TITANIC SINKS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1416, 17 April 1912, Page 7

TITANIC SINKS.

tm PASSENGERS PERISH INSURANCES OF OVER TWO MILLIONS. ByiTeleeraDh—Press Aseooiatlon—Couyrisht I (Eec. April IG, 5 p.m.) London, April 16. The Titanic has sunk. There are 675 persons saved. It is feared that many have-perished. (Rec. April 16, 9.40 p.m.) London, April IG. The White Star officials believe that 1500 of the passengers on the Titanic have been drowned. The details are meagre and contradictory. It is believed all those in the first-class have been rescued. This estimate is based on the number of those aboard the Cunard liner Carpathia, to which tho Virginian transferred the people rescued by her from the Titanic. It is not known whether the Parisian saved any lives. The vessel cost £1,250,000. The hull and cargo were insured for £2,350,000, Reinsurances were effected at fifty gui neas per cent. Veteran Atlantic voyagers have not before seen the ice so far south, or in such great bulk at now. It consists mostly of topless bergs, with their upper surfaces merely awash and diffi cult to discern, <Eec. April 17, 0.20 a.m.) New York, April 16. Mr. Franklin, vice-president of the White Star Company, admits that there has been heavy loss of life on the Titanic. The Olympic reports that when she reached the scene only wreckage remained. The company's offices are besieged by friends of wealthy Americans who were on board. The absence of news has caused excitement approaching a panic.

2030 PERSONS ON BOARD.

WOMEN REMOVED IN LIFEBOATS. WHEN THE VESSEL STRUCK. London, April 15. The Titanic struck on Sunday evening. There wero on board 1380 passengers, including 300 in the first-class, and a crew of GSO, making a total of 2030 souls on board. The Virginian received the Titanic's appeal when.at a distance of 170 miles. The Titanic's sister ship, the Olympic, and the White Star Company's liner Baltic have also gone to the rescue, but it is doubtful whether they will arrive in timo. . The Inst signals received were blurred and ended abruptly. The women, were taken off in the ship's lifeboats/ is calm. ' • ■ ■ The passengers included 3lr. W. T. Stead (editor of the "Koview of Reviews"), Mr./ Joseph Bruce Ismay, of the Ismay, Inirie Company, and the chairman of the directors of the White Star Line, owners of the Titanic, Colonel J. J. Astor, and several New York bankers. ALL PASSENGERS REMOVED, A HALIFAX HEPOET. Halifax, April 15. All the passengers left the Titanic at 3 o'clock this morning. VAST ICEFIELD. MANY PERILOUS VOYAGES. London, April 15. Various liners have recently encountered an icefield a hundred miles long and thirty-five miles broad off the Newfoundland ground-banks. There have been many perilous voyages. The liner Niagara was> twice holed, and other vessels have been damaged. The "Montreal Star" states, that the Titanic- was steaming for Halifax slowly, AN OFFICER'S VIEW. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ON THE OLYMPIC. HOW THE BULKHEADS MIGHT GIVE. "What's tho latest news about the Titanic?" "Have the crew been saved?" "Is she sinking?" "Are the passengers saved?"' and such liko questions wero eagerly asked by tho officers and crew of tho White Star liner Corintliic, on her arrival at Wellington from London yesterday. The thirst for news of the doomed vessel was in evidence all day yesterday, and when the officers were told that the biggest ocean liner in the world had sunk, they appeared to be struck dumb with amazement. Many on board the Corintliic (and Athenic, now in port) had shipmates; on the lost liner, us tho vessels mentioned belong to the same company. "It is incredible to mo that such a thing has happened," said one officer on board the C'oriuthic. ' "Why, tho Titanic was thought to be imsinkuble. It is a national calamity, and no mistake." Mr. 11. Cater, the second offlcer of the Corinthie, was on board the Olympic when tho collision with H.M.S. Hawko look place in the English Channel last year. As (lie Titanic was a sister ship to the Olympic, n Dominion' representative approached Mr. Cater for inforinution regarding the possibility of the vessel floating for any length of time after the collision with the iceberg. "Tho system of water-tight bulkheads nnd doors was perfect in both ships," ho said. "The doors wero worked automati- ] cally in this nionner. Both ships were ; constructed so as to have channels into '' which ■ any water finding its way into j tho huli comes in contact with floats. ! These floats nro each connected with a ' dynamo. Each door in the several bulkheads has its own dynamo, and the action ' of the rising wator lifts the float, and ' this sets the dynamo working, and all the ' doors are shut immediately. Even if I there is a leak and water finds its way ( into one hold, tho doors close up at once. ' From the bridge the whole arrangement is controlled also. Up thero there is n lever, and the captain or officers on watch, by moving this lever, can clo?e nil the bulkhead doors in nu instnnt. In tho Titanic these bulkheads were made exceptionally strong, but no bulkhead mado can withstand tho enormous pressure of water brought to bciir on it by the sinking of n huge liner such ns the Titanic was. These vessels curry very little cargo, and in conswiiience there is little or no support at tho back nf the bullchcniU. When fliey five way. the rc-'i-t is liko that of n clap of thunder." "What speed would the Titanic bo doing when she was going slow, ns stated in the cable?" was asked. "Well, about seven to nine knots," was the answer. "Just you imagine•ls,ooo tons moving through tho water at even that &pecd. If fho stru-'k anything she would nit hard. In my opinion, ilio titanic struck bow on, nnd jifloi- din foro peak wns filled, the No. 1 bulkliciid gave wuy owing to ii defect cuu.-ed liy tho impact, and Ihen Hit: pressure berniuo so great that the. wntor r-nrried pverr- j thing before if:. Wlirsn tlit?- happened, ! there was no chance of saving (he I and down she went. It's ,-i terrible biis-i- ! lie??. One cannot realho what, it is liko ! until one goes through the ordeal, I j am sorry for Captain Bmith (iho litanies I

