Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-10-05
AMERICAN PALACES
THRRG MAGNIFICENT NEW ENGLAND
nfRAMRRh


While lhe lhilding of ships inna' 'igate
the ocean II al u stand n IN tho United
States, tho hnil,ling Ot steamers H. nav
gate the sounds aud rivers N heing
pressed with NgOr, aud our supremacy
IN this direction II acknowledged by the
world, II heing u common expression 0l
foreigners 10 denOlninaie the steamers
plying Long Island sound ~ "lloallng
palaces" We copy below descriptions
of three new boats, which will cost over
s2,OOOOOO, taken from the liosion llcr'
all
THR SEw m0nI ISLAND,
iiy February, 1859 the famous Slon-
mgton line will have It's fleet strength
ened hy the restoration, In name at least
Ol tho renowned steamer Rhode Island,
The old Rhode Island was constructed
IN 1877 y, and went upon the line July
II, la7a. She was q Rianch boat IN every
particular, aud was capable Of most ard
nous service, II win bc remembered
that on her last trip ior the season Of
1880 she ran ashore IN dense log at
tho Bonnet, opposite Dutch island, and
in u short time she went 10 pieces, the
wfcckes saving only hor engine, some
Of her cargo, and part Of her furniture,
In u remarkably Shoit space Of time,
after tho disaster. the steamship COM
pany arranged its business affairs and
decided TO build another steamer 10 take
the place ol the one destroyed, The
forests Of Connecticut and Virginia were
drawn upon for white oak, one cargo
coming from the latter state, Long IL
land aud the North river furnished To-
Gust, aud Jacksonville, Fla, the live
uak; Savannah and Cedar Keys the ycl'
low pine. About the middle of Febru,
ary tho keel was laid, and then there
was wait for frame timber and for deck
frames, the shapes and proper quail
ties could not bc found by simply going
TO the woods. The frame is Of white
oak, live oak and locust, II is secured
by immense iron straps l-2 inch or 2 (
inch by 4 inches and lS or 90 feet long,
lot in flush with the timbcT, the ends
butted together and hshcd with strong
plates, but rivctcd through and through.
Tho outside planking is -four inches,
white oak, except few top streAks of
yellow pine. Her dimensions are as
follows: Length Of keel, about 325 feet;
length Of l0.iect water line, 332 feet;
length over all, 3ii feet; width Of hull,
10 feet: width over guards, 81 feet; depth
of hold (clear) 10 feet; diameter of
wheels, 80 feet inches; length OF hnck.
cts, II feet capacity carpenters meas
uremcnt), $500 tons. She will be run
by the same engine TINT was in the old
Rhode Island, which has been entirely
overhauled and put in order AS in the
old Rhode Island, she will have steam
steering apparatus, and, in addition, she
will he provided with n steam windlass.
rne "rILaRnl" OF THE FALL RIVER LlSE,
The hull of this new floating palace
will be of iron, and il is the intention OF
both bnilders and owners to have her
absolutely non-comhustihlo and non
sinkable. Ofcourse, safety, and posi-
bly, economy, dictate the use OF iron as
building material and il is surprising
that, in the construction of these large
crafts for inland navigation, such mate
rial was not used many wears ago, so
patent is its superiority over wool
when seen from practical point of
view. The great increase in the size
of these Sound steamers during the last
few years, has generated on intrinsic
weakness which demands radical changes
in material, methods, ETC., of constlnc
tion, and TO supply the lack OF natural
strength, so glaring in many of the an
cient style of steamers, this new hull
will be cellular in its construction, or,
in other words, have a double "skin," in
side and outside, with system of lon
gitudinal framing between. This hollow
box or tank will be "a inches deep or
wide Mt the sides of the vessel, and down
to the turn of the bilge, whence it will
increase its size GnternaD to 36 inches
at the center of the hull, or across the
keel. This double hull will be divided
iuto 9G watel-tight compartments, form
ed by the water-tight athwartship floors
and bracket frames (27 feet apart, and
the "longitudinals' -keelsons running
$40 feet fore and aft, and water-tight at
all intersections The wheel batteries
will be of iron, and, the inclosure of the
engine, boilers, chimney, Kitchen, smoke
pipes and ventilatols being also of iron,
the probability of the vital parts of the
steamer being destroyed by fire is re-
duced to minimum. This noncom
bustible and non-sinkable hull will
be 3s4 feet long, so feet mold
beam-about 81 feet wide over guards
and II feet inches deep at the lowest
point on the Sides The fitting and fur
nishings will be costly and elaborate,
and every way in keeping with the
thoroughness and stability of the craft
which they will adorn, and all parts of
the boat will be Illuminated by electric
lights. She will be denominated as the
Pilgrim, and will he put into service
June ], 1882.
THE NEW NORWICH LINE STEAMER.
The old Norwich line, which has
fiourished under a lucky star for so many
years, has Just blossoHed out in one OF
the finest crafts that ever sailed across
the Sound. She was built expressly
for the route between New London and
Now York at Wilmington, Del, and is
now ready for service.
The steamer is of iron, the plating
being from seven.siyteenths to three
quarters of an inch thickness, and the
sheer streak IL inches. The following
are the principal dimensions: Admeas-
urement, 300 tons; length on water
line, 325 feet length over all, $40 feet;
beam nodded, 46 feet; over all, so
feet; depth from base line to top of
beams at dead flat, lG feet 3 inches. The
plating is from 7-lG to 81 an inch in
thickness, and the sheer streak | l-2 in |
l.