The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-14
TRIAL OF THE NEW
BATTLE SHIP IOWA
The Vessel Casable Of Making Better
Time Than Anticipated.
THE TRIP WAS VERY SATISFACTORY
On a Two Hours Burst Of Speed She
Averaged 1921 Knots ut liz Revo.
lutiOns, .27 Knots More Than the
Contract Speed Of the Vessel
Calls For.

Philadelphia, Nov. 13.-The big sea
going battleship Iowa returned here
this evening from her builders trial
trip off the Delaware capes. The trial
was essentially an engineers trial to
give the ship builders an idea of the
power of the engines and the way in
which they work, and the speed de-
veloped was a secondary consideration
of that trip. Nevertheless. on u two
hours burst Of speed this morning. the
ship averaged 1927 knote at 1l2 revolu-
tions of the screws. This Is 20 more
than the contract speed of the vessel
calls for. and that the Iowa Is capable
of better time than this was shown
when she was occasionally Spurted up
around the II knot notch.
The result of the trip was In every
way satisfactory to Edwin q. Cramp,
who had it in charge for the build
erS.
The Iowa left here on Tuesday at
noon and made the run to the break
water on one tide. arriving there that
night. The government was represent
ed by Lieutenant Doyle, ordance off,
Ger stationed at the yard, and Assist
ant Engineer Pickerel. On Wednesday
morning after adjusting the ships COM
passes the Iowa ran Off shore twenty
miles and was steamed four times
over the ten knot course between the
two lightships on five fathom bank
ShOal. The engineers were given a good
limbering to. and at 9l5 revolutions
l4h knots We're made. On Wednesday
night the Iowa anchored within the
capeS and went out again Thursday
morning. She was run straight off
shore for sixty miles and 10 revolutions
of the screws were maintained. The
result of the run Thursday was sat
isfactory to the engineering depart
m' mt and she returned to her anchorage
inside the caDes again on Thursday
right.
This morning Mr. Cramp determined
to test the ships speeding abilities a
little. Under forced draught she was
driven for twenty miles off shore and
then was headed landward again.
Strong gales from the northwest met
the ship as she headed shoreward but
she met the rising waves Stifily. While.
of course, as all battleships do, she
took some water aboard, and the spray
flew all over her. she rose far more
buoyantly to the sea than does either
the Indiana or Massachusetts, and
there was not near the weight of wat
er coming over the bow as either of
these vessels ship in any sort of a
heavy sea. The Iowa Is a deck high
er than the assachusetts and In
diana. and was built to take long
cruises I'm deep water.
GOOD TIME MADE.
When the Iowa passed into the capes
this morning, after her run off shore
she had averaged 1927 knots at IL
revolutions. This was a very good per-
formance considering the class of coal
used and the comparatively shallow
water which makes a ship squat" and
drag and thus retard her speed. The
Indicator cards have not yet been
worked out for the run. but 1t Is ap-
proximately that the engines developed
about 11.O0O horse power, which Is 1900
more than was developed by the en-
gines of the Indiana on that ships Of
ficial trial. No requirement of horse
power is eyacted in the ships contract,
but she must make a speed of 16 knots
on her official trial. For every quar-
ter knot made above this 16 her build
ers will receive premium of s5O,OOo
The Iowa ran up the bay and river
on "a single tide again this afternoon
and came to anchor this evening off
Green street wharf. She will be warp
ed into her dock in the ship yard to-
morrow morning. The Iowa still lacks
all her guns. but they have been fin
ished and some of them are lying on
the wharf at Cramps. and the balance
are being shipped rapidly. 1t is ex-
pccted that the ship will be ready to go
on her official trial trip about the mid
die of February and by that time she
will be so nearly completed that she
can go into commission in March. If
the government dry dock at Brooklyn
is available about the time the official
trial is to be made, the Iowa will prob
ably be docked there and have her
bottom scraped.