The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-10-09

From the Kansas City Times.
ryHE Imperator, the biggest ship
afloat, is to be retired soon, Off
! Gals of the Hamburg American
line announce, TO undergo extensive alter
atoms. From the day set for its launch
ing. when it stuck in the mud at the
mouth of the River Elbe, misfortune OF
one sort and another has followed the
Imperator. A benzine explosion killed six
men. vandals damaged the vessel before 1t
I was completed. and only few weeks ago
a severe fire, which started while the big
/ ship lay at dock in New York harbor did
much damage and caused the death OF
| one of the ships officers. Now, 1t seems
the palatial suites of cabins have proved
bad venture financially, and it will be
necessary to do much rebuilding il the
Imperator is to be paying proposition.
All of which brings to mind another
biggest ship which was much more Of
failure than the Imperator is likely to
he. That was the famous Great Eastern,
built in England in 1S57-59. Great things
were prophesed for the Great Eastern; it
was to revolutionize ocean traffic, to De
.as steady as floating hotel" the fastest
thing afloat: perfectly safe"-all the
things which optimistic press agents have
been saying about other greatest ships"
ever since.
The Great Eastern contained num-
Der of principles new in ship building,
and a number of them are recognized as
sound today For instance, it had dou-
BILE hull, an elmer skin" of iron inside
| MI ctr. h
ened longitudinally and was divided into
| compartment bulkheads, All these i'm
provements were excellent. But the
Great Eastern had it's faults, too.
The chief of these was the provision
made for power. The big vessel was
equipped with paddle wheels on the sides,
small screw propeller, and sails. Eng
fish shipbuilders had not yet realized that
| for big ships engaged in transatlantic
travel the screw propeller was far and
awav superior to the paddle wheel prin-
ciple The experience of the Great East
ern. indeed brought out very clearly how
primitive and unsatisfactory paddle
wheels were as compared to screw pro-
pellers.
The Great Eastern was ESQ feet long,
had a breadth of S21a feet. a depth of 5S
feet and a tonnage of 1895 tons. 1t was
built of iron, and had displacement of
! p. as4 tons. 1T was almost twice>as long
as the longest ship then afioat, and COM
pares favorably with some of the big
| liners of today.
| The Great Eastern was launched No
yember 8, 1S57-at least that was the day
| set for the launching. The big ship moved
onlv few feet toward the water before
u stuck on the ways, where it remained
until spring, being moved few feet at
time toward the water The builders Of
the ship, with singular stupidity, had tried
to launch the great vessel sideways in
stead of longitudinally, and the mistake
cost the Great Eastern's owners an addi-
tional 100000 and forced the holding COM
pany into receivership.
| The Great Eastern cost first and last
| about $4,000, 900 by the time it was ready
! for it's trial trip in September, 1859. On
i that trial trip boiler explosion killed six
men and wrecked the saloon. Again the
ship was laid up several months
Then in June. 1860, the ship made it's
first real voyage, from Southampton to
500 first class passengers. 1t carried SO.
| Already it had begun to disappoint the
/ expectations of its builders and the Brit
! ish public generally. How high those
| expectations were may be cleaned from a
| few passages from an EDITORIAL printed
| in the staid old London Times. April Is
1851.
"Ths monster ship will combine steam
power in both shapes. screw and paddle,
with sailing power. She will carry GOO
| tons of coal; she will be lighted by gas
made on board and the electric light will
flicker like st. Elmo's fire at night from
her masthead. She win spread $500 yards
| of canvas and her speed is computed at
! 10 knots or IS miles an hour. Who would
| not wish to be the captain of this gallant
! ship?
Let us imagine the Great Eastern