The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-08-02
GEM OF The OCEAN.
The Cruiser Columbia Makes
a Marvellous Home Voy-
age From South
hampton:
UNDER NATURAL ORA UGHT
She Is the Fastest Warship Afoat
Features Of the Trip-Liners
Left Behind.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 1S95-When the
triple-screw cruiser Columbia arrived off
Sandy Hook this morning she establish
ed her right to precedence as the fastest
vessel in the service of the United States
That many naval officers were astonish-
ed at her remarkable trip across the
Atlantic but poorly expresses the state
of their feelings. Calculations and sur
misses have been knocked to smithereens,
and the surprise is all the greater
because the Columbia made the voyage
under conditions that were detrimental
to a quick run. The unusual interest in
the voyage of the Columbia which ended
this morning was based on the instruc
tions given her commander, Captain
Summer by the Navy Department
In order to test the capability of the
vessel in making a long run, Captain
Sumner was directed to make speed
trial from Southampton to New York,
but was restricted to the use of natural
draught except during the last twenty
four hours. when forced draught was to
be used. Under these instructions good
time might have been expected. but the
Columbia was hampered by circumstan-
ces that seemed to counteract the
chances for rapid passage. Her re-
cent straining in the dry dock at South
ampton, where she was placed in order
to clean her hull preparatory to the trip,
was considered to have lessened her
chances on the theory that Captain Sum
ner would be afraid to put her to her
utmost for fear that the injury might
be made greater.
The sensational stories of serious in
jury sustained in dry dock. are seeming
ly disposed of by the quickness of the
voyage. Another thing that tended to
hamper the Columbia was the fact that
she had only half the required number of
engineer officers and lacked a fourth Of
a complete crew of machinists and fire.
men. Her coal. too. was of an inferior
order. In consideration of these hinder
ances it was believed that the Columbia
would not make very good time, and
even Mr.. Charles Cramp, her builder.
thought she would not reach Sandy Hook
under eight days, and backed this opinion
by a contribution to the Navy Depart
ment pool.
The actual time consumed by the Col
umbia between Southampton and Sandy
Hook was seven days. one hour and fif-
teen minutes Allowing for the differ
enee in time between Southampton ard
New York. it would be four hours and
minutes less.
Additional interest in the Columbid's
trip comes from the fact that the Ameri-
can line steamer st. Louis left South
ampton just twenty-four hours and twen-
ty minutes behind the Columbia, and was
expected by MANY naval officers to pass
the later before reaching port. The
Hamburg-American steamship Augusta
Victoria passed the Needles about 100
miles behind the Columbia. Neither of
these crack liners was able to overtake
the cruiser.
The voyage and its probable outcome
awakened the most intense interest at
the Navy Department which led to the
making of "a pool upon the hour of the
arrival of the Columbia. The estimates
ranged all the way from Friday morn
ing (these by newspaper mem to Mon
day afternoon. Most of the naval Off
GERS placed their bets on some hour OF
Saturday, as did also Mr.. Charles Cramp,
her builder He gave her exactly eight
days to make the trip. The winner of
the pool is an attache of the New York
'.Herald's' Washington bureau.