The herald., 1894-08-22
OUR MERCHANT MARINES RENAIS-
SANCE.

SANCE.
The withdrawal of the big and beauti-
full side wheel steamship Adriatic was q
painful picture to Americans who loved
the old flag. and the breaking up of the
big walking beam wooden ships Of the
Pacific Mail line was another paEg in
the sides OF men who were not used to
seeing ships built in blacksmith shop.
There was shout of JOY when the City
OF Peking slid into the water, but it soon
subsidized when it became known that
the ship was total failure through i'm
proper fastening of her frame.
Twenty years have elapsed since that
day, when the Peking was the largest
merchant vessel in the world, the Great
Eastern having been previously con-
demned. The growth Of steamship
building on the Clyde and at Belfast,
however, has been such that the City of
Peking has become only third-class
vessel. Even the Germans and French
have built steamships of 5000 and 5000
tons gross, while the Britishers have
gone to 10000 in the Lucania and Cam
pania of the Cunard line.
At tie Last session OF congress the In.
ternational Steamship company, oi
Philadelphia, came before congress with
the proposition to give the British built
ships OF their line American registers.
This was an unheard-oi proposition,
enough to make poor old Blaine turn
over in dis grave, but it was good
thing for the country. In consideration
of this. the company was to make all its
ships servicesble for the use of the ma
tional government in time of war; and
secondly, to build at Philadelphia two
new steamers entirely of American ma
terial, of the same dimensions as the
New York and Paris, ON which it was
proposed to confer American registra-
tion. To the credit of congress be ii
said they passed the bill; and now two
new steamships, OF 1000 gross tonnage
each, are nearly ready for launching at
Cramps yard on the Delaware. The
Cramps built the following steamships
of the Pacific Coast company: The
State of California, Queen, Corona and
City of Puebla. The Santa Rosa, CO.
lumbia and Oregon were built by John
Roach, who also built the City of Pc
king and City of Toxic. the latter OF
which was wrecked outside Of Hong
Kong about seven years ago.
From the Peking to the new steamer
st. Louis, of the International line, il
quite big jump, as the following table
will show:
Dimensions. City of Peking. st. Louis
Length over all, feet ........420 554
Breadth of beam, feet. .......... 90 6:
Moulded depth, feet..........- 80 a
That so much larger vessel should
have been built ON the Delaware with
out any intermediate vessel to enabl
them to work up by is highly creditabl'
to American mechanics. The two new
ships are to be called the st. Louis and
the st. Paul, and will cost not less thar
two million dollars each. They will bt
ready for their transatlantic trade in thu
carly part of February next. These
steamers have twin screws made O.
bronze, driven by four engines on eacf
shaft, of the respective diameters of So
30. II and 100 inches in diameter, which
is the only thing about the new ship,
that we do not like. Experience haI
shown that quadruple expansion gives nc
more speed than triple expansion, while
the risk of breakage and cost OF repairs
is much greater. The Armand Behc
the fastest steamer that goes through
the Suez canal. has triple engines of 81
83 and 112 inches respectively. She wai
built at Ciotst, opposite Marseilles, ant
can beat any British or German stsamel
in the Indian ocean trade.
The new ships do not look much like
either the New York or Paris of tina
line. They bear greater resemblance,
10 the Teutonic and Majestic, OF the
White Star line, than any other shipa
adoat. Instead of the bowsprit aud
cverhanQing stern of the New York ant
Paris, they have plain, perpendicula
bow and beautifully nodded, elliptica
stern. A recent isaue OF the Scientifi
American gives picture OF these tive
sister ships. to look at which does al
Americana heart good. They are capa
BILE OF making 20 knosa per hour oil
easy steam, and of being driven up tc
2S1a knots whenever their engines ar,
worn smooth enough to justify the ex
pertinent.
The Cramps built the two bsst steam
ers Of their sizo ever built in the worlt
--the Alameda and Maripoaa, OF tn
Epreckels line. These ships are boil
2s4O tons gross. with about 1040 hors
power indicated; but the Alamed
holds the record OF 10 days ant
= snsss :FsE Ss, Francisco &