The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-10-28
THE MISSOURI NOW QUEEN.
New Battleship Proves Herself Very
Speedy

Boston, Mass. (SpeciaD The new
batteship Missouri proved herself the
queen OF the seas in her class in a
speed trial over the Cape Ann course,
with weather conditions OF consd.
erably handicapping nature.
Steaming over a course OF 80 nautical
miles and return, the battleship made
an average speed OF 1906 knots pei
hour, which, with tidal corrections
greatly in her favor, it is believed will
advance it to 1922 knots, new world:
record for battlcships of her class.
The first part of the run was made
against a strong northwest breeze
which kept down the speed to 17o4
knots, but coming back the conditions
were more favorable and the 80 knots
were covered in I hour and AZ min
utes and seconds, a speed OF I846
knots per hour.
The big battleship at one time attain.
ed speed OF 1875 knots per hour. The
contract requirements call for IS knots,
and the margin was very gratifying not
only to the builders, the Newport News
Shipbuilding and Drydock Company,
but to the government officials on
board
The best previous record made by
battleship in the Missouri's class is
that OF the Maine. a sister ship, which
was 1893 per hour.
The Missouri left her anchorage in
Presidents Roads shortly after a. m,
and steamed down to Cape Ann, where
the measured course began. On the
battleship was the naval trial beard,
number ofnaval officers stationed in and
near Boston and guests OF the COM
pany. The weather was clear, but
stiff quartering breeze blew from the
northwest and roughed UP the water
considerably. The cruiser Chicago
marking the southern end OF the course.
was sighted soon after 10 o'clock, and
half an hour later the Missouri was
headed for the line. 1t was found that
steam was tr1e low. and so the big
W Ndl ollip hNoNl lDNh al NOuDlC vi IClES
before she again headed northward. the
stokers shoveling coal upon the fires
ali the while, until at II o'clock the
steam pressure was satisfactory to the
engineers in charge.
When the word was given the Mis-
sours whistle notified the Chicago that
she was ready to start on her trial.
and then Capt. +. NJ. Howes, who
steered the craft with great precision
over the course, headed for the line.
The new warship was abeam OF the first
buoy at II:I3:5o, and with speed thar
increased steadily she sped away to the
northward, passing stakcboat after
stakeboat, until the cruiser Baltimore
was astern. The latter craft marked the
northern end OF the course, and, swing
ing off to port, the Missouri turned in
circle and steamed back again. Go
ing to the northward, the warship en-
countered heavy seas, that swept over
her low bows, and breeze OF half a
gales strength. Added to these
speed-reducing conditions, the tide ran
strong against the new vessel so that
her speed was figured as averaging
1874 an hour.
he vessels marking the course were
stationed GO knots apart and the Mis-
souris lowest elapsed time between any
two OF the mark boats was FL minutes
. seconds, made on the homeward leg,
which makes her best actual speed
1875 knots per hour. On the northern
leg the. engine attained a speed OF I2t
revolutions a minute and the average
ior the entire trial was III. Commander
Cowlcs said that the tidal corrections
would no doubt add ~ of knot per
hour to the speed OF the ship.