: PUBLIC DOCUMENT No. 42. TENTH ANNUAL KEPORT or THE COMMISSIONERS OP THE Massachusetts Nautical Training School. January 1, 1902 BOSTON WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS, 18 Post Office Square. 1902. 1^- MASSACHUSETTS NAUTICAL TRAINING SCHOOL. To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives of the Common- wealth of Massachusetts in General Court assembled. The Commissioners of the Massachusetts Nautical Training School have the honor to submit their report of the opera- tions of the school for the year 1901. The Work of the Year. During the year ending Dec. 31, 1901, the work of the Nautical Training School has progressed in a satisfactory manner. The number of cadets has been fully up to the average standard of the school, and the class of students received has been somewhat higher than heretofore. During the winter months the " Enterprise" was moored at the wharf of the North End Park, where the regular routine work of the school was pursued, which included, in addition to theoretical studies, practical instruction in mechanics and engineering, as well as in seamanship and navigation. Repairs. Needed renewals to the outfit of the Enterprise" were made during the spring, which included sails, study tables, blackboards, benches, an engine lathe and Crosby indicator, etc., the expense amounting in all to about $2,800. A new gun-deck will be required for the ship within a year, and other repairs, at an estimated outlay of $2,500. 4 MASS. NAUTICAL TRAINING SCHOOl The Summer Cruise. teaily in May the ** Enterprise " was cleared of her wiiei deck-house, her sails were bent, rigging overhauled, and ship was fitted for sea. This work was all done by le cadets, aided by the crew. On May 16 the commissioners visited the ** Enterpri ' and carefully inspected the ship and the cadets, tincnir everything in excellent condition. On May 18 the Enterprise " left the wharf and anchod in the harbor, and, after taking stores on board, she saod on June 1 on her summer cruise. In preparing the itinerary for the summer cruise of hv ** Enterprise " for 1901, the commissioners departed f)ii) the usual custom and arranged to send the ship North Sea and the Baltic, touching in turn at Leit land ; Copenhagen, Denmark ; Cronstadt, Russia ; Ai Belgium; Gravesend, England; Gibraltar; and Funcil, Madeira. This cruise was estimated to be four month in duration. The following extracts from the interesting report of f ni- mander Edward M. Hughes, U. S. Navy, will givr ** " idea of the summer cruise of the Enterprise : — Leaving Boston about o p.m. on iSaturday, June 1, the ceeded to sea, bound for Leith, via the north and eaat < Scotland. The passage was made in about twenty-five < sixteen hours, actual time, the anchor having been dr. Leith Roads at 6.38 o'clock on the morning of the 28th • The track, rather devious for the first fortnight, was to ; ward until longitude 49 degrees was reached, when a geira north-easterly couree and good runs were made, the shij • between the Shetland and Orkney islands. Much fog was encountered until clear of the Newf. banks, and again in the vicinity of the JShetlands. The ( seen until we were to the eastward of the Orkneys was I our intended landfall. Indeed, on account of possible curints and the fog, I at one time had just changed the coorse to ass entirely around the Shetlands, when a fortunate observation ^-a? obtained from which a course could be shaped to go het two groups of islands. Over half the passage was occ getting to the eastward of longitude 45 degrees. This w:. 902.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — Xo. 42. 5 light breezes and some easterly winds. Steam was nsed for two days after leaving Boston, for nine hours on Jane 13, and for the last two days of the passage, the ship reaching Leith with forty tons of coal in the bunkers, having consumed eighty tons for all nurposes en route. A feature of the passage was the length of days after getting well to the northward, and it looked odd to see the cadets of the " watch on deck " curled up on the lee side of the quarter-deck, under their tarpaulin, in broad daylight, standing by for a call which no doubt would have found most of them " all abroad." The day after arriving in Leith Roads the vessel moved into one of the docks, the use of which was given free on account of our character as a public vessel. We were given a very good berth in the Edinburgh dock, which is the one farthest from the entrance. Leith Roadstead is very uncomfortable, with easterly winds, and it would have been