The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-27
THE ALABAMA A FLYER
New Battleship May Be the Fastest
in the World.
The Run From New York TO Presi-
dents Roads in Many WAYS n Re-
markable One The PRINCIPAL
Speed Test Scheduled for ToInor-
row Likely to Break the Record.

INOFnOE-
row Likely to Break the Record
BOSTON, Aug. 27-The new United
States battleshiD Alabama. Capt. Red
wood d. Sargent, commandant fer the
company. cast anchor in Presidents Roads
at $3.50 o'clock yesterday afternoon. after
a run from New York which was in many
ways the most remarkable in the lstory
of American steam navigation.
Tomorrow the ship will be required to
maintain average speed of sixteen
knots an hour for four consecutive hours,
over the thirty-knot staked course off Cape
Ann, in her official speed trial Her per-
Torrance on the way up to this port how
ever fully jugtifes the belief that she
viii not only make the contract speed
with ease. but that she will considerably
exceed that speed.
All day Saturday and yesterday morn
ing the splendid vessel reeed off speed
of nearly sixteen knots without the benefit
Of the full forced draught which will
send her over the famous course tomor-
row. Her blowers were working most OF
the day. but except for a short time on
Saturday afternoon the compartment doors
were kept open. the draught pressure De
ing three-quarters OF an inch She wound
up the trip with a magnificent run from
Cape Cod in. With the doors closed and
the full air pressure of one inch tomorrow
there seems to be no reason to doubt that
she will make seventeen knots, and il may
be that d still better record will be made.
Except for a dense fog during Saturday
mis- sh would have broken oil records
on her way up.
II is believed that the Alabama is the
fastest frst-cIass battleship in the world.
The run up was most interesting one
from its beginning. Hundreds OF yard
employees, officers. AID tackles" gathered
on the docks at the Brooklyn Navy Yard
Saturday morning TO see the Alabama
away, and al S;G5 o'clock a. IA before the
shipping in the East River realized it, the
great new batt!eship was steaming slowly
among them. An East River ferryboat
crowded TO the guards was the first TO
salute. and the passage down to Sandy
Hook was long drawn out ovation When
the battleShip passed under the Brooklyn
Bridge the AIabama's whistle rOared q
deep responss 10 the admirIng feet.
huge ocean liner followed the Alabama
down the upper bay, but the warsaip
started off at q good pace, and she was
lost behind as soon as Sandy Hook was
cleared. The NaFrows were passed at 10
O'Clock, the point OF Sandy Hook cleared
at 1O:4G- The sea was smooth, the wind
being almost dead calm, with only a slight
ground swell noticeable. Though the YES
sci WAS turning the water into foam the
bow waves were small considering the
speed, and there was no appreciate Vi
bration- In fact. naval officers on board
said that never in their experience had
they seen battleship move at any such
pace with so little vibration.
Between 2 and 3 O'Clock the blowers
were turned on and. at los revolutions
of the ccrews per minute and 172 pounds
of steam, the Alabama was reeling 1851
knots, which was faster than the Kear-
sarge averaged on her trial under full
forced draught and almost gs fast as the
record made by the Kentucky. The ship
easily made. it vas demonstrated, the
full 16 knots an hour with I06 reyoIu-
tons Of the screws per minute. In fact,
she made a little more During five hours
before the fog set IL, although no attempt
was made al great speed, she averaged
1875 knots, with 1863 revolutions tbs
last speed including an allowance for the
slip Of the screws. In the meantime, the
stokers were getting along with entire
comfort, though the cay was d scorcher
and the engine-room temperature averaged
from So to so degrees.
Late in the afternoon it became foggy,
and at o'clock the fog came on thick
and the shTieks Of the big whistle set Up
again. It was dark. nasty night Dur
ing the night and for seventeen hours
and foTty-two MINUTES according to Chief
Engineer J. Harry Null. the ships sp-ed
was l0.5 knots with 70.S revolutions
Yesterday morning the fog was quite as
thick. But along toward 10 O'Clock mat
ters frightened up a bit. The fog broke
at last. the whistle stopped screaching
the speed was increased. Then the sandy
shores OF Cape Cod were diSceTned in the
distance. Pilot George Lawler boarded the
/ battleship at noon. The distance in from
Highland Light was in fact the greatest
part of the run With every turn of the
screws the Alabama seemed TO go faster.
| The Metropolitan liner II. f. Dimock. an
other Cramp boat had q lead at the tape,
also bound in, but the Alabama over
hauled her and when the Alabama got to
Hull the Dimocb was well-nigh on the
| horizon behind
After the ship had got her gait up 1896
revolutions showed with corrections 1913
knots the speed being maintained for one
hour, thirty eight minutes. and thirty-six
seconds The entire run from New York
to Boston, Boston Light being passed at
ZAP, was made at an average speed of
1l-9 knots, including fog, the revolutions
being S0.4 per minute, and the maximum
horsepower being about 5000 indicated
The Kearsarge lay down in the roads at
anchor. Here was the first meeting be-
tween the moderon Alabama and Rear-
sarge.
The Alabama will lay In Presidents
Roads, where she is anchored, just OF
Long Island Head, until early tomorrow
morning, when she will go up to Cape
Ann for the speed trial, the battIeships of
the North Atlantic squadron with the