The Florida star. (Titusville, Fla.) 1880-1917, 1908-09-11
SNAIL FLEETS TRIP
l'uhlehp, and Tenders ID CO
Around the Horn


Ola veuasls Making Ready Per Vsyaps
a Staten Island rs--Mnny Men q
Mary hatisns Went Places IN Crews.
One Beat Is 70 GO 70 the sandwich
Islanda.
AT the piers o. the Third district
lighthouse establishment or Tompkins-
vile. N. Y. there are six sturdy little
ships that are soon to make a voyage
through the strait Of Magellan and IN
the Pacific coast. They are now max
ing ready to put out to sea. Three
hghtships and three tenders make ND
the mosquito feet which "a to have a
deep sea trip that well might win the
envy Of greater ships than these.
They are resting ut the piers without
bluster or parade In the midst Of the
other ships OF the service, putting
aboard tackle, provisions and equip
ment for the trip.
The little feet wiz soon start for the
Pacific coast. OF the three tenders
the Mansanita N the flagship and win
lead the way until San Francisco IN
reached and then VIII 60 on duty In
the Portland district. The Kukm ~
destined for service In the Sandwich
islands and the SeQuola for the en-
gineering department on the coast. OF
the three lIghtships. Nos. s.. % and
@. one win b used in the strait Of
Juan de Fuca, the second on the Co
lumbia river bar and the third as q re-
lief.
Both the lightships and the tenders
are strongly built The hghnhips are
high out Of the water and are tightly
closed at every point to stand the
toughest OF weather while on duty.
On the sides Of ths ships, which are
drab or red. thu number and position
stand out clearly painted In huge let
tsrs. In the bow tust at the water
lime 10 the odd looking mushroom an
Choir. like an inverted flower. ne
ships are fitted out with full equip
ment. On each IN q submarine bell
operated by compressed air and used
for signaling 10 the other boats, on
each Of which the messages are taken
In a special receiver.
The tenders, whose duties are to pot
out buoyS. do repair work and serve
the lighthouses and ships. are more
interesting to the observer. The large
single beam chain derrick mounted at
the foot OF the forward mast and con-
trolled BY steam windlasses, with q
maze Of levers and brakes, picks up
the heavy buoys. swings them over the
side and places them In the water.
Down In the dark hold one sees the
great iron balloons Of different shapes
lashed together 10 prevent their roll
ing and an endless mass OF tackle.
On the decks are piles Of chains, bells
and lights TO Be stored away for the
trip. The engine room and the ma
ehineY are bright and shining. and
the meas quarters are clean and
70 roomy.
The undertaking OF these little ships
Is amazing when one considers their
size. The tenders are 100 feet over
all. with q beam Of 30 feet and q
total displacement Of only 900 tons.
The lightships are even smaller. 80
feet over all. and have a displacement
OF 600 tons. The engines OF the tend
ers are triple expansion, with twin
screws. and those OF the llghtships are
simple and single screw.
Yet they are to set out on a journey
OF 1900 miles through the perilous
strait of Magellan and around and
up to the upper part OF the Pacific
coast On the western coast OF South
America the mosquito feet will make
its way through Smythe'B channel,
Just on Peru, coming out at the gulf
OF PenAs. taking the same route that
the destroyers took I'm the trip last
year.
The ships will go under their own
steam all the way. and although the
bunkers and all available space have
been utilized to store coal, even to the
temporary bulkheading Of the com
panlOn ways. leaving only a narrow
passage to the engine room. many
stops will have to be made for cOaling.
Captain wertZ. who Is the naval Of
icer in command Of the feet. expects
10 have a cruising radius OF 2,7OO
miles with the extra coal by keeping
a steady gait OF IA knots, which has
been found TO be the most economical
speed OF the llghtshlps.
Even with this wide radius the feet
will stop at Porto Rico. Barbados. Per
nambuco, Brazil; Monteeideo. Uru-
quay: Sandy Point and Valparaiso.
chile: Callao. Peru; Acapulco, Mexico,
and al the coaling station near La
Paz, IN southern California. There
the llghtshlp for the Sandwich Islands
will leave the feet and make her way
alone.