The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-09-13

ship oceanic OF tue W ntte STAR
Line, Due 20 Arrive at New York
To-day.
New York World: The twin-screw
steamer oceanic. the largest vessel
ever built, win arrive in this port on
Wednesday.
The man who, twenty years ago,
should have suggested that a larger
vessel than Brunel's failure. the Great
Estern, would be built, would probably
have had commission appointed by
his friends to inquire into his sanity.
The oceanic will. however. have an In
creased displacement over the Great
Eastern Of more than 5000 tons.
Built to the order Of the White Star
line by MessrR. Harland & Wolf, Of
Belfast. the launching OF the great
liner In April last was witnessed by
over one hundred thousand persons.
The difficulty Of putting the ship into
work was commenced. In order to Sc
cure a solid bed for the great weight OF
metal It would have 10 bear a founda-
tlon Of piles surrounded by layers Of
cross logs was formed TO take the
place Of the usual blocks upon which
the keel plate was to be laid.
Roughly speaking, ground solid
enough to carry any ship then afloat
was compacted into a stiIT more solid
mass at a cost OF over $4,000. and It's
surface for 100 feet towards where the
stern of the ship would rest was COW
cred with new one and ohe-hRlf inch
steel boiler plates, 51G
The usual plan for building a ship in
place 10 10 secure the two ways" by
means Of "side-daggerS. or, In the
case Of heavier ships, with an lron-shod
central dagger" its head being let in
to a niche about an inch deep In the
keel Of the ship itself, the other end
abuttlng against cross-log OF the
ship.
When the moment comes for putting
her into the water some twenty men
proceed to knock the dagger, out with a
heavy metal ram. Ed
In the launching of the Oceanic a
new method was adopted. AT point
in the lying-way about 4s0=feet from
the stern the usual timber frames were
replaced by two solid steel castings
Weighing upwards Of fifteen tons. In
the centre Of each large wrought
iron trigger wns fitted, and on the un-
der side Of each hydraulic cylinder
with pressure of 5000 pounds to the
square inch was placed. The piston
rods Of these cylinders held the trig-
gers In vertical position In groove
in the running way. A pipe was laid
connecting the two cylinders with a
hydraulic pump. When the moment OF
launching arrived the opening Of q
small valve released the pressure in the
cylinders, allowed the triggers to cant
over, and the ship slid into the water.
The Oceanic has been built to meet
British admiralty requirements as an
armed cruiser. fitted with gun plat
knots at twelve knots IN hour without
Intrenchlng upon the space needed for
troops. stores and ammunition.
The length of the Great Eastern over
all was ESQ feet; that Of the Oceanic is
7O4 feet. The formers drnught (llght
was fifteen feet ak inches the latter's
Is twenty-five feet. Their respective
net displacements are 1854 tons and
5000 tors, and weight Of huh 5000 tons
and 1850 tons. When In sea-golng
trim, with all her stores aboard, 1t ia
csti'-ated that the Oceanic will weigh
2s eco tors, rs compared with the Great
Eaztcvn's $4,000 tons, ThIs, is the dis
plnccr emit tonnage figure which best
represents her actual size.
The Great Eastern had n steam pres
sure Of twenty-five pounds to the
square iDrh. against the Oceanic's 192
pounds. The oceanic's length over all
Is 704 feet, hes extreme breadth
ls slxty.elght feet four aud one-haIt
inches and depth forty feet. A double
bottom 1--WE feel one inch deep extends
her full length. and is Increased under
the enclrcs; nine longitudinal webs eX-
tend through this double bottom. The
fran1ea are Of channel steel nine inches
deep, with four-inch and four and one.
half inch fnnges, md are placed only
thIrty-one- ana one-half inches apart
The outside plates number about 1900
the majority in the mldship portion
Of the vessel being over twenty-eiEht
feet long, about four feet six inches
wide. from an Inch to one and three.
eighth inches in thickness and from
two tons to three and one-haff tons IN
weight. The Great Eastern had 10000
plates. for the most part only ten feet
long. by two feet nine inches wide, and
weighing only s25 pounds.
There IRE over l,I0i,000 rivets: the
stern-pOst. including the arms for car
rying the tubes. weighs ninety-eight
tons. There are five steel decks, thir-
teen water-tight bulkheads, about for
ty-nIne feet apart. and n longitudinal
bulkhead ninety-seven feet long ex-
tends throughout the engine room. The
engines are triple expansion twin screw
each having four cylinders, and the
working pressure Of the boilers is 10:
pounds to the square inch.
Owing to the Great EasteTn's height
above tho water, and her enormous
paddle-box she looked more than hel
size; the Oceanic. with her fine lines
and cRpacious waist under water, does
not look hers And what further tends
to graceful appearance is the eXcer.
tionally long forecastie deck and turtle
back aud the symmetrical arrange.
ment Of the great range Of deck houses
The Oceanic has three polemasts ant
two tunnels. Her saloon Is eighty feet
long, sIxty-four wide. nine feet high
with dome. Some Of the sttta-room'
are thirteen feet six inches By mint
feet. The passenger accommodation Of
the Oceanic Is four hundred saloon
three hundred intermediate. and LOO
steerage. Er
Appeal 10 the President.