The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-16
TWO FAST STEAMSHIPS.
BUILDING NEW VESSELS FOR THE
INMAN LINE
Models of Marine Architecture Which
VIII Provide Every Safeguard
Aoa{pa+ Accidant 49, luxurious ADJ

VIII Provide Every Safeguard
Against Accident 49, Luxurious APP
pointm ents.
From the Philadelphia Record.
The two fastest steamships on the Atlantic
| ocean at present are the Umbria and the
Enuria, of the Cunard line. The latter
vessel has made the quickest passage on re-
| cord, having crossed from Sandy Hook to
Queenstown in six days and five hours.
Two vessels are now being built on the Clyde
for the Inman line which it is expected Will
rival these ocean grayhounds in speed, and
which will certainly outstrp them in safety,
III elegance of appointments, and in com
fort of Their passengers These two new
vessels are the City of New York and the
City of Paris, and in their construction the
greatest precautlon Is being observed with
a view TO avoiding such an accident as oc-
CURED to the Oregon, and in order to 90
this the builders have, in addition to MN
nutely subdividing the vessel, arranged that
no bulkhead shall have a door below the
level of the upper deck. In this respect
these vessels mark a new departure in the
question OF safety of ships at sea, and many
changes in the internal arrangements have
| been necesstated by the adoption OF this
| principle These vessels are 525 feet long
on the water line, or $50 over all, $50 feet
beam, and A. feet nodded depth, Their gross
| tonnage will be 10000 tons each. They
will have four complete decks, promenade,
upper main and lower, with parta deck
| above promenade deck and partial deck be-
| low the lower deck. The number Of com
plete transverse water-tight bulkheads, all
OF which are without doors, is fourteen, so
that the average length of each compart-
ment viii be thirty-five feet, or n little
/ 6 he
| vessel. But the large dimensions of these
ships render even such a compartment one
| of considerable size, so that there will be no
| possibility of cramped spaces. The bulk
! heads have also been so arranged that
| should two or even three of them be flooded
the ship would still float. This is also an
aid toward making them fire-proOf, as the
spread of the fire would be confined to one
compartment
TWIN SCREWS AND ENGINES.
| To greatly reduce the risk of accidents to
the machinery these vessels are being fitted
| with two sets of engines. each set driving a
separate screw. The engines are in two
| separate compartments, so divided by a
water-tight bulkhead, and the boilers are
| in three separate compartments, completely
cut off from each other, so that these YES
sells might be in collision by being struck
on any bulkhead, and could have
a breakdown in their machinery
such as may occur in any ordinary
| thoroughly safe and seaworthy. While
therefore, the vessels are well provided
against the effects of collision, they are also
very much better able to avoid collision by
having two sets of machinery, one of which
| could be readily reversed while the other
would be going ahead. thus turning the
| vessel. But in addition to this turning
| power her rudder power will be very large
! ly increased compared with ships of similar
siza and type, and the improved rudder of
her builders, which has given such remark
| able results in the Spanish cruiser lately
| finished on the Clyde, has been adopted in
| these vessels with the view of still further
| increasing their chance of avoiding coils
| ion.
In addition to these ounces of prevention
| the pound of cure has been provided by
| having the arrangements for rapidly lower
| ing and manning the life-boats as perfect as
possible These e-boats, by the way, will
| be able, owing to their number and SIZE to
| permit the removal of every passenger on
board the steamer.
HYDRAULIC STEERING AND LIFTING AP-
PARATUS.
| These vessels have been designed to a
! light draught, but as it is necessary to have
proper immersion for their screws the
| hghtness of draught necessary for crossing
the bars at New y ork and Liverpool will be
obtained by the use of water ballast in the
d ouble bottom which has been fitted
throughout their length. In order to be
| made of as much service to the travelling pub
lie as possible it is intended to keep these yes
sells very short time in port after finishing
their voyage, and in order to facilitate the
necessarily rapid dispatch and shipment of
| cargo and Goals the vessels will DO fitted
| Al L.
! This hydraulic gear is worked by two indie
| pendent sets of engines, one in each engine
| room, so that in the event of accident to one
| the other would be at once automatically
set in motion. There will be in all thirteen
hydraulic lifts for cargoes, four for engi-
neers' and fremens use, and two for stew
| ards use The steering gear will be worked
by hydraulics, and also the cable The
great advantage of this system, so far as
the comfort of the passengers is concerned,
consists in its complete noiselessness; and
anyone who has slept. or tried to sleep, on
| board a steamer when landing cargo by an
ordinary steam winch will thoroughly APP
preciate the advantage.
The steamers will be provided with three
masts and three tunnels. To avoid the roll
ing, which in so many ships is present in a
marked degree, or at least to aid in counter
acting it, a large tank is to be constructed
which, as regards size and shape, will, when
partly filed with water, do much to pre-
vent this. In itself the latter will add con
siderably to the comfort of the passengers.
THE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATIONS.
Arrangements have been made in each of
the vessels Tor carrying first and second
class passengers and emigrants, which, to
gether with the crew and stewards, will
make up total of nearly 1000 souls on
board. The first-class passengers will
occupy the centre part of the vessel the
second-class will be between the
stern and the centre, and the emf
grants will occupy the two ends OF
the vessel. The main saloon will be on
the upper deck forward and will be ar
ranged on the patent system of her build
ers, similar, though much larger, to that
fitted in the America. 1t consists of a dome
with a spring of 20 feet, and with side
alcoves leading off from this dome, about
10 feet in height. The top of the dome
will be formed of ornamental stained glass
SO that the appearance of the interior of the
saloon will be that of an immense dining
hall in a hotel. The second-class saloon will
also be on the upper deck, but to
ward the after end, and will be fitted III
in about the ordinary style of first-class
saloon in an Atlantic steamer The first-clas.
smoking room will be on the upper
deck, but at the after end of the first-clas,
accommodation. These will be the three
largest rooms in the ship, and will in them
selves be as big as a good-sized ship. There
will also be a large smoking room on the
! l., II.