The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-07-04
THE STATE OF MAINE"
THE NEW FLOATING PALACE OF THE
INTERNATIONAL LINE.
The Largest Steamboat Ever Built in the
State.

The new steamer estate of Maine" of the
International Line, which will ply between
| Boston, Portland and st. John, is about com
! pleted and in few days will make her tria
trip, and now that she is nearly finished, We
| can say both her owners and builders may well
be proud of their boat. She is very superior
| piece of naval architecture, solid. substantial
built of the very best material, put together IN
| an honest, thorough manner and well saltea
| and every precaution taken to preserve her lie
| and strength and make her staunch and rella-
BILE even in the worst of weather she may be
called upon to encounter We may say briefly
that she is 242 feet long from rabbet to rabbet
on the 10-foot water-line, 81 feet beam, ia feet
Il inches depth of hold in the shallowest part
of the boat, sheer inches The frames amid
ships are 7x14 inches, and fore and aft Okla
| inches, spaced a inches from centres. Her
bottom is filed in solid with white pine the
whole length of the vessel and up to the ends
of the floor timbers, each filler being gouged
out SO as to form ventilators into the space be-
tween the ceiling and planking. The iron
strapping on this boat is very excellent job
throughout. The gunwao belt is 6 inches
wide by Of an inch in thickness, while the
diagonal straps are 4xA inches, extending down
from the gunwales under the bilges and bolt
ing through on the floor timbers, and where
the straps cross each other through bolt rlV-
eted on clinch ring on the inside thus firm ~
securing them. The inner straps ara let neat
ly into the frames flush, and the other one IS
let into the planking, making a very neat and
rigid finish-one which adds great strength to
the structure
The Portland Company, the largest marine
engine builders in the state, have built her
boilers and machinery, which are excellent
specimens of their handiwork and to which
they may we'll point with pride. Her machin-
cry consists of vertical beam surface condens-
ing engine, with 60-inch cylinder and 12-foot
stroke of piston. Her two boilers are in the
hold and have 1852 feet of CRATE surface and
5000 feet of heating surface, and the steam
chimneys extend up above the hurricane deck
SO that in event of losing smoke stack at sea
she will not be in danger of fire and at the
same time be enabled to keep up steam. The
construction of the hull and engines has been
under the general supervision of Capt. J. B.
Coyle and Chief Engineer Taylor, .and the boat
throughout has been built with scrupulous
csre. Neither pains nor money has been
spared to make her secure as possible against
all dangers of navigation, especially fire or
leakage, in event of stranding or collision, and
all the life-saying appliances have been fur
nshed in more than legal abundance. She
has powerful pumps to keep down leak or to
extinguish a fire. L. H. Raymond of New
York has furnished her with an outfit OF the
bost metallic life boats fitted with automatic
plugs and his new life RATS, and Kahnweiler
has given her full set of Neversink Cork
Life Jackets, 50 that in this respect she is the
peer of any boat afoat.
Great pains have been taken to mako her an
attractive boat for her passenger patrons.
She has so stateroomF, 70 berths in the ladies
saloon, 100 berths in the after lower cabin and
40 berths in the lower fore cabin, thus giving
her berthing capacity for about 500 persons
besides a large freighting capacity. In de-
scrjbing tho internal arrangements OF the
State of Maine we will commence aft at the
bulkhead which separates the after saloon
from the main deck. The front is in mahogany
with rosewood styling tastefully decorated with
fne gilt ornamentation, making rich and at
tractive finish and one which will wear well
in service and be pleasant to the eye AS you
enter the ladies' saloon, situated on the after
part of the main deck, the main staircase, OF
neat design and richly furnished, confronts
you, while on either side of the stairway is the
entrance to the ladies' stateroom hall, on either
side of which are five double staterooms, each
harthc hn N fha room
having heavy damask curtain instead of a
solid door. The rooms are plain, the berth
fronts being in black walnut, all of the rest
being in pure white, giving to the rooms
clean, cool appearance. The hall is finished
in hard woods, mahogany being the basis with
curled maple panels, tinted cornice and fiat,
white ceiling. At the after end of the hall is
a splendid, large wash-r room, with six marble
top basins, mirrors, centre tables, etc., and on
closets for these apartments. Below this deck
is a ladies' cabin containing IA berths. On
each side of the main staircase is family
room with an extra wide lower berth and
narrower upper berth, the fittings being in
black walnut. These quarters throughout are
we'll ventilated and well lighted, and for win
ter service the steam heating apparatus will
render them very comfortable indeed We
will now ascend the grand staircase to the up
per or saloon deck, and are in the grand state
room hall, which extends the entire length of
the boat and its whole width except the engine
space. This saloon contains 80 staterooms OF
varying sizes, the majority of them having
double berths, every berth in the vessel being
fitted with spring mattresses and the choicest
of bed linen Tin fact all of the boats of this
line are famous for their good beds and nice
and scupulously clean bed linen,) The rooms
are finished in pure white with black walnut
berth fronts and wash stand and mirror frames,
and they look cosy, pleasant and very Inviting
to the practical traveller. There is nothing
gaudy about the boat, but it is rich, tasteful
and pleasing to the eye, no matter which way
you may turn. The upper saloon is finished
in wide paneling, chastely ornamented with
raised figures painted in fiat tinus, blended in
artistic taste, the pilasters being of mahogany
fine gold stripe, the cornice being in oak, with
fret work over each panel serving as venti-
lator, then small plaster, capped and sur
mounted with a carved gilt moulding
the whole forming d very pleasing finish.
The saloon is domed fore and aft, the base OF
the dome being very plain, but producing
fine effect. Each room is fitted with an cleo
trio bell, and all conveniences and comforts
known to modern steamer fittings have been
introduced in this beautiful steamer. The
carpeting, curtains and upholstery throughout
are in keeping with everything else, simply
first-class. The dining saloon is in the for
ward end of the saloon, and is capable of seat
ing the entire number of first-class passengers
she carries, and when meals are not in process
OF being served, this part Of the boat becomes
the library and reading room of those who
seek this sort of enjoyment.
On the hurricane deck above is the pilot
house, a large, roomy place, finished in hard
woods Next adjoining is the captains quar-.
tiers, and the pilots and mates rooms. On
either side OF the paddle boxes is "Texas"
quarters, each having ten berths in it, This
deck contains the eight metallic life boats, and
the two Ray mond life RATS, the first ever iDs
troduced upon an eastern steamboat. We now
will descend to the main deck. On the STAR
board side, in the after gangway, is the pur-
ser's office, and on the other side is the mail
and parcel rooms The kitchen is on the port
side, at the forward gangway, with dumb
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