Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-12-23
ARE BIGGEST OCEAN LINERS
Gigantic Ships to Join the Atlantic
Fleet, Each Carrying 5000 People.


Near the end OF the year 1911 there
will cross the Atlantic ocean the great
est steamship that ever drove past
Sandy Hook on it's way to New York
a vessel that exceeds by seventy feet
the length of the giant Cunarders, the
Lusitania and Mauretania. When these
great vessels came out many of those
who looked at the majestic sisters felt
sure that in these two the last word In
marine construction had been reached.
But the Olympic, now under con-
struction at Belfast. Ireland, for the
White Star line, exceeds these two in
size by almost as great a margin as
the Lusitania and Mauretania exceed
the older Lucania and Campania. The
newer Cunarders are 100 feet in length.
The length of the White Star giantess
is $50 feet. The Cunarders have a
beam Of IS feet; that of the Olympic
is % feet. In displacement the new
vessel exceeds the older ones by 5000
tons. She will not be endowed with
the high speed of the ocean grey
hounds.
Titanic, a sister vessel to the Olym-
pic, is also under construction at Bel
fast but the work upon this other
vessel is not as tar advanced as it
is on the Olympic. Each ship will
have accommodations for 5000 pas
sengers and for a crew Of 600.
Each vessel will have nine steel decks,
and on the upper of these there will
be a spacious entrance hall, dining
saloons, smoking rooms, libraries, wo-
mems parlors or drawing rooms, grill,
lounge rooms and restaurants as well
as a main saloon about ninety feet
wide.
One of the upper decks is to be com
pletely inclosed to serve as ballroom
or skating rink. Instead of canvas
partitions or awnings to keep out the
wind and rain the whole will be in
closed with glass windows similar to
those in railway carriages. By day
this spacious apartment may be used
as a sun parlor or promenade, and 1t
will be large enough to enable several
hundred passengers to move about
with ease and comfort.
In addition to extended suits Of
rooms complete flats will be available,
thus making 1t possible to cross the
Atlantic in the enjoyment of all the
privacy of ones own home. Ocean
going fats will comprise bedrooms,
sitting rooms, private bathrooms and
even a private library, ali en- suite.
Cabins with private shower baths at
tached, a great salt water swimming
bath large enough to permit of diving
and a well equipped gymnasium are to
be among the features which will be
introduced.
The main dining saloon G-.:n - go
nished to seat 600 persons at once.
and should a guest tire of this grand
chamber he can wander from one cafe
to another-each day have bis meals
in a different apartment. The veranda
cafe will also be a leading feature of
these ships. It will be placed on one
of the upper decks far astern, fully
fifty feet above the sea level, and as 1t
will be constructed with exposed raft
ers intwined with vines and creeping
plants and have latticed sides, it will
make the Illusion of a cafe at the sen
side almost perfect
Eacn steamer win be divided MO
upward of thirty steel compartments
separated by heavy bulkheads. An
automatic device on the bridge will
control all these heavy steel doors,
making 1t possible for a single hand to
close them all In almost an instant In
case of danger. Each of these doors
will be electrically connected with
chart on the bridge, where each door
will be represented by small electric
light. and when one of these doors
closes the light viii burn red. but
while 1t remains open the DISK Will pc
quite dark The officer on the bridge
win thus be able to see at q glance