The Calumet news., 1912-07-17
FAVOR REDUCING
THE SIZE OF SHIPS
Loss of Titanic Has Set Ship
Builders to Thinking

The loss of the Titanic has brought
NJ no more interesting point than
that OF the future of the monster
ship. Shall the shipbuilders contin-
ne to turn out larger and larger Nos-
sells until tile thousand-foot steamer
is realty. or is it time to call a
halte That is the question which
confr0nts builders and public alike
IL the latter should now show de-
cided aversion 20 the ocean giants,
iWo particular arguments FOR theic con
struction- theh. advertising value and
their great earning power--would lose
much or all OF their value. II moy,
for Instance, appear that the title of
the largest sl;ip aHoat and her knsh'p
10 the ritanic viii together make the
olympic unpopular hereafter. and, THAI
the Gigantic. nov under way. viii repe!
people because OF her size. Already
II is announced that the Gigdntic's
plans are To be altered because of the
loss Of the Titanic, al least to the eX
tent of adding an extra bottom; but
nothing has as Vet been said about an,
dimiuuuon OF her length.
Some huge German vessels are al.
SO under way. of larger size than the
Titanic Probably ii is too ate nov
20 change their construction. Rug
there are certain striking facts la
connection with the Titanic's enc
which may have The effect of check
ing any further Increase in length anC
bulk for some years 10 come If not
permanently. one of these is brought
cut by the London Economist i'm u
discussion of the Titanic disaster. !,
ahoat and been towed To Halifax, as
was at first falsely reported was be
ing done she would have been a to-
tai less. Her cargo rlight have been
saved and her machinery taken out
but she herself could not have been
repaired at Halifax or anywhere else
on this side Of the Atlantic. To have
towed her 1900 tons back across
The Atlantic To Belfast for docking
would. as the Economist believes. prob
ably have been hopeless task, despite
the successful towing or the drydock
Dewey 10 Manila. For the Titanic
would have been at best somewhat wa
lerlogsed ana fearful burden for a
ieet of towing vessels. Indeed she
could not in her disabled condition
nave entered the harbor Of Halifax
in account of her draft The largest
lrydOck ON the Atlantic coast. that al
Newport News, is bat sol feet long
inside, or rs feet shorter than the Ii
anic The new navy drydock at the |
navy yard is only To be 700
.eet long. Hence, If any serious acci-
lent should happen To the Olympic or
he new Hamburg American boats, |
hey. too. would be beyond repair on
his side Of the ocean. 1T is indeeo
curious thing SAYS the Economist, |
that this vital point seems TO have !
'een largely overlooked by the shipping |
world In Great Britain. and many un-
lerwriters who had written the hull |
Il the preposterously low rate of ljc |
ier cent realized only after the. acci- |
90 feet in length is from it's nature
IN undesirable risk"
Evidently. there must he either a |
imitation tO the size of steamers or
great increase in the capacity Of |
locks. But whether giant docks Will |
'ay for the6lselves is another ques-
ion. obviously, they would not, save !
II the terminus of such well FREE
lucnted trade route as that of the |
\orth Atlantic. Even in New York |
n Norfolk, however. such dock |
would be of comparatively little use |
ave i'm an emergency. Unless it were |
ilaced ON very deep water it might |
,e of no avail after an accident if |
he ship were lying very low in the |
water. Even IN England there is |
We believe. but one drydocll large |
nough for the Olympic, and a Brit
sh naval expert Alfred Elgar, makes |
he surprising statement that If, inl