The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-31
RETURN OF THE MONTEREY
The South American Cruise
Was a Veritable Pleas
ure Trip.
Her SPLENDID BEHAVIOR.
Failure of the Ward Coil Boilers.
They VIII Probably Be
Taken Out.

The United States steamer Monterey,
Captain Higginson, arrived yesterday
from her long cruise down the coast to
Peru. She left this port April IL, reached
CaIlao May 20, and departed from that
place July 9, steamlng north. The noble
vessel was received everywhere with the
utmost cordiality by the people Of the
Spanish-Amerfcan countries.
Contrary TO the expectation in some
quarters she was quite comfortable In the
tropics and not the hot iron tank antlci-
pated. A splendid system of ventilation
kept the temperature of the fireroom and
compartments below deck cool and health
full. The officers speak in the highest
terms of their steamer, and the crew to a
man are in love with the gallant coast
defender.
Big 1O-inch ''Betsey and her mate" look
as warlike as when they first poked their
long, bright tubes out of the forward tur-
rets, and their two S-inch cousins IN the
after turret are equally worthy mem bers
of the quartet of steel Amazons that crouch
ready for battle on the deck OF the Monte
rev. But of the Ward coil boilers down in
the freroom no such favorable report can
be- made. They are practically failure so
far. Their peculiar constructions large
coil of hot-water pipes circling many times
around a central drum-inside of the
boiler, or practically the furnace, makes
them burn out easily and often, and they
cannot be readily repaired.
The tubes of an ordinary boiler con-
structed for the passage of heat through
the water are from their position little
likely to be damaged and may be cleaned
or repaired without much difficulty if out
of order. The Ward boilers, which are a
great improvement over others because
steam can be generated in them about 40
per cent quicker, have not been brought to
an efficiency that will stand the wear and
tear OF constant use. Those on the Mon
terey were constantly out of order. The
coils were plugged and patched, only to
have leak started in another place, often
far up among the thick rings of pipe,
where the labor of repairing was most
difficult
To add to the inefficiency of the boilers
the condensers were not in good order and
the leaking OF saltwater into the coils laid
a saline crust on the inside of the piping
that sometimes choked it up completely
and as it could not be washed or scraped
from its place of Judgment the coil burned
out rapidly.
The four Ward boilers-the invention of
a citizen of that name-were placed i'll the
Monterey as an experiment and their de-
nclenCy IN nOWlSe QeLTaCIS from the excel
lency of the coast defenders construction.
The long sea trip of the vessel fully dem
onstrates the need of improvement in
some particulars.
A complete report has been sent to Wash
ington and the steamer will be ordered to
Mare Island, where extensive repairs will
be made, the four boilers being taken out
for that purpose or removed and Scotch
boilers substituted.
The officers of the Monterey are:
Captain, Francis j. Higginson; lieutenant
commander. Z. C. Pendleton; heutenants-
James w. Carlin, William R. A. Rooney, E. F.
Leiper and Harry George; ensigns-W. W.
Gilmer. L. A. Bostwick and A. L. willard; chief
engineer, W. B. Bayley; past assistant engi-
neers-J. \. Pickrill and F. Leopold; pay
master, J. R. Stanton; surgeon, R. Whitney
assistant surgeon, c. P. Bags; pay clerk,
Oliver Haskell; gunner, ]. R. Ward; and car
penter, w. Burke.
Captain Higginson viii be detached next
Tuesday, his two years of sea service hav-
ing expired, and will be relieved by Cap
tain Francis Kane. Lieutenant-Co
der Pendleton and Ensign Bostwick will
also be detached from the vessel soon.