commander). He was one of the best, and when the Hawke ran us down in the Channel lio was as cool as a cucumber," Jlr. Cater said, in conclusion. TITANIC'S COMMANDER. COMMODORE OF WHITE STAR FLEET. Captain Smith, who was in command of the Titanic at tho time of the collision, was the oldest servant in the White Star Line. He is between G8 and 70 years of age, and has commanded all the latest vessels of the fleet, with the exception of the Oceanic. It is said that ho was offered command of that vessel, out refused. The reason of that refusal is told by an interesting story. It appears that there was some question as to whether Captain Smith or another commander (Captain Cameron) was commodore of tho fleet, and it so happened that when the Oceanic was built, Captain Smith's rival was appointed to command that vessel. Subsequently Captain Cameron died, and Captain Smith was offered,.cornrcand of tho Oceanici . This-he refused,'and later on went to the Adriatic, being content to wait until the Olympic nnd then the Titanic were built. For 35 years lie has been commander, and up to tho timer of the mishap to the Olympic had not had any accidents. This was Ms first trip across tho Atlantic in his now charge, and tho result is already known. Captain Smith was said to be one of tho coolest commanders afloat. A little story i= told how on nne occasion 0 mc-'t on the Olympic carried away. At the time Captain Smith was sitting in his cabin, and when informed by an officer of what had happened, ho scratched his head and said; "Yes, sir. I heard the bump." At times, when vessels are crossing tho Atlantic, between Liverpool and New York, ice is seen practically, for days. There is nearly always a heavy fog round about when approaching the American coast, and officers who have been in that service state that there aro times when one can see nothing , of a vessel but the tops of her masts. The fog, rosting lightly on top of the water, envelopes tho hull, and it is only by peeing tho masts that vessel's know that there is another ship in the vicinity. When the ico coming down from the north meets the warmer waters of tho Gulf Stream, it melts, and this causes the fog. It is usual for White Star liners when proceeding through these fogs to have as many as eitrht men on watch on deck. There are three on the bridge, two in the "crow's nest" on the forecast, threo in the bows. This is a standing rule in the _ company, and is never altered or varied under any circumstances whatever.

