LUSITANIA'S VOYAGE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 42, 13 November 1907, Page 4

LUSITANIA'S VOYAGE.

. c. PASSENGERS TOO INTERESTED IN SHIP FOR GAMES. "STEADY AS A ROCK." The special representative of the London "Standard" on board the Lusitania, writing while the vessel was off New York on September 12, states :— On my way to tho writing saloon, whoro I am penning these lines, I have passed the notice board to which has just been affixed particulars of the run for the 24 hours ended at norin this twelfth day of September. From these I learn that the good ship Lusitania is in latitudo 42.00 X. and longitude G3.32 W.; that she covorcd 503 miles in tho 24 hours — or rather 25, for going westward each day is ono of 25 hours—and that we are within 481 miles of Sandy Hook Light vessel.

This magnificent performance is nil tlm more remarkable from the fact that it lias been made on the vessel's maiden voyago, when it nccossarily suffers from a lack of that complete organisation which can only come nftor each of the 900 members of the crew has had time to adapt himself to a new'vesscl. This disadvantage must especially make itself folt amongst tho army of stokers who have so much to do with any speed performance of a ship. Of these there aro no fower than 320 on tho Lusitania, taken from far and near, without special selection of any kind. It is safo to say that when these men have had the advantage of stoking the vast boilers during two or three voyages the increased pressure of steam will drive the giant turbines at suoh a speed as will enable the Lusitania to establish the supremacy of this 'British-built,' British-manned, ' and Britishowned ship. Probably per cent, or more of the saloon passengers are Americans, and a pleasing feature of the voyage has boon the hearty and genuine pleasure displayed by each and all of them at the vessel's doings. Her spend is soon in actual 'figures, hut altogether beyond the admiration which this has created is' tho feeling to which tho vessel's behaviour as a sea boat has given riso. We experienced fresh breezes during the first three days of tho voyage, and on Tuesday they stiffened into what Captain Watt logged as a strong breeze, while tho sea was described as "rough," aud thoso who have had experience of tho absurd manner in which ship captains—in the opinion of their passengers— minimise the waywardness of the olements in their official records will appreciate what wa had to face, The breeze struck us on our starboard quarter, and was of sufficient force to give the vessel a distinct list, and to break into spray the crests of tho big rollers that were running in t.hn_ rough sea, while none hut tho very sturdiest of tho passengers could make his way round tho bows against the full strength of tho wind.

EFFECT OF HER GREAT LENGTH. Yet during this spoil of weather, which would have caused the biggest of ordinary liners to pitch and roll/ ■ the 'Lusitaniu ploughed ahead as steady as a rock, and so far as I could ascertain, no single passongcr—no saloon passenger certainly—suffered tho least qualm Or inconvenience. Her giant length enabled the liuor to sit three or four of the hugo waves at once; the groat speed enabled her to charge through thorn. Tho groat sizo' of tho vessel is also helpful in another way in counteracting the depressing inlluonccs which are so ofton tho corollary of heavy seas, for tho great height of tho promenade deck has the effect of dwarfing the waves. I was fortunate in being amongst a privileged for/, who, at tho invitation of llr. E. 11. Cunard, wore permitted to inspect the machinery and other "working" parts of this opoch-malcing vessel. Tho most interesting part of nil is, of course, the turbines, of which there are two high-pressure and two low-pressure, the exhaust steam from tho former being used again in tho latter before passing into the condensers. The low-pres-sure, turbines weigh about 430 tons, and tho rotor has a diameter, of nearly 16ft., tho spneo between the. tips of the blades and.the casing walls in which the ,rotor is enclosed being no more, than. l-50th to l-2oth of an inch..- . . ... ... ; Onq expected the .niachino rooms to bo unpleasantly hot, but, thanks' to the admirablo system'of vontilation, this was far from being tho case, and the "starting platform," whero tho chief engineer receives tho signals from tho bridge, and controls tho whole of tho vast meohanical forces around him —tho "captain's bridge" below dock—is probably tho coolest spot on the. ship that is. not open-and oxposcd to the air. Tho steam generating plant includes 25 boilers, having in all 102 furnaces, which explains the jieod for such an army of stokers. _ _. ' Tho galley was csnocially interesting, and is tho biggest thing afloat, extending as it docs the. full 88ft. of the ship's width. Hero is to be found everything that appertains to tho culinary art, electricity being employed' in many directions, such as in the roasting ovens, and so on. More than tho ystial amount of interest has been shown in the pools on the days' runs, and tho auctioning of the numbers in the smoking-room each evening has led to a very animated scene. As much as £50 was bid one night, vhich proved to be justified, when i tho day's figures showed that it had won tho first prize, amounting to nearly £200.

IN TOUCH WITH THE WORLD. A very, good concert was arranged amongst the saloon passengers on Wednesday night, and in the second .cabin on Thursday, tho usual collection being in aid of the Seamen's Orphanage. Beck billiards, peg quoits, and other games received some attention, but much less t u an is customary on these crossings, everybody's interest being centred in the vessel. This interest has been intensified when wo had opportunities of comparing her speed with that of other vessels. None of these woro seen after leaving Quoenstown, owing to the fog, until Wednesday morning, but early risers felt rewarded for any trouble they may have experienced in turning out so soon—owing to tho exigencies of tho bath list—by the sight of a thick black trail of smoko on our port quarter, 'rich, by its volume and density, denoted a powor-fully-engined vessel. But evon from the highest dock of tho Lusitania no part of her wns visible. Tho gradual process of picking up first a glimpse of hor four masts, then the tips of her huge black funnels, which slowly soomod to grow out of the soa for all tho world liko two great mushrooms, made many of us lato for breakfast. On our return on deck she was in plain view, and ore long wo were abreast of hor some five or six miles to the north.- Then began a repetition, in reverse, of what had previously taken placo, and soon wo bad left her bull'down, then with only her funnols visible, and finally tho banks of smoke issuing apparently from the sea. This was a not infrequent episode in the day's events in the latter'*alf of tho voyage, and gavo us better moans of appreciating tho speed at which wo, wero travelling than, perhaps, the mere figures that were pjsted ea-.h noon on the notiiv board. Wo kept in touch with tho outer world by means of tho Marconi apparatus throughout the lournov, n'lil one uf our-passengers, who, owing to tho rush of traffic westwards, was, with his son, separated from his wife and daughters, kept up a continuous interchange of messages with them on board the Lucama.