The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-04-08
THE QUEEN OF The NAVY.
Iowa Proves Herself Uncle Sans
Greatest War Ship.
IF NOT THE MOST FORMIDABLE
VESSEL AFLOAT.


She Proves Herself All That Was Expect.
ed of Her and More-Goes Over Trial
Course at Average Rate of II Knots and
Earns a Bonus of 5000, 900.
| Boston, April 1.-The hattleship Iowa.
the last of the premium built battleshipe
of the navy, earned today for her build
ers, Messrs William Cramp & Sons OF
Philadelphia, 100000 by making an
average of seventeen Knot an hour over
the regular government course off the
Massach usetts coast in the four hours
speed trial required by the governments
under the contract.
/ The Iowa By her grand work proved
herself to be superior to either the
Indiana or Massachusetts by fraction Of
a knot, and is to-day the acknowledged
queen of the American navy, If nou the
most formidTble battleship afoat. The
performance Of the Iowa as compared
with the other two battlsships from the
Cramps yard was decidedly favorable to
the new boat, tor unlike the others, she
has long ground swell to contend with
which instantly threw her off the course
and must havs knocked few fractions
of knot off her speed. The big boat,
however, met the seas grandly, and the
drove her through the heavy swsll lii
grand style.
"A light northerly air, shifting TO
northeast, just as the trial began helped
thu forced draus h5 considerably, and az
it shifted arouno still further to the east.
| it did not hamper the work Of the big
blowers. The trial board came down
from the city about clock with some
two hundred guests Of the builders. The
ship got under way almost Immediately,
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 Dlaok buoy not far of, danoting
the beginning of the thirty three knot
course. Like race horse not quite pre-
pared for her great effort, the Iowa
scored twice for the mark, running up to
within mile OF the line and then shying
off out to sea, in order to bottle up q
little more steam and develop few hun
dred more horsepower. The wake left
straight out astern showed that the
steadiest of hands, Pilot Lew Cham bers,
rumble of the engines. and of the twin
screws denoted that another master hand
hidden from sight In the leviathsn
depth, was guidIng the ponderous
| machinery.
There was not the slightest deviation
in the course as the ship rushed by the
second mark boat, the little tug Leyden.
The actual time was 1880.
| In the very next leg of the course the
ship began TO show what was in her, for
she topped the seventeen knots an hour
by averaging tenth over. Ihis was
17.41, but on the fourth there was q fall.
ing off which was decided In the last,
the speed running down to 15. s5. Il was
proven, however, that the last leg of the
course wasssomewhat long, though not
affecting the length of the whole conrss,
which was exactly thirty three nautical
| miles.
run back, the ready reckoners on board
figured that on the run down to Boon
Island, the Iowa had averaged exactly
1887 knots per hour. The time was so
we'll up to the builders expectations that
in order to commune the allotted four
hours, the ship was spun around twice
before starting back. For thirty minutes
and forty-ive seconds, she kept up her
jockeying and then dashed for the line
again, passing the last mark boat at
10. 1925. Again it took time to iun the
fifth and upper leg Of the course. twenty
four minutes and seven seconds being
necessary to accomplish 1t, giving an
average OF 16. 43 knots an hour, gratify-
| ing 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 knot The fourth, third and
second legs, of the course were all made
in exactly the same time. twenty two
minutes and forty-two seconds, 10 that
when the second mark boat was passed
aud the ship Was only six nautical miles
from the finish and glory, the reckoners
had figured that. barring accidents, the
teen knots.
But, there before the ship was the
handicap Of the course, the shallow
water, fact which had already held
back her sister ships. cutting down their
| we'll earned premiums OH more than one
instance.
y Nobly did the great ship struggle with
the b!llows. ard grandly did she battle
| lot supremacy. Inc margin over the
seventeen knots became smaller, and -
the ship rushed on it became serious
question whether she would get to the
| line in time. Fifty thousand dollars
depended on the speed of the last fifty
feet, delay of one second might have
cut it off. The Iowa just did 1t and that
was all. At exaotly thirty-dve minutes
past two shu rushed across the line with
not even fraction of second to spare,
an average of seventeen knots an hour.
1t came out all right in the end. how
ever, 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
manoeuvering. slackened and headed for
Boston, while 5000. 0o0 of. American gold
| jingled In the ears Of her builders.
Throughout the trial the boat behaved
admirably, Notwithstanding the fact that
she dove into the seas to some extent by
being somewhat by the head. The tidal
correction will not cut the seventeen
knots. but on the other hand will
probably increase it to some slight ex
tent but not enough to make anoths Or
quarter of knot or add another $780, 900.