THE ICEBERG PERIL, CAUSE OP MANY SEA TRAGEDIES. Icebergs abound in the North Atlantic during tho early summer months, and form one of the principal dangers to navigation. They are seldom seen below -10 degrees north latitude, and none have boon known bolow 36 degrees N., but those latitudes are sufficiently low to bring them right across Hie track of tho liners between New York and Great Britain. The bergs drift along with some Polar current—such, for example, as the Labrador current, which ilows in a generally southerly direction round the coasts of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. It is in this track that the icebergs aro most frequently found. Tho blocks aro many of thorn linndreds of millions of tons in mass. As they drift south they gradually melt away, tho melting being most rapid in tho portion of the berg under water—only one-ninth of an iceberg appears above the surface. Tho fear of icclwrgs (writes Mr. G, E. Walsh in "Harper's Weekly") has been partly removed in rodent years by wireless telegraphy, but their presence on tho seas is still menacing enough to cause anxiety to many a captain. Experienced sea captains possess a certain instinct for detecting tho presence of icebergs. Some captains claim that they can smell an iceberg miles awny. Something in tho atmosphere warns them of the danger, and they double the watch and reduce speed until out oC the danger zone. Then, again, when near an iceberg, fhe air grows suddenly cold and chilly, and sometimes there is a drop of several degrees in the temperature. On the other hand, many instances are on record of icebergs crashing out of the dark without any warning, and wrecking ships. Marvellous escapes and disastrous wrecks have thus beon recorded, and each such incident makes a captain shudder at this unseen terror of the seas. The ocean liner has little nioro chnnco of oscapo in collision with an iceberg than the smallest sailing craft. The rotten ice towering hundreds of feet above tho water level is ready to foil in great masses tho moment a slight shock is given to its base or sides. Many unaccounted disappearances of ships and steamers nrc attributed to tragic collisions with icebergs, ships and nil on board going to the bottom without so much as a remnant left ;o toll tho tale. To this cause mariners and marine insurance companies attribute the mysterious vanishing of the City of Boston from tho face of the ocenn ivith all its passengers. There is the unparalleled case of the s'>eaincr Portia in Notre Dame Bay. In clear daylight an iceberg was sighted, and passengers and crew begged the captain to approach nearer in order that they might inspect nnd photograph il. The Portin, therefore, was steered i.'losn to Ihii towering sides of Ihf mighty berg, who?o highest pinnacles plisloned seicivil hundred feet nlmvc the «>a. Then tbo unexpected happened. There was an oxplosion liko the shock of a volcanic eruption, and Hie mighty berp vns riven in sunder. One of Uic pieces pplil. si part, grew ton-heavy, and loppM over, its beat) far iinder-i.ifer c-itchia? thn Portia ini llflitu Jw liigh nnd dry wind U« «'

