Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-04
OUR wELL-BUILT wARsHIPs.
Their Condition After Being Sub
jected to the Most Trying Tests.

Their Condition After Being Sub
jected to the Most Trying Tests.
From the Baltimore American.
- After two months of almost incessant
cruising by the ships constituting the fleets
around Cuba, and at times many of the
vessels were run at top speed in overhaul
ing merchant steamers or on scout duty,
Eot a single breakdown of machinery has
been reported which could not be effective
ly attended to by the machinists on board.
This record is regarded as unparalleled in
the history of great fleet movements for so
extended a period. and confirms the opln-
ion of naval officers that the American
ships are better than any afloat of their
type and class, from machinery to guns
and keelson to fighting tops.
The strain under which many of the YES
sells have been placed has tested every part
of the machinery to its fullest working ca
pacity. Forced draught has been used on
number of occasions by the smaller cruis-
ers. and the steam logs show that in sew
eral instances the little fellows have made
better runs than they were credited with
on their official trials. Engineers of the
navy attribute the absence of serious mis-
haps 10 the machinery OF The ships during
this period of unusual activity to the ST.
perior workmanship and attention given to
the vessels before they were sent south.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars, they say.
were expended IN repairing every Ue1ect
and in strengthening every part where it
was practicable during the last six months.
so that when the fleets went to Key West
soon after the Maine disaster their ma
chinery was in as fine trim as it was posi-
BILE to be.
The logs of the various ships indicate
that the navy has burned more coal in the
gulf since March last than the whole serv-
ice consumed almost in the last six months.
Thousands of tons of coal are being ship
ped monthly to Key West, and under con-
tracts this will continue, no doubt, for
weeks yet.
just now much the government has paid
for raj SO far is not known TO the engi-
neers. but they estimate that ii is safe to
assume no less than N,O0o,OO0 worth has
already been purchased. The constant
work required of the vessels. however. can
rot continue Indefinitely, the officials know
without the attention of a dockyard being
given some of the ships.
As all the vessels will undoubtedly be
retained in Cuban waters this summer, the
officers of the construction and steam en-
gineer bureaus are now specializing as to
when II will probably be necessary to with
draw some of them for drydocking and re-
pairing their bottoms. The marine growth
of the tropical waters has already had the
effect of reducing the speed of some ships
by at least Il knot. and within two months
they Will be in such condition that their
speed viii be greatly impaired unless the
growth IS removed and the bottoms clean
ed and painted. The battle ships are said
TO be suffering more than the other vessels
of our fleet, all of which have been in
docks since any of the big fighters were.
The Iowa has never been locked since
she was commissioned. and the Massachu-
setts mas been afioat now over a year with
cut having her bottom scraped, except by
civers. which is not regarded as an entire
~ satisfactory method of getting the bar
nacles of. The Indiana was in dock. at
Halifax last autumn. and the Oregon was
In the new Puget Sound dock some months
ago The big armored cruisers and many
or the smaller cruisers will suffer from
foui bottoms this summer. and the officials
th1uk 1t Will be necessary to bring some
OF them 10 Port Royal at any time in order
to maintain the effectiveness of the fleets
The Port Royal station has now been
thoroughly equipped to handle the largest
SHIPS and to make any repairs required
This station. in the event of serious dam
age being sustained by the ships around
CUBA, would be the nearest to which they
could be sent, and, being the only one
WheTe battle ships can be locked becomes
now OF great Importance to the navy Re-
PAIR shops, machine quarters and all neces-
sary equipment for rendering prompt as
slstance to disabled ships are there with
naval constructor in charge and large
FORCES OF skilled machiniSts and men of the
construction department