The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1900-12-21

lof machinery. The huge piece of iron
had been discharged from the steamer
Niihau on her last trip and was loaded
onto a car, having been turned over
to the railroad. 1t was standing up
right and alone when the workman
Istooped to arrange some gear. Fhe
gear fouled in some way and the great
piece of iron fell suddenly over onto
the Japanese, crushing him fiat and
necessarily killing him instantly.
The body was beyond recognition and
it is said that portions of it We're car
ried away in sack. The Japanese was
one Of the plantation laborers.
AN OVERDUE SHIP.
Anxiety is being felt as to the safety
Of the ship Beacon Rock, now 65 days
out from Port Pirie to Wellington. She
left the Australian port with 1 $50 tons
Of concentrates and lead ores as ball
last and has not been heard Of since.
Fine weather prevailed off the south
coast Of Australia for some days after
her departure, and since then strong
westerly gales have been experiences.
Latterfy sthere has been ugly weather
from the south and north, and 1t IS
possible that she may have met with
a. mishap. On the 9Th inst. the S. s.
Rotomahana sighted a ship off Cape
Campbell, the identity of which has
not yet been established. 1t is suggest
ed that the Australian Government
should despatch a steamer to search
the coasts and the Chatham Islands for
traces of the missing vessel.
Recent developments In shipbuilding
have mainly been connected with
steamers; yet that the shipwrights
skill in constructing sailing craft has
by no means lapsed during these latter
days is amply proven by the case Of the
fine six-master schooner George w.
Wells.
| The George w. Wells has just been
successfully launched from the Bean
shipyard in Camden, Mass. She is the
largest vessel of her kind in the world
and is regarded among sailing craft
with much the same interest as the
| Oceanic and the Deutschland are
among steamers.
She has 2,750 tons net register, with
a carrying capacity of over 5000 tons,
while she is 302 feet long in the keel, 345
feet long on top, % feet deep and has
a beam measurement of 4SR feet.
She has a couple Of full decks. her
| tHEOuSnOut OCii6 ihouS VI AAAS~
oaks while all her planking and ceiling
lis bf hard pine. Her keelson is remark
able, being 13 feet high aft and II feet
forward and built of hard pine timber.
It is fastened with no fewer than 50
tt.tis Of one and three-eishths inch IRON
bolts. a
| The vessels fittings include Hyde
lv indlass. operated by d S0-horse power
tu, with a hinp1
lcapacity OF ZOO gallons minute:
Istockless anchor, weighing $500 pounds.
and a Camden anchor weighing 1900
pounds, besides .kedge and. stream an
|chors, weighing respectively 900 pounds
land 500 pounds, and. 200 fathons of two
and one-haIf inch bar chain. B
7 Her water tanks hold 1000 gallons.
Her six lower masts are splendid sticks
lof Oregon pine, each 119 feet long and
30 inches in diameter in the partners;
ltepmasts each 5s feet long, the foretop-
mast IS inches in diameter at the cap.
The jibboom is rs feet long, 20 inches
lat cap: diverboom, rs feet long. Is
inches in the slings; other booms, AZ
feet long, IA inches in the sings,
All the standing rigging is of wire.
set up with turnbuckles.
The masts are named as follows be-
lginning forward: Foremast main
mast. mizzenmast, spankermast, Jig
Igermast and drivermast. The vessel
will carry 10000 square yards of the
Heaviest duck. in the following pieces
iDriver, jigger. spanker, mizzen, main
and fore sails, six gafftopsails of the
same respective designations, driver,
lJigger, Spanker, miZZen and maintop-
mast staysails, and five jibs.
In the after-house are the cabins and
half a dozen staterooIns. besides a
Ichartroom.
Some idea of the immensity of the
vessel may be had from the fact that
lover a million feet of hard pine were
used in it's construction and about 100. :
900 feet of white pine deck plank. In
deed. her material would make a load
for several average-sized schooners.
Not only is the vessel of remarkable
size, but she is uncommonly handsome
withal. for her great length takes away
all appearances of hulkiness. so that
Ishe looks more like an immense yacht.
Twelve schooners like her, ranged in
line. would occupy a mile of pier 'front.'
age, for from the top of her driverboom
to the tip of her jibboom is about 4o5
feet. A schooner that would have been
considered large score of years ago
could not carry enough coal to ballast
the George w. Wells
All this is very satisfactory as far as
Iit goes, but the most satisfactory thing
Iof all from the owners point of view
lis the fact that this magnificent craft
lshould be splendid money-maker
Carrying at least 5000 tons of coal on
draft of only "a feet and with only "a
men all told for crew--mastcr. two
mates, steward, engineer and nine sea-
men-she should easily beat her com
petitors at carrying men when freights
are low. A full-rigged ship of eonol
size would require to carry at least 8,
men all told.
LAUNCHING BOATS AT SEA.
patent has been applied for. in
Australia, for an invention to provide
Ior the safe and effectual launching
or boats from vessel at sea, or when
wrecked upon lee shore. II ia a
well known fact that in a great num-
per OF instances efforts to save the
hves of passengers or crew in such