The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-02-04
SOME oLD-TIME LEvIATHANs.

The failure of the monster sailing
ship Somali to arrive at this pOr
ninety days after her departure from
Bong-K0ng suggests to the minds of the
imaginative that she has been lost, or else
is seriously damaged by conflict with a
gale which she was perhaps unable to
weather without the loss OF sails or spas,
or il may be her steering gear.
Although reinsurance has been paid on
the Somali and her consignors are inclined
TO think that some mishap has overtaken
the vessel sea captains appear 10 believe
that she will come into haI Dor before many
days and give a good account of herself.
Whatever may be the fate of the So
mali her hardness has aroused cOnsidera-
BILE discussion of the much-mooted Oues-
ton: ''Is the four and i've masted sailing
ship of extraordinary tonnage a success?"
The answer to this question involves a
number OF arguments, which, if reported
verbatim, would require page of news
paper iUT their publication. A lengthy re-
port was few years ago forwarded to the
British Admiralty, and later a paper was
sent 10 the Naval Bureau at Washington
setting forth the disadvantages under
which great iron ships lab Dor in the matter
of structural weakness. The bringing of
this subject before the marine experts of
the navleS OF two great nations resulted in
stirring up great interest among shlp-build-
ers and maritime engineers.
a careful review of statistics showed
that iron fOur-masters are largely in the
majority as having been damaged by gales
anu heavy seas. Smaller iron three
masted ships aud barks come next, and
last of all Is the wooden ships of Ameri-
can build.
al cfr is laid fhoR
iron crafts do not give" but rather
wrench themselves" recovering with a
jerk, which Is hazardous to spars and rig
ging and n general strain on the hull. To
overcome this defect in her sea quarters
an attempt was made TO patent for
the fonr-masted ship what was known as
tile webb longitudinal BRACE" Icom-
pick arrangement for strengthening yes
seis OF great length. Webb's device
proved failure.
Attention was called to the long life of
wooden whaling vessels. some of which
had butfeted the Arctic seas and have
been crushed between icefiOeS for as long
period as fifty years without showing
any signs Of structural weakness.
Vessels OF an unusual length and of
large tonnage are a great disadvantage
In gale. for the reason that they are at
tackled by TWO, and even three, seas al a
time, instead OF being able to rice safely
over the crest of one wave before breast
ing another. The larger the structure the
more general is the attack of the elements
and the more difficult it becomes to man
the vessel or to make her answer promptly
10 her helm.
In the past twelve months large num-
Der of four-masted iron ships of over 1000
tons register have been reported wrecked
and the papers have been filled with
accounts OF damage done TO vessels of
this class that have been almost DESTROYED
craft have weatnered with ease
The France, the largest sailing-ship in
the word, has never been a success as a
storm beater, nor has she ever proved a
bonanza from a commercial standpoint.
The SOmali has twice been nearly
wrecked. Her experience in Chinese waters
just before she sailed for San Francisco
was an expensive one for her owners. But
for the timely arrival of steamship, which
took the disabled ship in tow, the Somali
would undoubtedly have been total wreck.
At the time she was picked up she was
almost totally dismasted.
The building of monster four-ma sted
ships has not been entirely con fined TO the
present decade. According to the shipping
records at Quebec, two ships. each larger
than the Somali, were launched in 1924
This statement seems hardly credible.
but the records are there to show for it.
marine journals declare.
FIRST OF these maritime wonders was the
Columbus of 300 tons register. She was
301 feet long, 80 feet inches breadth of
beam and % feet inches depth of hold.
According TO the data furnished in the
Quebec papers of 1924 the Column bus was
Tim Der ship capable of shipping 5000
tons Of lumber between aud above decks
She carried a crew of nearly 100 men and
when making all sail presented the APP
pearance Of frlgale of wonderful proper
tons"
Her yards we're clumsy affairs which
required the efforts of a score of seamen
10 set her immense spread of canvas, but
no mention was specially made of her sail.
ing qualities.
The Columbus got into trouble on the
22d OF May, 1925, and on the 29,h was
abandoned at sea and proved a total loss.
Next in order of the blg cargo-carriers
OF those days was the Baron OF Renfrew,
II anything larger craft than the Column
bus. She measured 1903 feet in length 80
feet breadth of beam and 50 feet depth of
hold. She was wrecked off the coast of
France in 1925.
The loss of these two extraordinary
ships IN the same year put an end to the
building OF four-masters for some time.
1t was argued that the four-masted shin
was failure.
With the advance of the methods of
shlpbulldlng in the coming quarter
century 1t is hoped to be able to demon
strate that vessels of great tonnage can be-
constructed such as will be as fully able to
cope with the elements as craft of lighter
draught. Until such a time, howeyer.
there is reason to believe that it ia safer to
ship a cargo IN an American wooden ship
or vessel that does not aspire to be a
record beaten for tonnage.