Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-12-13

| mont stands alone as seagoihg boat.
| Through 1t all there was not a hitch. Her
steering gear was perfect. and she turned
In her own length, truly remarkable
| feat for such n monster craft. Her en-
| gines never faltered
When she dropped anchor in the llarbor
yesterday she was n wond erfui sight
Not an inch Of her decks or mast but
was encased in ice over her bow 1t was
piled In white masses. Even the turret
house was piled with It, for ploushing
| through the waves the spray was thrown
high over her bow. and wherever 1t fell
1T froze Immediately.
| Friday night with The wind blowing
gale Of 10 miles an hour, the seas cor
respondingly high, and the thermometer
down to IL below zero. she drove back
and forth along the Maine coast, but
at sea In night SO black that it was i'm
possible to see anything 70 feet ahead even
with the powerful searchights. All tho
time she was shipping water over the
decks. and little of it washed of 1t
froze In masses everywhere. Somewhere
out IN the night seagull lighted on tho
afterdeck and there It froze and was found
In the morning.
| To venture on deck was to run in1rnin-
ent risk OF being swopt overheard by the
sea or wind. Thise who weathered the
trip. among them some of the men who
have experienced all kinds OF weather on
all Kinds OF craft, said they never went
through anything like it, 1t was a wildly
exciting trip.
! The Vermont left the Fore River com
pany's yards at Quincy Thanksgiving day
and went into dry dock Mt the navy yard
the Charlestown. Sunday morning she
hauled out, and the following day pro-
ceeded to Rockland. Then she waited
the coming Of the official triad board from
the navy department
Leaving Rockland Friday morning in
binding snow storm she took her course
east by northeast to Mt Desert tslan
and. after running few hours TO get
the engines working in good shape. was
started on the hour-hour speed test. With
300 pounds of steam on and the firemen
down In the stokehole throwing tons Of
coal under the boilers, the engines went
let out almost to their limit and she drove
ahead into the wind and sea. It was a
wonderful sight. The huge ship, with a
great bone in her teeth was stripped of
all deck fittings so that she looked like a
sleek racehorse prepared for the race
Ploughing along through the waves which
HiOIhteu oNSr DOW, ana with the bleak
northwest wind dead against her she not
only came UP to speed requirement of IS
Knots. but exceeded it, and that such a re-
cord was made under such circumstances
Or course rebounds more to her glory.
AT the conclusion Of the speed test she
was started on the 24-hour endurance run
Back and forth from Mt. Desert island
to Matinicus and Monhegan she paced
Night set in. the gale increased, till It
blew at times 40 and so miles an hour, the
seas rose higher, and the night was dark
as pitch. On on she rushed, quivering
yet steady as though sailing in n calm
sea. Perhaps the most remarkable fea-
ture OF the new mistress of the navy is
her steadinees in a heavy sea Although
other battleships have exceeded her speed
none has ever shown such ability in the
face of such n sea. None have ever been
put through such an ordeal. Had the
Vermont been favored with a light wind
and smooth there is little bought
but that she would have done far better