Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-10-24
PRIDE OF The NAVY
The Indiana Is a Great
Battleship.
Made Average Speed of 1891 Knota
in Her Official Trial Trip and Her
Builders VIII Earn a Premium OF
$4,000 and Possibly $75,0o0-A
Triumph OF American Machinery.

$4,000 and Possibly $75,Oo0-A
Triumph OF American Machinery.
Boston, Oct 19.-In her official trial
trip between Cape Ann and Boone isl
and, "A distance of 81 knots, the battle
ship Indiana made an average speed of
10 81 knots for four hours. This is 6l
100 knots above the speed required by
the government, and as there was q pre-
MUM of S25, 900 for every quarter knot
made over 10 the Cramps will receive
$50, 900 as bonus in excess of the con
tract price offered. This may be in
creased to $15, 900 when the tidal obser.
vations are worked out, as the allow
ance for tidal distractions will probably
give the ship Is. 70 knots. The very salts
factory speedd eveloped by the Indiana is
secondary to the wonderful way in which
the machinery worked.
With their usual luck the Cramps had
a day that was perfect for trial trip.
The atmosphere was brilliantly clear
and the breeze that was blowing only
had weight enough to crest the sea with
little whitecaps. The run to Cape Ann
consumed two hours, and on the way
there the big boilers are bottling up
steam for dash across the line. Forced
draught was turned on an hour before
the starting point was reached. The can
buoys that staked the course were fur
ther marked by a government boat an
chored at each one.
At 10 O'Clock the Indiana approached
the starting line. The red flag that in
dcatcs that Il trial is on was run to her
masthead and one short whistle was
answered by the Dallas, and at
1n.lQ. Il 1 g., ,,I 81
aud the Indiana was off. The run to
Boone island was made against the tide
and consumed two hours, two minutes
and seven seconds. The average speed
for the thirty-one knots was at the rate
of 15:24 knots per hour. The speed
made to Boone island was disappoint-
ing but it was expected, and the ex-
pectation was fulfilled that the ship
would do better on the way back. In
making the turn ten minutes were CON
sumed, and the Indiana passed the Fern
at 12:24:Ol 1-2.
The speed of the ship was notceably
greater. Under the able superintendency
of Walter 5. Cramp, the engineers and
tiremen were straining every nerve. The
engines were revolving faster and faster,
and the immense hull was quvering
and vibrating with rapid pulsations.
The first leg was reeled off at an average
speed of 1899; the second at 1G l2 the
third ut 1875; the fourth at 1870, and
the last stakeboat was left astern at
speed of 1880 knots. 1t was 2:20:21
when the trial was over, just one hour,
tlfty-live minutes and thirty-five seconds
from Boone island, and total of three
hours, iiIty-eight minutes and twenty
| eight seconds. A gain of eight minutes
on the westward run was made and the
average speed was 1899. This brought
the average Tor the four hours up to
| 1851, Il comfortable excess over the con
tract speed of ID knots.
A remarkable circumstance was the
speed made between the two last stake
boats. 1t proved that thu Indiana was
able to do better, after her machinery
had been driven at high pressure for a
considerable time, than when the en-
gines were first put under forced
draught. This is in marked contrast to
the performance of English battleships
of the Royal Sovereign class. The Eng
lish have never succeeded in getting
much better than sixteen knots out of
their irst-class batteships, and when
they have attained this speed it has
been at the expense OF ruined machinery.
The lndianas machinery is n triumph
OF American construction. The engineer
| officers of the trial board were surprised
at the wonderful performance of the en-
gineS.