The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-07-18
change IN OCEAN SHIPS
ARE BEING MADE LARGER AND
LARGER.
The New Oceanic Now Being Built,
Affords a Comparison to Mark the
Progress of Thirty Years.

No more striking illustration can
be given of the wonderful changes
and progress that have taken place in
ocean steamers during the past thir-
ty years than is supplied by a CON-
parison of the earliest with the latest
White Star liners. Since the advent
of the first Oceanic, the pioneer stea-
mer of the White Star line, as well as
of the modern type of ocean passen-
ger steamers, there have been many
forward steps in the direction of in
creased size, greater speed and i'm
proved accommodations, eliminating
in mammoth vessels of 10000 to $4,000
tons capacity. These last might also
be supposed to mark the limit of size
at all events. But we still hear of
further increased dimensions. and as
yet finalitv seems not to be approach
ing. In former days the ocean trav-
eler had to be satisfied and was, in
deed, well satisfied, if his ship was
well built, well found, clean and
fairly comfortable. Now, however,
he expects something more-indeed,
one might say, much more-and by
the enterprise of the steamship own
er he seems to be better cared for
every day. To the science of the ma
val architect and the marine engin-
eer, who exhaust every human device
to make the modern ocean liner as
strong and as swift as railway
train, is added the taste and skill of
the artist and decorator, who COM
bine in the effort to surround us on
the ocean with everything that shall
serve to render life at sea as much
like life ashore as possible. This OBJ
ject is not difficult to attain in the
giant steamships of the present day,
in the writing rooms of which one
may sit and write ones letters utter
ly fOrgetful of being on the unstable
element.
The first Oceanic, whose gross ton
mage was only 3,S07 tons, and eX-
IRENE length 44O feet, was single
screw steamship, with four masts,
square rugged on three to make her
an efficient sailing ship in case of
breakdown of her machinery, and her
engines were of the old bi-compound
type, giving a speed of thirteen and a
half knots.
The Britannia and Germanic, three
years later, were of 5000 tons each,
and 1G knots speed, which made them
the fastest ships of their day, were
a long step in advance.
Then in 1880, when Sir Edward
Harland designed the twin screw stea-
mers Majestic and Teutonic, of 10000
tons gross measurement and 20H
knots speed, a longer stride was pro-
posed, though as the time did not
seem ripe, their construction was de-
ferred until 1886, and they were not
completed until 1SS9-90.
The coming leviathan, the second
Oceanic, of 1900 odd tons gross
measurement and length of 704 feet,
indicates another great advance, and,
it may be noted, the enterprise which
is bringing into existence the greatest
steamships in the world is that of a
company which, unlike some of the
foreign steamship companies with
which il has to compete, owes none
of its success to heavy subsidies re-
ceived from the government.
The second Oceanic will be
274 feet longer than her celebrated
namesake, and her size four and one
half times as great. Instead of a sim
gle propeller she will have twin
screws with separate sets of triple
expansion engines, and like her twin
screw sisters, the Teutonic and the
Majestic. will have three masts in
stead of the familiar four of the old
err ships of the line.