Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1895-08-08
OUR CRACK CRUISER.
One of Uncle Sans Ships Beats the
Worlds Man-of-War
Record

Worlds Man-Of-War
Record.
New York, Aug. 1.-The United States
cruiser Columbia was sighted from San
dy Hook at $50 this morning The Co.
lumbia sailed from Southampton at 1890
p. m. ON Friday, July g. passing the
Needles at 1:2O. Her time therefore
from the Needles to Sandy Hook bar is
Z days 1 hour and Is minutes. The
American line steamer Paris on her last
trip from Southampton covered 3O7o
knots, and assuming that the Columbia
came over the same course, the average
speed of the Columbia is about 1917
knots. The Columbia on her official
four hours trial in November, 1893,
averaged psi knots an hour and at
tanned maximum of $3.50 knots an
hour over a distance of nearly s knots.
The Southampton record is held by the
American liner New York and is & days
hours better than the Columbia's time.
The St. Louis left Southampton about
twenty-fOur hours after the Columbia.
Her western record is 6 days IS hours
and AZ minutes, made on her last trip.
TO equal this time, the St. Louis is due
morrow morning. The Columbia passed
in at Sandy Hook at 9:5S a. IN.
The Columbia reached quarantine at
1888 4. m. Her log gives her arrival
at the bar at 1853 and time of passage
from the Needles to Sandy Hook light
ship 6 days % hours and 40 minutes.
Her days runs We're 4Oo, AGO, Alb, 4oS,
455. 453 and 4O5 knots Total distance
31O9 knots; average speed 1871 knots
Capt. sumner Talks.
In speaking of the trip, Capt. Sumner
said: 1.-The run was a very successful
one, all things considered. We left the
Needles at 2 p. m. week ago today,
and throughout the trip we only used
natural draught. One in heavy weather
we slowed down for four hours to 3
knots. We encountered fog which lasted
twenty-six hours, but we ran at full
speed through it. We worked our three
screws, and eight main boilers were
all working and our coal consumption
averaged from POO to 300 tons per day.
We had the best coal we could get and
it is the same as that used on the Amer
lean line ships. Had we been able to run
under forced draught for twenty-four
hours we most certainly would have done
three hours better. However, | am sat
isfed that the cruiser has proven her
capacity of making extraordinary runs,
when necessary.
see by our smokestacks, we threw a lot
ever, as we had all our battle matches
down forward on the pilot house,
When asked about the injury to the
ships plates while in the dry dock on
the other side. the captain did not seem
inclined to talk about it and passed the
matter off, saying: ''Oh that was moth
ing. of any consequence: The ship is all
right, as you can readily see from the
trip just finished"
During the entire passage the cruiser
was run under natural draft. Thirty-six
hours of fog was experienced on the voy
her usual speed. Moderate winds and
weather were encountered all the way
across the ocean. At quarantine the
Columbia was boarded by the health Of
fcer and, the surgeon reporting all we'll,
the cruiser proceeded up the bay.
Navy Officers Rejoice.
Washington, D. c., Aug. 2.-There was
general rejoicing in the navy department
today when the Associated press bulletin
was read announcing the arrival of the
Columbia off Sandy Hook. Assistant
Secretary McAdoo expressed the greatest
pleasure over the fast time made by the
cruiser He went to the West Indies
aboard the Columbia and was confident
from the start that she would acquit
herself handsomely on this trial across
the Atlantic, Columbia beat the time
VI luc new 1OIh W Two udtS, anu pre-
yious to this trip the New York had the
best record of any warship crossing the
Atlantic. Mr.. McAdoo said today that
there was no longer any doubt about the
speed of the Columbia and that on a
squirt she could no doubt overtake any
vessel afloat; that is, if a vessel was sight
ed in the morning the Columbia could
come up with her before night.
The Minneapolis is her equal if not
superior, and,the record of the Columbia
shows that the United States has the
two fastest ships afioat. A prominent
naval officer pointed out what he con-
sidered the most gratifying points con-
corning the speed trial. He said that
when all the conditions under which the
Columbia made her run are considered
the result must be regarded as remark
able. In the first place, he said, the
coal, while good and probably much
better than the cheap variety usually
supplied our vessels at home, was not
the best quality of Welsh coal. Then
again the engine departments of our cruis-
ers are not as fully manned as either
the ships of the merchant service or
those of foreign governments. and conse
quently the endurance of the men in
the engine and fire rooms is more severe
" taxed.
Compared with the Terrible.
AS an illustration of this fact it is only
necessary to give the following compari
son between the Columbia and the
English cruiser Terrible:
Horse power-Columbia, 10000; Terrible,
$4,000.
Number of enginecrs-Columbia 4; Terri
BILE, s.
Men in engineer Northumberland
1856; Terrible 334.
In other words, the work on the en-
gineer officers is just go per cent harder
on the Columbia than on the English
ship, while the men in our ship have to
do onethird more work than do the men
in the other service. Among men-of-war
there is absolutely nothing to compare
the Columbia with, as none of them
ever has made such run and none
could, not only because they do not carry
the coal, but because they have not the
power. The navy department, however,
has the report of 24-hour trial of the
English cruiser Royal Arthur, made in
the Pacific some months ago, and her
maximum speed for four hours was only
10 knots, while for the 24-hours of the
trial it was only 1915 knots. This YES
sci is officially rated as the same dis