The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-09-05
MADE FAST TIME.
The New Cruiser Beats
Twenty Knots.
SHE MAY BREAK THE RECORD
Her Trial Trips Show That She Steers
Beautifuiiy-The Machinery
Working Smoothly.

The unofficial trial trips OF the new
cruiser Olympia, which were made around
the bay three days last week. have been
more than satisfactory, for the reason that
greater speed has already been developed
than the contract requires. There is good
ground for tie expectation that the cruiser
on her official trial trip will show up as the
fastest craft of her class In the United
States navy.
Under circumstances which were not IA
vorable. and with a lot of steam reserved.
the Olympia plowed through the water at
the rate of more than twenty miles an
hour, her machinery turning smoothly as a
weIl-olled sewing-mschine.
1t will perhaps be news TO mariners. as
we'll as landsmen. to learn that the harbOr
of San Francisco, large and deep as it is.
does not offer an ample course for vessel
OF the depth and weight of this new cruiser
The naval board has learned from expe-
Renee that it requires one fathom of wa
ter for every foot draught, and the course
in the Santa Barbara channel has been
laid out In conformity with this rule.
There are only few places in the bay
where the Olympia going at full. or nearly
full. speed did not suck bottom. The
depth of waiter which she traversed varied
from six fath0ms near shore To twenty
fathOms in one spot off Goat Island.
When the Olympia was in less than
fifteen fathoms, drawing twenty-One feet
and making sixteen To seventeen knots.
she would pull big swell around her and
squat down like river boat. with only a
foot or two of water under her keel. At
that depth she would stir up mud at the
bottom. And she would drag the swell
astern of her. But when she struck twenty
fatnoms depth she steered like a pilot
boat and ran like deerhOund.
The Olympia has four double-end boil
erS, weighing eighty tons each, and two
singleend boilers. On this trip she did
not use all her power and was blowing off
steam most Of the time. She turned as
many as 132 revolutions minute, while
! she Will be able To turn 145 revolutions.
Judged by Fridays performance. when
she DEVELOPED over twenty knotS, it is
almost certain she will be able TO do
twenty-one knots, and il will not be at all
surprising II she should beat the New
York's record, which reached that speed
In less than fifteen fathOms the Ulymp ia
was sluggish aud taok notions all the time
to lun off. 1t took % deg. of the helm 10
! hold her 70 her course, but when she got
into twenty fathoms 3 deg. held her easily
and she turned beautifully with 10 deg of
the helm.
no HUE CIulSos lHst WICK were UOJ Ut al
| trips, as they are generally regarded, but
supply dock" trials-tbe first turniugs
over Of the machinery. Usually the first
steaming Is done with the VeSSei fast TO u
dock, but the Olympia is so deep and so
heavy that 10 structure here or elsewhere
could hold her while she was steamng
wide open. So the minuts she took steam
and turned her engines her lines were
slipped from the buoy and she started out
with a temporary steering apparatus.
Her official trial trip cannot take place
for probably two mouths. The barbette
anchor is now being placed IN position
and then her upper deck will be laid
Much Joiner work remains TO be done.
Her machinery VIII require very little at
trntiOn. The bearings are already smooth,
almost to perfection. When she is finished.
with her guns ON board. She will draw
twenty-fOur feet.
Captain Charles n. Goodall, who had
command of the Olympia when she
steamed around the bay, said yesterday to
CALL reporter: at was the fastest rid
ing l ever had aboard a steamer. | look
for her to BRAT the New York's record"