A MAMMOTH STEAMER

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4294, 1 March 1901, Page 3

A MAMMOTH STEAMER

The White Star liner Runic, the latest and largest of the fleet, -which comprises the Oceanic, .Ma jestic, teutonic, Germanic, Britannic, Cymric, Georgia, Ceric, Bovic, Tauric, Nomadic, and cubic in the American service, the Amc. Medic, Persic, Runic, Suevic, Gothic, and Delphic in the colonial and the Doric, Coptic and Gaelic in the Pacific service, has arrived in Australia, ihe Runic is a fine typo of the fleet, with groat improvements. She measures obo feet in longt-li, G 4 foot in Lroadth, while her gross tonnage is 12,452, constituting her one of the largest passenger steamers afloat. In dimensions and most othei respects she is similar to tho Atric, Medic aiid Persic. Tho accommodation is all that could possibly bo desired tor comfort and easy travelling" comprising dining, reading, and smoking rooms, with ample bath and lavatory arrangements. One general statement will suffice to give an idea of tho plan of the ship, and that is that she has three complete docks —the upper, middle and lower—with the bridge, pcop, ana forecastle above the tipper dock. On the Runic mauv improvements have been made fer the general comfort and. convenience of passengers, there being a reading and writing room added, as compared with tho other ships, and the diniim saloon is a deck above that ci the Afric, Medic and Persic. Tho poop has boon, connected with the bridgehonse, and forms a spacious promenade, 300 feet long. Tho upper deck aft can in the tropics bo covered with an awning, a provision which will, be greatly appreciated. Tho main engines are quadruple with patent, balancing gear, and altogether there are located in tho engfreroom about thirty engines of different types, with quite, as many again in different part of the 'ship. Among the first-named lot is one for pumping out tho ship’s tanks, which has a capacity of 12U tons an hour; a condenser for making fresh water for drinking purposes—an operation successfully carried .out at the rate of 3000 gallons per day; a condenser which turns steam into fresh water for use in the boiler again; a pump solely for distributing the water supply throughout the ship for sanitary purposes ; and the refrigerating engines. In the stokehole are five boilers—four double and one single ended—making twenty-seven furnaces, which, when the ship is travelling at full speed, require some eightv-five tons of South Wales coal to 1, , them each day. In fact, I be. const'notion will run up to some 9000 tons in. a round yoyage, so that there is bunker space for fully 4500 tons. Between the engine-room and the stoke-hiolg-.thore are seven water-tight doors, which can bo closed almost instantly in case of accident. The refrigerating machinery' is another especially interesting section, for by means thereof brine is pumped through approximately seventeen miles of pipes affixed in the holds, which are large enough for the carriage of no fewer than 100,000 carcases of mutton, in addition to which there is space for 20,000 bales of wool.