SHIPS AND THE SEA.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 23, 27 January 1912, Page 14

SHIPS AND THE SEA.

A MAMMOTH LINER. , The 1000 ft ship is coming. The news that the White Star Line had, placed an order with Uarland and Wolff, ': of Belfast, for a vessel bigger than theOlympic and tho Titanic is now confirmed. | ' Marino builders and port authorities I have said that tho Atlantic liners of tho future probably would not exceed onqiiftb of a mile in length. But the lOOQft steamship is coming, probably three years henco, with its acres of deckage, milos of distances, streets of plttnk walks, promenades of waving palms, its lifts, gardene, reception rooms, dining saloons and cafes, athletic fields, cricket and baseball grounds, tennis courts, and golf courses, telegraph offices, theatres, and grand opera, flower 6hops . and department stores. So much of this has been already realised that the remainder is easily conceivable. , Said one of the managers of, the Whito Star Line:—* '" ■' ' ' "The White Star Line 'will build a 1000 ft ship, and the ' harbour of New York has accommodation for it. This does not\ mean, however, that better , and more extensive ,• accommodation is- .not needed. It is needed, and it is coming, thanks to the far-sightedness of the present port authorities and the State of Now York, which is working hand-in-hand with, the State of I New Jersey and the Federal- Government for' deeper channels, longer piers and basins, and for general water front improvement, to include the shores of Long Island." The ship that-,will bo practically one.fifth of- a- mile in length will, like all ships preceding it, be only the result of a growth. It is a necessity because the public demands larger sleeping rooms on an ocean trip, more comforts, more necessities, .more luxuries. That this is true is shown in the plane of the North Gorman Lloyd line, immediately to be carried into effect, to> remove every other • bulkhead in the accommodation of the Kaiser Wilhelm 11.,, and the Kronprinessin Cecillo, thereby doubling the size of the sleeping cabins and decreasing the number of first-class travellers, but not ' as a Consequence tho profits. With the 1000-footer the beam, carefully observing the proportions, will be between 111 and 112 feet. Tho displacement will be 70,000 tons, and the gross tonnage more than 50,000 tons. The levels will be a dozen or thirteen, with the topside or cricket field more than 75ft above the water line. The passenger accommodation will be incroased from 750 or 800 in the firstclass to 1000 or more, and the total from more than 3000 to more than 4000. The Gigantic, of course, will not be a greyhound, but, liko her sisters, a seven.day hotel, with both reciprocating avid turbine engines. Her cost will be between £1,800,000 and £2,000,000. The Gigantic will be an improvement upon the Olympic The Gigantic ■will have a cricket field, golf links, reception and ballroom outside the main diningroom, which will be more than 40ft above her red painty restaurants and verandah 6afes, which' may be located forward instead of; aft; } tennis court, plunge, all kinds .of baths, gymnasium and shops, and the most splendid decorations, which will.be so arranged as to heighten the effect 'of decks already high between joints.' • The largest steamer yet laid down is the Aquitania, of theGunard Line, now building on the Clyde, whose sectional plates are measured for a total of more than 000 ft. After the Cunard lengthened out the keel and decided to put in more plates, the Hamburg-American Line stretched the plans of the Imperator, and put in .enough additional plates to make '.nor ten feet longer than the Aquitania. 'The Imperator is now in course of coiletrUction at Stettin. ANCHOR LINE HISTORY. The Anchor Line, which may run some risk of losing its identity through amalgamation with the Cunard 'Line, has a bister,)? going back nearly eixty years. Like ■'the' P., and 1 0., it began with services to .Porfugal and Spain, the port of departure ,iv 1852, as .to-day, being Glasgow. Then there was an extension into the Mediterranean. It was in 1856 that the North Atlantic trade was embarked upon, a beginning being made, according 'to one account, with the Tempest/ a 1500-ton sailing ship converted into a. screw 6teamer. As thp Glasgow-New York trade grew,' larger and 'switter steamers were continually added, culminating this autumn in the 11,900-lbn steamer Cameronia Moantime services from Glasgow and Liverpool to Bombay and Calcutta have been steadily devoloped, until they have become an equally important part of the company's operations. It was in' lß99 that the enterprise was converted into a limited liability company, and the inclusion of the name of Henderson Brothers in the registered title has since kept the memory of its founder* wall to the front. The line owed its inception to Thom&tt and John Henderson, who went into business as shipowners in Glasgow, while their brothers David and William Henderson established a shipbuildj ing business on tho Clyde. At the half-yearly general meeting of the Nippon Yusen ■ Kaischa on the 29th November, Mr. .Kondo, President of tho company, made (reporta the Japan Weekly Chronicle) a speech, dealing with a new scheme which had been undertaken. He explained that the company -had set a6ide a sum of 1,000,000 yens for the. extension of its services and the improvement of steamers, and that the company, had in contemplation a scheme to , build five eteamers of 10,000 tons or more for tho European line, and- three steamers tot 6000 tons or more for the American line. He added that the company hod no intention of increasing its capital, as Was believed by some. The company also proposed to open new services to New York and Brazil after the opening of tho Panama Canal, and an application had been made to the Government for a charter for opening these new services. When this charter was granted, a 6Um of 40,000,000 yens would be required for the establishment _ of the new lines, in which case the capital of the company would 'either be increased ~Or debentures issued. The meeting approved a. dividend at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum as recommended by the board of directors. In a cable received laßt week from Sydney mention was made of tho possible extension of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha Line's operations to New Zealand. In his speech at the semi-annual meeting, held at Tokio a few weeks baok, Baron Kondo, chairman of directors, said that, besides one 6000 tons, two 10,000 ton and two 3000 ton steamers ordored, tho company contemplates tho construction of seven new steamers, namely, two 6000 ton steamers for * tho American lino, three 10,000 ones for th'o European line, and two 8000 ton boats for tho Australian line, at the estimated cost of at least 10 mil lion yen. A new liner would suffice for the Australian line in the present oiroumstanoes, the chairman 'added, but in case the line be extended to New Zealand one more steamer must be added to the fleet. The chairman said he had a memorial to the authorities concerned setting forth his private opinion, as to tho eventual necessity of extending the Australian line and tho opening of a new steamer service between Yokohama and New ■ York, and between Yokohama, and Brazil, in the event of the completion of tho Pwnama Canal. Should ' the f ' authorities adopt his views and the -company, receives tho order to ' furnish the service ; as sug- ' .gested, ,tho 'chairman- said -the company would be under. the< necessity of either increasing its capital' or of raising a loan, .as -the present financial status, liowe\or sound, ■ would hardly suffice tho proposed "enterprise. According to an exchange H.M. Minister at Panama states that a project ia being formulated by bankers and certain coal mining and coal carrying companies in the United States to establish coaling stations with_ American coal along the routes that will be traversed by steamers using the Panama Canal. The promoters of the .scheme claim that if American coal is supplied there at a lower cost than British coal is supplied along the Suez Canal route, it will be an important, factor 'in drawing eteamers to Panama 'that now make the voyage via Sues in the same length of time. The plan provides for a large coaling • station at Papama or Colon, berthing docks, loading and unloading machinery, <ooal pockets. jO£ v 6teel, and ship-repairing planU at seventeen points, at iia estimated co«t of £4*830.000.1