impracticable for this ship to have lain there and given the boys liberty or gotten them back to the ship with any certainty as to time. In Leith each watch of cadets was given forty-eight hours' liberty. The conduct of the cadets was very good, and they have shown a very commendable spirit of willing- ness and good temper, which leaves little to be desired. On the cruise we were fortunate in having smooth seas for the first ten days or so, enabling the boys to get fairly on their sea-legs before meeting bad weather. We left Leith docks at 1 p.m. on July 4, ship dressed with ensigns at each mast-head, and after hoisting our boats ootside, proceeded at once for the port of Copenhagen. Our flags were kept flying until the fog shut in the town. On the passage to Copenhagen, on the afternoon of July 8, we passed the German kaiser's yacht *' Hohenzollern," flying the imperial standard, bound to the northward. The " Hohenzol- lern " was accompanied by a corvette of the " Irene " class. When just past us, the imperial yacht dipped her ensign to us, which unexpected courtesy was promptly returned. Very early on the morning of the same day, July 8, we passed three German torpedo boat destroyers, also bound north. In Copenhagen we found the United States training ship Hartford " moored to the buoy next to the one assigned us. She had been in port for a week or ten days. She left for Stockholm on July 13, a few hours before our departure for Petersburg. During our stay in Copenhagen the weather was exceedingly fine, though somewhat warm. While in the Danish capital I made the usual oflacial calls upon the United States charge d'affaires, Dan- ish minister of marine, admiral, commandant of the dock yard, 6 MASS. NAUTICAL TKAmiNG SCHOOL. [Jan. captain of the station ship, captain of the port, and the prince regent. We left Copenhagen at noon on July 13, and reached St. Peters- burg at 5 P.M. on July 18. On the 18th we were detained at anchor in Cronstadt from 7.30 a.m. until 2 p.m., awaiting permis- sion to proceed and an assurance that a berth had been reserved for us in the narrow waters of the Neva at St. Petersburg. The weather experienced in the Baltic and the Gulf of Finland was very fine. The winds, however, or the lack of them, permitted but little sailing to be done. In the Baltic calms and light north- erly airs were found (except for a few hours of the 14th and 15th), and in the Gulf were encountered light easterly winds. The vessel was under steam throughout, save from 5 a.m. of July 14 to noon of July 15, when she was under sail alone. A pilot was taken, both in and out, between Cronstadt Roads and Cron- stadt, and Cronstadt and St. Petersburg. The Russian admiralty oflSce furnished a tug to help moor us. We were given an excellent berth close up to the Nicholas bridge, near the centre of the city, mooring head and stern to buoys, and with one anchor down. On the afternoon of July 19 the German training ship " Char- lotte" came up and moored just below us. She carried a crew of about five hundred men and fifty naval cadets. Prince Adelbert, the third son of the German kaiser, who is a cadet on board, paid a short visit to the czar at Peterhoff on Sunday afternoon, July 21, and on the 23d instant the czar visited the German ship, in " honor of which event both the " Charlotte " and the Enterprise full-dressed ship with flags, rainbow-fashion, and manned yards and rail respectively. While lying in Cronstadt, I was boarded by ofl5cers representing the following : Vice Admiral Messer (acting governor of Cron- stadt), Rear Admiral Kasherininofif (president of trial board), and the commanding officers of the imperial yacht *' Polar Star" and the Grand Duke Alexis' yacht, respectively. I made calls on these oflScers, receiving in turn calls from the commanders of the yachts. The governor was absent, and Admiral Kasherininoff was on the point of leaving Cronstadt on duty. I also called on our consular representative at Cronstadt. From Copenhagen I instituted inquiries regarding the tolls for passing through the Kiel ship canal. I received answers to my letters while in St. Petersburg, and was so impressed with the saving, both in time and money, that would result in leaving the Baltic via the canal, that I arranged to go to Holtenau (near Kiel) with that end in view. The time required to pass from the Baltic to the Elbe is about eight hours. The distance saved is two hun- 1902.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — ISTo. 42. 7 dred and fifty miles, all of which would doubtless have to be made under steam.