St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-10-16

no. tbs Edltor Of ,he caIedoniap

To the Editor of the CAIedoniaD:
1t would be difficult to conceive of
crossing the ocean than are now pro-
vided by some of the steamship lines
running between New York and Liver
pool. am now in mid-ocean, some
1900 miles from New York, yet am
comfortably seated in one of the neat
est and most magnificent social halls"
that ever saw, and though we are
being driven forward at the rate of I6
miles an hour, the only perceptible
motion is a slight jar and a very gen
tie rocking that we soon learn not to
notice at all. The dimensions of this
hall, or large parlor, are 30 feet 10y 30,
and it is furnished like a large hotel
parlor, with a piano, easy chairs and
small chairs, tables. etc. One differ
ence is on noticed We sit down
near friend and speak, and he ut
once rises to turn his chair, but it does
not move. Ev rything is fast. Beside
this large parlor there is a smaller
one. one deck higher mp AT the other
end of the ship. beside the large din
ing hall. which will seat $50 at dinner,
and a very pleasant smoking room.
Some fuller account of this ship may
be interesting to some of your younger
readers, and if they will take a meas
uring tape, or rule, and measure these
lengths on the ground, they will I'M
derstand them better. The Austral is
474 feet long and Il wide, and her
depth under the main deck is }3 feet,
and there are two decks or stories
above the main deck, making Is feet
in all. The immense space below the
deck is divided into nineteen separate
water-tight compartments, so that IT
the steamer were to spring leak in
one place, it would only fill one com
partment with water, and if all the
nineteen compartments were to fill
with water. it could not rise to iniure
would simply settle the ship about
eighteen inches lower in the water,
nothing more. The ship has pump ar
rangements sufficient to throw out
292S tons of water per hour. The en-
ginrs have four boilers and three i'm
mensc cylinders, and can he worked
up to 1000 horse power; and, besides
this, the ship has four large ma Is, the
main mast being 40 feet high, and
can carry 2S,OOO superficial feet of can
vas. | measured one of the smoke
stacks of the engines, and it was twelve
feet in diameter-a very fair-sized
stove pipe. The ship carries $50 pas
sengers in all, beside her BOSS tons of
cargo, and beside her own coal, which
makes quite Il cargo, as she burns
about lhO tons of coal per day. The
number of men employed on the ship
is l97 in all departments.
There are some eight lines of steaEl-
ers now running between United
SJlltS anu IuPlduu, anu JUtSt rival
each other in providing good steamers
and in everything that tends to the
comfort of passengers. Fifteen years
ago twelve days was Il very good
passage; now seven to eight days is
the usual passage in good weather.
We sailed Saturday morning, Sept.
20. and if this weather continues, we
will he in Liverpool on Sunday, Sept.
-.
Later. are now nearing Queens
town the point of ireland which we
touch. Our voyage is rcckoned to
Queenstown. and we will reach it in
seven days and six hours from New
York IA very good passage. All are
getting their letters ready to send
back to friends from Queenstown. We
have had two rough days, and sea-
sickness the travellers great enemy
was very faithful in attendance dur
ing those days. Two days of in
cessant rolling and pitching, with no
moment of rest, is certainly very tire
some, even without sea-sickncSs.
Land is in view and all are happy
again. +. w. PARKER.