Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-02-14
Across the Atlantic in Four Days-Pres
euf Condition of the s'Ci@ar ShiD.''

The present condition of the Winans Cigar ship"
now building in London. and of which accounts were
published long time ago. is thus described by the
London Morning Herald:
The general form of the cigar ship has been. as her
name shows, compared with that of cigar pointed
off at both ends instead of one. more homely but.
perhaps. effective illustration is that of the
'tipcat."' Most of our. iandsmen readers will be
more or less familiar with this simple but ingenious
Brobdignag cat of slender make and tapering to
obsolute needle point at either end they will have
before their eyes the exact representation OF the hull
This hull, which is of course hollow. and is formed
of iron, presenting perfectly smooth and even sur
face, supports upon the upper side small deck, oc
cupying about half, or something less, of the ex-
treme length. the tapering extremitieS proecting
deck is ot exactly the same at each end. presenting
a wedge shaped front towards the bow, while at the
stern it is rounded off American clipper fashion.
Above the deck to be seen the tunnels, compan-
houses. &c., but neither mast nor rigging of
kind whatever. the only means of locomotion pos
sessed by the cigar ship being her engines, for which
she according to estimate, carry coal enough for
five days consumption.
feet and greatest diameter about sixteen feet taper
ing gradually, as We have said TO point almost as
fine as that of needle The amount of accOmmoda-
ton is therefore extremely limited and believe it
is proposed to make any attempt at carrying cargo
of any description but to conne the vessel strictly to
the passenger trade. Even then it is difficult to ina
CINE, after due allowance for saloon and sleeping
apartments, stores berths for crew. &C.. what space
can be left for engines estimated to work up to two
The means of propulsion employed are two large
screws one at either end of the vessel, and placed
w;thin very short distance of the treme points,
az a distance of about one hundred and twenty feet
from the and Short pushing the
9ther null ing the vessel and each showing half of its
surface abo,Te the water. The estimated extreme
distance from he PROPELLER and nearer to the centre
ofthe vessel is the ru der-one at each enda broad
iron plate like the Tudde Or rather SeeraSS paddle
than one hundred feet from tt. e steering apparatus
Such is the general external FRA ot ins
remarkable vessel, now almost ready ior !duhc
In the water her line of otation, accora1s to the
model of which we have before spoken, is eA.Nct'y
parallel with her longitudinal axis the sharp pom,
at either end being just level with the surface. AL
lowing sixteen feet her extreme diameter. she will
thus be raised in the center eight feet above the
waters edge; with two feet more of bulwark, ten
feet in all. We free to confess that with every
possible desire to believe in the good qualities of
news in some three or four dags and to limit that
dreadful channel business TO within the hour, are
at loss to understand how under these conditions
the cigar ship purposes to keep ahoat.
In perfectly smooth water we can imagine that she
might. if successfully baased against the chance of
rolling over and over, would be of course her
natural tendency, make something very like the est-
mated speed. though with what degree of comfort to
the passengers deprived by the construction of the
vessel of light or ventilation except such as can be
obtained from the deck by means of skylights and
uindsails and with two propellers OF
severe pitch lashing the water at either end, is
an other question. The advantages. too of being
ssono,sed up such extremely close quarters. with an
engns of this enormous power, may also be open to
ouestiou, even under the most favorable circum-
Rut the real difficulties of the cigar ship. as Of
most others, must commence ith the first symptoms
Of breeze Imagine a vessel of this construction
taasI;ng at the rate of FIVE and twenty miles an
hcur-the minimum rate, be it remembered for the
New York passage on account of the consumption
nf cooINmeeting in mid ocean one of the westerly
oaes now eareering across the Atlantic. In front
her wall Of water twenty feet high travelling
thew the Inta meet "a at a speed Of forty miles.
There is no bow to lift her over the obstacle a.
Right into it she pnnges. like hi haTpooa %a INTO
by the propeller, which. however severe ma
may be its PITCH cannot present anything very MUG
better than an almost fat surface to the shocs
What chance the blades would have OF surviving an
very long succession of such shocks Is matter
simple calculation, and into which the en-
gineers have no doubt fully entered.