The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-10
EVOLUTION OF IRON VESSELS.

The initial trip of the White Star liner
Oceanic, the greatest steamship in the
world. is at present a matter Of interest to
both the shipping and the travelling puo-
lie. Not only is the vessel longer deeper
and heavier than any other craft ahoat'
or that ever was afoat, not excepting the
famous Great Eastern, but she is said 20
be in advance of all of her sisters in equip
ment and capabilities. Thus she has a
steaming radius of % 400 miles. which
means that she could go around the world
on a continuous trip without having to
stop to have her coal bunkers reh.led, trav-
cling at the speed of twelve knots an hour.
In her cabins she has room for more than
!, 100 passengers of three classes, and in
her forecastles or crews apartments there
are accommodations for 500 more persons.
She has the capacity, therefore, for TAX
ing aboard and accommodating during a
voyage a number of souls equivalent to
the total population of large town. On
her first trip there were 2,0A persons
aboard. 1t is impossible TO go into de-
scription of her details. 1t must suffice
to say that she is d palatial floating hotel,
with every modern convenience that in
genuity can devise, and at the same time
a freight carrier with capacity to take In
a dozen loaded freight trains, engines, cars
and ali
Contemplating this marvellous achieve
ment of marine architecture and engineer
ing, it is difficult to appreciate the fact
that the Oceanic represents an evolution
# los ha vat &c IA
1t has, indeed, been only eighty-two years
since Fulton successfully applied steam
to navigation. in New York and only six
ty-five years since Lamar demonstrated
that iron could be used in the construction
Of hulls, in Savannah-for there is every
reason to believe that the first iron-hul
steam vessel ever constructed was the
John Randolph, a river steamer of small
size, built in this city about the year 1884
by Mr.. G. B. Lamar. The iron for this
craft was ordered from Liverpool, but the
boat was constructed here, and for a num-
Der of years successfully piled the river
between this city and Augusta. OF the
fate of this vessel but little is known; but
Mr.. Lamar soon constructed another iron
steamer, which was named the Lamar,
that was in service on the river as late as
the beginning of the civil war.
There are in Savannah at this time sew
eral citizens of ripe age who distinctly re-
member the building, launching and SER
vice of these pioneers of iron-hull steam
boats; and not only those things, but the
building and sailing of the steamship Sa-
vannah the first steam craft that ever
sailed from port upon an ocean voyage.
Thus within the span of a human life the
iron steam vessel has been developed from
an idea to the monstrous and perfect Oce-
anic. Men now living saw the little John
Randolph on the stocks, when the first
bolts and rivets were being put into her
iron sides. and have watched the progress
of the iron vessel through it's various
stages until they now behold what seems
at the time to be the acme of maritime
construction. Still, It is possible that these
same men may live to see even the Oceanic
eclipsed, since sixty-five years is well in
side the scriptural limit of three score and
ten for mans age.