The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-09-04
The new {; VI LIBERTY i n

lie NE Ll6Ekl1.
She W Steamboat to Which; New
Ideas are Applied, and Isl Expected
to Reyolutionize Steamboat Con-
struetion on Western Waters.
z The new Liberty. q steamboat on new,
lines qt which great things 5ares ex-i
spected spy: her owners, the Rapid Tram
sit Packet Company. of this city, will
be given her trial trip at Middleport.
about septembers 10, gand a party or the,
stockholders of the company will go
down In u yacht toSwitness the initial
performances OF their packet. The
new features OF this boat Include a ro-
Etary engine OF great poWer.and a wheel
:in3which the resistance of the water Is
ut o minimum a speed OF fifteen miles
an hour Is predicted for the Liberty;
and u her trial trips are successful, IT
rs likely that the new engine and wheel
will reyolutionlze steamboat CONSTITUTE
tlon SonSwestern waters. The Libertyt
Will likely be placed In the Wheeling
and Pittsburghtradc IN Z.
81 OF the Liberty. the MIddleport Re-
.pub,ican-Herald says: !! f
The. new steamer Liberty building at
the Excel dock yards. this city, was
successfully launched last Saturday!
morning inlthe presence OF several hun-
bred persons who had gathered to witt
ness the ceremonies. At the appointed
hour, Mrs. Schfadergfof Wheeling, w.
Va, wife Of Captain schrader, one OF
the owners OF the boat. stepped forward
and broke "a bottle Of wine across the
PROV offthcS boat. naming her Liberty
and wishing her long life and album
dant prosperity. Mrs. Schrader and her
lady friends then left the boat. the sig
nal was given and the beautiful little,
steamer glIded down the, ways to
within "a few feet of s the water and
stopped, and after the workmen had
.nGdded and wet the. ways the steam
iortLittle Queen pulled her into the wa
ter. Captain Booth ind Mayor J. II.
Williams were the only citizens who
mustered UP sufficient courage to ride
in on the boat and they never left her
until she struck the water.
Old isteamboatmen say she ( is the
handsomesti model ever:launched on.the
Ohio river. and 1t Is the opinion OF
oil that she$will be very fast. She is
1870 feet long, 20 feet inches beam and
4 foot depthi of hold. Her boilers,
which arefbelrg built by the Williams
boiler works Of this city. will be Is feet
long. 4Slnches in diameter and each. t2)
contain 1lt6.inch Iap-welded iron ilues,
and the boilers are. to be of 10000
T. S Marine Carbon Steel Co.'S steel
and to have steam drums IS inches d.
.ameter and los inches long. These
boilers are known as the 6-inch tubu-
lars. and the most economic steam users
known. s n
i's The new boat Is to be propelled by
two rotary engines, 10 inch bore. 8 foot
stroke equal,ing Is Inch by feet recip-
rocating engines. These engines are
being bui!t by; the Ohio Machine Com
;pany of 'Middleport, o.. under the i'm
mediate supervision Of L, R. Han 6. who
for many years has given his personal
attention to all construction work for
this company, and Is assisted by G. w.
Montgomery, of Bellnire, Ohio. the in
ventor of the engines. A small en-
A inch bore by 10 inch stroke is also be-
Ing built for driving the dynamo.
The huh and cabin of the Liberty is
now.2well under way at the Excel docks,
and I a perfect model OF a boat 1t Is.
The cabin Is to be the full length Of the
boat, 100 feet, and IS feet wide; dining
and sleeping rooms will all be on the
main deck. She will be! handsomely
furnished throughout. /, equipped with
all modern improvements, such as bath
rooms, etc.
- The wheels are an Innovation In
steamboat construction.Ith the buckets be- .
Ing OF spring steel running on an end
less cable, thus doing away with the
resls;ance'to the water as the old style
wheels ere built She will probably be
placed In the Wheeling and Pittsburgh
trade, and is expected to make Is miles
an hour Her accommodations Will be
on the European plan entirely. Capt.
a.. B. Booth. of Wheeling. w. Va, who
represents the Rapid Transit Packet
Company of that city. is here giving his
personal attention to all the details OF
the work for the boat. He Is an en-
thusiastlc river man. and believes the
day IL coming when steamboats, Will
enter into direct competition with the
railroads for the; passenger trade. espe-
clally. with the local trade, and he says
.sincp wn WILL have fhn fostnst thtpp
on the water" We do not see how the
railroads can compete with us, consId-
;ering accommodations. speed. etc. The
building Of the boat IS being nnxiously
watchediby all river men, her trial trip
will be taken with the eyes OF all
steamboat men upon her. and If proven
to be what her owners and builders
earnestly hope for, there will be rcvo-i
luton In the bodybuilding and operating
trade on the western waters.
WEATHER AND RIVER.