The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-03-21

skipper Swan Says the Wha,eback IL
Only Land Boomer.

Captain &. h. Swan, master of the bark
McNear, has poor opinion of the whale
back as seagoing boat, and expresses it
in the following communication:
"What is that whsleback steamer" is the lead
ing question of the day. Some say she is q
crank Some say she Is fool. Some say the
whaleback is the common ship. Some say she
is a rainmaker. Some say she Is a sugar cleo
trician, and some say she is land boomer. 1t
seems to me the latter is the most likely of all.
| cannot believe practice and theory in all these
long years have brought ship building down to
the whaleback. II this what the American
merchant marine has dwindlad down to, that
once was an example for the whole world and
pride to the nation, made the fastest passage
and commanded the highest rate of ireights?
And now some one has worked up the idea of a
steamer scOw 10 go to sea with and introduced
it out here in the wild West. The whaleback
is nothing moro or less than a ship upside
down. Experience and science have taught
ship-buiideIs to build ships with Il cIowniug
bottom TO make them easy in a seaway, and also
to keep from sliding TO leewari with beam
wind and sea. The whaebaek has Hat bottom
and GROWING decks Just the opposite. The con-
dltion the whaleback delivered her cargo does
certainly not prove she is the seaboat claimed
to be.
Now, let US see what we know about crowning
decks. The Monitor was built with crowning
decks and rounding of at both ends and in
every way GROWING for the purpose to Offset
shot and she'll as well as sea, and when fully
manned and equipped to go 20 Sea the Monitor
set on the water about the same as the whale
back. Now, she proved to stand shot and shell
and performed her duties admirably, and also
ordinary weather, but in the Gulf stream she
found more than a match in the elements.
The French governmsut bought q monitor
and sent a steamer out here after her. They
started from Halifax. Ga the passage the men
had to be taken of and everything battened
down, and came near going TO the bottom of
the ocean. l was at that time in the steamship
Scotia We passed them In the Atlantic, and it
was only now and again we could see the two
thirds OF the monitor coming up out of the
water This proves every ship must have so
much buOyancy in order to be seaworthy. 4
craft or vessel with IA, decks and daring stem
or stern has mora bGoyancy than that OF a craft
with crowniug deck when loaded. long
boat has crossed the Atlantic. Take a smoke
stack and taper both ends off little aud block
them IN, put steam power in and folding-doors
for matches, and call them whalebacks. Load
then, With coal aud send them to sea and they
viii 90. Load them light, and there is no 9ues-
ton but " heueyer they get into a heavy gale il
is Goodbye, John, I am going to LOOK for
Jonah"
The Alaskan came around the Horn and per-
formed her duties for long time, and crossed
tie bars successfully, but when she was put to
the test her sea-going quality proved failure.
The inventor has Published plan of whale
back passenger steamer in the Scientific american
O! November H. ls9L When he proposes To
build the saloon passenger decks upon stills
fourteen feet above the whale, 70 steam twenty
four miles per hour, he forgets that be has the
Atlantic ocean to cross. Just let any practical
man think himself on board such craft going