The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-07-21
Description of This Fine
Japanese Steamship.
Constructed and Equipped as a
Cruiser With Krupp Guns.
Her Rate of Speed. and Other Inter.
esLfng Details.


! shown over the vessel by the Chief Engineer,
! Mr.. Crookston, from whom the following
particulars were obtained:
The Yamashiro Maru is an iron vessel,
built by Sir William Arms trong & Mitchell,
on the river Tyne, and was launched in
January, 1884. She is 300 feet in length
between perpendiculars, with 81 feet 6
inches breadth of beam, and 81 feet depth
Of hold. Her register measurement is $50
tons, but she has capacity for 5000 tons of
freight, coal, etc. The main and Orlop
decks are of iron, and she is fitted with five
iron water-t tight bulkheads, running up to
the main deck. These divide the vessel
into six wa ter tight compartments, any one
or two of which may be filled with water
without causing the vessel to sink. Her
hull is quite fat on the floor, and the bot
tom of the vessel is double, there being an
inside skin or lining running the full length
of the ship, and about 8 feet inches from
the outside hull. In this space can be car
ried 900 gallons of water as ballast. At
fresh water, both together holding 80 tuns
of water. In addition to these there are
two other tanks, each carrying 2,400 gal
Ions fresh water.
The engines of the Yamashiro Maru are
compound, built by the Wallsend Slipway
and Engine Company, at Wallsend, New
castle-on-Tyne. The high pressure cylinder
is AZ inches in diameter, and the low pres
sure 70 inches. Both cylinders have 81
inches stroke. They are coupled to a steel
shaft 14ls inches in diameter, to which is
attached propeller of four blades, having
mean pitch of "a feet inches. There are
two of Thompson's patent air pumps with
metal valves, and an extra air pump that
can be used as a circulating pump if re-
CURED.
The boilers, which are of steel, are four in
number, each IA feet inches in diameter
and 10 feet long. Each boiler is fl tied with
three circular furnaces feet inches in
diameter, and feet inches long. There
are IS fire bars feet long to each furnace,
the total crate surface of the train of boilers
being $40 square feet.
Each boiler is fitted with $50 tubes 31k
diameter. Birmingham wire gauge These
tubes are 6 feet liz inches long, and
the heating surface in each boiler is 1 300
square feet. The steam space in each boiler
is 1850 cubic feet and with IS lbs. pressure
of steam to the square inch there is devel-
Oped an indicated horse power of 2, 1900. The
speed of the vessel is 14A knots, with sixty
five revolutions of the propeller per minute.
The consumption of coal is about forty-eight
tons day of the soft kind called sKaratsu,"
which is mined about the centre of Japan.
To supply the consumption, the vessel can
carry $50 tons of coal in her bunkers, and
further supply of 800 tons for long voyages
Of about sixteen days.
In order to secure greater steadiness of
the vessel in seaway the hull is fitted with
what are called ''rolling chocks," or sister
one on each side of the keel, and
about fifteen feet from it. These additional
xeels project II inches from the hull of tbs
vessel, and, being 200 feet long, they present
l surface of over $50 square feet resistance
to roller motion of the vessel. They add
to her steadiness, and were fitted
20 the hnll in order to counterfeit the careen-
ng effect of firing the heavy Krupp guns,
With two of which the Yamashiro Maru can
'e fitted in case the Japanese Government
5ish to use the vessel as a cruiser. Pro-
TisiOn is made on the main deck for these
'uns amidships, where the deck is twice the
thickness that it is elsewhere. There are |
NO ports on each side for the guns. They |
re intended to be placed on their carriages |
n the centre of the vessel. The gun |
arriages turn on rail laid on the deck, |
nd can be trained to any angle of firing. |
he carriages are fitted with recoil tracks so |
hat the carriage itself is not driven back
Tards in firing. The magazines are placed
Glow the water-line on each side of the
esssl, and hold some 20 tons of powder,
nd about the same weight of shot and she'll.
Without being told that the vessel can be
office. the visitor would not notice any,
hing Warlike about the steamer, though the
xquisite cleanliness of the whole ship, the
nowy whiteness of her decks, and general
lr OF smartness about everything and every
ody aboard of her suggest man-of-war.
The officers and crew of the Yamashiro
Iaru number 120 all told, of whom seven
|
aptain J. Mailman, Commander Arthur
Chief Officer J. Collier, Second
ficer J. Crookston, Chief Engineer E.
KEY, Second Engineer Alexander Camp
ell, Third Engineer and Electrician J.
Fourth Engineer Mr.. Canda "a
apanese), Purser. Of these, Messrs. Crook.
on and Campbell came out from England
the vessel.
The steamer is two-masted, brigantine
eyed, and carries eleven boats, of which
ur are on deck and seven in the cranes on
e sides. In addition to the ordinary lamps
10 is fitted throughout with electric lights,
the kind known as the Edison-Swan
tent. Not only is the whole interior of
g vessel fitted with these lights, but she
so carries powerful side and masthead
hts of the same patent. Pneumatic tubes
: signalling run to all parts of the vessel,
d in the way of hot and cold water pipes, !
apparatus and steam-hea tiers, =
r appointments are complete. The main
oon-a delightfully."- cool, roomy PLACES '
ted with cabins and dining accommoda- (