The Van Buren press., 1899-09-16
BIGGEST IN THE WORLD.
Arrival Of the Mammoth Steamship
Oceanic in the Harbor of
New York.
GREAT EASTERN WAS SMALL BESIDE AEF
The Vessel is Seven Hundred and
-Four Feet Long, and Has "A Steam
ing Radius of Twenty-Three
Thousand Four Hundred Knots at
Twelve Knots on Haur.

New York. Sept. 1.-THE mammoth
new steamer Oceanic, of the White
Star line, which was looked for by
many all day Tuesday, was sighted
east of Fire island at a. m.. this be-
ing the day the .ompany had am
nounced she would arrive. She left
Queenstown at H.: As p. m. last Thurs
day. Owing to her great draught, she
did not atetmpt to cross the bar till
high water, which was at 1:30 p. m,
nj Sandy Hook, and so did not appear
in the upper bay till about p. III.
Mndc Fairly Good Time.
The time made by the Oceanic may
be considered very good, coming
through the heavy gales that have
been reported on the Atlantic during
her passage, and compares favorably
with that of the swiftest of the ocean
steamers in such weather, bearing out
the claim that with her powerful en-
gines, she will make regular schedule
tine, regardless of weather conditions.
The Oceanic excels the famous Great
Eastern by an increased displacement
OF over 5000 tons. The vessel, built
by order Of the White Star line, in
Belfast, by Messrs. Harland & Wolff,
was launched last April in the presence
of an assemblage of over 1000 per-
sons.
Thc New Monster.
The Oceanic, as an auxiliary cruis-
er. has been built to meet British adj
miralty requirements. 1t is fitted with
gun platforms, and has a steaming
radius of 23,400 knots at IL knots an
hour, without interfering with the
space needed for troops, stores and
ammunition.
Compared with the Great Eastern.
The comparison of this mammoth
ship with its predecessor, the Great
Eastern, is interesting The length of
the Great Eastern over all was $50
feet; the Oceanic displaees $4,000 tons;
the Great Eastern, 1874 The weight
of hull of the new vessel is 5000 tons;
OF the old one, 1880. With all her
stores aboard, the Oceanic weighs 2S,-
500 tons, while the Great Eastern only
weighed $4,000. The Oceanic has a
steam pressure of 1872 pounds to the
square inch, to the Great Eastern's 25.
A double bottom, the full length of
the ship, is five feet one inch deep, and
is increased under the engines; nine
longitudinal webs extend through.
The frames, of channel steel, 8 inches
deep. have fanCes inches and AZ
inches deep.
Seventeen Thousand Plates.
The outside plates number $1,000,
the majority in the midship portion
being over 2S feet long, Az feet wide,
and more than one inch in thickness.
There are over 1,704 900 rivets, and the
stern post. including the arms for car
,ying the tubes, weigh 9S tons. There
nre steel decks, 13 water-tight bulk
heads. about 40 feet apart, and longi-
tuGinal bulkhead, 81 feet long, extends
throughout the engine room. The
triple e-expansion twin-screw engines
each have four cylinders, and the work
ing pressure of the boiler is 1872
pounds.
Passenger Accommodations.
The neutrality-suspicious. Oceanic
looks smaller in the water than she
really is. She has three polemasts and
two tunnels. Her saloon is so feet
long, 64 feet wide, and feet high,
with dome. Some of the staterooms
are l31g feet by Q feet. The passenger
accommodation is 400 saloon, 300 in
termediate and 1000 steerage.