The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-21
THE ALABAMAs DEPARTURE.
Fighting Ship steaHas Away for Her
Official Trial.

Official Trial.
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 21--Amid
driving rainstorm through which her
stately lines looked dim and hazy to those
on the dock, the battleship Alabama left
her moorings at Cramps shipyard yester-
day afternoon for her official trial trip.
Promptly at haif-past 4 O'Clock the Prov
OF the great fighting ship swung round
into midstream, an1, followed by half
dozen tugs, steamed lnaiestiealiy down the
river.
All day Sunday ard until noon yester-
day the battleship was the scene OF great
activity. Engines were thoroughly over
hauled. even. to the smallest ana most
Gnimportaut parts; bra sses were poiishSd,
and in fact eyerytb Dg on board was
closely inspected. At noon yesterday a
long line of employees of the company
were busily engaged in Carrying on board
the baggage of the invited guests, and
about the dock where the Alabama lay
there was a general stir OF activity.
Shortly after / o'clock a carriage drew
up at the gang plank. and Edwin 5. CramP,
who VIII be in charge during the trip,
aIighte6 and went on board. few min
utes later the gangWay was pulled IN,
there was shrek from the great whistle
and the voyage had begun Alongside OF
the tugs that iiitted about hither and
thither helping the great fighting machine
on her way the Alabama was as mon
ster Ieviatian surrounded by tiny fish.
There was no ostentation at the start
Slowly and silently, with the Stars and
Stripes hung at her stern, while the build
er's burgee foated from one Of her masts.
the Alabama steamed down the Dea aware.
At Reedy Island the Alabama anchored
for the night This morning she proceeded
l tor here q
stop will be made to allow John Hand.
agent of the Cramps, to adjust the SHIPS
compasses. Thence the Alabama viii pro-
ceed to Brooklyn. where she will be locked
at the navy yard and given two coats OF
sea paint and her bottom prepared vita
anti-fouling material.
The test viii be over the triangular
course off the Massachusetts coast The
speed required according to the contract
made with The Government. is sixteen
knots, but as the Alabama achieved
a speed OF seventeen and six-tenths knots
on her builders trial on the 18th OF last
! August no Uneasiness is felt as 10 the re-
suit.
On the present trial Cramp & Sons will
be represented g. Edwin ). Cramp, Chief
| Engineer a p. Towne, and his assistant,
| J. Harry Null Capt Bradford Sargent, of
the Cramp yard, is in command OF the YES
sci.
Among the representatives of the Gov
eminent on board are Capt Willard H
Brownson, general inspector; Lieutenant
! Commander Charles J. Badger. executive;
| Lieutenant Commander Abraham V. Zane,
| Inspector Of machinery; Lieutenant Com
mander Richard Anderson, recorder; Lieu
tenant Henry B. Wilson Inspector OF
| equipment; Lieut. James G. Doyle, inspec-
| tor of ordnance; Assistant Naval Con-
| structor r. H. Robinson, experimenting
| constructor; Assistant Surgeon James F.
! Legs. Rear Admiral Frederick Rodgers
/ Capt Robley d. Evans, Commander Joseph
| y. HemphiIl. Commander Charles H. Roel-
ker Naval Constructor Washington L.
| CapTes, Lieutenant Commander Charles L.
| VreeIand Lieutenant Commander Richard
! Henderson, member and recorder
| Including guests, Government experts.
representatives of the Cramp firm, sailors.
/ and machinists there are SEQ persons on
| board 1t is expected that the trip viii
| last for three weeks.
/ The Alabama is a sister ship to the Wis
| consin and Illinois both OF which are now
| building. She is 362 feet long. has an ex-
IRENE breadth of u feet inches. a mean
| draught of % feet 6 inches. and a dIsplace-
ment at that draught Of 1925 tons Her
armament viii consist OF four 13-inch
| breech-loading rifles, mounted in pairs in
| two eIliptical turrets on the middle line
one forward and enc aft Of the superstTuc-
ture also fourteen 6-tnch rapid-f1re
| breech-Ioading rifles, sixteen 6-pounders,
and four i-pounder rapid-fre guns, one
| Calling gun and one field gun. The Ala
| bama is supplied with four torpedo tubes