The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-07-14
THE FULL SPEED TRIAL
Exhilarating Experiences on a Warship
Under Forced Draught.

EXhilarating Experiences on Warshi
Under Forced Draught
The mldshipman of the morninl
watch, standing aft, barefooted, on tn
sounding machine platform, watche
galleys crew closing the captains, wa
tertight door to the sternwalk, wonders
a little and goes down to call his relief
A grimy stoker, easing off the funue
guys. gives the last turn to the screws
takes his last breath of fresh air ant
climbs down and down again into The
stokehold-the place where heat is be
ing converted into energy. The boat
swain looks over the bows and sees
that the wire slip rope is arranged t.
his liking. The powers that be appear
on the bridge: a few calm orders ere
given, passed and received, the effect
of which is to change the state of the
ship which contains the midshipmau
the stoker, the boatswain and the pow
ers from a state of being "at anchor
to that of being under way" and then
to that of being under way and moy-
ing through the water" slowly at first,
to get clear Of the harbor, then increas-
ing every ten minutes as the speed is
worked up for four hours full speed
| trial
And now a mufl1ed and shaky mag
sage comes uo to the bridge that the
trial has begun. Yes, surely it has; DO
not three of your five senses tell you SO?
Climb up on the shaking bridge, 1t Is
| there; go down to the cinder covered.
quarterback, 1t is there; go into the ut-
termost parts of the screw alley, it is
there also. On the bridge, trembling as
| If 1t would wrench itself off the con-
ming tower, the officer of the watch is
glad to get behind the shelter of the
glass screen, for the speed has convert
1 ed light breeze into half a gale Of
wind; he can there watch, with little
more comfort the movements of the
ships that are to be passed by, as If at
anchor, and incidentally the white cur
ling wave at either bow, the leadsman
in the chains, with his chinstay down,
trying to heave his lead against the
wind, and the lookout trying to find
lee behind the three-pounder gun
shield.
OF a sudden comes a deep toned roar,
as of the loudest note of giant organ
played fortissimo a sound which indi-
Gates that one boiler at least, has
reached it's safe working load and cries
with it's hube lungs Enough From
the tunnels no black smoke energies
from the Welsh COAL but transparent
vapor, which, mingling with the feath-
cry waste steam, strangely warps the
mainmast and streaming pennant seen
through 1t; their gay canary color Is
peeling off from the heat, leaving great,
ugly, black patches that will soon
spread all over them. The foremost one
is rocking to and fro from the vibra-
ton. The officer of the watch turns
again and takes another look at
tramp" which is being rapidly over
hauled and his thoughts, directed by
noise and shaking and speed, turn to
thinking of the real thing" or how
often one could hit the opponent, pass
ing with an equal speed, at what range
he would open fire, of what terribly
short time would elapse between the
sighting and the fighting of the enemy,
of what he would do in that short space
with his own guns in the classmates
down below. But he dismisses such
blood and thunder thoughts lighter ones
as he sees his relief coming forward
Three hours Of the four have passed.
the roar of the safety valves has ceas-
ed. There Is no more waste steam: the
stokers are beginning to struggle with
dirty fires In order to keep the re-
quired steam; the smoke comes a little
less transparent both tunnels are now
black all over. Still the vibra ton, the
sense of extreme possible
speed. The officer of the watch looks
at the log on the charthouse table,
signs it, and says to his relief that it is |
as near twenty as may be, saving the |
odd shillings and pence, the drop of oil |
wanting in the cherub log, and perhaps |
the personal error of the small midship- |
man. The relief opens his mouth to ex- |
claim, "Ah, good" when a wicked little |
wave top of spray catches him in the |
face and makes him splutter instead |
and seek shelter behind the screen. The
small midshipman is again standing aft |
IN the sounding machine platform. now
clothed and in his right mind; he no
onger wonders at the doings of the
yalley's crew. A seething white mass
If water, reaching half way to the up-
1er deck. clings to and boils round the
;tern. SO that he is thinking that if he
ell overheard into it would stay close
o the ship and be able to pull himself
Up again by the sternwalk stanchions:
md lest he may set giddy and do it he