The Savannah morning news., 1902-11-13

of the Celtic, the coal consumption of
which we know to be at the rate of
260 tons per day. Based on these fig-
ures-and we take upon ourselves to
say that no more economical machinery
than the Cedrics has yet been design
edit is evident that to get the full
benefit of her 40, 900 horse power. what
ever speed that may impart to the ship,
the German express boat will have to
burn very close upon $50 tons of coal
a day. What this rate of consumption
means, coupled with the fact that the
German steamers have longer steam
ing to do between the home and out
outward ports, it may be realized from
the fact that space is provided in the
bunkers of the Kaiser Wilhelm II for
no less than $500 tons of coal-an item
which alone represents the cargo OF
good-sized tramp. And this high coal
bill is accompanied by a largely aug
mented pay sheet, for while the crew
of the Celtic will number something
under $50, of whom go will be in the
engine and boiler rooms, the ships
complement of the Kaiser Wilhelm II
will be made up of 600 persons, of
whom no fewer than 277 will be in the
engineers department. 1t is worth not
ing that only As out OF the 500 persons
carried on the latest flyer will be en-
tered on the ships books as sailors.
Thanks also to the enormous mass of
machinery and coal that she must
carry. we doubt If in the internal
economy of the latest Kaiser space
could be found for ton of cargo, GER
tainly it would not pay to carry it at
twenty-four knots, and for the same
reason her passenger accommodations
will be limited to providing places for
a total of 1883 persons. For the pur-
poses of comparison. it needs but be
stated that the Cedrics dead weight
capacity is something over $4,000 tons,
and that accommodation is provided
on her for 1900 passengers.
Similarly for the purpose of this COM
parison, we need but briefly state that
though the zoe feet 6 inches in length
of the Kaiser Wilhelm II gives her an
advantage of feet 6 inches in this di-
mension over the White Star ship, the
latter is feet wider and of greater
depth. The importance of this is seen
in the fact that while the Cedric at her
load draught of &c feet 6 inches dis
places 1880 tons, her speedier rival,
at her load draught of 90 feet, will lis
place only $4,000 tons. From these few
ngureS it will be seen that the Kaiser
Wilhelm II possesses but one advant-
age-namely, that of speed, over the
Cedric. Whether this is worth the price
paid for it we do not purpose discuss
ing. Here we wish only to point out
again that the big ship must always
prove the most economical. But let us
carry the comparison between these
two ships a little further Not long ago
we were told that the policies for Ell
235,0O0 were being arranged in connec-
tlon with the Kaiser Wilhelm IL This
being so, we may put her value at not
less than G1,300,0 900, or proba bly, 20 per
cent. more than the Cedric cost to build
and equip. To gain her 40 per cent. in
speed she will burn 100 per cent. more
coal She requires some $50 more hands
to work her, and she must forego the
carrying of some 1.200 passengers and
$1,000 to 10000 tons of cargo every voy-
age. Such, then, is the price of speed.
But the tendency of British ship
owners is to cheaper freights by en-
ploying steamers of very large ton
mage. And we have not been singular
in this respect, only where foreign ma
tons have built one such ship we have
built dozen. If we take the humber
of steam vessels of all nations afoat
having a gross tonnage of between p
000 and 1900 tons, the number of such
in 1886 was only 81: in 1891 the num-
pcr had increased to 1911. Between the
same period the ships ranging from A.
900 to 5000 tons had increased from 10
to $50, while ships above 5000 tons
sprang from 40 in 1886 to 57S in 1901.
And if we are to consider economy be-
fore speed, and our food would soon
be appreciably dearer if we did not,
then it is satisfactory to know that Of
the largest class of vessels. excluding
warships, 255 belong to this country, 81
to Germany. 81 to America. IS to
France, Ii to Russia and to Holland
Is it not better that we should carry
the worlds produce at the cheapest
possible rate than build the swiftest
steamers in the world to carry a very
number of passengers?