twelve feet nbovo the sea. Tho mighty overturning of tho berg created enormous swells, and these huge waves were the only thing that saved tho sliip from destruction. The weight of the ship caught on its shelf of ico kept tho borg from turning a complete somersault, and a hugo swell picked up tho vessel and launched her again, stern first, in tho sea. This sort of rough launching wns not tho kind 11 ship expect?, and the forco carried her so far down into tho sea that the captain and crew never expected her to como up again. But she battled bravely for her criuilibriuni, and finally righted herself, and steamed away from tho dangerous spot. The whole mishap bad taken only a few minutes of time, and bolore crew and passengers liad time more than to cafch their breath they had been into the jafls of dco.th and out again. SAFETY V. LUXURY. NO DECREASE IN SEA PERILS. At the present time (said a recent writer in the American "Review of Reviews") there is being exhibited in New York City by one of tho transatlantic steamship companies a model, complete to tho minutest detail, of one of the enormous twin liners in course of construction for passenger service. The model itself is a thing of beauty, leaving no room for doubt as to what tho actual 6hips will be—the finest vessels afloat. No expense is to bo spared to attain Svery conceivable comfort that a man or a. woman of means can possibly ask for. The average inau takes it for granted that tho steamship company, besides providing for luxurious comforts enumerated, has done everything to ensure tho safety of passengers in case of shipwreck, and that the boats, rafts, lifebelts, etc., aro the best that money, experience, and inventive genius can supply. Does tho steamship company desorvo tlio confidence and trust thus reposed in it by the public? Mr. E. K. Koden, writing in the "Navy," says ho believes this question of sufficient importance to warrant the placing of it for a moment or two in the limelight of fair, considerate investigation. Of several points maintained by this writer, the first is that a ship should be "absolutely independent of assistance from without, because conditions might be such as to place tho ship in a position where sho must rely on her own icsources." But it may be asked, "How, in these days of watertight compartment.'!, can a shijjf'of modern construction sink?" In reply, it will be sufficient to cite some shipwrecks mentioned bv Mr. Roden.

the shell sir.nlvPs in the way of the shelter and buat decks liavc becii hydranlically "mod. Al.-o the turn of the iiilge. whore, bilge keels a inches deep are lilted for 29a icet of the length of thu vessel amidships. There are. fifteen transverse water-tight bulkhead?, extending from the double bottom to (lie upper dock at the fonvnrd end of ttm ship, and to the .saloon deck at tliu -n»'l(|end far nbove tho load water-line. 'I.'lm room in which tlie reciprocating engines iii-o fitted is tho largest of tliu watertight compartments, nnd is about G9 feet long; while the liirbino room is 5? feet long. Tho boiler-rooms are generally 57 tec-t loner, with the exception of that nearest the reciprocating engine compartment, 'iho holds are 50 feel long. Any two compartments may be Hooded without in any way involving the safety of (iio ship. Iho two decks forming tho superstructure of the ship and the navigating bridge arc built to ensure a high degree of rigidity. At the sides they are supported on built-up frames, in line with tho hull frames, but nt wider intervals. The deck houses ari- specially Mifiened by channel-section steel fitted in tho framework, and where, as on the boat deck, the public rooms pierce tho neck, heavy brackets aro introduced to increase strength agnintt racking stresses when the ship is steaming through a uenvy seaway.

"The Pacific liner Dakota, equipped with twelve bulkheads, sank off the coast of Japan. The Columbia, having four watertight bulkheads—one inoro than re-quired-by law in a. ship of her size—went down within eleven minutes after being struck by the San Pedro, off tho Jlendocino coast. Tho Whito Star liner Republic, equipped with bulkheads and every devico "for closing her watertight doors, etc., sank, after collision with tho Florida, off tho shoals of Nantucket." Experience teaches that it is impossible to build an unsinkablo ship; lifeboats should therefore form the main auxiliary on which dependence is to Iμ placed in case of wreck. Sir. Roden 6ays ho is safe in asserting that not more than twothirds of the passengers carried by the largo ships could bo accommodated in the boats and rafts. That tho steamship companies do not profess to carry sufficient boats to rescue everyone is shown by the following letter from the line operating tho Baltic, the steamer which rescued tho passengers and crew of tho ill-fated Republic. It was published in the New York "Herald," January 27, 1D09: "It is a well-known fact that it is impossible for a steamship in passenger Service to carry enough lifeboats to accom-, modato all hands at once. If this were done, so much space would bo utilised for lifeboats that there would bo no room on deck for the passengers. Tho nec-essary number of lifeboats would be carried at tho cost of many of tho present comforts of our patrons."

