The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-08-31
The "GIsaI ii.paLtic.''

The first steamship built expressly for the China
mail line, arrived II san Francisco August 5, after
a passage Of - days irom New York including stop
pages. she was "a days irom New York TO the
Straits of Magellan, - days from the Straits 10 Ps-
mama, aud twelve thence 10 san Francisco. A. she
Is tie largest and first steamship ever sent To- this
ocean, AMI may one lay visit cur port, the following
description Of her, taken from a New York paper.
viii posses interest. She i the first American fun
ship-rgsvi steamship ever built, and VIII leave
san Francisco for Japan aud China September )
The Pacific Mail Steamship Company have just
completed the largest ship ever built ia any AMER
can >hipyari tor commercial purposes, and which Is
designed for the China Line, uuu san Francisco 10
China. The GIt4f Rrp4hIic, the steamship referred
L., Is worthy II more than passing notice, not merely
because II her great size and strength, but because
She j. L. he instrumental IN opening "A trade with
Asia, which marks an era IN American progress and
enterprise. Feet and inches convey but a poor idea
If the extent Of a ship - symetrlcaIly built a. tie
Grcaf Republic. hut for the information of those
cndowv. with experience in such matters, the follow
ing >tatemen 81 her size i appended
Extreme length, $50 feet length between perpen-
diculars, 800 feet width Of beam - feet y inches
extreme aiith Of beam, 80 feet depth Of hold, 81
feet u Inches registered tonnage, 100 carpenters
tonnage, 300. The Great Republic l. 80 feet
longer than the -firiatic, with the same breadth Of
beam. Her frame timbers are Of white live oak,
which are fastened with copper and mon, and are
braccd with straps Of iron hNe inches wide and seven-
clghthS 81 an inch thick, which cruSS each other dag
Onally every l feet. over this il placed the inner
planking, which j. caulked and paved with pitch
and then double strapped a. before, and outside Of
this double stappIug comes the exterior double
plauking Of the very best yellow pine. The whole l.
- firmly bolted and fastened together a. 10 make her
one of the strongest ships atOat, and enable her Ia
endure the te>t If u terrific storm ON her trial trip
without starting even IA piece Of putty. The Great
Republic has three masts, and Is fUii ship rugged
She has three full decks, unusually stout and
strongly fastened. with an orlop deck fore and aft,
extending IL the engine bulkheads, dividing the
hold into five secure compartments. Her saloons
are admirably fitted up, with everything necessary
for the comfort of passengers. She has accUmnooa-
tions for 2Jo cabin and 100 >teerage passengers,
and i capable Of carrying 1000 tons cargo ami
| 100 tons coal. She has twelve large metallic HE
boats, made in the most substantial manner, fitted
up will. masts and sails. Her armament consists Of
FIVE 2G-pound and two ~3O-pound PARROT guns.
She has one American vertical beam engine having
a single cylinder, in which the piston works, Of 100
inches in liainctcr-ncar nine foOt-and II feet
stroke. There i a surface condenser arranged rs
part Of the engine, fit;el with brass tubes Z inch in
diameter, and nine feet long, with the joints made
with Aliens compressed wool packing, the conden-
sing water being thrown through the tubes by means
Of a rotary pump driven 10y n pair of inverted direct
acting engines, gcarei two and "A half To one. Cen
Meeting with the suction of these pumps are valves
communicating with the bilge Of the ship, - that, In
case Of leakage the whole capacity of the pump can
in n few moments, be used 10 free the ship, amounting
10 over twenty thousand gallons per minute The
Allen cutoff gear, as applied TO the valves of this en-
ginc, i the same rs has worked 50 successfully on the
other engines built for this line by the Novelty Works,
and combines, with the greatest simplicity of parts,a
range of adjustment ofthe whole stroke, which, with
the ease IL gives the engineer the power of handling
his engine, makes IL the most perfect arrangement OF
its kind. Steam Is supplied to the engine by four
horizontal tubular boilers placed forward of the engine
i'll the hull of the ship, arranged with the fire room
fore and aft, and the uptakes connecting with one
smoke pipe Of 10 feet in diameter. The tubes are .
inches in diameter by . feet in length. The steam
chimney is 20 feet high, which gives great frte.lom
from printing when in heavy weather. The boilers
contain ~ surfaces with "a CRATE surface of oS5 square
feet and 6 300 square feet os fire surface, which
gives with ease, Il working pressure Of ~ pounds Tor
the engine. In connection with the main engine anu
boilers, the engine department is furnished with two
donkey steam pumps of large capacity, and arranged
to pump from the bilge, or to feed the boiler, or throw
water on the different decks in case ofhre. They are
supplied with steam from an independent boiler, SOFAS
10 lie worked when steam Is not in the main boilers.
There is also supplied a hosting engine, for delivering
and receiving cargo and coaling the ship by steam.
In fact everything that would add to the efficiency Of
the engineer department, has been supplied. The pad
die wheels are 10 feet in diameter, having a face Of
II feet; and each wheel is supplied with 81 buckets,
with a width of II inches. She is to sail from San
Francisco for China September ith.
The China line will consist of the Colorado, Grs1t
Republic, Celestial Empire, America and NIPPON,
the last two Of which are yet TO be built. These fine
steamers, aggregating 5000 tons, and which may
be classel among the finest in the world, tell n tale of
enterprise and power of which Americans may justly
lie proud.