Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-09-26

1t may be said that the arrival of the
huge Cunard steamship Lusitania, the
largest of ocean liners. marks q climax
in maritime affairs of year that will
be regarded as epoch making in the
matter of constructing and putting into
service new and gigantic ocean liners.
says the New York Evening Sun. tt
seems only n few weeks ago that the
mammoth Adriatic of the White Star
line was arriving, and now comes the
great Lusitania, even larger and more
speedy than the White Star vessel.
And the difference in size between the
two is not so inconsiderable. The Adri-
attic, to proceed directly to concrete
figures, is 725 feet long. while the
Cunard leviathan measures 100 feet
from tip to tip.
There will be something of difference
in the appearance Of the turbine liner
as compared with the pioneer vessel
of the Cunard fleet which in July, 1910,
steamed cautiously across the Atlantic.
This was the Britannia, a wooden,
paddle wheel steamship which was 207
mage of 1,154. This is rather meager
as compared with the Lusitania's
! great measurement of 1880 net tons.
| The ancient Britannia's engines had an
| indicated horsepower of 740, which
| seems to place her in the towboat class
when it is considered that the turbine
engines of the Lusitania develop GS,000
horsepower in driving the vessels
| quadruple screws. The Britannia )
speed was about 8 knots. while the
Lusitania can be driven at the rate Of
25la knots an hour.
The old time liner had a crimson
funnel amidships, the distinguishing
mark of the Cunarders, but this would
seem tiny pipe if held up in COM
parison with the Lusitania's four 81
gantic stacks. This vessel is the first
of the Cunarders to boast four stacks.
The LuSitania was constructed At
Clydebank. where the Carmania and
Caronia were built She was launched
in June of last year, and since that
time some speedy work has been done
In finishing the vessel up, considering
the sumptuous fittings required and
the mammoth scale upon which the
work was carried on. Through some
mental legerdermain 1t may be posi-.
BILE to CLEAN practical idea of the yes.
sells length. 1t is pointed out that If
the Park Row building in New York
were placed atop of the st. Paul build
J ing and then, with this tremendous
J feat accomplished, if the gigantic LuSi
J tania were placed on end alongside
the new liner would exceed in height
} the double structure by more than 10(
J feet
Additional figures may serve to EN-
} phasize the idea of the great vessels
} bulk. She has Il beam of eighty-eigh
} feet and n nodded depth of sixty feet
Her load draft, when her spaciou!
holds are filled with cargo. will be thir
ty-Seven and onc-half feet. The di
, ameter of the tunnels is considerable
being no less than tweuty-four feet Of
approximately the distance covered by
the worlds champion broad jumper
> The tunnels are 155 feet in height. TIL,
vessels coal carrying capacity mus
needs be large, and her bunkers holt
more than 1000 tons. 1t is expected
that the $50 fires roaring in the YES
sells hold while she is under way will
D consume nearly 1000 tons of fuel
: day.
y A great pressure of steam is neede
J. in order to drive the vessel at such
high rate of speed Each of the fou
shafts carries great propeller of mar
ganese bronze, and the outermost shaft
d are each connected with high pres
sure turbine, while the inner shaft
; are operated by low pressure turbin
' engines, Upon the result of the Lus
i tania's turbines may depend the fl
> ture of this great speed producing br
l, also great fuel devouring engine. Int
: the construction of the new CunarS
er's engines have gone all the device
and advantages that have been gaine
through years of experimenting b
the most expert engineers;
OF course to give these high pressur
, turbines full play and to render po
sible satisfactory test of the powe
full machinery a stanch and worth
!, hull must be provided The keel plat
is the, beginning of the outer shell {
sae ocean leviathan. The keel plat
sc the Lusitania. greatest of ships,
y ave feet wide and four inches thicl
Z Associated with this fat keel is a We
'. teal keel five feet high and one inc
iof the ship. To this powerful ba.