There aro ten decks in the ship, named trom tho bottom upwards: Lower orlop, orlop, lower, middle, upper, saloon shelter, bridge, promenade, and boat. Tho passenger decks—promenade, bridge, shelter, saloon, upper, middle, and lowerare named alphabetically A, l>, 0, 1), E, 1 , , 0. Two tf the decks aro above the molded structure of tho ship. Tho lower orlop, orlop, and lower decks do not extend for the complete length of the .structure, being interrupted for the machinery acconimcdation. The bridge deck extends for a length of 550 feet amidships, the forecastle and poop on tho same level being respectively 128 feet and 106 feet long. The promenade and boat decks are also over 500 feet long. Tho firstclass passengers are accommodated on tho five levels from the upper to the promenade decks. Tho second-class passengers have their accommodation on the middle, upper, and saloon decks, and tho thirdclass passengers on the lower decks, forward and aft, and on the middle, upper, and saloon decks aft.

Tho,. vessel is fit led with complete installation ior receiving submarine signals. Tho lifeboats, which are 30 feet long, are mounted on special davits on the, boat deck. The ship has two masts, 205 feet above the average draft line, a height necessary to lake- the Marconi acrinl wires, and to insure that theso will bo at least 50 feet above the top of tho funnels, and thus clear of tho funnel gnsa«. I-here are three elevators in the main compamonway and ono in the main second-class companioiiway. Tor firstclass passengers there arc thirty suito rooms on the bridge deck and thirty-nino on tho shelter deck. Theso are so arranged that they can bo let in groups to form suites including bedrooms, with baths, etc., with communicating tkors.. On each of theso two decks, close to tho companionways on either side, adjacent rooms arc fitted up as sitting or diningroom. In all there are nearly 330 firstclass rooms, and 100 of these aro singloberth rooms. There is accommodation for over 750 first-class passengers. For second-class passengers tho rooms are arranged as two or four-berth rooms, the total number of second-class passengers being over 550. For the third-class

