Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1907-09-19
The Greatest Ship in the World.

constructed, the Lusitania, Of the Gu.
nard line, made its first voyage last
week, crossing the Atlantic Ocean
from Liverpool to New York, 5000
miles, in FIVE days.
Her average speed for the run was
about "a miles an hour, though this
will be increased to 25i miles by the
time the machinery has become fully
adjusted. The highest days run on
the first voyage was 593 miles.
The Lusitanis is not only the larg.
est ship ever built, but is the most
magni6cently equipped and furnished.
1t is floating palace. Every eleC-
trical device imaginable for the COM
fort of the passengers has been in.
stalled. There are cafes, music rooms,
and the couveniences usually to be
found in the most progressive cities.
First-class passengers can choose be-
tween dining,,a la carte in a charming
white and gold Empire saloon or table
d 'hote in an elegant dining room faced
with mahogany. Everything has
been designed to look as little like a
ship as possible. The freplsces are
open. The windows are shaped and
curtained as in private house. The
elevators are located in the center of
the ship, alongside the stairyays.
The staterooms are as handsome as
skill can make them. The regal suites
consist of two bedrooms, a dining room,
reception room and bathroom. There
are Sheraton dressing tables, brocaded
settees under the windows, brass bed
steads aud the walls are adorned with
delicate tapestries. Passengers can
telephone to any part Of the ship by
simply calling up central. "
The Lusitania is 100 feet long, SO
feet in breadth, go feet in nodded
depth, and draws 37i feet when fully
loaded. If by some miracle she
should be placed on the main street
of Shepherdstown she would reach
from the Ehtler Hotel to the Billmyer
corner, and the buildings on one side
Of the street would have to be torn
down to give her room. The upper
deck would be twice as high As the
highest point Of the Register building.
If there was depth of 373 feet in the
Potomac river from shore to shore at
Shepherdstown the big ship would
not be able to turn around. Her
masts would be more than twice as
high as the railroad bridge. Her
tunnels are l55 feet high and "A feet
in diameter--a railroad train could
pass through them and have plenty OF
room to spare. On pinch she can
carry 2, 500 passengers, to say moth
ing of the hundreds in her own crew.
Every man, woman and child in
Shepherdstown could find first or
second-class accommodations-if they
had the price-and there would be
room for a thousand others to travel
third. class. 1t takes 1000 tons of
coal to 6ll her buskers, and most OF
it is used in one voyage.
The double bottom is divided by the
vertical keel and transverse frames
into compartments in which water
ballast may be carried. The tops OF
these tanks are carried we'll round the
turn of the bilge, so that should tie
bilge keels be torn away and the hull
pierced the entering water would be
confined within the inner and outer
bottoms. The lower deck ls made
completely watertight. Below it are
the lower orlop and orlOp decks, and
above are the main, upper, shelter,
promenade, upper promenade and
boat-nine decks in all. The COM
municating doors between the water
tight compartments at or below the
water line are Of special type, and
can be closed automatically from the
navigating bridge in few seconds.
In all, the Lusitania has ITS water
tight compartments, 60 that it is
claimed for her that she is az unslnk'
able as a ship can be.
The steel plates which cover the
ribs or framing of the vessel or are
used for the decks, bulkheads and
castings, or in other ways, number Z0,'
600, the largest being about 4O feet
in length and weighing from 4 to D
tons.
To secure these plates to each other
and the structural framework Of the
ship more than 100000 rivets have
been used, sggregating in weight about
500 tons. The largest riyets are used
in the keel plate, and these are 8
inches in length and weigh 2f pounds.