Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-01-15

CANT big Side-Wheel steamer now lying
at the feet Of Gilman avenue, this city,
| receiving the finishing touches by
| painters, decorators and plumbers, is
| destined to take a foremost place in
| river circles on western waters, and in
many respects, especially as regards
| size, speed and equipment, will occupy
a unique position. Her chimneys are
| not yet erected, but as she floats proud
| ly at the landing the full beauty of
hull and superstructure is apparent to
| the most unpracticed and the general
effect is one of elegance and gigantic
! proportions. In state room capacity
| the City of Pittsburg is the largest
packet aflca.t on inland rivers. In
length she is third in size. being ex-
ceeded by the Hill City and st. Louis,
and in tonnage second in size, being
| exceeded by the Hill City alone. This
| floating palace was built at cost Of
over 5000 and her general dimen
sions are as follows:
Length of hull 29O feet; length on
lower deck, 500 feet; width of beam in
widest place, 100 feet back from bow,
| As feet; from this point the lines draw
| in six feet in the next 100, and then
taper to the stern on the standard
| model. 1t is expected that this contour
| will in large measure get rid of the
| big swells naturally caused by boat
Of her size. The depth of hold at the
shallowest point is six feet, with four
feet sheer. The guards are each
eighteen feet wide, making the total
breadth over all in the widest part 70
| feet inches. This dimension was
made with the view of permitting the
beat to pass easily through the lock at
Louisville. The space between the
lower and boiler decks is over thirteen
| feet in the clear.
The boat is GO feet in height from
| the water line to the top of the pilot
| house. These dimensions are some
what startling when compared with
land structures. Set down in the city
of Wheeling, for instance, she would
block an eighty-foot street from curb
| to curb, towering to the roof of six
story building with each story ten feet
in height In length she would extend
over half of an ordinary city block OF
600 feet.
The City of Pittsburg was laid out
in May at the yards of M. G. Knox Il
Son, the well-known Marietta builders,
and was launched on September 18th,
following, having consumed five and
one-half months in constant labor be-
fore she slipped gracefully from the
ways into the bosom Of the broad Ohio,
which is to be her permanent home.
Small portions of the old sidewheel
steamer New Orleans were utilized in
her building. She is ten feet longer
than the old boat, but not quite so wide
or deep. Over a million feet of lumber
we're consumed in her building, prin-
cipally pine.
The new steamer will have a dis
tinctive pattern of boilers, of the Scotch
marine type, manufactured by the
Marietta Boiler Works. The boilers
will be three in number, 141ax9 feet in
dimensions, rated at $50 horsepower
each, with water tube attachment. The
| engines are of the common lever-valve
pattern, made at New Albany, Ind. The
cylinders will have a 261A-inch bore,
with ten foot stroke.
| The monster warehouses which at
! this day make the boat something of a
curiosity on the upper Ohio, tower
above the hurricane deck, the wheels
being 80 feet in diameter, with buck
cts IA feet in length.
The cabin of the big steamer is
model of quiet elegance, finished in
white and gold with heavy beveled
glass mirror panels in each stateroom
door The ceiling is paneled in Lin
crusta-Walton, white and gold, with
blue and gold stained glass windows. A
number of handsome electric chandel-
| iers add to the tasteful effect of the
| interior. The boat contains sixty
double-berth staterooms in the main
cabin, 80 in the texas. which of itself
is 1856 feet in length, and II in the nur-
sery department, making 102 state
rooms in all. Each room contains a
marble washstand, with hot and cold
water, and a system of electric call
bells.
The cooking and quartermaster's de-
partmentments, as we'll as toilet
rooms, bath rooms, barber shop, bar,
ETC., are all completely and handsomely
equipped.
The steamer will be commanded by
Capt John N. Phillips, of Pittsburg,
formerly of the Iron Queen. The chief
clerk will be Captain Dana Scott, who
is personally experimenting the work
of constructor. All possible haste is
being made to get the boat ready for
the Mardi Gras excursion to New Or
leans in February, but should the work
be delayed the trip will be made as
soon as possible, Capt. Scott stating
that the passenger list will be limited