The Opelousas courier., 1891-11-21
UNIQUE OCEAN CARRIERS.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE NEW
WHALEBACK BOATS.
Shaped Like a Huge Cigar-Points
OF Advantage Over Other Vessels
First Trip Across the Atlantic. !

Afs1 AEtp ACROSS the '
Since the earliest day of the American
merchant marine probably no form Of
vessel-not even excepting Robert Full
tons first steam-propelled craft-has re-
celved more attention and excited more
criticism, both favorable and uafavor.
able, than has the peculiarly shaped yes
sci known as the "McDougalL whale
| back
1t is true that this particular form of
vessel has been used upon the Great
Lakes, not only for barges, but latterly
for propellers, but it was not until this
summer that any attempt was made to
introduce it A. an ocean carrier. The
recent trans [tlantic trip of the Charles
w .WetmoI4 and the coasting cruises of
the Joseph L. Colby have now directed
the attention of all interested in ship
ping to the possibilities of this novel
form of marine construction.
Built entirely of stell plates. the gen
eral form of the vessel is that of huge
cigar with both ends Gu off to an equal
diameter and the upper side somewhat
dattened. The slightly rounded deck,
fron which it derives its name of
"whaleback," has neither bulwarks nor
spars, protection being afforded by a
fence of five strands of wire-rope sup
ported in steel stanchions. A turret for
ward and superstructure aft are all that
show above the cigar-shaped hull. That
superstructure is the cabin, which, rest
ing upon a deck of steel, is supported
BY three turrets of varying diameters.
Sixteen cylinder shafts, which serve as
ventilators for the engine and boiler
rooms in the hull, give additional sup
port and security. Antiquaria1s declare
that this peculiar type of vessel, barring
turrets and cabin, is built on almost the
same model as the barges CONSTRUCTED by
Jacques Cartier for exploration on the
upper s.. Lawrence River in the earlier
half of the sixteenth century.
The Charles w. Wetnore is the first
of these steamers to have crossed the At
lantic. She sailed from West Superior,
Wisconsin, where she was built, on the
18th of last June, loading at Montreal a
cargo of 80, 900 bushels of wheat, for
Liverpool. she is the largest vessel that
has ever successfully shot the rapids of
the upper st. Lawrence River, and any
one whose fortune it has been to descend
in the regular mail-boat those treacher-
Gus and intricate channels and seething
shadows will appreciate the difficulty OF
successfully steering a steel steamship
265 feet in length and thi1ty-eight feet
beam over these rocks and w%hirlpools.
Upon her way up the Mersey, at the
ending of her successful voyage, thou
sands Of people thronged the shores,
from New Brighton to the Waterloo
docks; for the news of the approach of
the singular craft had preceded her, and
all Liverpool seemed anxious to obtain 9
view Of the strange American visitor.
A good use was made of this interest.
While lying at the dock an admittaace
fee Of one shilling was charged, the pro-
eeeis being devoted to the Liverpool
Sailors Orphanage, and five bright boys
from that Institution took entire
charge of the ganggay. Oae hundred
ana thirteen pounds were realized during
the week.
The vessel returned to this country in
ballast, and created a great deal OF in
terest in newspaper and shipping circles
while living at her dock in Brooklyn.
Her next voyage will be to points or
Puget Sound, via the Strait of Magellan,
q cruise of upwards of fourteen thousand
miles.
The points of advantage claimed by
the advocates of the whaleback are, first,
economy of construction, se:ond. econ.
omy of navigation; third, carrying ca.
pacity in proportion to draught; fourth
steadiness in all weather when loaded.
In regard to the second point, economy
Of navigation, the general reader may
form some approximate idea from the
fact that during her return voyage IL
ballast the whslebaek consumed bui
twelve tons of coal a day, which in COM
parason with, say the Teutonic is as onE
to twenty-five, while the crew at the
utmost numbers but twenty-five men.
AS an economical carrier. the Wetmori
mas a capacity OF three thousand tons
when drawing but seventeen feet Q
water.
A more complete test of the steadi
ness OF this form Of vessel when loadee
could not have been had than that at
forded on her voyage to Liverpool, q
which port, when her matches were
opened the footprints aud shovel mark:
made by the grain. handlers in Montrea
were distinctly visible upon the surfaci
of the cargo. Her rounded sides AMI
cylindrical turrets offer the least posslbl'
resistance to the waves, which, insteat
of breaking against II Upon her, Gid
smoothly over her Whaleback.
Besides being the first Of her kind tt
cross the Atlantic, the Wetmore will ais
be the first vessel oil any description bull
upon the Great Lakes that has ever IN
derbaken to reach the Pacific Ocean.
Whether the whaleba;k, as many be
lieye, is destined to be the ocean carrie
OF the future or whether she is not
whether she is destined to ~revolutioniz
international traffic or whether she
not, she is certainly a novel and uniqu
form of marine architecture, and if sh
fulfls the expectations of her advocate:
IL will be a strange thing for the shippe
Of the future to look back to that til
first of the whalebacks. which theE COZ
Ell the sea, was built at a point 1909 milk
inland, at the head of Lake Superior
Harpa's Weeksy.