The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-12-02
VIII Inspect Machinery of the New
Inrpedo Rnlr-An Old. Resident.

VIII Inspect Machinery of the New
Torpedo Boat-An Old Resident.
w ". Bush. government inspector Of
machinery for the torpedo boat 10 be built
by Moran Bros, arrived in the city yes
terday afternoon from New York, and
Will enter upon his duties at once. He
was seen at the Rainier-Grand last night,
but could only talk in a general way. az
he had not visited the plant nor talked
with the builders. Notwithstanding this,
Mr., Bush is very sanguine over the uiti-
mate success of the boat. which. he says.
means a great deal TO Moran Bros. The
inspector is by no means stranger TO
Seattle, having been a member OF the
corps OF engineers that built the Seattle.
Lake Shore & Eastern railroad for two
years just preceding the big fire.
Il expect TO start on my duties immedi-
ately." said Mr.. Bush last night Il met
Robert Moran at Newport when he was
East. and was very much impressed with
his straightforwardnes and business-like
air. and haven't a doubt but our relations
will be the most friendly. l will not so
into any of the details OF the engines and
machinery. as you had a most excellent
article on the boat in this mornings Post
Intelligencer. My duties Will he to see
that the requirements OF the plans fur
nished by the department are complied
with in every detail.
here l was attached to the torpedo boat
Cushing, which puts in most of her time
in target practice. This work is very in
teresting. A string of buoys, made TO rep
resent ships. are placed at a certain dis
lance, and torpedoes are fired at them
from a distance of about 400 yards with
the boat going at the rate of fifteen knots
an hour The intricate portion of this
practice is figuring on the angle of defiec-
ton. and il requires considerable skill on
the part of the gunners. / understand
that the speed of the boat Will be in
creased to eighteen or twenty knots,
which. of course, will increase the per-
centage of angles.
THE boat 10 be built by the Morans will
be strictly up to date. and will undoubt-
eddy be very speedy. Her horse power is
10 be 5000. or nearly twice as much as
that of the Cushing. and her engines Of
the very latest design. 1t behooVes the
firm to do good work on this boat, as
there is a great disposition on the part of
congress TO build many more Of the same
character. England has over 200 torpedo
boats, while we have. think, three.
1T seems quite natural 10 get back TO
Seattle. although it has been nearly seven
years since | left. I remember the big
fire very WELL and do not think l will ever
forget the sights attending it. To appre-
ciate the fine appearance of Front and
Second streets as they now are one should
have seen the desolation and misery the
day after the confiagration; but then. l
suppose it was all for the best. ] remem-
Der coming down from Snohomish few
weeks after the fire with a lot of money
on my person and paying dollar for a
place to sleep in a tent, and then sitting
up all night for fear of being robbed.
Why it was dangerous to be safe in those
days"
Mr.. Bush inquired of a number of old
timers who were flourshing before and
after the fire, and expressed a desire of
meeting some of them during his stay in
the city.