The morning call., 1893-11-30
THE FOG WAS TOO DENSE.
An Exciting Squirt Against Time
and Tide.
INTERESTING SCENES ABOARD.
First the Breaking of Bolt and
Then the Thick Weather
Causes Trouble.

the ocean the cruiser Olympia came BACK
from Santa Barbara Channel at 80 o'clock
yesterday afternoon. Not as suspicious
as 1t might have been was the return of
the Olympia, and somewhat unexpected
was her sudden appearance in the fog off
Point Lobos.
Few persons knew that the crack
cruiser OF the United States navy was
passing in until she was opposite Fort
Point; then number of blasts from her
big siren attracted the ears of men among
the shipping, and word was quickly passed
along that the cruiser had arrived.
She did not anchor in the stream, but
continued on her course straight TO the
Union Iron Works dock, and went along
side the cOmpany's pier at little before
o'clock.
The Naval Examining Board left the
vessel the instant she locked and lost no
time in escaping to Mare Island. Irving
NJ. Scott remained on board and from h i'm
and others it was learned that everybody
was In the best of spirits over the result
OF the preliminary trials of speed, but Mr..
Scott seemed somewhat chagrined to think
that so much time had TO be wasted on
account OF the inclemency of the weather.
The cruiser left Santa Barbara at 7 :05
on Tuesday night and steamed direct for
this city. Her coal-bunkers were pretty
low when she left the Santa Barbara
Channel. but her supply of fuel was ample
10 insure safe run to this city. No at
tempt was made to speed the ship.
In speaking of the vessel Mr.. Scott said
that she would easily accomplish % knots,
but that he did not expect her to beat %
knots. His expectations are that she will
make good 2215 knots, but not much
more.
Not before a week from Monday will a
return be made to Santa Barbara Channel
for another trial. Men will be set TO work
to ease no the machinery and about $50
tons of coal will have 10 be placed on her.
The cruiser was making % knots when
the accident of the breaking of a bolt in
the feed-pump occurred. Necessarily she
had TO be slowed down.
An examination of the gauge showed
that a greater speed than % knots had
been recorded al intervals of the run. 1t
was very provoking to think that such a
little thing should have interfered with
the splendid prospects for a record-brea
ing official trial trip, but that rivet had to
be repaired. and that was all there was
TO il.
On the 9th anchor was raised at GAS.
though there were indications of the fog
becoming too thick to permit of the official
test. A start was made at Z O'Clock A. NJ,
but The fog closed and shut out the stake
boats and beacOns. Anchor was dropped
again and raised at lis, when a second
start was made.
Scarcely a run of mile was accom-
plished before the fog shut down again,
then lifted little, and a 30-mile run was
made under forced draught A great COL
umn OF black smoke poured out of the big
funnel, and tie Olympia commenced to
show herself Everything was progress
Ing smoothly. The engines worked like
oh and down the 6rarnop, . ba
draught was roaring through the furnace
bars. The furnaces themselves turned to
a glowing white heat, almost uncomfortable
when the doors were opened. A staff of
iremeD. stripped 10 the wais., worked with
mechanical precision, and the steam began
to mount up In the gauges. The screw in
creased In revolution till the cruiser was
Keeling off twenty. then twenty-one.
twenty-five and twenty-five and a half
knots. She did not tremble much, but cut
her way through the water steadily. leav-
ing long white wake of foam behind and
parting the ocean into TWO big waves on
both des of her bow.
But all in all Tie Olympia did not create
such commotion in the water when she
was making this spin az might have been
expected. To use nautical expression.
she carried a hollow wave on her port and
starboard quarter forward, which seemed
10 sweep gracefully aft and lose itself in
of the cruiser had nodded it with a view
to blending its regular lines into the
symmetrical swirls ana whirlpools that
seemed to laugh gleefnlly. as though proud
of having been created by so perfect and
powerful a piece of machinery as the
Olympia'S twin screws.
AS the 22-knot margin was approached il
was moment of intense excitement for
those on board. No hilarious sounds were
heard, for everybody waited with bated
breath the results of the fast stsamipg.
Then the fog dTifted down again and the
engines had TO be slowed down. About
thirty miles of the course had been run
over, but there was no use trying to COM
plete the task Of spinning over the entire
distance staked off as official"
Tuesday II corning came, and with it more
fog. A short run was made up the coast,
and then 1t was decided, as the coal
bunkers were getting empty, to return to
San Francisco.
In speaking of the Olympia's machinery
Irving Nj. Scott said that it worked
smoother after each trial and will not re-
quire much running to make it operate
without hitch. On the second trial trip
a higher rate of speed was main tanned than
on the first. showing that the engines were