The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-12-05
A NAVAL WONDER.
An English Built Torpedo Destroyer That
Reels on Its Mile In Two Minutes

An EnKhsu- buiit IOrptoo destroyer mt
Reels on Its Mile In Two Minutes.
From London Engineering.
Very few vessels have yet been built
that have excited more interest than the
Sokol, the latest addition TO the Russian
fleet The guaraYteed speed Of % knots
was alone sufficient to account for this,
1t having been two knots in excess of
anything promised at the time that the
contract for the vessel was made. 1t may
be said at once that the interest shown
by engineers and naval architects In the
progress of the vessel has been more
than justified.
The vessel is 100 feet long by IS feet 6
inches beam. She is of course, a twin
screw vessel. and has three-stage COM
pound engines Of the type ordinarily fitted
by Messrs. Yarrow in vessels of this
class, having cylinders Is inches, 26 inch
es and 1914 inches in diameter by Is inch
es stroke.
The boilers are eight in number. They
are of the well-known Yarrow type, and
1t may be stated that the boiler arrange
ments are similar to those of the Hornet,
the vessel built by this firm for the Eng
lish government, but which was about
2A knots slower than the Russian vessel.
1t will be remembered that at the pre-
liminary trial the maximum mean speed
of 30h knots was obtained as a second
mean of three runs, with and against
the tide. Since then the official three
hours run had been made in the presence
of Prince Oukhtomsky. naval attache of
the Russian government, and chief of the
Russian commissions; Captain Behr. who
will command the vessel: Mr.. Poretch-
kin. engineer-in-chief to the commission.
and other naval representatives.
The mean speed on the six runs was
20 III knots. AS the mean revolutions per
minute of the six-mfle run was 405 Is, the
true mean speed of the vessel for the
three hours was 20. 1872 knots The coal
burned during the three hours was 10
tons 100-weight, with an average air
pressure of rs inches.
1t will be seen, therefore, that the
palm for the swiftest vessel in the world
has once more reverted to the Poplar
yard and the British navy once more
loses the supremacy in speed which It
has held for some time past. n
The remarkable success of the Sokol
has not been due to a mere exercise of
what may apuy, II not correctly, be
termed the brute force of horsepower
The maximum power exerted did not
reach 1000. Exactly what 1t was we are
not aware. but taking a line through the
spots obtained by progressive runs on
the preliminary trial. 1t could not have
exceeded the figure named.
An inspection OF the boilers when the
machinery was opened out indicated that
they had been subjected to no excessive
test. The furnace of a water tube boiler
is comparatively easy thing to get into,
and Engineering had an excellent oppor-
tunity Of examining the tubes in one boz
Ter. In the INNER rows, which were quite
easily examined, and which are subjected
to the severest ordeal, there was no sign
of leakage In any part, the tube ends,
where they are expanded into the recedv-
er above or the tube plates below, being
perfectly sound and tight. and this may
be said of the whole of the tubes, as
there was no sign of leakage throughout.
The tubes themselves did not present the
symmetrical appearance of a new boiler
being bent little out of straight That.
however, is the characteristic of all
straight tube boilers of this description.
and naturally in itself does not affect the
steaming properties of the boiler The
large fire crate arear of these boilers
leads to ease in working; indeed. the
difference between running a trial with
boilers and with the old loco |
marine type as only equaled by the diff |
ference in the appearance of the two |
types of boiler after the run.
In the case of the Sokol, although she |
had been steaming about 30 knots for |
three hours, the paint on her four Chin |
neys was as fresh as when put on