Hawaii holomua = Progress. [volume] (Honolulu) 1893-1895, 1894-08-06
A Description of the United
States Cruiser MINI sapolis-
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the sea in ships than the deep
sea speed trial OF the new United
States cruiser Minneapolis. whose
speedLtrial on her four hours
trip on the I4th instant showed
an average of 2305 knJts per
hour. Up to date the cruiser
Columbia has worn the proud
title The Fastest Cruiser in the
World" having made on her
trial in November last the record
until now unparalleled, of 22.S1
knots per hour for four hours at
sea. That such a magnificent
achievement should be 50 soon
surpassed is in the nature of a
marvel, even in this age of rapid
progress The Columbia can
afford to reIinquish her title
gracefully since it passes to her
sister ship. the Minneapolis,
whose record not only beats the
speed of any war vessel ever
built but also exceeds that of the
fastest of the Atlantic grey
hounds.
Ii has been claimed that the
Cunard steamers Campania and
Lucania, with their alleged
records of % knots an hour for a
whole day, are faster than the
Columbia and Minneapolis. As
a matter Of fact, were the cruisers
to be tried over the same course
where the phenomenal record of
the Cunarders was made, where a
favorable current reaches a
strength Of as much as knot an
hour at times, and the speed
should be computed without cor
rection for current, as was the
case in the run of the Cunarders,
they would easily make a record
Of "a knots an hour for a cores
ponding length of time.
In designing the machinery
for a cruiser economy of space is
great desideratum. When,
therefore, Commodore Melville
was instructed to plan for the
twins Columbia and Minneapolis.
machinery that would develop
q 900 horsepower, he concentrat-
ed his mental energies on the evo-
luton of a design that would be
both compact and powerful. In
the use of screws, to have put
single engine on each shaft would
have required very large cylin-
ders and large parts of machinery
all through. The problem might
have been solved, as in the case
of the New York. by putting two
sets of engines on each shaft.
This would have doubled the
number of parts above the single
engine, while the shafting abaft
the after engine had to be the
same size as if only single en-
CINE had been used. Triple
screws would increase the number
of parts only so per cent as COM
pared with twin screws and a
single engine on each shaft, while
it reduced the size of all the
parts and brought everything
within dimensions that were
thought thoroughly reliable. As
this seemed the "consummation'
the engineer-in chief determined
to urge the use of triple screws.
When it became known that
Commodore Melville had recon-
mended triple screws, and that
the Department had decided to
adopt them, be received many
letters from engineers advising
that the step was too radical, too
much of an experiment, and that
it ought not to be tried primarily
in vessels intended to be the
most powerful and swiftest afoat,
but the Commodore had studied
the problem carefully and had
the courage of his convictions. in
this case. as in many others. Be-
lieving that be was right he went
ahead. The results have more
than justified his conclusions.
The report Of the trial of the !
Columbia developed the fact that |
ler great speed had been obtain
ID for a remarkable low horse
The engines had not
worked up to full power and the
peed had exceeded expectations
the full power Of the engines
lad been exerted. The reason
hla conninSior, SuhcfanSfasa1 hv,