The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-26
KEARSARGE'S TRIAL TRIP.
MADE 1889 KNOTS GOING OUT, 1854
OYER THE WHOLE COURSE.

| A"o ho" average Duo TO an Accident to n
Tube-Her Real speed Believed to Exceed
II K.ots-shc Proves Herself n Fine Sen
Boat-Tho Trial Board Pie ased with Her.
BosToN. Sept. 25.--The battleship Kearsarge
| In her race against time to-day over tho sixty
| ak mile Cape Ann course made the distance at
the rate OF 1884 knots. These figures are un-
Official. and are subject to slight modification.
owing 10 the fact that the Trial Board has not
| as yet received the tidal figures from tho stake
boat commanders. and until they are received
| the tidal allowances cannot be computed.
Estimates by some OF the officials on board
seems to indicate that the allowances will he
| In favor rather than against tho ship. and that
the corrected figures will be very close to II
| knots
| G. b. circuit. president OF the Newport News
| shipbuIlding and Dry Dock Company. said
! after the trial that shortly before the ship
turned the stakeboat on the homeward run.
tube in the feed water heater burst. letting cold
| water into the boilers. with the result OF rum
ming the steam down and thus decreasing the
| revolutions CT the propelers eight turns a
minute. This mishap reduced the speed OF
the ship nearly three-Quarters OF n knot.
Inc result while to a certain degree disap-
! pointing to the Kearsarge's builders, Is never
| theless an eminently satisfactory one, all
things considered. The splendid fighting ma
| chine. the equal II not the superior, OF any
battleship ahoat. proved conclusively that she
| is as steady rs clock. that she can turn with
the rapdlty Of a launch. and that she can
run away from or catch most OF the naval
| vessels afoat. These facts as we'll as q host OF
others, were developed in her race to-day.
AS the time consumed for the entire run,
and not that for any part OF It. determines the
speed. what she made over any particular leg
OF the course, will not figure In the official re-
turns for the trip: but as an instance OF what
| she actually accomplished. hor run over the
first half OF the course Is worthy OF description.
She steamed thlrty-t three miles. or from tho
| converted yacht Scorpion. the frst stake boat
off Cape Ann. to the Navy Yard tug Leydsn. of
Cape Porpoise. In exactly hour. 81 minutes.
10 seconds. or at the rate OF 1892 knots an
hour. The FIRST two legs OF 6.0 knots each
were covered at the rate OF 17ii knots. the third
at III. the fourth at 1916. and the nth at
17.35. superb run.
But as she swung around for the homeward
run she appeared to have slackened her speed.
| and when the first leg on the return trip occu-
pied more than twenty -four minutes as against
an average Of slightly more than twenty three
minutes on the outward run. 1t became evident
that something was wrong and that her splen-
did average was being lowered. The speed,
16.47 knots. made tho officials shake their
heads and when 1862. 1897 and finally 10 OS
were announced in succession. all hope OF Tx
knots. and finally Of II knots. began to dlsap-
pear. and tho last leg. done at the rate OF
1888. completed tho disappointment OF every
body on board. snd tho broom remained on
deck and was not hoisted to the masthead.
The KearsarRe beat her contract speed by al
most knot, but she did not equal tho time
made By the Iowa over the same course two
years ago
A variety OF reasons beside the explanation
given by Mr.. circuit were assigned. none Of
them officially. for the sackening OF speed:
q strong head wind. cross sea. and crew Of
imperfeotly trained tremen. any ono OF which.
or all OF them collectively. may have helped to
bring 1t about.
The conditions for the trial appeared at the
start to be almost ideal. A fair-sized sea had
been kicked up by a moderate southeast wind
but tho swell that caused the smaller boats to
bob up and down had little no effect on the
battleship. which acted as though poised
on a big rock and was almost immov-
able. The sky was clear and the air
cool when the officials OF the Trial Board the
invited guests and the newspaper men arrived
at the ship. which was anchored six miles out
side Of Boston light. Only few minutes were
needed to get the big vessel under way and
she was soon headed southeast under mod
crate head OF steam at about a ten-knot clip
She described a big circle and was headed for
the line at 9:l5 A. NJ Nearing the Scorpion
which marked the starting line, she sheared
of again to the southeast and completed
another circle increasing her speed with every
revolution Of the propellers. Forced drauRht
was put on at 0:45. and she was once more
headed for the line. Tho members OF the trial
board. Rear Admiral Rogers Capt Il. D. Evans,
and Chief Engineer Charles X. Rollker and
Capt Mason. President circuit and Supt. Post,
representing the company. took their stations
on tho bridge with Lieutenant Commander
Schroeder. H. Strauss tho inventor OF the |
superim posed turret, and II. Cross. acting as |
timers
Tho starting line was crossed at 10: 20.
The ship kicked up considerable sea, but did |
not bury her nose to any extent and was |
making about 1lS revolutions OF her propellers
a minute. The lighthouse tender Lilac. the
end OF the first leg, was reached at 10 ;5O:57. |
the elapsed time for the distance being % |
minutes 37h Seconds. or at the rate OF 17s !
knots. The lighthouse tender Mayfiower, the |
end OF the next leg. was reached at |
11:13:34, with % minutes 37tI seconds again |
for the time. and the same rate Of speed TX |
knots. The next leg. ending with the navy |
yard tug Potowse. was done in somewhat |
slower time. the buoy being reached at
IL 80 "A, with % minutes 10 seconds for the |
leg and the rate OF speed II % knots squirt
was tried on the next leg and tho battleshIp
again Ioapel forward. Inc United States
steamer Resolute at No buoy was reached at
II ;59i40. with q minutes, seconds for the
distance. and lTlG knots for tho speed The
last leg on the outward trip ending with the
tug Layden off Cape Porpoise was finished Mt
l2:22 80, with 22 minutes 40's seconds for the !
leg and 30 knots for the speed. The thirty
three miles we're done in l hour "a minutes ~
seconds, with the average rate of speed 1892
knots an hour.
The Kear sarRe continued on up the course
for about three miles. made q short circle and
was oil again on the inward trip. The starting
line crossed at lD,lt:lS No = station
was reached at :l0:2l or in ~ minutes 3
seconds. speed i647 knots; No lat l:34 :lUt,
interval "a minutes 4D'a seconds. speed 1852 |
knots; No. 3 at 90 q 1. interval = minutes
Il seconds speed 1857 knots; No. :, at 2;22;;
1908 knots. and tho finish at, 2:41:l5;
1888 The inward trip was done in hours
minute seconds average 1887 knots The
total time for the siXty-siX miles was 3 hours
80 minutes n seconds, and the average speed
for entire distanco 1851 knots, The members
Of the Trial Board expressed Themselves rs very
much pleased with the ship, Cart Eynns'e
comment was, She is a magnificent shin. and
/ believe Rhp can do better seysutopn