The San Francisco call., 1896-05-15
Wonderful Time Recorded Dur.
ing Some Portions of the
Sixty-Mile Course.
17.0S IS THE HIGHEST NOTCH.
Builders of the Great War Vessel
Are Assured Magnificent
Bonus.

phN1A DAhDAhA, CAL., May Il
After months OF patient toll, after weeks
spent in preparations, after trial trips on
the bay and speed trips in the Santa Bar
bara Channel the Oregon repaid her build
ers by doing all they asked of her. She
made an average speed of 1918 knots, the
worlds record, and the people of Santa
Barbara are climbing over each other in
their efforts to congratulate Irving NJ.
Scott.
The weather was perfect The swell
raised by Mondays storm was laid by last
nights norther and there was scarcely a
ripple on the channel. at 6:15 A. NJ. the
big battle-ship got under way and headed
for Point Goleta. The Unadilla was already
in position and the manner in which she
acted showed that the swell was not
heavy. Captain G. Miner GoodalI vas sat-
istied with the condition of affairs and
SO informed Mr.. Scott. The or
ders were then given and the
battle-ship swung around and headed
for point off Carpinteria, where small
stakeboa had been anchored in line with
the starting point. Once headed for the
Unadilla the engines were gradually
opened up and passing the Santa Barbapa
wharf the Oregon was going like deer
hound and taking tons of water over her
bow at every jump. More and more way
she gathered and passing the scratch line,
she was beating 161H knots. Between the
Unadilla and the Gedney there was ten
mile course and in covering that the big
battle-ship increased instead of diminished
her speed. At times the patent log
showed speed better than IL knots and
the firemen to whom the news was COM
municated were spurred on to fresh ex-
| ertions
| Passing the Gedney, half dozen people
| took the time, and on sped the Oregon
toward the Albatross, the next stakeboat.
Irving M. Scott was restless and paced the
deck. Admiral Beardslee was anxious
and seemed to take as much interest in
| the test as the builder. He is proud of the
Oregon and wants to see her at the top of
her class. General Graham, DR.. Chismore
| and Messrs. Small and Tucker were inter-
ested spectators, and when they heard that
the battle-shlp was logging seventeen
knots they were exultant. but Scott
| checked them by saying, THAT is only
the first leg. Wait, the pinch comes later
on" 1t was thus he referred TO the fact
that during sixty-mile run it is an utter
impossibility to keep a uniform pressure
on the boilers when the engines are 'wide
OPEN" He knew and the navy officers
knew and Captain G. Miner Goodall
knew that at times the speed of the Oregon
would drop below sixteen knots, but
nevertheless all hoped for the best.
Captain Goodall seemed to be the ONLY
disinterested party on the ship. He at
tended strictly to his duties and barring
an occasional look at the "telltale" thar
gave him an idea he attended strictly
to watching the course. He steered the
battle-ship closer to the kelp than ever he
steered any of the cruisers and so escaped
some OF the remaining swell. On sped the
Oregon and only ten miles of the first part
of the course remained to be covered. The
| speed to landsman did not seem to have
diminished in the slightest, but the en-
| signs who were keeping time became a
| little serious and there was general air of
| expectancy. Down in the freroom the
| fremen worked like beavers. They were
stripped to the waist and water poured
down their backs and chests, making small
| rivulets along the CRIME that settled on
them from the coaldust.
With one big burst of speed the Oregon
passed the Macarthur on the western range
near Point Conception. While the long
turn was being made at full speed the run
was worked out, and when 17.0S knots an
hour was announced the scene on the deck
OF the battle-ship was almost indescribable.
Admiral Beardslee, Captain Cotton and
all the other officers and the guests con-
graduated Mr.. Scott. When Chief En-
gineer Forsythe conveyed the news into
the fireroom the men did not even turn
their heads, but they took an extra pull
on their belts and went on shoveling coal
From Gaviota Point to Point Conception
the swell had been heavy, but when the
Oregon was headed for the Macarthur the
second time it was at once seen that both
wind and swell had increased. The battle
ship rushed through it, however and in
consequence sea after sea broke over her
bows. The turrets in which the big euns
are placed were under water twice, but the
good ship never swerved from her course
an inch, and although the throttles were
wide open the fremen nevertheless man
aged to keep steam from escaping from
the safety-valves. 1t was hard battle to
Gayiota Point, and had it not been for
that ten-mile stretch, the Oregon would
surely have beaten seventeen knots. From
that point 10 where the Unadilla was sta
toned the work was easy, but when the
result was figured out it was found that
the battle-ship had only averaged 16.49
knots.
When the final result of an average Of
1878 knots was announced, however, and
the trial was over, the firemen lost their
self-control and cheer went up that was
plainly heard on the upper deck above the
rush OF the ship and the roar of the ma
chinery. Almost before Irving M. Scott
and Admiral Beardslee were aware of the