The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-04-16
Special to The Globe.

NEW LONDON, Conn, April IL
The Minnesota will be launched to-
morrow at the New London plant OF
the United States Shipbuilding COM
pany. No vessel approaching the Min
nesota in size has ever been built in
the United States and only two abroad,
the Celtic and Cedric. Miss Hill,
daughter of James J. Hill, president
OF the Great Northern Steamship COM
pany, will name the vessel. The Mime
sofa and her sister ship now being
built at the New London yards are
designed for passenger and freight
traffic on the Pacific ocean. The build
ing of this great passenger vessel in
augurates new era in American Ship
yards, where hitherto the largest ships
have been vessels of war.
Great Vessel Described.
The Minnesota is of the intermedi-
ate cargo and passenger type, and built
under Lloyd's survey. She is $50 feet
long, 73 feet inches wide, Sc feet high
to upper deck, SS feet high to captains
bridge, 177 feet high to top of mast, is
rugged as a four -masted schooner, with
pole mastS, and has five continuous
decks, named as follows: Orlop, lower,
steel. The four decks which are not
continuous are the forecastle, prone
made, bridge and boat decks, and on
top of all comes the captains or navi-
cation bridge, making nine decks in
all. The stem, stern post, rudder and
struts for shafts are of cast steel.
The vessel is divided transversely
into thirteen watertight compartments;
the engine and boiler rooms being di-
Vlded longitudinally by a watertight
bulkhead makes four Watertight ma
chlnery compartments. The double bot
tom is six feet deep, and extends
across the whole bottom of the vessel
This space can hold about 1000 tons
of water ballast whenever required.
and is divided into twenty eight water
tight compartments. In addition to
above, water tanks are located in the
tween deck, one on each side of CEN
ter; two Of these tanks are fitted for
ward of machinery and two abaft, and
contain in all over 1000 tons of water
Altogether this hull Is divided into
forty-six watertight compartments.
The Piping.
All piping for pumping the various
compartments rs led through a central
Watertight tunnel, which is at all times
accessible from engine room, and
means of escape from same is proyid-
ments, abaft engine room, is led
through the shaft alleys. An emer-
gency drain is fitted so that if any
compartment is disabled the water can
be taken care of by the pumps at a
rate of $4,000 gallons per minute: this
is equal to the quantity of water which
would flow through a hole in side of
snip seventeen square feet in area
The space occupied by machinery is
the smallest nraptipa bla tbo+ cpooa
for cargo may be as large as possible
Ihe total cargo capacity is about 30
900 tons; the holds are arranged so
that longest rail irons may be slowed.
A longitudinal bulkhead is fitted the
whole length of ship; this divides each
hold into two separate compartments,
and therefore the matches are fitted
IN pairs one to each hold. Some of the
matches are so large that bulky freight
such as a locomotive or freight car. or
large marine or land boiler, can be
lowered right down into the hold.
Every hatch can be loaded or discharg-
ed simultaneously If desired
The cargo handling device on this
vessel is very complete and designed so
as to cut down number of men to a
minimum. Two winches and two booms
are fitted to handle cargo at each
hatch. The booms, thirty-four in num-
Der, are built of steel. Two heavy
booms are fitted to life weights from
thirty to fifty tons. The winches for
cargo handling are thirty-fo in num-
ber, all electrically operated.
Meat and Ice.
One hold in the ship is devoted to
carrying frozen meat, and is completely
insulated; its capacity being about
2,5OO tons. An ice-making tank is fitted
and cool water is supplied to drinking
fountains throughout the ship.
The arrangement Of coal bunkers is
novel feature on this ship, and, like the
construction of the center longitudinal
bulkhead and girderS, is a departure
which, as far as we know, the Eastern
Shipbulidng company have been the
first to make in an ocean vessel. The
bunkers are located above the boilers;
the ends of the bunkers are sloped in
such manner that the bulk of the coal
will gravitate through chutes and be
deposited on the firing platform. The
capacity OF permanent bunker is over
1000 tons, and a reserve bunker is
fitted contiguous to the boiler room.
having capacity for about 1000 tons
of coal.
The anchors and chains are very
heavy. The heaviest anchor weighs
about eight tons; the lightest about
two tons. The weight of the cable is
over eighty tons, and the whole equip
ment, anchors, cable and wire weigh
about 130 tons. The anchors are stock
less. Both anchors and chains are the
heaviest ever made.
Forty Ton Rudder.
The immense steel rudder on this
ship weighs over forty tons, and its
weight is carried by roller bearings on
upper deck. The pintles are portable
and brass lined, and can be renewed at
any time without disturbing the fad
der The steering gear is very strong.
ana can be driven by either steam or
electricity. "a
A complete installation of electric
nght is arranged, there being about
l,3OO lights on board, and a powerful
searchlight is fitted on forward lookout
bridge. -0oiAou'
There are seventy-two mottor-drivaIt
blowing and exhausting fans for yenti-
latlng purposes. The temperature of
rooms and Railways is maintained hv
heated or cooled air, and the first cabin
staterooms will have electric heaters
SO that passengers may have more or
less heat at will.
The port, starboard and masthead =
lights are electric, and a tell-taIe is
ntted in charthouse which indicates If
lights are burning or not An indicator
also shows at what angle rudder is