Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-09-11
The New VVhnIebock Boats.

Since the earliest day of the American
merchant-marine probably no form of YES
sel-not even excepting Robert Fulton $
first steam-propelled craft-has received
more attention and excited more criticism,
both favorable and unfavorable, in Eng
land as well as in this country, than has
the peculiarly shaped vessel know as the
"McDougall whaleback"
1t is true that this particular form of YES
sci has been used upon the Great Lakes,
not only for barges, but lattery for propel-
lers, but it was not until this summer that
any attempt was made to introduce it as an
ocean carrier.
Built entirely of steel plates, the general
form of the vessel is that of huge cigar
with both ends cut off to an equal dame
ter and the upper sides somewhat flattened.
The slightly rounded deck, from which it
derives its name of "whaleback,' has
neither bulwarks nor spars, protection be-
ing afforded by a fence of five strands of
wire-rope supported in steel stanchions. \
turret forward and a superstructure aft are
all that show above the cigar-shaped hull
That superstructure is the cabin, which,
resting upon deck of steel, is supported
by three turrets of varying diameters.
The Charles w. WetnOre is the first of
these steamers to have crossed the Atlantic.
She sailed from West Superior, Wisconsin.
where she was built, on the 11th of last
June, loading at Montreal a cargo of 90
600 bushels Of wheat, for Liverpool. She
is the largest vessel that has ever success
fully shot the rapids of the upper st. Law
renee river, and any one whose fortune it
has been to descend in the regular mail
boat those treacherous and intricate chan
pI, q,
the difficulty of successfully steering a
steel steamship 265 feet in length and IS
feet beam over these rocks and whirlpools.
Upon her way up the Mersey at the end
ing of her successful voyage, thousands 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 a view of the strange
American visitor The vessel returned to
this country in ballast, and created great
deal Of interest in newspaper and shipping
circles while lying at her dock in Brooklyn.
Her next voyage will be to points on Pu-
get sound, via the Strait of Magellan, a
cruise of upwards OF fourteen thousand
miles.
The points of advantage claimed by the
advocates of the whaleback are, first. econ
omy of construction: second. economy of
navigation; third, carrying capacity in pro-
portion to draught; fourth, steadiness in
all weather when loaded.
y more complete test of the steadiness
of this form OF vessel when loaded could
not have been had than that afforded on
her voyage to Liverpool, at which port,
when her matches We're opened. the
footprints and shovel marks made by the
grain-handlers in Montreal We're distinctly
visible upon the surface of the cargo. Her
rounded sides and cylindrical turrets offer
the least possible resistance to the waves
which, instead of breaking against or upon
her, glide smoothly over her whaleback.
Besides being the first of her kind to
cross the Atlantic, the Wetmore will also
be the first vessel of any description built
upon the Great Lakes that has ever under
taken to reach the Pacific ocean.-Hdr-
per'S Weekly.