The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-11-05
Especial Correspondence OF The Tines

BOSTON, November 3.--1r the ce1-
fury which has elapsed since Robert Full
ton sailed his famous Clcrmont up the
Hudson River In 1907, a mighty inland
water traffic has sprung up and from this
traffic there has been gradually evolved
n distinctly American type Of vessel.
or this typo the Providence, now rapidly
nearing completion for the Fall River
sarvice at the Fore River shipyard on the
southeastern shore OF Boston harbor Is
the highest development. 10 the avera ge
traveller who Is accustomed to regard a
aide wheel steamboat as a relic OF q past
age, 1t VIII be a surprise to learn that
the new vessel, which is to cost n million
and a. half dollars, Ii to be equipped With
paddle wheels instead ola propeller, and
that for traffic on calm wat tors, such as
Long Island Sound, he older type Is
still regarded By experts as the better.
The new boat Is the product OF condl-..
lions which exist In no other country, and
lis the direct result OF the great river
steam traffic begun nearly hundred
years ago.
In 1914 tile first steamboat on the Ohio
and Mississippi Rivers made her appear
ance. and thirteen years later the Chan
celior Livingston, which was taken from
the Hudson for the purpose, made the
+ first run through Long Island Sound
from New York 10 Providence. The or
binary craft Of the early years were
hardly larger than a good -slzed tug u
to-day and the Chancellor Livingston,
With her 4ss tons when most merchant
men did not exceed 800. her l57 feet OF
length her 80 feet OF width and her depth
Of 10 feet. was a leviathan In her time.
With the advance in steam operation
q float the screw propeller soon took the
place OF paddle wheels for seagoing
ships. Cn the Great Lakes, THOSE
mightiest OF all inland waters, naviga-
s ton Is, in many ways, much like sailing
The open sea, and the modern steamer
from Buffalo 10 Duluth. for example, Is a
huge twin-screw ship. comparable In size
and power with many q trarsatla ntic3
liner, and dwartinE a majority OF coast
wise steamers Bit though the screw
has displaced side wheels to some ex-.
tent on these vast Inland seas as 1t has
on the ocean. the older kind Of vessel IS
still found the more useful in certain
caliTer courses. Ike the Irish Sea. The
Mississippi and the Hudson. and IN par
ticular on Long Island Sound. After all.
side wheels have beon found better suited
to boats Of shallow draft plying over
quiet ways at high rates OF speed. and
8the steamers OF the Sound have grown
to be among the most luxurious, COM
forta BILE and convenient of all the worlds
vessels.
River fitting-out dock. Is to be the finest
II Is OF this type that the Fall River
lines new steamer Proy!dence--the third
OF It's name in this notilla-now well
along toward completion at the Fore
example. She has sisters which are
longer than she IL, but none that can
carry so many passengers. none so mag
nlficently lifted UP. Against the Liv-
ingston's less than FOO tons she shows
above 500; the pioneers 20 horsepower
engines are pigmies In comparison with
the newcomers 500 honrse- power equip
ment: and the monster Of to-day, easily
pacing Oft her 20 miles an hour, would
soon leave far behind the little steamer
OF three-quarters of a certury8a ago which
made a record trip OF Is miles from New
York to Albany. a distance now covered
In about half the time. This IS the sort
of steamer that has created. from SO
other course Of like length can boast; for
in a single Summer night 1000 rassen-
gers pass up or doWn56the $50 miles Of
the Long Island Sound route, while the
value of freight transported in the score
OF boa is employed foots up to more than
500, COO In a year.
. Even In the queer little Livingston
there WAS a SNRStStpI OIL t'Ic&uSSIIlllS
Ing guards, the rounded padde-boxes,
and the tiers OF decks tina mark the NON
sters Of the present service: but now
these distinctive schora ctcristics OF the
side wheeler's outward appearance are
vanishing. The huge wheels OF the Provi-
dence, IS feet In diameter. are encased
IN the slperstructure and the ,nsghtly
Walking beam Is done away With alto-
gether by the use OF incline engines
ar hal
the crankshaft In the bottom OF the yes
sell Also, che heavy stanchions and
framing above, and the struts below.
that were obtr,lslve features Of the big
steamboat in the days OF wooden build
Ing, have disappeared from view with
modern steel construction, and there Is
nothing now TO mar the graceful lines
OF the great sweep from stem to stern,
In physical dimensions the Providence
does not qlite equal the Priscilla, of the
same line which is the largest boat 1T
her kind afloat. The Providence Is SsI
feet long and IS feet wide overEthe guards
more than 100 feet longer than the
United States cruiser Des Mo!nes, whose
place She took on the Fore River building
beach, and Just twice her breadth The
steel hull Is fitted with double bottom,
running up to the Waterline and consist
ing OF Is watertigft compartments Above
that, the whole vessel is divided into
seven compartments ny heavy water
tight bulkheadss while at the bow extra
protection Is given by q collision steel
deck, placed Il feet below the main
deck and running back from the stem
more than third Of the vessel 's length,
Unlike the patertlght hulkheads 81 ocean,
going vessels, those on the Providence
are solid without openings Of any kind.
and with barely room enou oh between
the bulkhead and the ceiling for q man!
to crawl over Tho depth q The buik
heads Is ample to avert tho POSSIBILITY
OF a disaster Altogether, the PROV
predecessors while she marks "a striking
advance for her class in that she y
building IN Il tbattleship" yard, where q
largo part OF the work done is for the
United States government -,
Outwardly, the new boat viii be not nnr
| like several large American sldewAeelTs