Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-11-01
A sTupENDoUs SCHEME.

sells are believed to be unmanageable, COM
pared to small ones, and because great bulk
excludes them from all but few harbors.
At the recent sitting of the Iron and
Steel Institute at Pittsburg, Pa, Barnaby's
| plan was unfolded, that flies in the face Of
the common beliefs of ship constructors.
His idea has been expressed in plans he
has drawn for the British Naval Board. 1t
is to build iron and steel craft 1000 feet
long and 800 feet wide, to be moved by
1000 horsepower. Such vessels, or float
ing islands, he holds could make fifteen
knots au hour, and thus meet the average
| demand of travellers. They would almost
| wholly avoid the motion, the rolling and
pitching Of the craft of to-day, and would
| therefore commend themselves to thou
| sands who dread an ocean voyage. with its
attendant seasickness and close confne-
| ment Such great floats would also have
immense freight capacity, and being con-
structed in compartments and enormously
strong, would better resist the assaults of
the elements, and because of their carry
ing capacity for goods would limit greatly
the necessity for many trips and the dis
tribution of cargo among many bottoms,
which involves greater risk of loss.
So that Sir Barnaby's scheme directly
antagonizes the idea of navigators that
size is disadvantage. On the contrary,
if loading and unloading the big ships
can be accomplished without increased
cost, the advantage of the. large
ships, he thinks, is SO gre& that
there is scarcely any limit to it.
The first great disadvantage would be in
construction, for such a ship as he proposes
must be built afloat the second is the dis
charge of cargo, since no such vessel can
come to any dock The first difficulty can
be overcome by means well known to ship.
builders, and is by no means formidable.
The second he would meet in this way
by novel but very suggestive device.
Within the great ships he would create
shallow, still water harbors, by admitting
the sea, SO that low ight-draft loaded
barges always atloat could be carried there,
and depart through gates on arrival in or
near port, while fresh ones, ready loaded,
could enter for the return voyage.
These subdivisions would serve against
the spread of fire; they would do great
deal more, for they would enable cargo to
be slowed in subdivisions exceedingly con-
venient for delivery, and thus lessen the
great cost of breaking cargo and of two
landings. When the lighter fleet is once
slowed within the great ship, the miniature
harbors can be pumped dry, and everything
secured as solidly as if the lighters were
part of the ship. Or the miniature lakes
can remain, bearing the lighters con-
stantly.
To the objection that such bodies of
water within the ship as Sir Barnaby sug-
gests had better remain, would, by move
ment, tend to unsteady the vessel, the
Scientific american replies that such I'M
steadiness results only when the weight of
the water approaches that of the basin,
but where the fluid is but fraction of the
weight of the vessel, it has steadying
effect. All shipmasters know that loose
weight moved about violently by the roll
ing of the ship, has tendency to bring
her to rest. For this very reason, Sir
Barnaby says, the great ships Of the Brit
ish navy are now built with water cham
bers above the shot-proof decks. But if
the scheme is correctly based, there will
be no material rolling or pitching of the
ship, however tempestuous the sea.
He does not limit the size of his floating
islands to 1000 by 800 feet, for they can,
on the principal involved, be much larger
As to exterior assaults upon them, he
points out that their walls would be built
so as to be impregnable, and would be
fortified and garrisoned like a town. I'm
dismayed by the fate of the Great Eastern,
Sir Barnaby declares that the new plans
are feasible, and that We can have upon
these floating islands marine residence
more cheaply and desirably than we can
live in seaside towns.
1t is worthy of remark that Sir Barnaby's
plans are received with favor by builders
and naval engineers, and that no voice
has as yet been lifted to denounce them
as chimerical and cranky. Objections
have been raised in plenty, but to all of
them the inventor has responded in
manner that has commanded the respect of
constructors, and in the main won them
over
Should he be able to bring sufficient
capital into harmony to undertake the
construction of one of these marine mon
sters, the country may, before its closing
year, witness the demonstration of the
greatest achievement of man in overcom-
ing the opposition of the ocean to his
utilization Of its surface as highway.
Such is our faith in the progressive
spirit of the age and in the belief that
man will yet navigate the seas on some
kind of vessels as large, safe and comforta-
bic as Sir Barnaby proposes, that we are
not at all surprised by his proposition-it
seems to be in keeping with, and not in
excess of the maryels of the era
AN UNFORTUNATE MAN.
Rev. Thomas NJ c.. Birmingham is
presiding elder of the Methodist Church
South. His field is, or was, in the State