The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-11-25
AMERICAN NAVY ENGAGE IN
TRIAL OF SPEED.
The ALABAMA VERY FAST
Is Only Beaten by Swift Cruiser Gin,
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Makes
Good Run,

6ASUC WALTZ DOAO l. I0l CCSLu, dllU
with phosphorescent spray dashing
high upon her sharp bows, the cruis
err Cincinnati forged abreast of Guile
bra light at midnight last night, a
winner in the greatest ocean race of
Warships ever run on the North At.
lantic seaboard says a Herald dis.
patch from San Juan, P. R. Barely
two miles astern of the cruiser flashed
the white searchlight Of the great bat
tleship Alabama. She had dis
tanced all her rivals of the heavy
weight class and had shown her quail
ity by putting up a hammer-and-tongs
struggle all the way from Hampton
Roads, Va, with the f1eet-footed cruis-
er. One by one, she had left behind
the little gunboat Machias, the In
diana, the new battleship Kearsarge,
her WI particular rival and, last of
all, the plucky Massachusetts,, sister
ship OF the Oregon.
A Superb Performance.
That the comparatively old Massa-
chusetts was a stronger competitor
than the Kearsarge is one of the sur
prises of the race. That the Alabama
came in SO close a second to the fast
commerce destroyer, Cincinnati, even
though the steamer had been handi-
nonnoH Ok roi1o~ ~ tho ~{o~k - ~,
.perb performance for a irst-class bat
tleship heavily armored. This is the
first time in it's history that the ships
OF the North Atlantic squadron have
engaged in such a long-distance con-
test in the open sea. AS a component
part of the great fleet of warships now
assembling for the winter naval
m~aneouvers under command of Ad-
miral Dewey, the North Atlantic
squadron was ordered, after assembl-
ing at Hampton Roads, to proceed to
the naval rendezvous at Culebra Is
land, off San Juan, Porto Rico.
Line Up for the Start.
Here was a superb opportunity to
test the actual relative speed of the
ships of the fleet in competition, and
under thoroughly practical conditions.
Five of the ships lined up for the
start at noon on Saturday-the Ala
bama, the Kearsarge, the Massa-
chusetts. the Indiana and the Ma
chias, the baby of the fleet. The first
four are bat%tleships, The Massa-
chusetts and Indiana are sister YES
sells, launched in 1898, and with the
Oregon not entered in this contest,
mark the earlier type of the first-class
battleships Of the new navy.
The Kearsarge and the Alabama
represented later types of sea fight
ers. Thirty-five miles behind the line
of abattleships, as they passed the
Virginia capes, came the protected
cruiser Cincinnati. By reason of her
speed and lighter type, this was re-
garded as a fair handicap for the
greyhound of the feet, which to do
her destined work should easily out
class them all in cruising qualities.
An Exciting Moment.
At the flash of the gun the levia-
thans were off to sea with full head
thans were off to sea with full head
ploughing through the ocean headed
for Culebra with widening maalstroms
of white foam bounding from their
wheel screws.
The Alabama gained greatly on the
Indiana and the Machias. The Kear-
sarge was regarded as her most dan
gerous adversary of the battleship
class. Intense rivalry has always ex-
listed between officers and crews of
these two ships. No device was neg
lected on either of the giants of the
fleet to speed them to their limit.
Smoke poured from their huge stacks
and their decks quivered above the
throbbing engines. Four hours from
the start, just before twilight, the
Alabama left the Kearsarge hull down.
With the older Massachusetts it was
a harder struggle. But newer lines
and greater power were bound to tell.
Before night the older ship, despite
her most gallant efforts, was left
astern, and gradually even her gleam-
ing lights faded out of sight.
Beginning of the End.
Barring accidents it was the Ala
bama's race, so far as the battleships
were concerned, but at shutdown. Mon
day the lookout at the stern of the
leader sighted the Cincinnati coming
up like a race horse held in check for
the finish. She had made up her
$3.50 III H. kLo.,