS the
fancy moved him. proud of his boat and
proud of his men who were so handsomely
working her.
In the pilot house were Capt Oliver, in
command of the vessel, Pilot William G
Preble and Walter B. Lowell. Walter was
Mt the wheel and leaving q wake behind as
clean as a boulevard.
p,w, in IN. e,y;,o roo, Cb;of r,,,;,.a,
S,muel = IIipcklev was in char,n via
Assistants. Crofton and Lockerv while in
tho bo;lc- room wore four fremc, f.od;no
selected coal into the four furnaces.
Six men were detailed as oilers, and two
as coal passers. The vessel burned abou
| 10 tons of coal during the four hours.
| Charles Il. IIanscom, superintendent OF
| the shipyard and formerly of the bureau OF
| construction, u. S. N, is the man VIII,
practically built the Machias, and who's,
work is so favorably commented upon b,
| members of the board.
Speaking of the Machias, captain in tn,
| navy says that she seems to be superior j,
every point of construction to the Detro
and Montgomery, built at Baltimore. Tha
she should show little vibration when tear
pg through the water at I5-knot gait, hel
propellcrs making 22O or more revolutions
minute, was a surprise. The vibration,
were even less than on the big New York
The Machias was launched at Bath. Me.
Dee. 8, 1891, up to that time being know
as gunboat No. 5. She was the first on III,
list of iron and steel vessels built on th,
Kennebec.
| Last ApriI she was given n preliminar,
trial run at sea, and exceeded her contrac
speea by ] "a knots. making IA "a knots
and that under conditions by no means tn,
best.
Tho N,oh;.s &; email s,,.
x.ss.I dcs;gred IN c,r,y on sm,i, IL
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Tha ant.;d. ,,,s,;ra ~ ,ho vo..ol;. NJ /
IN o. 800. ps - =, -" -.
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,bo,,, 9tso kno,. AZ ID kuot. the hor.