The Republican journal., 1903-06-04
THE. MERCHANT STEAMSHIP MAINE.


the American States, now has named In her
honor not only first-class American battle
ship but the newest and one OF the largest
of American ocean liners. Tie merchant
steamship Maine is a steel vessel OF large
size-larger even than the battleshlp Maine
built for the important trade between
Baltimore and London. She belongs to the
fleet of the Atlantic Transport Company,
one of the constituent parts of the Inter
national Mercantile Marine Company, more
commonly known as the morgan merger
She has been constructed at Sparrows Point
near Baltimore and is just now about COM
pleted and ready to enter service. she IS
one of the largest American ships afloat-
more than twice as large, indeed, as the
great steel sailing vessels which have been
launched from the Kennebec yards More
exactly speaking, her dimensions are: oo7
feet long, IS feet wide, and 43 feet deep;
with gross registered tonnage OF S,ooO.
disbursement loaded of 1920, and a capac-
ity for 10, 400 tons of dead weight cargo. Ii
the new Maine was filled with wheat she
could carry $4,000 bushels, or the yield OF
40, 600 average western acres and this wheat
cargo would fill 300 freight cars, or - trains
of % cars each.
But the Maine is equipped for carrying
other things than grain or raw cotton or
provisions OF machinery. Securely shelter
ed from the storms and cold, she can carry
on her upper decks $50 head of cattle. So
thoroughly developed is this business of
cattle carrying across the ocean that out OF
$50 head the Maine would lose, probably,
not more than two or three on a bOlsterouS
voyage, and she might even land all OF this
live freight in good condition.
The Maine is more interesting from the
fact that she is one of less than IA dozen
American steamships plying to and fro over
the Atlantic All of the American steamers
in this trade-and as compared with BRUSH
or German steamers they ale few, very few,
in number-beong to the fleet of the Inter
national Mercantile Marine Company. In
deed, until the Maine and her sisters were
built there We're in the whole Transatlantic
service 10 home-huilt ships pure and simple.
The other American vessels carried pas
sengers as we'll as cargo, and some, the fast
est of them, conveyed the mails. But the
Maine and her two sisters, Massachusetts
and Mississippi, also of the Atlantic Trans
port fleet, already in commission, and the
Missouri that will soon be launched at Spar
rows Point-these four are the only Ameri-
can cargo carriers in the great trade of the
North Atlantic oc IAN. 1t is pleasant to
know that no better cargo ships were ever
constructed. They are very strong vessels
of unusual massiveness. They have eco
nomical engines driving them by twin
screws at the excellent rate-for cargo ships
of u knots an hour. They carry no can
vas beyond the jib and one or two trysails
on their steel masts. They are built for
business and that alone.
Instead OF yards this new Names masts
bear derrick booms for the quick and easy
handling of her heavy cargo. Instead of
coils of sheets and halyards there are 16
steam winches thickly scattered about the
decks. In conspicuous place forward is
one product of the Pine Tree skill industry,
a Hyde Number - windlass. And it is al
together likely that before the Maine has
sailed many voyages, some Pine Tree sailors
will be found among her officers and crew.
All four of the deck officers of the Massachu-
sets, her sister ship, are Rative-born New
Englanders.
The Maine will carry 1903 people all told,
or three times the complement of the big
gest Maine-built sailing ship, and almost
the company of an old-style sloop-of-war.
London has long seen the flags Of almost
all the world except America, but the Stars
and Stripes should make creditable figure
in the Thames, streaming from the taffrail
stats of the Maine and her sisters, Massa-
chusetts, Mississippi and Missouri.