The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-07-11
TO TEST HER SPEED
The Cruiser Minneapolis Now On
Her Way.
TO TRY HER SPEED OVER THE
OFFICIAL COURSE.

for Every Quarter Knot Over RI Knots
an Hour, and Will Be Mulcted in an
Equal sum for Every Quarter She
Falls Short-She Has Made FL. IS Knots
Philadelphia, July 10.-The cruiser Min
neapois sailed from Cramps ship yard yes
Jerday afternoon for her government trial
trip off the Massachusetts coast. While the
actual speed trial of the cruiser will last
but four hours, the trip will consume seven
days.
The cruiser will run down the Delaware
river some sixty miles during the afternoon
and come to anchor for the evening off
Reedy Island. Here the water ballast to
displace the vessel to it's required tonnage
of $50 tons will be taken on, and about
or o'clock Tuesday morning the anchor
will be weighed land by o'clock the cruiser
will be off the Delaware Capes. She will
steam out to Five Fathom Bank Lightship,
about twenty-three miles off shore, and then
be headed for Nantucket Shoal Light, off
Boston,
The run up the coast Tuesday will be in
the nature of an experimental trial. dur
ing which the cruisers behavior will be
carefully noted.
Nantucket Light will be made about 4
Wednesday morning, and during that day
the Minneapolis will lay to off the coast,
and the boilers will be cleaned and the
machinery oiled
Thursday a preliminary run Will be made
over the forty mile official course from off
Cape Ann, Mass, to point off Cape Por-
poise, Me. On this trial no effort to force
the cruiser to her maximum speed will be
made. as it will only be run to make assur-
ance doubly sure that the Minneapolis is
ready for the final test.
Nothing will be done on Friday, and the
engineers and stokers will have complete
rest to prepare them for their ordeal in
the engine room during the official run.
This will take place on Saturday.
BY the contract with the government the
cruiser is required to steam at maintained
speed of twenty one knots an hour for four
consecutive hours, failing which a penalty
of $4,000 for every quarter knot under
twenty-one knots will be exacted from the
builders and for every quarter knot over
twenty-one knots made the builders will
receive a like sum as bonus.
On her builders trial off the Delaware
Capes, last month, the Minneapolis logged
for an hour 2l.75 knots under unfavorable
conditions. She was burning anthracite
coal, and the mean depth of the water was
but seventeen fathoms. In her official run
the best hand picked bituminous coal from
the Pocahontas fields will be used and the
depth of the water will be sixty fathoms.s
The vessel will be run over the official
course twice, and if twenty-three knot an
hour, or perhap, better, is not made, the
opinion of expert shippuilders and naval
officers who have watched the vessel will
be greatly in error. In the improba BILE
event of the cruiser not averaging the
twenty-one knots,or of an accident happen
ing,or of the vessel failing in any of the re-
quirements of machinery, boilers, hull or
fittings, the contractors may demand sec
ond trial. The official course will be marked
by number of United States vessels, which
will be anchored at equal distance from
each other along it. A board the vessel will
be stationed some member of the inspection
board of naval officers, whose duty it will be
to make the tidal calculation.
After the official run the cruiser will go
into Boston harbor, and, if the trial has
been successful, she will start on her return
to Philadelphia some time Sunday morning.
On the return trip to Philadelphia there
will be three trials to determine the horse
power and cruising capacities of the vessel
and the amount of coal she will burn while
steaming at a certain rate of speed.
On Monday morning the Minneapolis will
be back at her wharf at Cramps ship yard
If the weather should be stormy the cruiser
will not make the trial trip upon the day
set.as the. builders naturally wish for as
favorable conditions of wind and water as
possible. and therefore prefer to wait
at Boston for day or two rather than risk
losing even fraction of knot in rough
sea.
The Minneapolis is commanded on the
trip by Capt. r. W. Sargent, and Edwin S.
Cramp and Lewis Nixon are aboard as the
representatives of the Cramp company. The
inspection board appointed for the trial by
Secretary Herbert is composed as follows:
Commodore T. 0. Selfridge, president;
Capt. P. H. Cooper, Commanders f. A.
Cook and R. B. Bradford, Chief Engineer
A. W. Morley. Lieutenant-Co Commander
Trial Sebree, Naval Constructor Joseph
Feaster and Lieutenant-C Commanders Taton
Schroeder, Recorder. A second board, APP
pointed for the purpose of reporting special
ly upon the trial of the machinery. consists
of Chief Engineer Morley. president, and
Chief, Engineers W. A. Windsor, H. S. Ross,
and r. W. Mlligan. A number of junior
engineer officers will assist the board by
taking and computing Indicator cards. Lieu
tenant Commander sSebree sailed on the
Minneapolis, but the other members of the
inspection board will assemble in Boston
later in the week.
In addition to the boards a number of in
vited guests have gone on the trip.
The Minneapolis has lost the battered,
dingy look she presented on her builders
trial, as she has been painted white. She
is nearer completion than any of the war
ships have ever been on their trial trips,
and with the exception that she is without
her battery, looks exteriorly ready for sea.
THE MAINE READY FOR HER OFFICIAL
TRIAL.
The armored cruiser Maine was reported
at the navy yard yesterday as practically
ready for her official trial, after nearly six
years spent upon her construction 1t is
expected that she will be taken up the
Sound a few days after the Minneapolis
and be run over the naval eighty mile
course to test her machinery for horse-pow-
er developments.