The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-06-18 00:00:00

GREAT SHIP LAUNCH AT BARROW.

FATAL BOILER EXPLOSION.

On Tuesday, the City of Rome, the finest steamship
ever built in the North of England, was launched at
Barrow-in-Furness. The vessel in question has been
constructed by the Barrow Shipbuilding Company for
the Inman Company, of Liverpool.
About an hour before the launch a lamentable acci-
dent, which cast a cloud upon the otherwise pleasing
and auspicious nature of the ceremony took place.
On board the vessel to be launched, and about midway
on deck, there was an engine worked by a small boiler,
and which was used to work the windlass and
anchor. Without any warning this boiler ex-
ploded with very disastrous results : three men
were killed and about nine injured. One of the killed
was hurled over the side of the ship and fell into the
yard down amongst some timber, about fifty feet
below the deck side. Great consternation was caused
by this sad mishap, and several in the yard near the
ship were either struck with debris or covered with
water ejected from the boiler. The explosion took
place in immediate proximity to the large platform
which had been erected at the how of the City of Borne,
and on which at the time a large number of the guests
invited to be present at the ceremony were standing.
They did not sustain any injury, however, except from
the falling of water from the exploded boiler.
At ten minutes past twelve Lady Constance
Stanley (wife of Colonel Stanley, ALP.), was accom-
panied by Sir James Ramsden to the bow of the ship,
and her ladyship flung a suspended bottle of champagne
against the side, saying at the same time, "Success to
the City of Rome." Immediately afterwards hammers
for wedge-loosening purposes having in the meantime
been applied, her ladyship, standing right in front of
the bow, cut with scissors, two thin pieces of blue silk,
which caused a small guillotine within a glass frame
to fall. The guillotine cut a cord, and -then the great
ship began to give way, to glide outward, and amid
cheers and hat wavings she went steadily and
grandly into the water. The launch movement
occupied 484 secs., and the immersion ceremony was a
great success.
With respect to the City of Borne, she is with the
exception of the Great Eastern the largest ship on
, record, She is intended for service between Liver-
pool and New York. The following are her olimen-
sions :—Length, 586 ft. ; breadth, extreme, 52ft. 3in. ;
depth of hold, 371 t. ; tonnage, 8,820 tons; horse
power indicated, 10,000. A point calling for special
notice is the large number of separate compartments
formed by the water-tight bulkheads, each extending to
the main deck. The largest of these compartments are
only about 60ft. lOng' m and supposing that from collision
or other cause one of these was filled with water the trim
of the vessel would not be materially affected. With a,
view of giving still further safety in the event of col-
lision or stranding the boilers are arranged in two
boiler-rooms, entirely separated from each other by
means of a water-sight iron bulkhead. Another fea-
ture of great importance is the disposition of the boilers.
They are eight in number, of the double-ended form,
and arranged fore and aft in four blocks of two, with
the transverse bulkhead mentioned between them.
'This arrangement provides for the bulk of the coal
being carried in the sides of the vessel, and advantage
is taken to make the bunkers form part of the struc-
ture. The bunkers and all the bulkheads are fitted
with proper watertight doors, which will be of the
type adopted by the admiralty, worked both from
the main deck and from below, and will be fitted
with tell-tales on deck to show clearly whether
they are open or closed. At the fore end a double
bottom has been arranged in Nos. 1 and 2
cargo holds for a distance of 150 feet from the stem.
This will add greatly to the safety of the ship in
the event of her stranding on a rock or Isuffering
a collision, as the bow is thereby greatly strengthened
and the risk of water getting into the vessel reduced.
These boilers are constructed for a working pressure of
90Ib. per square inch. The engines are intended to
work constantly at 8,000 indicated horse-power,
although they are capable of developing 1.0,000-
horse power indicated, and altogether the vessel will
be able to carry, passengers and crew, about 2,000 per-
sons.