The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-05-15
NASHYILLE'S SPLENDID RUN.
The Virginia Built GunbOat Earns a
Bonus Of About $50, 1000.
her SPEED AVERAGED 1877 KNOTS
over a sixiy-Miie Course-The Nashville
Was Built by the Newport News Ship
building and Dry Dock Collier
Contract speed Was IA Knots.

BRIDGEPORT. CONN, May 1.-THE
fastest vessel Of her class IN the world
was tho verdict accorded by the officers
of the Trial Board az the conclusion OF
the speed trial Of the now gunboot Nash
willie to-day on Long Island Sound.
The speed required by the government
was l2os knots. The average speed made
by the vessel was 1906 knots, making
an excess Of speed very near three knots.
With "a bonus OF $4,000 for each excess
knot this means a total of S6l0pl Tor tne
builders. The time for tine thifiy-mhe
nun out was ono hour an"
thirty-hve minutes and thir'y-sl
seconds The elapsed time TOT
tho second run was one u. ~
foriy-oicht minutes sixteen setoiu9' no
average speed was 1907 kno,s. -" o.. ny
run ont the speed was 1913 knots. me
nom. nam was 81 trihc SLOW or. 1865 Knots
helms the average. The mean speed TOT
thn t,co runs being 1905. The stcer.hs
ouaIitfs. of tine vessel were eNccllehl. ihe
b.i,, ,,a. nut from "hard on 10 'haId
,r., in, fvor.v seconds. the ship only Keel
ine thre, degrees during that Time
Immediately after the conclusion OF inc
runs the Nashville started Tor Ne"poIl
News Va Upon her arrival lheie 'ic
engines viii 'bc taken apart ana
thorough examination made before tlo
official report is made 20 the government
The vessel will Doe commanded aller ll'I iicl
arceptauco by Commander WashuuIn
MAYNARD. who is q member Of the Irial
Board. .,.
Tho Nashville is the third gunboat built
f,. tho Newport News Shipbuildng ana
Dry Dock Company. Her keel was ialo
Aurust @ 1Q4f. and she was launched Oc-
rober 1a. 1885, the same day ms the United
states steamship Wilmington.
She is "a modern steel gunboat tho rro-
drrt of the highest skill in desien ana
construction. and the workmanship ana
finish displayed i'm her building IS am eN-
ample set for AN future work. lier hi''a
eloVe ID graceful hull and her trim spats
and MATHS, apuearance gNe her the ape
roaran,e of am ocean yacht she ls nuil'
however for another purpose. as her BUS
irass-ulto gun suonsons and tall smoke
pipes testify. .,
Tbo Nashville is 200 feet long and IS
fcet ho4m. and tho draft at trial is, ac-
cordine to- contract, III feet mean dfall.
THE following boats arc provided: A aJ
foot steam cutter. one 50-foot salilhs
launch. two 2,-fOOt cutters, TWO @J-lool
whale boats ore dinghy and haisa- Ihe
armament consists of eight 4-inch rapid
frc b. l.. rifles four ON the mann dech
and four ON tho upper deck. four b-
pounder r.. T. rifles AN on the main
deck. two 1-poundor rapid-hre guns on
The rpucr deck abreast the forward
smokc-pipc Two 4-inch guns and TWO
6-nounder guns deliver directly ahead ana
tho same number fire directly astcn, the
beam guns cover "a radius of from li0 to
165 degrees of tho horizon.
CONTRACT SPEED. u KNOTS.
Tho Nashvnc's displacement at eleven
feet draft is 1871 tons. I'm the original
design tho beam WAS intended TO ho @6
feet but subsequently 30 was deemed ad-
visahlc to- increase This by two feet. The
contract speed of ~ knots was not lower
cd ON account of this but in lieu there
or tho contractors were paid am excess
over the actual cost of increasing the
beam to allow for what they would lose
Boo premium This made tine task that
much harder and the mere fact that the
Nashville made such an increase over her
contract speed would not Doe fair COM
uaris0n with other vessels. considerable
allowance must hs made for the two feet
extra beam when speed is to- bc COM
pared.
Tne trial of his vessel is invested with
particular interest g. tine engineering
world as shc is fitted with machinery uu-
Ube chat Of amy vessel ever built out
side Of torpedo boats. she has tho FIRST
uuadruplc expansion engines built for the
United Stat Navy and is fitted SO as
fo uac hcr machinery in several different
WAYS.
There arc four tubulous boilers OF the
Yarrow type and two ordinary cyclin-
drical marine boilers cor sholl boilcrs) and
piping is so arranged chat amy oombina-
tion may DE made I'm iul power, tho arr
rangcmcnt is such that the high pressure
of go pounds per square inch from the
tubulous boilers is used iu the initial
cylinder and SIS supplemented in the sec-
ond cylinder after the pressure has been
reduced by expansion by steam from the
cylindrical boilers at lo pounds pressure.
ECONOMY OF COAL.
Men-of-war must have ass much speed
as can Doc given in these hn-de-siecle
days of progress. but they use their full
power hut seldom. only enough 90 famil-
ar.ze the personnel of their complement
u tho working of the ship under high
speeds. So much engine when driven at
uowcrs much lower that for which they
were designed is not conducive To
ucrfcc, economy of coal consumption.
and 10 is for this object that the peculiar
ARRANGEMENT of tho NashVlllc'a machinery
was designed.
The largo low pressure cylinders are
placed forwarded instead of aIt as is
generally done. und 10 star coupling is fi-
ted between the crankshaft OF these cylin-
dors and those oi the next astcrn Ihis all
lows of disc1nnccung the largest cylinder
and running triple expansion with the
three smallest cylinders and at reduced
pressure aul consumption of steam.
CAN VARY SPEEDS
Tho Nashville. thCn. can cruise for long
distances zoo 90 very economical rate Of coal
consumption. and can vary speeds 10
suit tho occasion with greater economy
tsen amy other cruiser fitted with usual
machinery OF oourso this requires much
more complication in the design and plac-
ilg of beer engines boilers and piping
and viii require almost infinite care and
ceasclets vigilance 60 Keep them in the
highest state of efficiency.
The engines of the Nashville arc almost
perfection ln the art OF engine building.
and uo labor BIAS been spared that could
accomplish that effect.
The contract speed is fourteen knots;
the contract price $3.50 600 with "a pre-
MUM of $4,000 per knot Ur fraction
thereof for any excess OF speed over the
fourteen.
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