Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1911-02-17
THE RACING OF
MEN-OF-WAR

ASNNAbSS iAOih DllNdle lCIlGI re-
ceived by Rev. II. f. Bailey from
his son F. S. Bailey.
We are having a ea-going exper-
fence now. The Virginia, Nebraska,
Rhode Island and Georgia, sister bat
tleships, are off the western end of
Cuba, heads set to south and clearing
the water with every ounce of energy
their hrlls possess. | wish you were
here to see the race. We started out
all trimmd for the struggle. Each
ship had exactly the same amount of
coal, and every condition as nearly
identical as possible. On the Virginia
every steam line not positively noces-
sary was shut off; ventilating blowers
and deck pumps were stopped; and
even the lights about the decks were
turned out, to make the drain on the
boilers as light as possible. The main
engines, from the top of their cylin-
ders to the bottom Of their cranks,
were thoroughly inspected and adj
justed to the highest efficiency pos
silbe. They're running like sewing
machines, l heard one engineer say,
who had just come from the engine
room.
At eight O'Clock sharp the race be-
gan, and almost from the very start
the Georgia showed she would not
stand the pace. In half an hour she
was two or three ship lengths astern.
The Nebraska was first, the Virginia
next, and the Rhode Island third.
Things remained this way for the
next ralf hour, except that the Geor-
gia continued to fall behind. The
Nebraska held her place of about Il
half length ahead of the Virginia.
At $3.50 the Virginia began to
show effects of the mighty strain she
was enduring, hot that she slowed
down any, not bit; on the contrary
she was slowly creeping up. Her
stacks which at the start wore a
clean coat of gray paint, had now
turned yellow and brown with the
heat. In several places the paint peel
ed up in great flakes, and came show
ering dow. They were so hot you
could not stand in ten feet Of them.
The smoke, under the impulse of the
forced draft, was roaring out like a
blast furnace. But she was creeping
up all the same. The billowy heap of
brine and foam ut her nose was high,
and rising still higher. You would
have laughed to see the startled fly
ing fish fiuttering out of that chaos of
maddened water. Sometimes the yes
sci would overtake them in mid air,
and knock them back into the water.
Two little rainbows formed in the
spray above her bow; and despite the
fact that she has some % feet of free
board the water began to gurgle up
through her eyes and out on deck.
AT 10 20 we were fully even with
the Nebraksa, but neither ship SEEM
ed able to gain an inch on the other.
looked through telescope gun
sight trying to tell if possible, wheth-
er we were gaining anything. Then
| concluded had better go aft, for
thought she would go a little faster
If did. | was so interested in the
race that when ship mate asked me,
"Do you think they would stop for
you now, if you were fallen over
board?" l replied, 81 hope not, |
shouldn't want them to-
For time the Virginia began to
lose; not much, but enough to make
us serious, | tell you. The Nebraska
had won the engineering trophy of
last year, and for this, if nothing
else, we were crazy to beat her.
Then it was reported that our star
board engine was running hot, and
from the smoke pouring out of the
matches, the report was not ground
less. The engineers worked with
every known remedy to cool that
bearing, while we on deck had to
watch the Nebraska slipping away
from us. After n time, for wonder.
they managed to get the bearing I'M
der control, and we began to gain
again, almost imperceptibly, but a
little. AT IL 80 we were even again.
Only twelve more miles, and neck
and neck down that home stretch the
mighty vessels tore their way. 1t
was a gloriou sisght. 1t seemed as
II it wodlu be tea ninety mile
race, and not foot to choose.
The Nebraska with all her pre-
vlous record was certainly loath to
admit that we even kept up with
her. You could tell by the smoke
roaring out her stacks, and the
nreathless crew watching from her
deck, that she was bending every
energy. But the Virginia was not
asleep. She now began trembling
from keel to truck. Things in the
wireless office, where | was engaged.
were dancing. The spray flew over
her bow in a perfect rain, and her
wake was a milky way of foam nc for