Evening star., 1907-08-25
RIGHT, OH GUESS 50!
Cruiser Washington Does Her
Turn Very Neatly.
SATISFIES NAVAL BOARD
Beats Her Able Sister Ship, tut
Tennessee.
MADE A RECORD OF 21.36 KNOTS
Gun Tests Were Admirable and She
Did Not Start a Bolt-Best
of Her Glass.
SATISFIES NAVAL BOARI
MADE A RECORD OF 21.36 KNOT.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. August 24.-The crack new
cruiser Washington slipped into her berth
at the Brooklyn navy yard this morning
with consciousness of superiority stamped
in the rakish tilt of her ten-inch shooting
irons and with the powder smut of her
recent labors fresh upon her. For the
Washington had been entertaining the trial
board for engines and guns from the Navy
Department for three days and gone over
all the high hurdles set for infant ships
before they can become full fedged mem
bers of the nations floating sisterhood.
The Washington hoped today that the
board had been pleased with her stunts. :.
Ihe new cruiser has been q precocious
youngster. She took the water from the
New York Shipbuilding Company's yards
on the Delaware in March, 1905, and on
the following April she made her % 90
knots under four hours Of forced draught
OH the New England coast and was ac-
cepted by the government. But when
she went over and hobnobbed with the
rrehch ana japanese cruisers at Brest un-
Ger Admiral Stockton a short time ago the
rudlments of her education had not been
completed. lt-was Necessary to come back
mere and take on the board from Washing
ton that was to determine whether or NOT
her guns could shoot without iumninp off
their mountings, and to test her sneed
powers again after the year passed in COM
mission.
The Washington put out of Newport last
ihursoay afternoon at o'clock in a
heavy fog and started to feel her w.v
down the coast through the blanket that
mad Kept her shut in for almost two dave
capt. Theodore Porter nursed his school
slri through the fog until clear weather
DroKe down about Cape May: then he haaar
70 put her through her PAGES At tba Sio
t1tion or the naval board
Speed Record.
First off the fires were st,rred ~,
r. ausht rushed on the f1reboxes,
for tour hours the Washington cburros
-. 80 iiiooerate sea. and at the end
OF that time the trial board 49,, Gnu
ing. She had made q se reckon
Dest speed. The sister sht. at her
''"e ior line and bolt for bolt Of
the Washington had only done aoso At
her very best on the last Service trial
Then the Washington dropped down to
natural draught' for eight hours steady
steaming up the coast At this she made
1896 at her best speed, all of which is
satisfactory and above the requirements
of the government
The Washington had to do another trick
before her critical guests were satisfied.
Every respectable cruiser has to be able
to go some, of course, but she must also
be ready to put up fight If occasion arises.
Hence, the board wanted to watch her guns
work.
Somewhere south of Sandy Hook there
hnx, han ,fp tl,I
Friday. for when an instantaneous broad
side of eight six-fnch guns is let off there
is bound to be some noise. That broads de
from the starbeard battery of the Washing
ton was only the beginning. After eight
respective projectiles had dropped into the
sea somewhere of on the HORIZON the
board members took look at the guns,
Everything tight and ship shape-no strain
ing or disIocation.
IAN right said the board Now your
ten-fnch guns, please.
Gun Tests.
The turret men furward hoisted bags of
cubical powder from down below some
where. and charged up the forward ten
inch barkers just as they would II 1t was a
ship of the enemy that they wanted to hit.
A key was pressed. spark jumped across
an armature and Off went the guns in
simultaneous below. Maybe the Washing
ton kicked bit. What young woman
wouldn't: but after the smoke had cleared
away the board members looked all around
the turret, and could find not one bolt
strained or one fiange of the groove The
same result attended the firing Of the tur-
ret guns aft.
With the big guns tested. the naval board
went all over the ship. swapping off every
gun IN the secondary battery and on the
three-inch guns to be sampled. eight three
Founders and two machine guns. The
Washington carries fifty-two guns in ALI
he