passengers there is a largo number of enclosed berth?, there being 84 two-berth rooms. Tho total number of third-class passengers provided for is ovw 1100. The first-class promenades on the three top decks in the ship are exceptionally fine. The first-class dining saloon is designed to accommodate 532 passengers, and ample smoke-room, restaurant, lounge and reading and writing-room accommodation is also provided. Tho second-class dining; saloon is situated on the saloon deck aft. It extends the full breadth of the vessel, with extra large opening pivoted sidelights arranged in pairs. The third-class dining accommodation is situated amidships oh the middle deck, and consists of two silicons well lighted withi'pjdp.lishls. TITANIC'S SAFETY DEVICES. ELECTRICALLY CONTROLLED WATER-TIGHT DOOHS. The water-tight doors of a vessel of tho .size of the Titanic (says the "Marino Engineer") arc, of course, a most important item, and thoso giving communication between the various rooms and enginerooms are arranged, as is usual in While Star steamers, on the drop system. They arc of Harland and Wolff's special design, of massive construction, and provided with oil cataracts governing the closing speed. Each door is held in tho open position by a suitable iriction clutch, which can be- instantly released by means of a powerful electric magnet controlled i'rom tbo captain's bridge, so that, in tho event of accident, or at any time when it may be considered advisable, tho captain can, by simply moving an electric siviteh, instantly '• close the doors throughout, practically making tho vessel unsinkable. In addition to the foregoing, each door can also be immediately closed from below by operating a releasing lever fitted in connection with the friction clutch. Moreover, as a further precaution, floats are provided beneath tho floor level, which, in the event of water accidentally entering any of fho compartments, automatically lift, and thereby closo the doors opening into that comportment if they have not already been dropped by thoso in charge of the vessel. A ladder or cscapo is provided in each boiler room, engine-room, and similar watertight comSartment, in order that tho closing of (he oors at any timo shall not imprison tho men working therein; though tho risk of this eventuality is lessened by electric bells placed in the vicinity of each door, which ring prior to their closing, and thus givo warning to thoso below. UNLUCKY MONSTERS. OLYMPIC REPAIRS COST ,£200,000. 'X'he White Star Company's experience with its two mammoth liners has not been encouraging. It will l>o rememberer' that on the afternoon of September lasl the Olympic, just after leaving Southampton on her second voyage to New York, collided with the cruiser Hawke and had a large hole, rent in her side. Tho repairs to tho liner were'stated lo have cost her owners no less than £1200,00(1. The collision occurred just before 1 o'clock, in clear weather, when the Olympic, with about DOOO souls on board, had turned out into the .Solent from Southaniplon Water, shaping her course for 'Sjpithead to (he eastwards, and (he Hawko was coming into Spilhead from (lie westward. The liner was proceeding slowly, and the cruiser was overtaking her on the starboard t-ido at a speed of about IT) knots. To the spectators on shore it appeared that tho Hawke attempted to cross ahead of the liner ami then dropped book to pass under her stem. At this moment there was a terrific crash, which was heard more than a milo away, and was then seen that the warship had rammed (ho liner aft on tho starboard quarter. The cruiser immediately went astern and appeared to havea considerable heel as sho did so. Her bows were badly smashed, and the colision mats were speedily placed in position. In tho meantime discipline was at work on both vessels. Aboard (he liner watertight doors were hastily closed to isolate he compartments whieh had been pierced by the sharp bow of Iho Hawke. In (he worship men were piped to quarters, and tho customary precautions in ease of collision were taken. Both voxels hod, of course, stopped a» soon us (he dniiscr was realised, and when the watertight doors had been properly secured, the «n----gincs were set astern; iiiid ns Ihe Jfawko and Olympic drew apart some idea <H' the extent of (he damage was seen. It , is estimated roughly that lwni'ly -lOft. iif the. Olympics plating: was tiii-n, Uio damage extending both above, and below tho ivaterline. It was, however, apparent from tho outset that there ivns no danger of either vessel's foundering, and the Olympic's passenger? wi-i-n reassured. Two of the liner'-; c*nni|>.'irltnoTit■« wlti , tilled with water. INSURED FOR A MILLION, TTXDERWIMTMS' HEAVY LOSSES. A rnblo message frnin London ftt Ihr end of Jlari:h sliitod Hint llm niarino underwriters' losses (his year liml Iji'c-ti c\ppptinnally heavy, ,incl had amniinti'd during the, previous three mouths In no h>-« than JCI.fiOO.OOO. Tho heaviest 10-s way fhe finking of I ho P. ,-iml O. lin»r Oceami in the linjlbb '".-Iwdml mi March i-i, i>i'b .CiiUQCvMQ ia bullion, on baud, but lux.

