Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1894-08-29
The New Steamer Crusader.

this brilliant piece of newspaper
work:
"Go down to Pier 49," said the
editor to the new reporter, "and
write up the new English steamer
just arrived. Give a thorough ac-
count of her from stem to stern"
From what?" said the young
man recently arrived from a far in
terror state, and to whom a vessel
of any sort was a mystery and a
wonder.
From stem to stern," said the
editor, fixing suspicious and threat
ening eye upon him; land tell how
many feet of water she draws, her
breadth of beam, tonnage and all
that sort of thing"
This was the young mans first
mission. He was eager to dis
tinguish himself. He had already
done so on his village paper in a
series of essays on 1.-THE Cosmogomy
of the universe" But that little
town was thousand miles away
He wanted a wider field for his as
pirations, and had come to New
York.
Yet he went out of the Office
anxious and doubling. 81 will go
to the captain" said he; "he will
explain to me the ship and its uses.
He will tell me ALL"
Captain" said he, II am sent to
write up your ship. 0blige me
with stating how many masts she
has?"
Eighteen" promptly answered
the captain.
"Where are they?"
"We have sent them on shore to
be painted"
"How much water does your
vessel drawp"
"Three inches"
"How do you draw it?"
"By steam power from the we'll"
"Were you ever in storm at sea?"
Never" said the captain.
"Are you ever sea-sick?"
"Awfully; can't leave my berth
from the time we leave New York
till we arrive at Liverpool"
"Are the rest of your officers and
crew sea-sick?"
always. We're only on deck
and about in port"
"Why, who steers the vessel at
sea?"
"The cook; he's the only well
man on board"
"Do you sail nights when out OF
sight of land?"
"Never; we anchor"
what! in mid-ocean?"
"Of course, you land-lubber.-
There's docks to tie up to at regu-
lgar distances all the way across y
What is that hole for?" point.
ing to an open hatchway on deck.
"That's where an iceberg ran in
to us last trip"
"Good gracious! How do you
see to sail dark nights?"
1--WE send our boats ahead with
lanterns, which light up the road.
"Are they there now2"
"Yes; anchored in line all thu
way across the Atlantic ocean,"
After getting much other infor
nation, which the captain said HI
was only too happy to impart to sucl
an interesting young gentleman
the reporter returned and wrote a
follows:
"The new steamer Crusader is
splendid specimen of naval archi
lecture. Her keel revolves OH hing
es, so as to be readily unshipped il
a storm, when it is not wanted
The rudder also, by patent con
trivance, can be drawn out Of it
socket and deported on deck durinl
the night, and in hurricanes. Tn
Crusader has folding decks, wbicl
can be doubled up when she ha
but little cargo, and her tonnag
) in this way can be decreased iron
four thousand to two thousand tons
The mainsail can, if necessary, b
used as skysail or windsail, an
the saving of canvas effected in thi
manner reduces the wear and tea
of her running rigging one-half.--
The main-brace passes from the en-
of the bowsprit over the fore. mai,
and royal masts, thence down owe
the spanker-boom to the taffrail an
into the cabin windows, where it
secured by double-banked sheep
shank to the head of the captain
berth. She has compound engine:
which boil water at an extremel,
low temperature. Her screws re
volve at the rate of ten thousan