MAMMOTH STEAMERS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIII, Issue 3, 1 May 1912, Page 8

MAMMOTH STEAMERS.

GREATLY INCREASED SIZE PREDICTED.

Probably developments in _ the increase in'size of ships will form the subject-matter of several papers to ho communicated to the International Navigation Congress, to be held m Philadelphia in May next. Mr C. Leomans, of Amsterdam, m his paper will predict that a few years will see vessels of 70,000 and 75,000 tons traversing tiie ship-bmes of the North Atlantic. In a generation he believes there will be ocean leviathans ol 100.000 tons plying between Europe and North America. This sized vessel, lie says, will have a length of 1500 ft., a width of 160 ft., and a draught of more thnn.oOli. Mr B L Corthell, New York, will also discuss this subject at the Congress. His. predictions are based on tables worked out from past increases, and from the economic advantages of larger ships. • He believes that vessels ot 1000 ft. in length for 1948 is a modest prediction.. The future dimensions of merchant and war vessels has an important bearing on the size necessary for canals. Mr. Corthell points out that important ship canals should be large enough to accommodate the largest"'vessels'' afloat, because even the merchant vessels are liable to lie impressed into service by their Governments in time of war. *

When it is completed, two years hence, the Panama Canal will be the only ship canal with capacity to pass the greatest vessels afloat. Its locks will take vessels nearly 110 ft wide, more than 40ft deep, and 1000 ft long. These dimensions were insisted on by the General Naval Board of the United States after the Consulting Board and Canal Commission had suggested a size that has already been proved inadequate. The German Government is now paving dearly for constructing its Kaiser 'Wilhelm Canal too small. This canal was built in the years 1887-9?!. requiring eight years to complete. In less than fifteen'years it became inadequate, so that the largest vessels wore compelled to go round the Cape Skagen routiv the canal is being enlarged at enormous cost in order te accommodate Germany's merchant and war fleets. The Suez Canal is also being deeoenecl, the Canal Company recently being compelled to borrow 150 million francs for the purpose.