THE FASTEST SHIP AFLOAT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1450, 7 August 1883, Page 2

THE FASTEST SHIP AFLOAT.

The past year has- been one of unusual prosperity for the ocean steam trade, and especially,, for the trade between England and America, We shall not, we have reason to believe, be' far wrong if we assert that sucb vessels as tho Ajaska, Servia, Gallia, ifec,, earn each voyage from £IB,OOO to £20,000 nearly one-half of which is profit. Tho " voyage" consists of a run from Liverpool to the United States and back again, and will occupy from four to five weeks. The enormous first cost of the 4 huge steamers which now constitute the ocean .Liverpool floet that their purchase is quite beyond the means of private firms, and it is no secret that the ships sailing under various wellknown, house-flags, and nominally owned by private firms, really belong to largo syndicates backed up by. important banking establishments..;.' In this way, and in this way, alone, can he obtained that almost unlimited com-' lii.ind of capital, which has produced ' tlw finest steamers in tlie world, We , cannot now possibly attempt to deal in detail with the prospects of fast ocean shipbuilding in 1883. We may cite one ship, however, as an example 0f.,the utmost limit that has yet beeh ■ reached) This * is tho Oregen, a now steamer for . the Guion line. It is anticipated that she will bo ready for her trial tip about midsummer, and she is intended to excel in speed the fastost ship now afloat. She will not' be much larger than the Alaska, but • her engines are to indicate no less than 13,000 horse-power. She will have but one screw, as we understand about , 24ft in diameter, with a pitch of neailv 40. Steam will be supplied by twelve boilers, each with six furnaces 3ft Gin diameter, the grates being a little over 6tt long. We may compare her with the Alaska, which ship has nine boiler, with six furnaces in each, of about the .same size. Comparing cjrate areas, we find that the aggregate surface in the Oregan will be 1512 feet, divided among seventy-two furnaces, while that of the Alaska is 1134, divided among fifty-four furnaces. Ah the Oregon will burn about 201b of coal per square r foot of grate per Hour, her consumption in 24 hours will not bo much under 300 tons, and allowing that each ton of coal evaporates nine tons of water, we find that no less than 2700 tons of steam will pass through her engines every twenty-fonrs. A tank a 100 ft square, to hold 2700 tons of water, mnst bo nearly 10ft deep to prevent the water from running over the edge. If the tank were 50ft square, the water would stand 38ft 10m deep in it. If the water were supplied to a a town, allowing 4 cubio feet or 25 gallons per head per day, it would suffice for a population of 24,000 souls; » 6000 tons of air wonld/pass through her furnaces, a volumo of 174,720,000 cjibiJ/eet through a pipe lift 4iri in diameter. This volume of air would flow at a rate of 12-8 miles per hour—a strong breeze to walk against, The total weight of water evaporated on 'the run across the Atlantic will not he far short of three times. that of the whole ship's cargo, engines and all. We give these figures to enable, our K readers to form some idea of what 13,000 horse power turns; and we may supplement them by adding that it is equivalent to 191,517 tons lifted a foot high every niinute, or the same weight lifted li4o,feet m twenty-four hours. Assuming that she makes twenty knots an. -hour, or, omitting fractions, 2028 feet per minute, the thrnsfof'hcr'screfr—that is to say, the force pushing her through the waterwill Amount to over 94 tons, or about as mijch as twenty of the most powerful .locomotive, engines in ■ England wo\il(l exert if ail were pulling at her together. Amongst, the other diffiq|ies which crop, up, when we have to deai yith such enormous powers as these figures represent, we (Engineer) njention that of getting the coal to the hres. : We see that in the ease of the Oregon no less than' 300 tons a day the full load for' a coal train of 30 tiueks—will have to foe handled every .24 hours. .: If-the ship wero at rest the jwdblow would not be of ea#y solution, but it become? very hard, indeed, to deal with in a rolling and pitching vessel. All ia. done, - of course, ihpit can be done in arranging boile»«&d bunkers to accommodate each other,

but it is ovidont ; ab n glance that out of a'total quantity of, say, 2500 tons of'' coiiU great deal must be stowed at a oonsidorablo distance from the furnaces.

Tho largest number of words over transmitted in one despatch is. said to have been wired to the London Daily Telegraph during the coronation of the Czar; ;•' -The despatch contained 110,000 words, . ■v. -

Mr Leonard Courtney, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, lias declined the appointment of Kinniu'fi Minister in India, 'Vacant by ila> nunovul of Major, Baring to Cairo. Tlie : ' ollk\ is wortlf about £IO,OOO per .annum, Tho Queen has commissioned a firm to prepare'a handsome grey gmiiit.i monument to bo erected over the grave of the late John Brown, in Cmthie Churchyard.^; ' Lord' 'Randolph Cli urchill has written an article in tlie:May number of the;"fortnightly," in -which he comes forward as the advocate of Tory Democracy,' aiul. ; explains what this donioeracy ought' to be. The Premier is always to be.a Peer, and the nucleus of the party is tobe in tho houao of Lords. Under the paternal sway of this nobleman; aided and supported by his brother nobles, wo humble folks are to be given, as an equivalent for political .power, better houses, a compulsory scheme of national insurance, commons, museums, parks, libraries and wash-houses; whilst an Irish policy is. to be put foi> ward to " captivate .the Celtic race,!' The Tory Democracy, thus organized, is to put the Liberals into a minority as often as possible, and to assumo office frequently for brief periods in order to get what it can of the public spoil. We'now know what a Tory Democracy is, what are its aims, and what the means. are by which it proposes to attain them. "Tory" it no doubt is,, but why,' in the 'name of reason, does Lord Randolph also call it" Democratic 1" Mothkr Swan's worm syrdp.—lnfallible, tasteless harmless, cathario; for feverishness, restlmriosi!, worms, constipation, la at druggists. Moses, Moss, & Co, Sydney, General Agents. Thick ueads, iieayy STOjiicus,' dimobs C9NDHJOX3.—V/ell's May Apple Pilla"_autiLiiious, catliarsic, fsandls. Moses, Moss & Co., Sydney, General Agents. Hvllowai/'f Ointment awl Pills.—lndisputable Remedies,-In the use of these medicaments their need be no hesitation or .doubt of their cooling, hsaling," and purifyin? properties. Imagination cau scarcely conceive tho marvelous facility with which the Unguent relieves and heals the most inveterate sores and ulcers, and in caso of bad logs and bad brests its sets like a charm, Tho pills are the most effectual remedy ever discovered for the cure of liyer and stomach complaints.diseases most disastrous in their tlioir effect, deranging all tho proper functions of the organs affected, inducing reatlessnea. melancholy, weariness, inability and pain in the side, _ until the whole system is exhausted. These wonderful Pills, if taken according to printed directions accompanying each box, strike at the root of the malady, stimulate the stomaoh and liver into a healthy action, and effect a complete cure,