624 



SHIP-BUILDING IN 1902. 



record for transatlantic speed. This great ves- 

 sel is constructed in the usual way, with a 

 double bottom, 4 separate decks, and 16 bulk- 

 heads extending from the keel to the upper deck. 

 They are reenforced by a longitudinal bulkhead 

 extending the whole length of the 2 engine- 

 rooms, forming 4 separate compartments for 

 the engines. Flush with the upper edge of the 

 ship's plating is a spar-deck carrying a deck- 

 house amidships 49 feet wide and 443 feet long, 

 and an after-house 79 feet long. The roof of the 

 deck-house affords a promenade 538 feet long, 

 and above all this is an upper promenade deck, 

 and above this again a boat-deck. 



The length of the Kaiser Wilhelm II over all is 

 706 \ feet; breadth, 72 feet; molded depth, 44 

 feet 2 inches; and displacement, 26,000 tons. This 

 makes her 2J feet longer than the Oceanic, 

 3 feet narrower than the Cedric, and about 

 1,000 tons less displacement than the last- 

 named vessel. Her estimated speed is 24 knots 

 an hour that is to say, about 27 statute miles, 

 which is faster than her speediest sisters in the 

 Atlantic trade. She has accommodations for 

 775 passengers in the first cabin, 343 in the sec- 

 ond, and 770 in the third. Her ship's company 

 includes 48 engineers, 229 stokers and trimmers, 

 170 stewards and waiters, 61 cooks, and 46 sailor- 

 men. In her equipment are included the various 

 novelties, such as a children's saloon and a caf6 

 and grill-room on the upper deck, while the first- 

 class dining-room exceeds in size the most spacious 

 and luxurious of those that have heretofore dis- 

 tinguished the luxuries of transatlantic travel. 



The two engines of the largest ship in existence 

 prior to this could develop under favorable condi- 

 tions 38,000 horse-power, but it was determined 

 to make the Kaiser Wilhelm II the fastest vessel 

 afloat, which, with her increased size, called for 

 engines capable of producing 40,000 horse-power 

 as called for by the contract, which means con- 

 siderably more in actual service. Such enormous 

 power could hardly be developed by the two en- 

 gines that have been found sufficient in previous 

 cases. It was therefore determined to use four en- 

 gines, two on each side of the main bulkhead, 

 arranged so that they could, as it were, be driven 

 " tandem," or coupled in pairs to the separate 

 shafts. There is, therefore, in each engine-room a 

 complete four-cylinder, quadruple-expansion en- 

 gine working on three cranks to secure the great- 

 est efficiency. The common stroke of the four 

 cylinders is 70.8 inches, and the crank-shaft of 

 the forward engine is 20.87 inches in diameter; 

 that of the after-engine is 25 inches. Each en- 

 gine has its own individual condenser, contain- 

 ing 11,732 square feet of cooling surface. The 

 two screw propellers are of bronze, 22 feet 9J 

 "inches in diameter. The idea of using three screw 

 propellers to attain greater speed has been aban- 

 doned by common consent, and was therefore 

 not considered in preparing the 'plans for this 

 greatest of ocean-liners. The reason is, that when 

 three propeller-screws are in operation two of them 

 do all the work, since they so effectually turn the 

 water into foam that the third screw has nothing 

 to push against. 



The Kaiser Wilhelm II has in all 19 sep- 

 arate boilers, 3 double-enders in the first boiler- 

 room, and in the second 3 double-ended and 3 

 single-ended boilers, the same number being al- 

 lotted to the third boiler-room, while in the for- 

 ward room of the four there are 3 double-ended 

 and 1 single-ended boiler. This arrangement 

 was adopted in order to facilitate the deliv- 

 ery of coal from the bunkers; the boiler pres- 

 sure is adapted to 225 pounds to the square 



inch. The total grate area is 3,121 square feet, 

 and the total heating surface 107,643 square feet, 

 an area believed to be unprecedented in steain 

 service of this character. 



According to published statements, there is a 

 national prejudice on the part of the Germans 

 against the use of forced draft, of which English 

 and Americans are disposed to make use perhaps 

 rather in excess; at all events, the great engines 

 of the Kaiser Wilhelm II will be driven entirely 

 under natural draft, which accounts for the neces- 

 sity of extraordinarily large space for boiler-room 

 and for the heating surfaces. It is probable, 

 therefore, that she will in practise handsomely ex- 

 ceed her contract power, and though it is too early 

 as yet to speak from actual figures, it is expected 

 that she will develop certainly 45,000 and possi- 

 bly 47,000 horse-power and attain a speed of per- 

 haps 24i knots. 



While it is not strictly within the domain of 

 ship-building, the problem of provisioning these 

 great passenger-carriers for their ocean voyages 

 is certainly germane to the subject, and though 

 the description of supplies in pounds does not con- 

 vey a very definite idea to the average mind, still 

 it may be said that one of the great liners re- 

 quires for a single voyage about 35,000 pounds of 

 meat, divided about half and half between the 

 salt and fresh varieties. The poultry for the 

 same voyage weighs nearly 5,000 pounds; while 

 beans, peas, rice, vegetables, and, on German ships, 

 sauerkraut, reach about 25,000 pounds. Of eggs 

 about 2,000 dozen are required, usually packed in 

 cases of 30 dozen each. The bakers use more than 

 30,000 pounds of flour in the single voyage, and 

 large quantities of fresh and salt fish are required 

 to meet the views of those who fast on a Friday 

 or who otherwise desire sea food for a change of 

 diet. More than 6,000 pounds of butter are re- 

 quired, and fresh fruit to the amount of 11,000 

 pounds is often carried. In the matter of bever- 

 ages, water, of course, heads the list, and several 

 hundred tons of fresh water are habitually car- 

 ried, besides that which is produced from day to 

 day by the condensers. Canned milk is required 

 to the amount of about 1,800 gallons, and of beers, 

 wines, and alcoholic liquors the supply passes be- 

 lief. It has been estimated that if one receptacle 

 were constructed capable of containing all these 

 liquids in bulk, its height would be more than 24 

 feet and its diameter more than 6 feet. Of course 

 ice is an important item, as well for the preserva- 

 tion of fresh meats, etc., as for other purposes, 

 and the larger liners usually begin their voyages 

 with about thirty-five tons of ice ready for use; 

 this, however, would be a mere trifle of the amount 

 actually required during the voyage, and the re- 

 mainder is made good by the refrigerating ma- 

 chines, which supplement the actual supply re-' 

 quired at the outset. 



One of the most interesting and promising de- 

 vices introduced in recent years has been the tur- 

 bine principle of propulsion as applied to yachts 

 and other vessels, for the most part as yet in 

 British waters. It has been said that the use of 

 three screw propellers in the ordinary accept- 

 ance of the term has been found impracticable, 

 but with the turbine plan of propulsion it is pos- 

 sible to use smaller screws at greater distances 

 apart, to the number of six, two being carried 

 :i-tcrn near the rudder, and two others on separate 

 shafts under each counter of the vessel. The orig- 

 inal Turbinia had nine screws, and she was for a 

 while the fastest vessel of any kind in the world. 

 The passenger steamer Queen Alexandra, it is 

 believed, is at present the largest turbine-driven 

 vessel afloat. Her length is 270 feet ; beam, 32 feet ; 



