The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-05-06

"Wfat DO you think OF the possibilities
of aerial navigation as future siD5utu-
;iOn for ocean steamships, Mr. GrlsccmE
II don't know anything about H. We
have conquered so much that most Of
us believe that We will eventually con-
quer the air. / do myself, tut | have
never studied the subject. There are
many great minds at work on ;he prob
lem, and they ought 10 accomplish some
thing Hiram Maxim, who invented the
Maxim gun, is now dcvotng most Of his
time to Is periu .ents with aerOplanes, I'M
der the patronage Of the British Govern
ment am told, and Mr.. Maxim has By
his past shown himself 80 be an emil
uently practical man. 1t isn't likely that
he would spend his time on experiments
that he did not feel pretty sure would
yield good results. Professor Langley,
whom | know very well. IS also at work
on the problem. But even II they do
invent an airship that works successfully.
II is not reasonable to suppose that they
viii at the beginning find anything SO
perfect that il will take the place OF
ocean steamships. Any airship Invented
during our lifetime viii but he the begin
ming, and no infant product Will be capd-
bic Of making the voyage over seas.
That nay come, bat its coming Is long
way off.
Instead Of striving for increased speed
from now on, designers of ocean steam
ships viii, j think work for greater com
fort and greater safety. BY increasing
comfort do not mean that many lu%ur-
les can be added 90 those now provided
on ocean steamships. About the only thing
our ships lack is q billiard room, and bill
lard playing will probably always be
impossible on the tossing North At
lantic. But the ships Of the future will
probably give each passenger more room
and 10 that extent make him more COM
Portable than he is to-day. In other
words. they viii carry fewer passengers
and charge each man more for his pas
sage.
Safety in ocean travel has also nearly
reached its maximum, but II viii be pos
sibe for builders when materials and la
Dor cheaper TO leave a larger margin Of
strength over probable requirements in
every part of the vessel. As IL is now
the only danger TO ocean navigation Is
caused by fog. There is no danger from
bad weather The rules adopted at the
International Marine Conference in 1889
- laid out routes which made collisions
between ocean steamships practically im-
possible, and TO that extent lessened the
fog danger, but IL is still possible for
steamship 10 encounter a sailing vessel
OF any OlIl'E snip upl SbNtIitu ny lItot
rules of the road Whether or not any
device will ever be perfected which will
do away with this peril l do not know.
II there is, II will probably be along Ed
isOns idea OF inductive electrical cOmmu-
nication betwee vessels at sea. His
plan is to place sympathetic electrical
Instrument on all ships Of such a charac-
ter that when the vessels approach each
other current shall be established With
the water instead Of a wire between
them. II this were accomplished, Of
course a ship would know. fog or no
fog. whether any other vessel were near
or not, and could at least take extra pre-
cautions.
LAS il is now. IL would be the wanderer.
and not the great ocean steamship. that
would suffer. for the great ocean steam-
ship is practically unsuitable. II is so
divided and subdivded by watertight
compartments that 1t would float, no
matter how badly II was damaged in
collision. 1t would be physically impos-
sible TO so batter the great ships of to-
day that enough Of their watertight
compartments would fill TO sink them.
But in the future all ocean steamships.
instead of few Of the greatest, viii
be made unsuitable. and thus passengers
by all boats will be made as safe as are
tnOSe VINO san on lhc VESSELS VI the
great lines now"
Edson's notion of electric cOmmunica-
ton between ships at sea In a fog men,
TONED by Mr.. Griscom also suggests
the greatest addition to the comfort and
luxury of steamships which could b.
named Could he make IL possible for
vessels to communicate with each other
without the use Of wires. ii is reasonable
to believe that ne could also devise
means by which they could communicate
with the shore. no matter In what part
of the ocean they were sailing. Should
this come true. the Noyaging stock brOk
err could carry on his business without
interruption while at sea. and the fond
mother could learn from the nurse at
hOne the exact condition Of that sick
baby every morning before breakfast.
SO ii is seen that the future Of Amer
lean shipping and the possibilities OF
ocean navigation are as grand and broad
as are those of American literature,
limited at by Mr.. Howels: OF American
medicine and surgery, prophesied by Dr.
Shrady; OF American law. outlined by
Mr. Couderl. EDWARD MARSHALL.