The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-15
LARGEST EVER BUILT
STEAMSHIP OCEANIC is 7O4 FEET
LONG AND IS BROAD.
The Marine Monster Successfully
Launched at BeIfast-The Cruiser
AIbany's First Bath.

BELFAST, Jan. 14-The White Star line
steamer Oceanic the largest ship ever built,
was successfully launched at Harland &
VOLTS yard to-day in the presence of an
enormous crowd. A grand stand was special
ly erected to accommodate 5000 people.
There were present the members of the firm
of Bruce, Ismay & Co., owners of the White
Star line the Duke and Duchess of Aber-
corn, Lord and Lady Dufferin, the Marquis
and Marchioness of Londonderry, the Earl
of Shrewsbury, the Earl of Ava, the Earl
of SALISBURY, Sir Michael Hicks Beach,
chancellor of the eXchequer, the lord mayor
and corporation of Belfast and a number of
other titled and distinguished men, The
Oceanic, unlike the Great Eastern, which
was launched broadside, was launched stern
foremost, though longer and weighing half
as much again as the Great Eastern. The
Oceanic has coal capacity sufficient to
enable her to circumnavigate the globe at
speed of twelve knots an hour without re-
coaling.
w. L. Curtis of the Chicago Record
says that according to the calculations
of the scriptural pundits, Noah's ark was
$40 feet long, the Campania of the Cunard
line is 625 feet, the Kaiser Wilhelm der
Crosse is CAS- feet, and the Great Eastern
ing built for the White Star line, is twenty
four feet longer than the Great Eastern
or 704 feet over all. The Great Eastern
was of greater beam and tonnage, however,
being SO feet broad IS feet deep and having
a displacement of 2250O tons. The Oceanic
is 6S feet broad, Al feet deep and has a dis
placement of IL 900 tons. The Great East
ern's engines developed only 200 horse
power, and her best speed was eleven knots
an hour. The engines of the Oceanic are
built for 5000 horse power. and she is eX-
pected to sail across the ocean day after
day with her triple screws at the rate of
twenty-seven miles an hour, which is about
the same speed that the new mail service
from New York to San Francisco is expect
ed to maintain.
The Great Eastern was a failure as an
ocean carrier, because she took so much
coal, was SO awkward to handle and cost
so much for repairs. 1t was a serious prob
lem to turn her around in an ordinary har-
Dor, and to get her in and out of her slip
was matter of the greatest anxiety and
danger, but the invention of steam and
electrical steering apparatus has made such
problems of navigation comparatively easy
and the captains of the Campania, or the
Kaiser Wilhelm, or any of the other great
leV1athanS of ocean commerce handle them
as If they were a team of horses. 1t is
interesting to compare the Oceanic with the
steamer which Robert Fulton put upon the
Hudson within the lifetime of many men.
John Sherman was seven years old. The
late Senator Morrill, was of age, Represent
alive Grow of Pennsylvania was ten years
old. Senator Morgan, of Alabama, was six;
Senator PettiS was nine; Senator Hawley
was four years old; Senator Cullom and
Senator Allison were infants in arms when
the first steamship was launched upon the
ocean. In 1920 there were five steamboats,
hailing from the port of New York. The
journey from New York to Washington was
made partly by steamboat and partly by
stage, and it took as much time as is now
required 10 go to London.