The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1871-09-20
Commercial Steam ships.

Although but little, II any, cnauge has been
made the structure of steam vesselss or
in their machinery, during the past year,
there has been an uumistakable tendency to
increase their size. and to modify their forms.
The fact, that while the capacity Of ship increases
as the cube of its linear dimensions, its resistance
increases only as their square is becoming more and
more, and better and better, understood. In other
words, where 500 horse power lie sufficient TO drive
ship of 1000 tons displacement at a given speed
ship of 10000 tons displacement and of the same
form, may be driven with only 1900 horse power
Or, not TO fix upon ships of such widely different d.
mensions, If we make one ship 26 per cent longer,
wider and deeper than another give 1t twice the
tonnage, while its requisite engine power, for a
given speed is increased less than per cent Were
there not such demand for frequency Of transit,
very large steam ships would be the most profitable
of all. But we have no less than nine steam ship
companies carrying passengers and freight between
Europe and the United States and despatching their
vessels almost every day of the week. Were it pos
sible to effect arrangement between these differ
ent interests, so that one ship week only should
be sent of-and this would fully answer all the re-
quiremens of traie-vessels of eight times the dis
placement, eight times the capacity for passengers
and yet of but four times the engine power and run
at about three times the total expense, would serve
a. first class fare of lOl where it is 26l, and
second class and steerage fare of from q TO ST. The
larger vessels would also be much speedier, and
every way more comfortable What is more, with
a moderate increase Of engine power, attended with
but very moderate increase in the total cost the
passage might be made at eyerage rate of four
teen instead of twelve knots an hour, thus saving
more than day on the passage The Great Eastern
was built before her time; but were there traffic
for fleet of Great Easterns sailing regularly every
week for New York, they would be the most econo-
mical steam ships afoat, supposing only that they
were fitted with proper engines.
Although iron shipbuilding, once such an import
and industry on the Thames, has almost wholly de-
serted it for the Clyde and the Tyne, it is not
the less satisfactory to note that at least upon the
Clyde, an immense amount of tonnage and horse
power has been turned out during the last twelve
months. The best customers have been foreigners,
the Hamburg American and the North German
Lloyd companies having been large I" clients of
Messrs. Card and Co. These companies, whose
splendid fleet of nearly fifty steam ships may be
said to form virtually German navy, are rapidly
extending their operations. Their newer ships, of
5000 tons register, and Of $50 horse power, are
among the finest the Atlantic, and the Ham
burg American ComDany is now running regular
lines of steam ships to Baltimore and New Orleans
as well as to New York. English merchants are
also extending steam ship undertakings to all
parts Of the world. Messrs. Holt, Messrs. Gray
and Co., and other firms now despatch steamers
direct to China and Japan and besides the Great
Britain, owned by Messrs Baines and Maekay,
Messrs Money Wigram and Sons are working one
or two steamships direct to Australia. We now
have line of steamers, sailing three times a month
from Liverpool to the West Indies and Mexico;
and Taits line, the " London Belgium, and Rio
Plate" Of four steam Ships and also the vessels of
the River Plate Steam Ship Association, working
between Liverpool and Buenos Ayres. There is
also new direct line from Liverpool to Valparaiso
Those just mentioned are all new lines, and Messrs
Cards. of Greenock, have also recently built four
ships for the French "Compaguie Generate Trans
atlantique," to work to the Pacific The old lines
unless we except the P. and o. and the Royal Mall
both OF which have had but few new ships built
have largely increased their fleets. The Cunard
Company, and more especially Messrs Allan and
Messrs. Inman, have largely increased their fleets
seven irstclass steamers having been taken in
hand for the two ast-named firms within the twelve
mouths. AS We have said before, the tendency is
to exceed the dimensions formerly adopted for steam
ships and each new addition to these fleets is of
the full size which, but ten years ago, would have
been thought colossal A fine line Of steamships
we should note, is now successfully working be-
tween Brindisi and Alexandria. Even the new
fleet of Government transports, the "new Himal-
ayas," immense ships as they are, 400 feet long,
should be mentioned as results Of a progressive
school Of naval architeeture-Byit Trade Journal