The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1883-10-13

Standing on the dock and looking
at her as she sits on the blocks, there
are several pcculiarities of construc-
ton that strike the eye. These are
that the midship section is Il very
sharp but weil-proportioncd Y; her
deck is slightly arching; there are
no spars: there is an enormous oyer
hang to her stern: the whcel-house
forward, the skylights along the
deck, the hatch coamings, and, in
fact, every thing on deck, present a
curved surface to all the water that
may come on board and light rail
takes the place of bulwarks. Her
greatest breadth of beam is forward
of the midship section. There are
pecularities of construction that one
does not see from the dock, but it is
asserted by the constructing engineer,
A. Perry Bliven, that they are no
less essential to its perfection.
The keel is nodded Is inches and
sided Is. The frames are Shy
inches at the keel and 6 inches
square at the clamps. The sidings
are six-nch. The popularity of the
frames is that there are continuous
hoops placed on the keel and bolted
to it through and through with inch
and-a-quarter galvanized iron bolts.
There are three keelsons above the
frames, and, the space between
frames above the keel being filed in,
she has practically keel that is
moulded siz feet. The bed-plate of
the engine and the boiler rests on
the upper keelson. To give adj
ditional stiffness to the hull there
is on each side longitudinal frame
1 by inches, that begins at the
keel forward, arches up to the
clamps amldships and ends at the
keel in the stern. AS each is bolted
through and through to the frames,
the sides of the vessel have the
strength of an arched truss.
Steam will be furnished to the en-
gines from Ward generator, sort
of vertical boiler, in which the water
is contained in coiled tubes. 1t has
SO square feet of CRATE surface,
$3.50 square feet Of heating surface.
and four times the stem-generating
capacity of any known boiler. 1t
has been tested to cold water pres
sure of 200 pounds to the square
inch.
The two engines are the first of
their kind, and are called annular
compound, the high pressure cylinder
being placed within the low pressure
cylinder. Each inner cylinder is 81
by 2O5, the. outer 20 by 209, the
piston of the latter being Il ring, with
two piston-rods. Economy of space
and increased power are claimed for
the engines. The cranks are placed
at quarters, and the power eNerted is
always the same whatever their
position. a phosphor bronze four
bladed wheel, 10! feet in diameter
and of the same pitch, hung on the
end of y inch 5l-foot hammered
steel shaft will propel the vessel.
With steam pressure of 800 pounds
and $50 revolutions to the minute,
the power developed will be $500
horse power. Mr.. Bliven expects
that the Meteor will run at from
twenty-five (land) miles All hour.
The steamers of which this is the
model are to be lGS feet long, y
feet beam, and 56 feet depth of hold.
They will carry 1000 tons of freight,
600 tirst-class and 1000 steerage
passengers, besides 500 tons of mail
and express matter. They will cost,
if built in America, $4,000 each.
Having no canvass, they will carry
no sailors. The consumption of coal
will be one-half of what is usual,
and therefore only one half the usual
number of coal beavers will be
needed. The situation of the bunkers
on the sides of the vessel so that the
coal will feed itself into the stoke
hole will also save labor. To add to
the safety of the line steamers, they
will have two extra shafts, one of
which will be placed directly over
the main shaft and one below it.
Small wheels will be placed Oh the
ends of these shafts, but these will
ordinarily be enclosed by what may
be called doors hinged on the stern
post and latched forward of the
wheels. In case the main wheel
should be carried away the rudder
would be disabled at the same time.
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