New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-05
LAUNCH OF THE STRINGHAM
THE LARGEST AND MOST POWERFUL
AMERICAN TORPEDO-BoAT-HER
BLUFF NAMEsAKE
FEY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRTBUSg.l


launched on the Delaware River next Saturday
and named the Strngham, in honor Of a New
Yorker who for half a century one Of the
best known and respected officers OF the service
The stringham will be the pioneer OF ocean
going boats OF her class, and her guaranteed
maintained speed will be thirty knots an hour.
The vessel was authorized by, the Appropriation
act Of March g. 1897; the contract was awarded
to the Harlan & Hongsworth Company, OF
Wilmington, on July 20 the same year, and called
for completion by January 20, 1899, but all such
contracts have been delayed by the rush of work
preparing for the war with Spain, the Farragut
having been launched by the SCOTS three
months after her delivery to the Government
was due, and the Delaware shipbuilders, al
though eight months behind time with the
stringham, are less delinquent by many months
than other contractors
The strlnghams keel was laid on March 81.
1898 Her length is 225 feet. breadth % feet,
mean draught feet inches and displacement
$40 tons. This is seventy tons larger than the
Farragut. twice as great as any other American
torpedo boat built building, and is within
sixty tons OF the weight OF some Of the de-
stroyers. Two vertical tripleexpanslon engines
driving twin screws will develop 1900 horse
power when forcing the boat at her maximum
velocity This power is greater by 100 than
that of the Farragut or any OF her class,
and EQUALS that of several destroyers. 1t is
nearly as great as the horsepower Of the
cruisers Newark and Philadelphia which are
over 1000 tons displacement is much greater
than that Of the Detroit and the Montgomery.
o,O00-ton ships and nearly twice as great as
that OF the Atlanta and the Boston. The nor
,,,,lya
pacity Of the Stringham is 100 tons, and with
this she will cruise straightaway over a thou
sand knots.
In addition to carrying two 1S-inch White
head torpedo tubes the Stringham is defended
from vessels OF her class by seven 6-pounder
semi-automatic guns. and she is to be fought
by a complement of four officers and twenty
eight men,
ADMIRAL STRINGHAMs CAREER.
Rear-Admiral Silas Horton Strngham, for
whom the boat is named, was born at Middle
town. Oneida County, N. Y, on November {.
l79S. When eleven years old, on November To-
1909. he entered the Navy a midshipn,an, and
IN the frgate President participated in engage
nents with the Little Belt and the Belvidere
In 1914 he became lieutenant and on the Spark
was In the Mediterranean throughout the AL
gerne war. At this time during storm at
Gibraltar ne went in a boat, with six men. to
rescue the crew of French brig which had cap
sized. He succeeded in getting the crew. but
was unable to get back TO port; he was blown
off TO Algeciras where his boat upset In the
surf, and one of his men and two Frenchmen
were drowned.
From 1919 to 1921 he went SLAYER hunting on
the coast of Africa in the Cyone. and brought
home four slave ships as prize master. Later he
was executive Of the Hornet in three years
cruise for the suppression of piracy IN the West
Indies, assisting in the capture of the Moscow,
the most dreaded buccaneer vessel in those wa
tiers. Strlngham commanded the Ohio at the
bombardment OF Vera Cruz. and after tours of
duty at navy yards was flag officer OF the Medi-
terranean Squadron from 1883 to 1855
When the Civil War began he was summoned
TO Washington to advise upon the preparations
for war, especially in relation to the relief of
Fort Sumter which he strongly urged. but his
advice was not followed until too late. He took
command of the North Atlantic blockading
squadron and organized the expedition to Hat
teras Inlet in which he was accompanied by B
F Butler. with nine hundred soldiers. He adopted
the course afterward followed by Dewey, sailing
his squadron in an ellipse while bombardng. He
Both forts surrendered and the troops were
landed This was the first naval victory Of i'm
portance during the war. stringham declined
further active service on account Of his age
(then sixty-three), and retired as commodore in
December 1861. He continued, however. as
commandant at Boston until 1865. and was
port admiral at New-York until 1872. dying in
Brooklyn on February I, 1876.
WHAT THEY DID IN oe.
Judge Advocate General Lemly tells story Of
the Admiral which illustrates his character
Old officers in the Navy used to speak of their
date of entrance into the service as younger
men now date everything from their graduation
Stringham was proud to be "of o. as he al
ways called his date of entrance In 1910
when the Guerrero was about to leave New
York for the Mediterranean where she was after
ward piled upon" the Italian coast. a young
midshipman sent by her commander to Ad-
rnral Stringham with a requistion for sand to
scrub the decks. Strngham read the requisition
with apparent astonishment, and blurted out
gruf1y:
I'VE didn't do that way In 'o9"
The midshpman was frightened and tried to
be apologize enough to beg pardon and say he
was sorry he did not understand.
81 said we never dd this in or Numbered the
Admiral In 90 II we needed sand we sent
midshipman to Coney Island to dig it-thats
the way we had In 'O9."
Admiral stringham's widow died several years
ago. and the Navy Department has written to
the Admirars daughter. the widow Of Rear-Ad-
miral ]. Beakely Creighton, to select one OF her
daughters-Miss Edwina Stringham and Miss
AbbIe Stringham--to name the boat
MEDICAL AND SANITARY NOTES.
y~,cpr.cu Ntry AMONG THE