The Worcester spy., 1898-12-27
THE NEW YORK.
Statements Regarding the
Cruiser Are Denied.

| New York, Dec. 26.-Capt f. E. Chad
wick, commander Of Admiral SIMPSONS
flagship, the cruiser New York now
/ lying OFF Tompkinsville, S. L, gave out
a statement today regarding allegations
made in an article published in the En-
| cheering Magazine. In the article re-
ferred to, it was stated that the United
states warships that destroyed Ger
vera's fleet at Santiago July We're
really not in a proper state of pre-
| paredueSs when the Spanish fleet pass
ed out through the channel and at
tempted to escape. Engines We're un-
coupled, it was said boilers were either
empty or fun of salt water, and the
CRATES Were cold. To these charges,
| Capt. Chadwick makes the following
reply, which has also the Endorsement
of Admiral Sampson:
THE statements appearing in the En-
glneering Magazine are extremely in
accurate, in certain respects at least,
IL would be well for a writer in such
| periodical to be sure of his facts, as
gOod engineering has accuracy as its
| basis.
| The most cursOry examination of the
data at hand would have enabled the
writer to revise his ideas. He states
/
| Ion as IS miles. 1t is 49 nautical miles,
! or about Sc land miles. He says that
/ the New York's running time be-
! tween the points was four hours and
eight minutes. 1t was three hours and
| five minutes from the Morro to the time
she slowed down as she neaTed the Co
lon He gives her speed as 11.06 knots
1t was ID as taken from the official
| distances between certain points estab-
1f-1, 1rr hoo 1.tsfl rRF -Gt s-Itr
/ error on the part of engineering author
ity of q per cent. The various speeds
in chasing the Colon as taken from the
chart referred to were for the New
! York, an average of IA knots for the
| Brooklyn, 1872; for the Oregon, 12.92-
the points of departure being taken af-
ter the chase was well begun.
1T is believed that all these speeds
are lower than the actual, as they are
based on measurements from a chart
which, it is thought, shows too short
a distance between Santiago and Rio
| Torquina, where the Colon turned in
There was never any doubt as to over
taking the Colon. The New York at
the end Cf the chase had run up to 104
turns. which, as she was running near
ly thousand tons light, gave her GER
talnly II knots. The writer INDUCES
in various other inaccuracies as to cold
furnaces, etc.
The New York and Brooklyn have
four engines, all of which together can
only be used to advantage with full
power. The New York was using 45
tons of coal a day on the blockade, as
it was. 1t was the practice to keep
steam on four of the six boilers. a fifth
filled with water kept hot by the ky
drokimeter. and primed ready for fir
ing, and sixth, cleaning. This was
the condition the day of the action. The
sixth boiler, as We're all the rest, was
filled with fresh, not salt water. Tc
have kept fires sufficient to use eff
GENTLY all the engines coupled, would
n have occasioned an expenditure of coal
which would have forced the New York
from her station, as it did others
AS it was, she was hanging on by
her eyelids, so to speak, avoiding, as
long as possible, going to Guantanamo
The use of her and the Brooklyns en-
glnes, coupled before the moment OF
full power, would have been a very Sc
rious detriment, and after full power
was on, it would have been absurd ia
have stopped to couple when going 1e
or II knots, and thus lose from four to
five miles, when it was so clearly ap-
parent that the chase was being rap
idly overhauled
Stringent orders existed regarding
the use of fresh water in all ships: ii
was not singular to the Oregon. The
New York never had any but fresh
water in her boilers. in spite Of the
writer's general assertion to the con-
trary, and a circular order of Admiral
Sampson, of May 29, covered this mat
ter in great detail. If full steam had
been kept at all times, as the writer
seems to think from the newspaper re-
ports it should have been, It would
have simply have meant more ships off
their stations and less force to meet the
enemy. 1t would have been a foolish
thing to do from any point Of sew,
particularly from the engineering, as
bleeding continuously into the conden-
sers at high pressure would have been
most injurious to them, and we should
have had our ships shortly altogether
hors de combat"