The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1905-11-28
ON BOARD
THE LENA

auxlllary Lena now IN port, one IL Det
ter described as a floating palace of tn,
passenger type. Lying aS Navy Docl
No. ], taking on coal and more or les:
covered with dust from the Cardiff
coal, she is nevertheless well protected
from dirt wherever it Is possible to
stretch tarpaulin or shut a door.
A reporter of the Advertiser was
wandering around the wharf when he
met DR.. Vladimir Zabotkin, the ship Is
surgeon, and inquired if he could see
the captain. He was referred to the
ofhcer of the deck. A guard with bay
onet fixed was standing at the
gangway, but another officer APP
peared and promptly sent for the Off
eer of the deck, Lieutenant Averkieff.
The Lieutenant invited the Advertiser
man onto the main deck and in reply to
a question as to whether the captain
could be seen, replied that Captain Gin
ther was taking a bath, but his brother
in-law, Joseph Lugebil, was at leisure.
Mr.. Lugebil looks the American that he
is. Seen on shore, one would scarce
distinguish him from any other Amer.
can, notwithstanding his pure Russian
origin.
Both the officer Of the day and Mr..
Lugebil at once started in to make the
newspaper man feel at home and with
apologies as TO the dirty appearance of
the vessel on account of coaling, took
him over every part of the ship that
was either not too dirty or inaccessible
on account of tarpaulin projections
from the CRIME.
1t seems that the vessel was built in
England by r. & w. Hawthorne, Leslie
K Co., Limited, shipbuilders and engi-
neers, at Newcastle-on-Tyne, in 1895,
and put into the passenger service be-
tween Odessa and Vladivostok, making
the trip in about forty days each way,
running occasionally to Japan also.
Her name as passenger steamer was
the "Herson" and she belonged to the
subsidized volunteer feet.
In October, 1908, she was purchased
by the Russian government for approx
mately 100000 rubles, or, roughly
speaking, $l,500,00O. She was taken
to Vladivostok and it was intended to
Ieft her for naval service, but the war
came on too soon and she went, prac-
tically, as she had been in the mer-
chant service, into the auxiliary ser.
vice, where she was used to carry sup
plies to torpedo boats and cruisers.
She carries about six thousand tons of
freight beside her coal, when she is full
laden. Mr.. Lugebil remarked that she
was one Of the finest steamers he had
ever travelled on when she was loaded
but that standing as high as she does
out of the water she 10 rather danger.
Gus.
Among the chang which It was in
tended to make in her before war
broke out was alterations In her boil
ers. Lieutenant Averkieff explained
that her boilers could not explode. but
that her boiler tubes are old and weak
and easily burst. She was built for q
12-knot boat and that was sufficient for
passenger business, but as an auxiliary
cruiser she was expected to make six
teen to seventeen knots. This was toe
much OF strain on her boiler tubes
and Il will be remembered that when
she arrived in San Francisco her boil
ers were reported out Of condition then.
On her passenger run, the Lena was
not out more than nine days at time
between any ports and there was op-
portunity to clean her boilers for the
next section OF the run. This was one
Of the reasons why the vessel preferred
10 come to Honolulu instead OF pro-
ceeding to Vladivostok.
The officer of the deck showed the
ships guns. OF which she has twenty
three. eight AZ millemetres, twelve II
millemetres and three 120 millemetres
The Lena has four steel lifeboats tina,
are made OF single piece and fitted
with air compartments so that they
can hardly be overloaded. Each OF these
boats is said to have cost $4,000 to $4,000
The smoking rom was opened and dis
closed spacious apartment whose
walls are OF marble with marble mo-
sale floor and heavy leather upholstery.
There are also several small lifeboats,
which look very low but which, by
means Of their canvas covers, can be
made 10 keep out the water fully
twice the height OF the boat. The can
vas comes up and Is fitted to stanchions
making sort OF an umbrella. The
Lena's engines are double. as are her
screws. Each OF her holds In fitted 80
that by bulkheads the water which
might enter one part would not pene-
tTate 20 another. She can carry about
two hundred first-class passengers, her
saloon accommodating over 100 persons
at once.
Lieutenant Averkieff frequently apol-
ogized for the appearance OF the ship
and said that as soon as she was
through coaling ana cleaned up she
would be thrown open for public in
7 spection. SO Honolulu society may
look forward possibly 10 merry times
4 aboard, N the ship stays long enough
4 Next the bridge deck was visited and
here IN found the compass ana tele-
n graph % the engine room ana the
usual niilngH ~ steam vessels OF her
class. The pilot house Immediately at
~ tho bridge ~ spacious nnd complete.
a - ~ that n tho navigating officers
room again ~ model ~ comfort ana
elegance Tho Iona a. ntted with
. Hfnin HionrnH gDHr, both iu tho pilot
. h0nFn nnd ou lhr hurricane deck above
81 hr iuHrhn who hHa rrrut f0ma
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ilin i'lfHHn puHFuH HNn PROPOSE com
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