New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-07
ATLANTIC LINERS.
THE NEW GREAT EAsrERN-UNsAT1s-
FACTORY MAIL SERVICE BETWEEN
ENGLAND AND AMERICA.

Yondon February ~.
The Great Eastern was misca'cu'a'ea ia'u'e
secause Bruneis engineering problem was '"'
worked out I'm commercial terms. II Was freight
lo;., far In advance of the requirements of COM
r,ercc. ard IL never made a profitable voyage
For a generation us fate has been warning 20
marin. engineers against ambitious projects
which are grounded UPON commercial experience
Yet during that period the transatlantic passsh-
ger traffic has been rapidly expanding anu '"e
liners nave been gradually lengthen!ng. broaden
in.- and deepening until at last the Great EASY
ern has a rlva, which outstrips her In length II
not Ia tonnage. TIE new White star i'ner' the
oceanic which is now In process Of construction
In Belfast. will be T0i fee, In length OF 20 feet
longer ,tan Brunels unsuccessful snip. Inc
public taste for luxurious travel has been defei-
opcd unfit IL Is now practicable 10 produce sec
ord Great Eastern for the passenger trade WIN
more spacious sleeping bins. din'ng-rooms'
drs wing -rocp,s libraries and srnoking-rooms
than have ever been seen anoa; ana Win APP
poiu;r,eris for comfort and convenience WHO"
have never been exceiled.
The Oceanic will be a larger floating hotel than
either the Lucan;a. the ST. Paul or the Majesic'
hu. presumably she will TO; he faster snip
Tho gain In speed between 1910 and IN" aver
aged ABOUT two ard a half knots for every ten
years: and since 1880 there has been an ao'ahoe
Of about two knots The Oceanic VIII nov IN
crease the record for speed which may be regard
cd as a;ready made up for the decade. unless the
Cunard Line decides 20 add a faster Lucahie W
lis service during the next three years. The
.,.,tr knot ship. capable OF crossing the Allan
tic h four days is still dream Of The iu'ure'
7, viii le ~ experts are 10 be believed. snip
go feet long and at least 100 feet wide. and II
uiIl no l,epeued 70 admit Of draugh; OF d" feet
" will IA. frightened above while weighted below
The cxr,er,s agree upon the results. but not upon
the means Some OF them suggest the suOsti'u-
zion Of nicke-s;eel for ordinary steel others io'e
cast the use OF aluminium. by which saving o,
one-third In the weight Of material VIII be erect
oil. and all are convinced that new patterns of
marine engines and boilers much lighter than
those now employed VII be Introduce Inc
solution OF these COMPLEX problems viii nos be
undertaken BY the designers or the oceanic IN
eomparison with the Great Eastern. me new
White Star liner will be longer and larger anu
The p-oportionate space required Tor engines anu
boilers will be greatly reduced b! the aaop'cn
- conn,ct tvpes Of light weight. but there will
i,a no marked advance in securing additional
s,,sed BIZ tightening the ship above or below by
~ me-. q. new materials or by the adoption Of
.,,,cved designs of mechanical engineers. Ex-
,-a,,e snced is not the goal which the designers
aim To reach
M .xpert expects that the thirty knot ship
destined TO cross the Atlantic In four Gays can
secure this high speed by burr Ing coal Inc
gain in speed would be great. IL the fuel were
OF, forced by steam pumps from tanks by pipes
directly into the fires; and the use OF Hqu!d iuc'
would enable engineers to design machinery
much lighter than is nov in use Inc Oc~ahc
Will 10, have oil tanks. Coal will be used as Oh
other liners as the most economical ana pfac"-
cal method of developing engine power. some
experts assume that electric power VII! u'u-
.nately be employed in propellng the ias'es'
liners either by the invention of new storage APP
,l,ances or by the discovery OF come methou vi
converting the combustible energy OF coal INTO
electricity without the waste which row rem
Gers the process unduly expensive ms prom
lem at present lies outside the range OF the
marine designer He considers the application
81 electric power 10 transatlantic liners impracti-
cable under existing conditions
STEAMSHIP ECONOMICS.
7, &c not improbable that the designers Of the
Oceanic could convert her into twenty-five
krot ship II they were allowed TO disregard the
economic factors OF the problem. and even into
a rhirty-knot ship by lengthening her. BY using
lighter substitutes for steel in the construction
OF the ship and by burning liquid fuel In place
M coal they would undoubtedly be enabled 10
add several knots an hour to her speed. They
would vastly increase. however, the original
cost OF construction and the operating expenses.
N,ckel-steel Is more expensive than ordinary
steel and aluminium Is much more costly; and
the use Of petroleum would materially increase
the expense Of a voyage, In addition TO multiply
ing the risks from fire. Steamship managers.
with :he record Of the continuous reduction Of
the ocean record during the last sixty years, are
conNdcn. that the limit Of speed has not yet been
,secbc1. Inn, the. have the evidence OF their
ledger. before them TO warn them that the prob
i'm O. the four-days' passage mus, be worked
out practically. there VIII be no earnings
for dividends Phenomenal az the increase OF
messenger traffic has been during the last thrty
years. the operating expenses and construction
Investment have kept well abreast o! II. Every
additional knot ADDED 10 the spec. OF the Luz
CANA or the st. Paul represents an enormous In
crease in cost OF construction. consumption of
eeai and operating expenses. The Oceanic as a
ship rivaing the Great Eastern In dimensions
will he a costly experiment AS a thirty-knot
ship she would be commercial venture from
which the moat sapgu.ne steamship manage,
would despair ~ ever receiving financial returns
The investments made by the transatlantic
Lines In fast ships SET limitations uIon the dis
placement OF these fleets by 2o-knot or 3O-knOt
vessels The old Britannia. when she was first
built, one OF the fastest ships aioat; and
she has not ceased TO be a paying ship. on ac-
count OF her cargo capacity. Probably no other
steamship ever made first and last. 30 much
money for her owners. But the new passenger
slips valuecss as freight boats and for that
reaxen steamship managers will not be In haste
60 substitute faster ships for them. Masses Of
capita have been invested in them. and money
can only lie got out Of them while they remain in
the passenger service between New-York and
Northern European ports; and the great liners
are now 20 well built and so carefully navigated
that they never wrecked or lost at sea. The