Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-11-29
WON BY CINCINNATI.
With a 35-Mile Handicap the Fast
Fast Cruiser Arrives First.

With a 35-Mile Handicap the Fast
Fast Cruiser Arrives First.
a Juan, Porto Rico, Nov. 24.-Car
rying a great white bone in her teeth
and with the phosphorescent spray
dashing high upon her sharp bows, the
cruiser Cincinnati forged abreast OF
Culebra light at midnight last night,
the winner in the greatest ocean race
OF warships ever run on the north At
lantic seaboard.
Barely two miles astern of the cruis-
er was the great battleship Alabama,
She had distanced all her rivals of the
heavyweight class, and had shown her
quality OF putting up a hammer and
tongs struggle all the way from Hamp-
ton Roads, Va, with the fleet-footed
cruiser. One by one she had left be-
hind the little gunboat Machias and the
battieships Indiana, Kearsarge and
Massachusetts. That the comparative
ly old Massachusetts was a stronger
competitor than the new Kearsarge Is
one of the surprises Of the race.
First Race Engaged In.
This is the first time in it's history
the ships of the North Atlantic squad
ron have engaged in such "a long dis
lance speed contest in the open sea.
AS a component part of the great
2 ll'CN VI w - ~ los ~
the winter naval maneuvers under
command of Admiral Dewey, the North
Atlantic squadron was ordered, after
assembling at Hampton Roads, to pro-
coed to the naval rendezvous off Guile
bra light.
There was a superb opportunity to
test the actual relative speed of the
ships of the fleet in competition and
under thoroughly practical conditions.
Five ships lined up for the start at
noon on Saturday the Alabama,
Kearsarge, Massachusetts, Indiana and
MaChias. Thirty-five miles behind the
line of battleships as they passed the
Virginia capes came the Cincinnati. BY
reason of her speedier and lighter type
this was regarded as a fair handicap
for the greyhound Of the fleet.
Leviathans Start at Flash of Gun.
At the flash of a gun the leviathans
were off to sea under a full head of
steam, and in ten minutes all were
blowing through the ocean.
Almost from the start the Alabama
begun to forge ahead Of her rival. She
gained visibly on the Indiana and the
little Machias. The Kearsarge was re-
garded as her most dangerous ad-
versary Of the battleship class. Intense
rivalry has always existed between the
officers and crews of these two ships.
No device was neglected or either of
the giants Of the fleet to speed them to
their limit. Smoke poured from their
huge stacks and their decks quivered
abouve the throbbing engines.
k~earsarge Soon Hull Down..
-Four hours from the start the Ala
bama left the K~earsarge hull down
with only n of her fighting
tops in sight.
with the old Massachusetts it was a
struggle, but the newer lines and
greater power were bound to tell. Re
fore night the older ship, despite her
most gallant efforts, was left astern.
At shutdown Monday the lookout at
the stern Of the leader sighted the Gin
coming up like Il race horse. She
made up her handicap, had passed
all the others, n was now speeding in
the wake of her sole competitor.
Alabama Made Brave Fight.
1t seemed a hopeless task for the bat
to try to hold to the cruiser, but
she made a brave fight of 1t all day
Monday and on Tuesday and Wednes-
day. She Cheered her rival as the lat
ter slowly forged abeam and then
ahead of her almost within sight of the
goal
When Culebra light vas picked up the
Alabama was under forced draught and
going 1t a terrific clip, but she could not
close the gap, being barely two miles
lstern of the cruiser. At midnight she
to.
The Kearsarge, Massachusetts, In
and Machias were not in sight at
finish.