Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-04-17
LARGEST SHIP AFLOAI
Launching of the Minnesota,
the Mammoth Vessel to En-
ter Oriental Trade
HILL ON THE MERCHANT MARINE
Declares Great Combinations Are
Necessary to Make Our Flag SUI
preme on the High seas-He Ex-
presses His Sentiments Regarding
the Merser-About the Minnesota.


New London, Conn. April 17.-The
Minnesota. the largest cargo and pas
senger ship in the world, was launched
at the Croton yards of the Eastern
Shipbuilding Company yesterday.
was Miss Clara Hill, daughter of J. j.
Hill, president of the Great Northern
Steamship Company, for which the
vessel was built, to become a part of
the companys Pacific and oriental car
rying service.
After the launching luncheon was
served to the guests of the shipbui!ding
company, in the mold loft of the yard.
There were more than 400 guests at
the launching. Mr. Hill was received
with enthusiastic cheering when he
arose to speak.
In railroad transportation we lead
the world" said he. In the united
kingdom 1t costs $3.50 to ship
a ton of freight 100 miles; in Germany
81; In France $l.T5; in Russia, $3.50;
whereas the average for the United
States is only az cents. l hope I may
have in some manner contributed to
this result. But in steamship trans
portation we are children. Today any
old tramp steamer of any nation that
spies an American vessel putting into
a harbor, with a bundle of freight VIII
shout drop that bundle, and immed-
lately the bundle drops.
With that great vessel out there
riding at anchor / don't want to be told
to drop any bundle. Moreover. 1 now
drop 1t. Once the American merchant
marine was the envy of nations; and
with progressive and liberal treatment
at the hands of the government our flag
shall again be supreme on the high
seas"
In expressing his sentiments regard
ing the merger agitation, MIR. Hill. after
thanking all present for cooperation in
the success of the launching, said:
In order to develop our commerce
with the orient, and meet the compe-
tition of nations, there must exist a
power of control that can collect and
forward it. But we now are told that
such power Is a crime and that he who
exercises 1t is criminal. | now here
plead guilty to that crime, whatever
the penalty that may be imposed"
The Minnesota is of the intermediate
cargo and passenger type. 1t is $50 feet
long. 10 feet 6 inches wide. 56 feet high
to upper deck, SIS feet high to captains
bridge, Ia feet high to top of mast,
and has five continuous decks all plated
with steel Four decks not continuous,
and boat decks, and on top of all comes
the captains or navigating bridge,
making nine decks in all.
In the hull decks and the Minnesota
there are no less than. $4,000 tons Of
steel plates and shapes, and 375 tons
of. rivets. a greater total OF steel
strength than is found in the hull of the
greatest battleship or of any other mer-
chant vessel in the world
The Old Colony building in Chicago
contains $500 tons of structural iron
and steel. or less than one fourth that
in the Minnesota steamship.
The Minnesota has a comparatively
large passenger equipment and will
carry 172 first cabin passengers. no
second cabin, IS third cabin and 2,424
steerage passengers, or troops, in addi-
ition to crew of $50. Its speed is
fourteen knots, and it is expected to
average twelve knots with the heav-
lest cargoes and in the worst weather.
The Cedric, which is registered at
Il, ~
nesota in length, has less dead weight
carrying capacity by more than 5000
tons. The dead weight carrying ca
pacity of the Cedric is 1s,400 tons, while
that of the Minnesota is $4,000. The
Minnesota will carry $4,000 long tons
of coal or 100000 barrels of flour
In regard to the cargo capacity of
the vessel, it will carry a cargo that
would fill railroad train seven miles
long, or 125 trains of twenty cars each.