The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-08-31
TWELVE PAGES.

which IS more imam one-th1rd OF tEe
whole ships company sailors, marine,
officers and all. 1t requires go men to
feed the furnaces under the boilers Dur
ing ordinary slow sailing, such as took
place during the day when the squadron
was engaged in naval tactics off this har-
Dor, these boilers only burned about 35
tons Of coal a day. During the occasional
bursts of speed at that time, which flied
the old lobsterman so much admiration,
they made only from 10 to Is knots. But
during trial spin when the speed goes
up to 1877 knots and all the 81 furnaces
are running by forced draft the con-
sumption of coal goes up to the astonish-
ing quantity Of 400 tons day
This has not been done since the 18th
day of last April, when a trial spin was
made
During ordinary sailing only the two
side propelers are used and the shaft of
the middle propeller is disconnected from
its engine, SO that it may revolye sinde-
through the water. If connected with its
engine the great wheel would be at
standstill and would of course act as G
serious drag upon the speed of the ship.
The two side propellors can send the ship
at speed Of from Is to 20 knots. When
the middle propeller comes to their aid
the speed goes up to g. Z knots, the cruiser
record of the world Every half knot at
that rate of speed is of course like every
half second on a race horses record.
After inspecting the engines, Chief En-
gineer Windsor showed the PRESS rep
resentatiye the condenser by which the
salt water is converted into fresh for the
use of the men and for feeding the big
boilers The condenser is system of
pipes like any boiler. Into these pipes
the salt water is pumped and into. the
spaces between them so much super-heat-
cd steam is forced that the salt water is
soon converted into steam, which is led
off and condensed into fresh water The
Minneapolis condenser can make TO-, 600
gallons of fresh water day. The vessel
requires on an average about / 300 gallons
a day.
LIFE OF THE SAILORS.
The main deck of the Minneapolis cor
responds to the spar-deck or open deck of
the New York. The main deck is the
armored deck that curves up over the
hull of the ship like the shell of a turtle.
It is, of course. rooted over by the super
structure. This main deck is a hall S75
feet long, 81 feet wide and about ten feet
high.
In this big hall about $50 men eat and
sleep and live together, yet SO rigid Is tina
discipline in regard to daily habits OF
cleanliness and order that no Dutch
housewives kitchen was ever any sWeeter
or cleaner or brighter or kept in more
perfect order.
We don't have any leisure time. to
speak Of said one of the marines, who
was sitting with group of Others smok'
ing his pipe ''Its very seldom that we
have let-up like this, while we're here
Il ,.r.3% 1o%,, oc,nr
at all in Bar Harbor Its work and drill
all the time all day till 5 p. m. After
that we can do what we please here till
O. clock when every man OF US has 70
swing his hammock and turn in. W.
SIT and talk and play cards. Some OF the
men are very musical and have banJos,
ETC., and very often we have little times.
when these men play and some of the req
dance.
ssHow do you keep this so clean and
neat?"
ssWell, we have to scrub the floor ever
morning and pack everything away just
as you see 1t.
Alongside the walls Of this big room, at
intervals of about ten feet were big
chests, and alongside each chest were a
couple of handsome kegs fastened to the
floor. This was all there was on the
| floor. In these chests were the dishes,
etc for 10 or Is men, that number CON
gar and molasses. There is a table for
each mess 1t folds up against the cell
ing so neatly that you wouldn't notice i
if your attention wasn't called to 1T IL
can, of course be pulled down to the
floor as needed.
There is locker along the wall be
hind the chests, in which are stored the
hammocks which are strung up to the
ceiling, of course, during the night,
Above this bunker are wire racks, in
which each man has a sort OF square
wire cage This is his bureau closet, set
OF drawers, etc. Everything inside is
hidden from view by a sort OF CANVAS
lining. All this neatness and cleaniiness
and sweetness, though it looks SO natural
and simple, involves, of course, a great
deal of labor every day, and to keep the
whole ship in the same perfect condlbion
| involves, of course, similar labor, only
more Of it, Painting and scrubbing ev-
erywhere is always going on. During
the STAY of the warships in the harbor one
could see any day severa men sIspened
over the sides welding the paint brush
or scrubbing brush. 1t is no slight mat
.or to keep those great hu1ls always SO
immediately white
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