The San Francisco call., 1908-05-10

VERY one is in high state OF ten
sion. A warrant officer stops the
chief and says most seriously,
DO you remember that story IN
Herodotus where"
The chief becomes obHvious at once
and leaves him standing Before he
can reach the air lock another mes
senger reaches him. The note reads:
We have the Milwaukee on our quar-
ter"
He goes right on into the starboard
engine room to see what is happening
to the hot bearing. and sees his first
assistant sitting anxiOusly over II, oil
can in hand. like mother at the bed
of her sick child.
The bearing has cooled The first as
sistant says he is going 10 oil here
after himself. NO use taking any
chances. You can't depend upon your
helpers these days any more at all.
Why don't they pay good men moro
money. why? The new navy. etc. etc"
The chief mods. pats him on the back
and runs back now 70 the 1reroom.
milwaukee, on our quarter. we've got
her. Keep it up.'
Tou should see the shovels ny nowt
The air becomes obscure with coal dust.
Clack. cIack, the doors ely shut all
around. The men throw the coal like
mad. They forget their thirst. tho
heat-some are losing their hand cloths
even themselves. They trample on
each others feet. knock each other
with bars and buckets unheedfuL And
the steam goes climbing up TO 220,
235, 230 pounds, the forward boilers
240 and ESQ.
Cheer after cheer rings from the crew
on the upper decks. The race looks
won. Only an accident can lose. They
know nothing OF the hot bearing or
steam. They only see the ship surging
ahead and cheer.
At this stage Of the race the MIL
waukee unexpectedly dgops her port
speed cone to half distance. showing
something untoward has taken place in
her port engines. She falls behind as
though anchored 10 the spot and IN a
few minutes is several miles in the
rear. The st. Louis has just worked
up to her speed, 21.7 knots. and con-
tinues as though there never had been
a race-just a plain everyday eight
hour endurance run. The strangest
part OF the whole race has been the
evanescence OF the excitement me
daily routine of the ship goes on now
just as though the ship were steaming
in squadron. Nobody talks much about
the race.
The captains chief concern seems to
be about the amount OF oil expended.
"a thousand gallons" he exclalns
when he gets the report.
What did you do with IL all chisf?''
asks the ensign.
II threw II overheard 20 make thu
way smoother for the Others" answers
the chief in a tired sort OF way. His
interest has gone.
The little torpedo boat Perry, feeling
her oats. chahng under the restriction
OF 21 knots, asks permission to make
a squirt. 1t Is granted. She feels equal
to %. tantalized by the sight Of the big
ships laboring their huge bulk through
the water. 1t takes her just five min
to the captain-''YOu're the candy kid
and drop back TO her former position.
The crew cheers the little fellow
again and again.
There is hardly an appreciable d.
minution of speed for the entire eight
hours. The average Is more than 20
knots an hour.
At the finish the other ships havs
long been out of sight. The Charleston
is 40 miles astern and the Milwaukee
about 20. The speed drops to 10 knots
an hour, according to instructions from
the admiral. and the s10,0O0.O00 race is
done
The only visible effects or the race
on the ship are the drifts of cinders
that have sifted all over the ship. On
the quarterback boy is busy sweeping
them in the waterway, and with each
sweep he keeps time to a parody on
the squadron song of the Big Four:
she. made 50 with her s,inch guns.
And started behind in the S-hour
But soon overhauled them all. one By ons.
The Lame Duck OF the squadron