“THE SHIP OF THE AGE."

Ashburton Guardian, Volume III, Issue 642, 22 May 1882, Page 2

“THE SHIP OF THE AGE."

What The Times has called the “ship of the age,” which vessel is now . on her maiden voyage to Australia, is thus described by the Glasgow Daily News'. —The Austral, the new Orient liner, is the largest vessel yet built for the Australian trade, and ishe is intended to perform the voyaye in 30 to 31 days’ time. She is built of steel on the cellular double-bottom system, and is classed in the highest grade at Lloyd’s. The principal dimensions of the vessel are : Length between perpendiculars, 455 feet; breadth, 46 feet; depth moulded, 37 feet; tonnage, about ' 5,600 tons. The engines are of the threa-cylinder inverted type, the highpressure cylinder being 62 inches diameter, and the two low-pressure : 86 inches diameter by 5 feet stroke. 1 Steam is supplied by four boilers at J polb pressure, and the engine will de- j velop 6300 h.p, on trial. The veSsel 1 is built with four decks. On the upper <

deck amidships are erected a series of deckhouses, forming engine and boiler casings, and giving accommodation for officers, servants, galleys, music-room, : and also entrances to saloons and, cabins. The deck over this house is extended to the ship’s, side, and is supported on 'pillars, forming a spacious promenade for the saloon pas-. sengers. % The whole of the main deck is occupied by first and second-class passengers, with tile exception of the crew’s space at the fore end, and a small compartment with intermediate passengers aft. The greatest novelty in the vessel is the arrangement of the. saloons and cabins on this deck. Instead of the cabins being placed as usual along the ship’s side, they are in this case separated from the side of the vessel by a whole passage, which runs nearly the whole length of the ship, with cross passages at intervals. The first and second saloons are separated from the ship’s side ~in the same way. These passages are lighted by large side - Scuttles, placed four feet apart—all fore and aft —and the saloons and cabins are lighted by windows from passages, and also by a skylight direct from the upper deck. The great advantage of this arrangements is that the side port can be kept open in very rough weather, any water that might be shipped wetting the passages only, and not flooding the passengers’ cabins, as in,, the usual arrangement of 'cabins on board ship. ' The vessel has the usual steam winches, ' windlass, steam steering-gear, &c., and I is intended *to be lighted throughout : with electric light.