The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-05-01
RAGE AGAINST TIME
Cruiser Bennington Made ;
Round-the- World Record
A Day to Spare.

WASHINGTON, Mays1, 1894.-The cruiser
Bennington, on her arrival at San Fran
cisco yesterday, won a $4,000 mile race
against time with one day to spare, making
a round-the-world record which is interest
ing as showing the possibilities of dispatching
naval vessels to various parts OF the wona
when it was decided to thoroughly police
Boring Sea, it was considered necessary
to utilize the Bennington for that duty. She
was then cruising in the Mediterranean. and
a cablegram was sent January 23 detaching
her from the European squadron and order
way of the Straits of Magellan and to re-
port at San Francisco by May /, If possible
These orders reached the vessel when she
arrived at Genoa, February 2. Five days
were spent in getting stores and otherwise
preparing for the long cruise, and on Feb
ruary Z the little vessel got under way.
The run of $50 miles to Gibraltar took
three days at a ten knot speed. After two
days there for re-coaling the Bennington,
the ocean voyage began. Bad weather
caused the 1910 miles to st. Vincent to con-
sumo thirteen days. After a days stop for
fresh provisions, the ship had fair weather,
was reached IN eight days, and here
it tool three days to fill up the
nearly exhausted coal bunkers and report to
the department Upon the state OF the Brazil
ian rebellion. In the next ten days the l,U90
miles to Mentevideo were travsrsed, and
here a couple of days were spent preparing
for the next long jump, I. $50 miles to Val
paraiso. This took just the same
amount of time Is the trip from
Gibraltar to st. Vincent and again
two days were lost in ~recoaling. From
Valparaiso to Callao. swhere a stop OF one
day was made, the 1900 miles were LETT
behind between Thursday, April 5, and the
following Tuesday, and on the seventy-hfth
day out from Genoa Acapulco was reached,
ten days having sutficed to dispose Of b elast
600 miles. Two days for coal and pro-
visions were all that could be spared in
the Mexican port and the last leisureiy run
of 1,050 miles to San Francisco commenced.
Thirteen days were divided among seven
ports, and seventy days we're consumed IN
making the 49, $50 miles Of the journey. the
average speed for the whole distance being
1S9 miles per day,
IF THE NICARAGUA WE'RE IN OPERATION.
1t is interesting to note that had the Nicars-
aqua Canal been in operation the Benning-
ton would have reached San Francisco at
the same speed in less than 40 days instead
OF So and would have saved the coal burned
in 5000 miles. of extra steaming. The
Bennington will also stop at San Francisco
only q few days as she has been ordered to
join the seal patrol feet as soon as possible.
Another vessel which has Just reached the
rendezvous Of the Behring Sea fleet is the o..
IS. revenue cutter Grant, which reached
San Francisco about a week ago, she having
left New York November 81, last year. Her
voyage was exactly the same length as that
of the Bennington, but she took l47 days.
By the Nicaragua Canal the Grant would
have taken IS DAYS al the same rate Of
speed, which was 80 miles per day and saved
over 5000 miles.