The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-04-08
THE IOWA IS QUEEN
Makes an Average of II Knots
For 4 Hours.
----------------------
SHE BROKE ALL RECORDS
AND EARNED FOR HER BUILD.
ERS 100000 BONUS.
A SKETCH OF THE TRIAL TRIP
Fifty Thousand Dollars Depended en-
the Speed OF the Last Fifty Feet
Delay Of Second Might
Have Lost II.

Boston, Mass, April THE battleship
Iowa, the last of the premium built bat
tleships of the navy, earned to-day for
her builders, Messrs Wm. Cramp and
Son, of Philadelphia, SS2201, 900 by max
ing an average of II even knots an hour
over the regular government course off
the Massachusetts coast iii the four
hours speed trial required by the gov
ernment under the contract.
The Iowa by her grand work, proved
herself to be superior to either the In
diana or Massachusetts by a considera-
Bile fraction of a knot, and is to-day the
acknowledged queen of the American
navy, if not the most formidabl bat
tleship afoat.
The weather could not have been sur
passed. A light northerly air shifting
to northeast just as the trial began help
ed the forced draught considerably, and
as it shifted around still further to the
east ON the run back, it did not hamper
the work Of the big blowers. The trial
board came down from the city about s
o'clock, and with them were some 200
guests of the builders, as well as many
navy officers stationed in and about Bos-
ton. The ship got under way almost inn
,mediately, heading straight for the twin
lights ON Cape Ann, and after run of
over an hour the first mark boat, the
Crack-A-Jack, Of the navy, the Porter,
was sighted, with the black buoy not far
off, denoting the beginning of the SO
knot course. Like a race horse prepar-
ed for the great effort, the Iowa scored
twice, running up to within mile Of the
line and then shying off out to sea, in or
der to bottle up little more steam and
develop few hundred more horse pow
er. At the very outset Of the trial it
was evident that every one of the picked
crew was in dead earnest. The wake
left straight out astern showed that the
steadiest of pilots, Lew Chambers was
at the helm, while the regular rumble of
the engines and of the twin screws de-
noted that another master hand, hidden
from sight, was directing the ponderous
machinery. There was not the slight
est deviation in the course as the ship
rushed by the second mark boat, making
the leg in 1880, which was very salts
factory. In the very next leg of the
course the ship began to show what was
in her, for she topped the IL knots an
hour record by averaging a tenth over.
This was still further increased ON the
next leg to 1741, but on the fourth there
was a falling off, which was decided in
the last, the speed running down to 1886.
1t was proven, however, that the last
leg of the course was somewhat long.
While the ship was preparing for the
run back the ready reckoners on board
figured that on the run down to Boon
I'll. L. 1nI col ,,14lx
1857 knots per hour The time was
so well up to the builders expectations
that in order to consume the allotted four
hours, the ship was spun around twice
before starting back and must have pre-
sented a grand spectacle from the shore
as she circled about. For thirty minutes
and 45 seconds she kept up her jockeying
and then dashed for the line again, pass
ing the last mark boat at 12:39:25. On
this leg was an average of 16.42 knots an
hour, gratifying increase over the last
time in this leg.
For over an hour after passing the
fifth mark boat, the speed of the battle
ship did not apparently vary hundredth
part of a knot, supposing, of course that
the buoys We're in the right positions.
The fourth, third and second legs of the
course We're all made in exactly the same
time, % minutes and AZ seconds, so that
when the second mark boat was passed
the ship was only six nautical miles from
the finish and glory, and the reckoners
had figured that, barring accidents, the
ship would make something over II
knots.
But there before the ship was the
handicap Of the course, the shallow wa
ter, a fact which had already held back
her sister ships, cutting down their well
earned premiums in more than one in
stance. Knowing this, every effort was
made to get every inch Of power The
seconds licked off steadily as she hurled
herself on, the mark boat and finish in
sight, but still miles away. The margin
over the IL knots became smaller, and
as the ship rushed OH it became a serious
question whether she would get to the
line in time. Fifty thousand dollars de-
pended on the speed of the last fifty
feet; a delay OF one second might cut it
off. The Iowa just did it, and that was
all. In fact, so narrow was the margin
that the reckoners OF even the trial board
had to carry out their figures to the
fourth decimal point in order to mako
the speed for the whole course II knots
an hour. 1t came out all right in the
end, however, and with a broom on her
fighting top the queen Of the American
navy, after two or three half circles to |
show just what she could do in quick ma |
nouvering, Stacked speed and headed for |
Boston.
Throughout the trial the boat behaved |
admirably. The heavy turrets placed |
we'll hove the wafer line gave hnr /
a much greater roll than the Indiana or |
Massachusetts, but except for this she |
was much steadier than the other bat |
tleshipS.