Evening journal., 1897-09-29
sTEAM's GOLDEN ERA.

ll Dul surely uIlNlub Sdlllub craft lTOIn
participation in the great carrying
trade OF the world.
The annual report Of General Du-
mont, supervising inspector general Of
steam vessels, shows that approximate
ly $4,000, 900 passengers were carried
on steam vessels during the year, and
that the number OF accidents resulting
in loss OF life was twenty-six The
number Of lives lost by accidents from
various causes was 1888, a decrease as
Der Of lives lost 46 were passengers and
1877 belonged to crews of vessels. The
number Of certificates of inspection is
sude to domestic vessels during theyear
was S022, and the foreign passenger
steam vessels 3O5.
OF the foreign vessels inspected, 174
were British, SO German, IS French, Ia
Norwegian, 1S Dutcn, 8 Belgian, 6
Spanish, 8 Nicaragua, Japanese, A
Danish, Portuguese and l Hawaiian.
Total number Of new life preservers ex-
amined during the year, 54,997; num-
ber rejected, 100 The number OF APP
tlications for masters or pilots licenses
which were rejected because of color
blindness was 90.
The report also shows that, fromI
January 1, 1871, to June 80, 1897, al
period OF twenty-six and half years
under the laws OF 1871, the average an
nual loss OF life has been 239 and the
average number of steamers inspected,
5,673, a loss Of life Of only one person
to each 1,SS2,S45 passengers carried, as
compared with the loss OF one life tol
each 56,006 passengers carried in 1851.
During the year 3,742 iron and steel
marine boiler plates were tested at the
various mills by inspectors OF the SER
vice, and OF this number 367 plates
were rejected for various defects.
This is a wonderful showing when
we consider that the report deals with
the business OF one country and that
the first steamboat was invented less
than a century ago.
In this connection 1t may be well to
refer to the new North German Lloyds
steamer Wilhelm der Crosse, which has
just made her maiden trip and broken
by twenty-six minutes the record held
by the St. Paul for the western passage
from Southampton to New York. She
is the biggest steamer afloat and, with
the exception OF the Great Eastern, the
biggest steamer ever built She is CAS-
feet long, &C feet beam, 43 feet depth,
has q carrying capacity OF $4,000 tons
and displacement of 10000. She was
built in accordance with the require
ments OF the Imperial German Navy
Department and in case OF war will be
fitted with guns and serve as a cruiser
She has two triple expansion engines
each working on four cranks, with foui
steam cylinders Of the following di.
mensions: High pressure, SO inches; in
termediate, S9% inches; two low pres
sure, 96la inches each. The propeller
are three-bladed, % feet 3% inches
in diameter, with a pitch OF 80 feet II
inches. They are built OF bronze ant
each weighs &c tons. Bilge kesls, at
tached to the hull on both sides OF tn
vessel, are expected to reduce the roll
ing motion OF the vessel to a minimum
A departure from old models is made il
the arrangement for first cabin passen
gers. their rooms being nearly al
placed upon the upper and the prone
made decks. The dining room is stu
ated amidships on the main deck, take
up the full width OF the ship and seat
$50 persons There are also fou
smaller dining rooms. -Four cabins d
luxe have a sitting room, bedroom
fitted with brass beds and bathroom
The crew numbers $50. She can accom-
modate 400 first-class passengers, 81
second-class and 500 steerage She
only forty-eight feet shorter than Ii
Great Eastern was. Her draught is foI
feet less and her gross tonnage $50
less. Her horsepower, however, is ov'
$1,000 more. The time of the trip was
days, % hours and 45 minutes. The
Paul's best time was days and 81 mil
utes. The fastest single days run ev
made by an ocean liner before vi
made by the Lucania, which ran
knots in one day. The new GermI
vessel beats this record, making in o.
day 564 knots.
This is the description given of II
new passenger and freight boat in til
OF peace and cruiser in time Of WI
When steam can be so utilized as
drive a boat through the water at I
rate OF 564 knots day, is it any VIC
der that the world relegates sailing VI
sells to the rear?
Greater New York politicians are
ginning to warm up. The first may
OF the big city will have an honor,