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Show fl? MAW; Sr;j7S;E2a3;: NEW TORK, May 4. When the battleships bat-tleships Maine, Missouri, Kearsarge and Kentucky, the first squadron, first division of the ; North Atlantic fleet, under command of Rear-Admiral Evans, Ev-ans, left Ouantanamo at 3 p. m. last Saturday, it vaa known in advance, I says today's Tribune, that the Maine and the Missouri would face 'to New York under . natural and forced draft, and nearly every dollar the men had was wagered on the result.' The Kentucky and the Kearsarge were also to test their racing powers,' and nearly all the money aboard these ships was put up in bets. - '! At ft a. m. Sunday the signal for the start was madefrom the Maine, and for two hours the battleships steamed under ordinary draft, the Maine 1201 yards in the lead- " I From 10 a. m. until 2 p. m. the ships raced under forced draft, and at 12:30 p. m. the Missouri overtook the- Maine; and led her by 1600 yards, when thej test under forced draft ended. ; The pressure of steam generated ore the battleships was unusual, and when the squadron reached port yesterday the ochre funnels were black with; soot and burned paint. The entire) fleet admit that the Missouri will probably carry the honors for target practice and speed tests. According to the best reports obtainable obtain-able yesterday, the Missouri, ' commanded com-manded by Capt. Edwin C. PendletonJ has the highest average in great gun and torpedo practice, . and unless tha Ohio's average exceeds that of tha Missouri the latter ship will capture: the trophy now held by the OregonJ Her 12-lnch gun record is thirty-seven; hits in thirty-seven shots, and she also; has a record of twelve hits in twelve shots with her torpedoes. |