The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1901-08-12
BIG LINERS RACE INTO PORT.
Exciting Tests of Speed Between the
st. Louis md the Umbrin.

NEW YORK, Aug. 1.-THE American
liner St. Louis. from Southampton and
Cherbourg. with three boilers out of COM
mission, hustled into the range of the
Fire Island marine observers telescope
at noon yesterday, making nineteen knots
If inch, despite her deficient steaming
power. Half an hour later the Cunarder
Umbria, from Liverpool and Queenstown,
belching smoke. hove in sight. The OBJ
server naturally surmised that there was
an ocean race going on.
Under normal conditions, that is. when
the st. Louis engines are in shipshape,
she is better than the Umbria, one OF the
finest of the old single screws, by about
knot hour. But in the contest that
began in md-ocoan at 5 a. m. on Wednes-
day last and practically ended at Fire ISL
and, il was hard to say, at times. which
was the better ship. The officers of the
American liner were the first to see the
Cunarder. The passengers We're asleep.
A lifting mist revealed her ten knots on
the starboard quarter. Except at short
intervals. notably off the Banks, where
the fog was heaviest, the passengers and
crews of the racing liners Were within
sight all the way from mid-ocean to the
Hook. When the st. Louis locked at the
foot Of Fulton Street the CunardCr was
of Liberty Island.
DR.. r. Lloyd Parker, surgeon of the St
Louis, said: 1t would noe do 10 have
a single-screw ship beat US. That was
also the opinion OF the chief engineer ana
Capt. +. NJ. Passow. The furnaces con-
sumed about all the coal the stoNers could
shovel in. The sporting folk in the smoS-
ing room welcomed the diversion, the
voyage up to that point had been smooth
and dull Pools were MADE on the dis
tance astern the Cunarder would be at
the end OF certain hours.
Lost of hon xIlFl nat Snf
II. Collins won five OF them in success
sion. pocketing about $l.OcG
Fog shut the pursuing boat from view
Oft Nantucket and the st. Louis slowed
down. When the air cleared the Umbria
was seen to have gained few miles, and
was almost dead astern OF the American
ship. The st. Louis bumped herself and
widened the gap a little, maybe less than
a mile. Thereafter. even to the Narrows.
the ships were within easy sighting dis
lance OF each other.
Cen. Russell A. Alger, eX-Secretary of
War. and eX-Judge Jere NJ. Wilson were
passengers on the ST. Louis. General AL
ger said he had been recuperating. chiefly
at Carlsbad. since he left New York on
May Is. He said he was in splendid
health, and he looked it.
Judge Wilson was met on the pier by
Captain Parker, of Perth Amboy, who
recently has been searching the Navy De-
partment records for material for the de-
fence of Admiral Schley before the special
board of enquiry TO meet on September
Y. 1t is said that Judge Wilson has been
retained to defend Admiral Schiey. The
judge said that ne would be unable to say
positively until Monday whether or not
he would be the admirars counsel, but he
thought 1t not unlikely that he would be.
Captain Parker said he regarded the no.
tees that he had received in the news
papers merely as evidence of the dullness
of news in Washington.
Prof. b. -. Woodward, Assistant Com
missioner General Of the United States
to the Paris Exposition of 1900. who has
wound up American affairs at the EXPOSE
ton. returned by the St Louis. Before
he left Paris he WIS received by President
Loubet and all the EXposition's foreign
repre- sentativos. who had not gone home,
gave him dinner. The French papers
published articles lauding the professor
and his work and calling America the
country of the future"