FLOATING ISLANDS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 336, 24 June 1911, Page 10

FLOATING ISLANDS.

ATLANTIC TRAVEL AND ITS I FUTURE. It was stated some time ago that thirty American millionaires were chartering the Olympic to take them and their families across to the Coronation on ther maiden voyage from New York for a sum of £l-25,000. The late completion of the vessel put this out of the qct.-tion. Aboiu a sixth of a mile in length, and with nine steel decks, the Olympic provides accommodation for 5000 passengers. She is a triple-screw boat. The combination engines are from 48,000 to 50,000 horse-power indicated, as against the Mauretania's 70,800, the speed aimed at being a trifle over 21 knots. Uol.li tlie Olympic and ner sister snip were to be fitted with powerful searchlights and a complete long-distance wireless telegrapiiy installation, besides the most modern submarine signalling apparatus. With a beam of !H) feet, the main saloons of the boats have an area never before enjoyed alloat. There will be many apartments, which will render the illusion of a great hotel complete. One of thi! upper decks is to be completely enclosed to serve as a ballroom, Bkating link or theatre. The ball on the last I night out is usually held on deck, with partitions of canvas hastily contrived to keep out the wind or rain. The boats will oiler complete Hats, which will make it possible to cross the Atlantic while enjoying all the privacy of one's own home. There will be a great swimming bath aboard, large enough to permit diving. The most striking departure in dining saloons on the new ship will be the verandah cafe, built on one. of the upper decks far astern. The cafe will be erected with exposed rafters entwined with vines, while the sides will be laticed elieets to make the illusion of a cafe at the seaside as complete as possible. The new liners will be as complete in their safety devices as in their luxurious outlit. Both the ships will be practically unsinkable and absolutely fireproof. Each of these two palatial vessels will represent £1,500,000 sterling when thev leave the builders' hands.

The question now exercising the maritime mind is: How much greater can ships become? So far as speed is concerned, competition has come to' an end, with tiic Cunarders left in undisputed possession of the prize. [t is possible to get higher speed than 2G knots, bnt <>i'ly .'it a price no one is willing (o pay. The cost of running the Lusitania and -Uauretania, with uieir coal consumption of 1000 tons a day, is terrific. Even with Hie great Government subsidy to -<>t against the loss, it seems doubtful whether these boats pay. At any rate. Ihe company's shareholders have had no dividend for two years past. The Ham-Imrg-Anieriea line declares that it will never again spend monev—though it seems to have plenty-in* building "re-i«rd-breakers." Xor does any oth-r company show the slightest intention to enter tor the championship. Only an offer of extraordinary subsidies b'v an Government or a revolution m maritime engineering is likely to modify this thrifty resofvc of the'shipowners; and neither event is believed to be imminent. ■So much for limitations of speed. But is there no limit to cc placed on lue size of these floating-islaiuh? Perhaps not, in theory, fn practice, the chief didicultythey will have to meet is a very serious one—the inadequacy of their terminal ports. The approach to Xew York is safe enough for a Mfturetania loaded to a draught of 34ft; but a vessel half as large again, like the German boat now on the'stocks or toe projected Cunarder, will draw a good deal more than that if fully loaded, and she will not want to waste any cargo space that she can fill. On this' sine of the sea, m spite of all the dredging in and off the Mersey, no ship drawln» more than 30ft can yet venture up to the Liverpool landing-stage at low water: and the Olympic and Titanic will not be able to enter their terminal port, Southampton, drawing more than 34ft even when the latest dredging scheme has been carried out.

Iho Olympic will consume on her round trip of three weeks about 25,000 lb of poultry, .2500 head of game, 35 000 eggs, oSOOIb of butter, 1500 gallons of fresh milk, 40,000 oranges, 20001b of hothouse grapes, 1500 quarts of ice-cream L>,ooo bottles of beer, bottles of spirits, and 7500 cigars, not to mention Commonplace victuals like meat and "our. But these figures scarcely help us to realise the full frequency of feed-ing-tune on board ship, or the lavish variety of the bill of fare concocted by the unresting ingenuity of the chef Special cooks are carried for special .•lasses of the travelling community. Jews can have "Kosher" meat if they wish, though first-class passengers of this persuasion rarely express any such desire. The principles of vegetarians and fruitarians are equally respected