Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1882-07-20
AN ODD OCEAN STEAMER.
No Masts, the Deck Covered with a
Dome, and to Cross the Atlantic
in Six Days.
New York Sum-

/ New York Sun
A dome covered and mastless vessel is be-
ing built at Nyack at the yards of James f.
Smith for the American Quick Transit Com
pany. 1t is the invention of Captain More
land, for forty years connected with the
Cunard Line. She will be launched about
the middle of July, but as it will take at
least a month to put in her boilers and
machinery, she will not be ready for her
trial trip before the latter part of August.
If she realizes the expectations of her in
ventor she will be put in the West India
ruit trade, and other vessels will be made
for the freight and passenger transatlantic
service. All of her timbers are in position,
her planking is about completed and large
force of men are hurrying forward the work.
The best materials are used, and she will be
stronger than the ordinary vessel to sustain
the strain of her engines, which will be
double the usual power
The vessel is $50 feet long, 21 beam and Is
extreme breadth. She is sharp forward, and
has long, clean run aft The speed prom
ised is about twenty-five an hour, so that
the voyage across the Atlantic may be made
in less than six days. The model is different
in every important respect from the ocean
steamers now in use First, she is about 33
per cent. more beam, and instead Of the
straight sides going deep down into the
water, there will be a graceful rise from the
keel to the load line. 1t is claimed that the
hull will be more stable without ballast than
the present type of vessels. The turtle
back" or dome deck, is distinguishing fea-
ture, as it will afford enlarged space On pas
senger vessels for saloon accommodation, and
on freight vessels for the comfortable housing
of ho ,1co1 do
deck in fair weather The whole upper deck
will thus be covered in, and the space usually
exposed to the weather will be entirely util-
lied. It will thus be light, airy, and we'll
ventilated. Abaft will be the main saloon.
spacious apartment furnished in mahogany
and black walnut. Large staterooms will
open from the main saloon. Directly for
ward of the main saloon, will be the engine
room. then the mess room and officers state
ROOM Still further forward will be the
quarters for the crew. Greater safety is
claimed for the turtle-back; it will tie the
vessels sides together, thus making her
stronger; no sea, no matter how large, can
strike at right angles, and the conclusive
force from boarding seas is avoided by the
perfect shedding of them on the curved sur
face. The wheelhouse, smokestacks, ventil-
ators, and flag and signal staffs will be the
only things rising above the upper decks.
There will be no spars or masts. Among the
advantages claimed are the absence of all top
weight, which strains the ship in heavy
weather, the avoiding of great outlay for
sails and rigging, and the dispensing with
a large crew of practical sailors. Another
claim is that, in straight course on the
ocean, taking the wind as it blows, the at
mospheric resistance against the spars, masts
and rigging of vessel driven by steam
power is so great that the gain by their re-
moval will more than compensate for the
loss of the advantage of sails in favoring
breeze. To meet the emergency of de-
to the main shaft, screw, or ma
chinery at sea, pair of auxiliary screws are
placed one above the other in the dead wood
just forward of the rudder post, and entirely
of the main shaft and screw
When not in use they are enclosed by large
shutters flush with the wood. If the ordi-
nary steering apparatus should become dis
abled, the arrangement of these shutters is
such that they can be used as a sort of
double rudder, one for port and one for star
hoard