The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-06-20
NIAGARA
OFFERED.
To Government For Use as
an Auxiliary Cruiser.

Howard Gould's handsome new sfeam
yacht Niagara which was launched here
on February 10 and is one Of the larRese
pleasure crafts atloat. went to the Este
Basin dry dock New York, Saturday
morning
The Niagara started to-day on series
of trial trips to test her speed, going as Tar
as the Scotland lightship and return. IL
is said that Government experts will sail
In her during these tests with q view 70
ascertalnlng her qualifications for the
dulles OF an euxiliary cruiser.
Mr. Gould has offered the Niagara to
Commander Miller, of the State Naval Re-
serves, as the flagship of the Naval Re-
serve squadron and the headquarters Of
Commander Miller and his staff, as we'll
rs the headquarters Of the Governor OF tho
State then ailoat This offer was accepted
some time ago by Commander Millerin
the name of the Governor, but 1t may b.
that thrse plans will all be changed and
the Niagara assigned to duty as an auxil-
iary cruiser. $
In either case lshe would undoubtedly
give an excellent account of herself. She
is built on fighting lines, and coat Of tho
fighting steel-gray paint Of the American
navy would completely obllterate her
original character Of a rich mans pleasure
yacht
On the trip from this city the Niagara
made an average speed of thirteen and
three quarter knots, but this by no means
indicates what she can do under favoring
conditions and with a full crew.. She will
carry a crew of sixty officers and man
when fitted out for business, but on tho
trip she carried fourteen men. including
two engineers and Commander William
Sbackford and Captain S. G. Chase. Tbs
Harlan & Hollingsworth Company, her
makers. have predicted that she Will
steam better than seventeen knots.
Tho Niagara was launched from tho
Wilmington shipyard on February 10.
The Niagara is one of the largest steayu
yachts afloat Her length over all Is a79
feet, length on water line, PAT feet; breadth
OF beam, 81 feet; depth to spar deck, ~ faot;
depth to main deck. 10 feet; draught, 10
feot; tonnage, l. 300 She Is bark-rigged,
has three decks a double bottom, twin
screws and is fl ted with bilge keels l40
feet In length and II inches deep. The
house on the spar deck, ITO feet long and
IL feet wido, is built Of steel and covered
with mahogany. In the forward end IS
tho owners navigation room and nautical
library. Abaft this is the opptaln's room.
and next it is the sitting room 32xl6,
finished in African mahogany and uphol-
stored in green. There is large orches-
trion in this room and plants and growing
vines are trained TO twlne around the skys
lights.
The smoking room is 13x6 finished In
old oak and decorated with delft plaques
of quaint old Dutch pattern. Mr.. Gould's
statcroom is done in East Indian mahog-
any and opens into an observation room
which occupies the exreme end of the deck
house. The dining saloon, 36x24, Is finished
in hand carved quartered oak and old
Renaissance tapestry. The four guest
rooms are eleven feet long by ten wide. and
each Is provided with its own bath room.
Tie finishings Of these rooms are all beau
tiful One is In curly maple, another In
sycamore, q bird in primn vera and the
fourth in California redwood.
Tho engines of the Niagara are Of tho
triplo expansion, inverted cylinder, direct
acting surface coEdensing type, with .
working pressure OF 100 pounds to the Z
square inch. The cylinders are Is, 2S and \
45 inches in diameter, with stroke of ID \
inches Steam Is supplied by three Scotch
boilers, each having three furnaces and the
bunlSers have IA capacity of $50 tons of coal.
Tho Niagara is commanded by Captain
Shackford formerly commodore of the Pa.
ciiic Mail Steamship Gompany's fleet aud
captain of tho late Jay Gould's steam
ya:ht Atalanta. 1t costs about $4,000 Q
months to run the Niagara.