Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-09-06
Steamships Of the Future Will
Make Those Of To-day Look
Like Tugs.


Make Those Of To-day Look
Like Tugs.
WIHEN the rising generation is big
w enough to spend its honeymoon,
or to incur the disagreeable
necessity of escaping the attentions of
process servers, it will travel on steam
ships which will make those of to-day
seem like tugs. To be more specific, not
later than forty-two years hence the
largest twenty steamships in existence
will have these average dimensions
Length, 1000 feet; breadth, 100 feet;
draught, So feet; gross tonnage, 10000.
AS the average dimensions of the pres
ent largest twenty are, length, $40,
breadth $50, draught 32.1, and gross
tonnage, 1851, it will be seen that the
steamships will have to do some tab
growing.
These confident predictions are made
BY Elmer Lawrence Corthell, B. A., M.
A, DIR. Sc, of New York and Chicago.
AS Mr.. Corthell is not professioral
prcphet. but an engineer who has done
l,otable part Of the worlds work in
the past, and is still engaged in some
great undertakings, his predictions re-
-eanding the future of the worlds con-
merce are of the liveliest interest.
3. L. Corthell played an important
part in convincing Congress in 1874 of
the wisdom of authorizing the construc-
ton Of the famous Eads jetties at the
month Of the Mississippi, and was engi-
necr in charge If the construction OF
he ietties. which increased the DEPTH
of water in the South Pass from nine
feet to more than thirty feet. He made
SURVEYS for the Tehuantepec Ship Rail-
way in 1880, and subsequently,, by means
81 number of notable addresses de-
]ivered in the principal cities of the
United States, attracted the worlds at
te1,tion to the project. He built bridges
over the Mississippi river at Hannibal,
Ia. and St. Louis, Mo-, and at New
Orleans. He planned and executed the
harbor improvements at Iampico, which
increased the depth Of water from eight
feef TO twenty-six feet and made that
c;fv the second port in Mexico. he re-
duced the nebulous idea Of the Chicago
Worlds Fair to tangible proposition
81 solving the engineering problems OF
that great undertaking. and subsequently
carried out some important works that
were instrumental in making the Fair
success. He was also one of the leading
spirits in organizing the International
Eneineez;ng Congress, held during the
Fan. Ten years ago the works Of vari-
Gus kinds constructed under Mr.. Sort
bell-s supervision footed up an aggregate
/ value Of S1ooooo.ooo In 1893 he repre-
\ ,euted the United States government at
A. International Congress of Naviga-
ron at Brussels. Heswas also at the
pzris Congress in 1900 and at the Milan
! roooress in 1905. At present he Is
SfIkident and chief engineer Of the conf
INV which is making important I'M
xemsnts in the harbor Of Rio Grande
S., sul. Brazil, the difficulties Of which
AVE basled some Of the 1. worlds Y fore.
s,ost engineers. He is member Of
..,,.th;uq like a score Of scientific So
Isles IN America and Europe.
Il 1903 when Mr.. Corthelrs FIRST pre-
s. !; was made, the number Of steam
~ n existence was Ir,z7r, having a
''- i, tonnage Of I7,8So.oo6. He predicted
=. -, 4 Eve years this number would
.,.sse 10 ra,ooa, with an aggregate
s.uage Of ao.sor,7o5- The actual num-
! existence in 1903 was 1881, rep
z. ..;rc tonnage of 26I5S.35S- The
- tonnage Of steamships in 1893
a. Mr.. CorthelI predicted that
% u: average would increase to 1905 by
IN In reality the average at the end
sv~ Gears proved to be 1855 tons.
.verase dimensions Of the largest
- -, steamships in 1853 were: Length
u feet: breadth. g. feet; dfaught' q