Another factor of safety to which steamship companies ought to givo moro attention is that of the davits noiv in common use. Even with a list of but three or four degrees it is difficult to get boats clear jf tho high side, and the boat capacity of tho ship is thus practically reduced onelialf: Then _iiguin, in the matter of lifeboats and lifu-preseryors lUero is strong temptation to the shipbuilder to buy his material where it costs him tho least and .is a result tho shipowner is in many cases furnished with the cheapest kind of material. While ships are growing bigger ind, bigger, tho perils of the sea grow no less, as is shown by a table of losses of life during the past twenty-four years, presented by Mr. Kodon in his article, file lowest loss was 252 in 1900, and the highest, UH in 190 J. To reduce the loss of life to a minimum the co-operation :>f tho shipowner and his willingness to idopt appliances tested and approved bv competent authorities must bo enlisted. The advertising colnrans of the marine journals show that there are on the market: "Modern davits by which the heaviest loaded lifeboat can be launched in aniveather, whether the ship is listed or not the line-carrying projectile by means c which a line can be thrown from a strand ad ship to tho shore for use in rigging th breeches buoy; lifo preservers that canno rot; tho collapsible lifeboat that, whe: folded, takes up but one-third the 6pac sf an ordinary boat, and other innovation tending to increase the safety of travel b sea." If the shipbuilders would incur the com paratively small extra , expense- inrolvei in fitting their new ships with theso appli Hices tho advantages to themselves as wel as to their patrons would soon be nppni cnt. And, as Mr. lioden remarks, th sooner the realisation of this fact is reach cd the better for all concerned. WHY THE BIG LINERS WERE BUILT CULMINATION OF FKEIGHTPASSEXGBR TYPE. The Olympic and Titanic are more thaa just bigger boats than those thnt hav< preceded them. They represent tho cul munition of a typ,e at least ns important if not as spectacular, as the record breaking ships. The public has watche< tho speed contest between the Englisl and German "greyhounds" for years past but many of the shipowners would iiavi been quite ready to forego all tho glori of the fastest ships on enrth if the; could thereby gain traffic for ships thai run a little slower and nt n good de<i less oxponso. The Titanic nnd Olympii are the culmination, so far, of the pas senger-freight type—a type that guiii! revenue from every source, beeauso it i: constructed for carrying capacity, com fort, economical operation, and speed—no for spend alono. The vessels have been designed to mee' the requirements of that largo section 01 (he (ravelling public wliieh likes ii mod crate speed vessel, so long as it is rcploti with every possible luxury and convenience. An average, of twonty-oue knots nil hour is nil that i 3 expected of them. Tt attain this speed, they have the largest engine-rooms that have ever been placec on the water. Some idea of the Tifanic\< size may be gained from tho fact that il is more than a third of a mile around her deck, and from water-line to bridge she is as high as a six-storey houso. If berthed at tho Wellington Queen's Wharf she would; for instance, occupy the entire length of the outside tee, which will accommodate two ocean lin«rs. Her principal dimensions aro: — i Length over all, 882 ft. !)in. Length between perpendiculars, 850 ft. Breadth, extreme, 92ft. Gin. Depth, molded, keel to top of beam, bridge deck, 73ft. 6in. Total height from keel to navigating bridge, 10-lfl. Gross tonnage (about), 45,000 tons. Load draft, 31ft. Gin. Displacement (about), (50,000 tons. Indicated horse-power of reciprocnting engines, 30,000. Shaft horse-power of turbine engine. , !, 10,000. Speed, 21 knot?. Tho Titnntic is a triple-screw steamer having a combination of reciprocating engines with a low-prtSsnro turbine. The reciprocating engines exhaust into tho low-pressitro turbine, which drives tho central propeller. The rociproenting engines which drive the wing propeller.? aro sufficient for manoeuvring in and out ot' port nnd going astern. Them is no necessity for an astern turbine, which is ' required. in steamers titled with lurbiii(.'!i only. Them are twentynine boilers for tho ship, liming in sill ljil funiuc* , .'. All of (In.- boilers are in fent !l inches in diameter; but Iwnnt.rI'mir ore double-ended, lieing 20 i'nel: Ion;;, whilo five arc singlu-cnded. lieiiiß 11 feet n inchcf long. Tho shell plntinp of the Miip ts remarkably henry. It is mostly ef plate; 6 feet- wide «nrl of al'Oii*. 30 feel in lenrUi, The «Sdth tn.pera tov-afla thr ottis, The Uoj cia trcbliwlvatM, wwl

timntcly Hie bulk of thi? lms since been recovered.

-Vo (Mails arc available from our English hies a> lo the insurances on the Titanic, but those on her sister .-hip, the Olympic, were given at (Iw timi' of her collisiun with tlio cruiser llawlip in September last, ami the figures for both ships are likely to bo similar. "The Times" on (hut occasion said:—

I'roliably fivrry murine insurance company and practically every underwriter at Lloyd's Ikis n direct poivonul interest in ■anything which alVetts the safely of (lm Olympic, for in order lo insure the vessel (ho Tcsanrccs of all the big markets were called into requisition. "Tlioiifjh (lie cost of building the liner was understood to lie about she was insured for ,£1,000,1)00 only, and it was quito impossible to place oven the whole of that amount in this country at rates (hat wero considered reasouable. As a matter of fact JiViI.OOO was placed in this country, and on the Continent, (ho remainder presumably being effected in tho United Plates. ' The policies, which were arranged in Jnnuar.v and came into operation on jfay 28, provide that undprwriters shall not be responsible for any claims below .CIMI.OOO, and for bigger sums only in excess of tliat amount. Immediately after the news of tho accident arrived 5 per cent, was accepted to pay any claims that may arise on the Olympic's policies, but laier the chances were thought to bo so slight that lines were reinsured at much lower rates.

