The New Ocean Greyhounds.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7534, 7 May 1903, Page 3

The New Ocean Greyhounds.

Tho great American shipping combine, with its monster vessels, such as the Cednc, is not to have undisputed possession of the Atlantic trade. Nor are tho German liners to he allowed to flaunt the "swiftest" flag unchallenged. It is to be a great fight, and to a finish. The British Government are taking a hand. They have subsidised the Cunard line, and a magnificent effort is to be mode to hold for England supremacy in the Amc»ican trade.

Two new Cunarders—the greatest in power and size ever planned—are no>v being constructed, one at the yard* of Vickers, Spoils • and Maxim at Barrow and tho other by Swan and Hunter, at Wallser.d-on-Tyne. When the figures are considered, it seems scarcely possible that these tremendous and complicated structures should hold together, let alone forge through tho heaviest, seas at the rate of 25 knots an hour, laden with a vast weight of throbbing machinery, thousands of tons of ,coal, and a cargo that would supply a city.

Seven hundred and sixty feet is to be tho length of the new ships. They are to develop a "horse-power of 52,C001b. ' l

Their displacement will ha 30,000 tons. Their furnaces will devour 1000 tons of coal every 24 hours.

Each of these leviathans will require a full regiment to work her.

When sho puts to sea she will be. populous as a small town, and the life will be in smaller compass, that of Xew York or London

For Marconigrams are to keep the passengers in touch with the daily and hourly happenings ashore. Thus, to travel •abroad on the passenger steamship of thej near future will be much like staying at home, so far as the routine of everyday life is concerned. It will merely resolve itself into a question of a change of air. Authorities on marine architecture say that tho forthcoming giant, vessels are onl'v tho next of a series th'a.t will terminate in the 1000 ft ship of the future

The builders of the new Cunard ships have tried to solve a number of problems: First: To build a largo ship and give tho requisite strength and vet keep down the weight so that the engines will not have to push an excessive load through the water.

Second: To arrange the ."pace that e::ch cubic foot will brinrt a, certain amount of money per trip. Third: To arrange the space so that the passengers will be isolated or grouped together at will.

_ Fourth : To arrange for fuel space sufficient to tako the ship across the ocean and allow for a liberal margin of safety in case of delays.

Fifth :To subdivide the ship into enough compartments so that several of them could be flooded at one time without sinking the ship.

To a large extent uiey seem to have accomplished this.

The new Cumnxlers arc to be built of r-'teel up to tho water-line, especially toward t.lio upper part of (lie hull, nickel steel will be used to give strength and lightness-.

_ The water-bottom, or runner-bottom, will bo about 6ft above the bottom of the ship. This space is to be used ehietlv for water ballast. Tart of it. will bo subdivided .iiid reserved f;ir the storage of fuel oil. pipes being- so ammged thatTconnections. can bo easily made with the furnaces wlicn the oil-burning problem ha* been worked out satisfactorily. This will save, laying up the ship for a. time to make tlio changes. The decks ;ire so un-iinged that; first cabin passengers will be- berthed m tho middle of the ship :md in the deckhouse. The number of h'r.-t-eabjn passengers will -be nearly SOO ; tuo:-e in ihe second cabin about 550.

To accommodate, the passengers on the lower docks, and to induce them to occupy these rooms, two passenger elevators will be built. Those are to be large enough to accommodate invalid chairs, so tliTtt sea-sick people can get up to the promenade decks without using a stairway. The grand dining-saloon i.s between the L'roup of -smoke-stacks. A new feature in this room is that the alcoves on each side are the. height of two decks, making the- .ceilings very lofty.

A grill-room and children's play-room and saloon will Lo nrovided. with nurses' quarters conveivtnt to it. Folding tables that can bo securely fastened to the decks will bo wed l'o:- serving meals in the open air.

The steerage is to be so arranged that in dull times it can be used for cold storage. On eastern runs it will carry a greatdeal of fresh fruit and perishable; goods. Its fittings are portable.

There will be three six-cylinder engines, each working in a separate compartment, and on a. separate shaft. Re-he;iters will bo used to keep the steam dry while in the engines, and to prevent condensation. The steam will be generated by 24 doubleended water-tube boileis. These- are divided into four groups of six each.

Beginning at the bow end of the boilerroom come first a huge pair of coal-bunk-ers, which reach the width of the ship. A longitudinal bulkhead vims from the bow of the.ship to the after engine-room. On each side of this bulk-head are six boilers connected with a series of three stacks on the centre line of the ship. Aft of these groups of boilers comes another large coal-bunker, extending the full width of the ship, divided in the middle by a, longitudinal bulk-head. Abaft this coal-bunker are two more groups of boilers and then another coal-bunker. All bulkheads are water-tight, and the doors can be closed from the upper decks, so that it will be possible to localise any damage to the outside of the shin.

In order to save money and reduce the r-p;tce required for the- ship's crew, it has been decided to use automatic stokers-. Automatic .carriers will deliver coal from ■bunkers to the stokers, and automatic ash-ejectors will remove ashes and throw them overboard.

The ship's crew will include about 50 engineers and oilers, 100 wafer tenders nu:l stoEers to superintend and care for the machinery in the boiler-rooms. 200 stewards and waiters, 70 cooks, and 50 sailors. Tluce propallers, each of bronze. 21ft in diameter, will drive the great, fabric th-ougli the waves.

"Those, whom we believe to be dead have entered into real life, and they wait for our dream to finish."

'•The silence of the fields does not always procure pea.ee, bub it makes us realise more fully the need of it."

"If retirement does not become to us as an asylum., it deprives us of all other." —Senancour. / jp-

"I should like to add to the Litany a new notation: 'For all inhabitants of great towns, and ©specially fotf all such as dwell in lodgings, boardinghouses, flats, or any other sordid substitute for home which need or foolishness may have contrived.' "'— George Gissing sn "The Private Papem of Henry Ryecroft."

"When hsuts aw overfull they seldom run to speech. When sorrow has broken wi on love, lava, left ml one again, is hesitant and shy, more p.rono to look and lass and hold than to mend his wounds with •words."

"Do you think you could be happy with a mail like mo?" "Oh. yes! I think so—if he wasn't too much like you."