Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-09-09
PROBABLY NEXT SATURDAY.
KEAKSARGE WILL LEAVE FOR NEW
YORK TO GO INTO DRY DOCK
Much Interest MRnife-trd 1n the Coming
official Trial Trip. The Depart
nent Surprised.

The .battlcship kearsarge will go in
the dry dock at the Brooklyn navy yard
September ~ for the purpose Of having
her bottom thoroughly cleaned ana
placed in trim for the official trial trip.
which will take place off the Maine
coast the first week in October.
The big floating fortress, which has
already earned the distinction of being
the Queen of the American Navy, will
probably leave the shipyard for New
York harbor September 16, one week
from today. 1T is not likely that
she Will be able to get away before that
time and she must leave on the 18th
or 18th. as the Navy Department has
arranged TO place the big dry DOCK
there at the disposal Of the Newport
News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Com
pany on the 18th. Or course, if the ship
is not ready to leave in time to go in
the dock on the 18th. the department.
VIII be notified and Il date to suit set
apart .".-...
The kcarsargc will be in the dry dock
possibly four days and lin that time all
OF the foul growth, including long
grass, barnaclcs and even oysters, will
DC scrapcd off. The bottom ana the
sides OF the ship will be ccancr. IS
smooth as it is possible to get it and
when the kcalsargc leaves the dry
dock there she will he in trim to make
her official speed trial. -
| THIS ship is the first one built with
docking keels attached. The battlcship
Texas has docking keels, but they were
put on some time after the ship went
into commission. The kcarsarge las
two long docking keels, running parallel
with the center keel plate, each being
about 30 feet in length The bottoms
OF these keels are on a plane With the
keel plate in the center which gives the
ship q flat bottom for docking pur-
poses. The docking kees will rest on
rows of blocks in the empty basin ~
the keel plate will. This precludcs all
| possibility of an accident CAUSED BY
the slipping of the side poles which are
used in propping all other ships warand
merchant. inrdry docks. Then, too. the
use of docking keels relieves the sides
of the ship from a great deal Of strain
which is caused by the othe: method Of
docking
The course over which the Kearsarge
will make her official speed trial is
from Cape Cod to Cape Porpoise Maine,
and return, the total distance being es-
run four hours on this trip. The KeaT-
sarge can be turned quicker than any
ship in the navy, as was demonstrated
by last Tuesdays trial trip, and this
! will be to her advantage in making the
turn on the official course.
| The following dispatch from WASH
|ington yesterdays Baltimore Sun is of
interest.
The official trial trip Of the battle
ship kearsarSe, whose speed record
this week off the Virginia Capes places
(; her in the front rank of vessels of her
class, will be held the first week in DC
tober, and will attract more than usual
attention ewing to the peculiar ar
ranSement of her battery, which make S
her unlike any tirst-class fighting crs, t
afloat. The builders have reuues ted the
Navy Department for permission to use
the New York dock for overhaulng the
vessel and grooming her for the four
hour trial, during which, under the gov
eminent requirement, she must main
tain an average speed of not less than
16 knots. -
| 'Unofficial record taken of her trial
recently gave the vessel a speed of II Ii
knots, but none of the officials Of the
Navy Department believe it was posi-
Ible for the ship in her foul condition
10 make anything approaching that
rate. If she did, they claim she should
run AIT least 10 knots on her official
trial with Il clean bottom, picked Goa
and 4 selected crew. The machinery
for this ship is not designed to develop
more than II knots under forced draft
and should she run over this not only
will the department. officials be sur
1Tised. hut no doubt the contractors will
be equally So"
| The Suns correspondents may know
what he is talking about. but there
are those here who know what the
Newport News-built engines are capa-
Bile of doing, who believe that the
| kcarsarge can make more than Il
knots. N " ..