I "With the exception of the insurances on the Lusitania and Mauretanin, no amounts at all approaching .£1,000,000 have ever been effected on the hull of a mercantile vessel, and the reminder (hat even so fine a ship as the Olympic is not above risk of collision is likely to induce a feeling of caution in the insurance market. The sinking of the Republic in January, 1909, in consequence of :i collision with the Florida is often cited os an illustration that water-tight compartments arc not n complete safeguard ns?i>inst loss, but the financial effect of that disaster on the. London insurance market was a fleabifo a= compared vrilh what would liavo happened liad the Olympic come seriously to grief in the Atlantic." DISASTERS OF THE PAST. FORMER GREAT SHIPWRECKS. The following are, some, of tho greatest British shipwrecks since tho year 1800:— Lives lear. lott. 1800—Queen, transport, on Trefusis Point 369 ISoo—Cjueen Charlotte, burnt 073 1805—Eneas, transport, oil' Newfoundland 340 1605—Aurora, trans-port, on Goodwin Sands 300 1606—Athenian, warship, near Tunis 317 ISo7—Aiax, warship, off ionedos iblaud 250 1810—ilinotaur, warship, on Hook Bank 360 1811—Suluanha, frigate, off Irish Coast 300 —St. George, Defence, and Hero, warships, on coast of Jutland (threo wrecks) 2000 1816 —Seahorse, transport, near Tramoro Bay 3G5 1831—Shcrbrooke, near Cape Eav ...- 273 18J7—Jixmouth, emigrant ship, from Londonderry to Quebec, about 240 1850—Royal Adelaide, steamer, off Margate .joo 1852—Birkeiihead, troopship, off Simon's Bay 454 1853—Annie Jane, emigrant ship, on the Barra Island 318 —Tayleur, emigrant ship, north of Howth ■ 380 185-i—Lady Nugent, troopship, foundered in hurricane 400 1858—Austria, emigrant ship, burnt in Atlantic .170 1859—Royal Charter, steamer, on Anglcsea coast 4-lfj 1863—Orpheus, warship, on Manakau bar lag —Anglo-Saxon, mail steamer, off Newfoundland 237 1872—Nurthllcet, off Dungeness 300 1871—Cospatrick, emigrant ship, burnt her,wov'to Now Zealand ... 470 187G—Great Queensland, supposed to ' havo exploded near i''inisterre 5(j9 1878—Kurydke, warship, near Isle of Wight 300 187S—Princess Alice, near Woolwich UDO 18S1—Tarawa, Waipapa Point, New Zealand 130 18SG—Kapimda, emigrant ship, oil" Brazil ogg 1892—Natuchow, off Cupchi Point, China son IS9l—Wairnrapa, Great Barrier Island 125 100C—Larohmont, steamer, Block Island Sound 200 1809—Wnratah, steamer, off African Coast 300 Tho following are some of the greatest disasters to foreign vessels during recent years:— 185i—Arctic. U.S. mail steamer, off Newfoundland 300 1875—Limia, American barque, off Barflcur 3G3 Schiller, Hamburg mail steamer 331 1878—Grosser Kurfurst, German warship 300 1883—Cimbria, Hamburg steamer, off coast of Holland 451 1895—Reina Regeate, Spanish cruiser, off Capo Trafalgar 400 1898—La Kon rnnyne. Trench liner, off Nova Scotia 545 1901—General Slocum, New York excursion steamer, burnt 1000