44 Guide to Belfast. 



have made great additions to the various departments; 

 the works, a short time ago, covering 120 acres, with 

 every appliance of the latest type, some of the new tools 

 being of the finest description : for instance, the three huge 

 "gantries" are each 100 feet wide and 90 feet high, and 

 are arranged to travel the whole length of the " slips." 

 The "Oceanic" and "Celtic," the White Star monsters, and 

 the largest vessels afloat, were built under one of them ; in 

 fact, the first was arranged expressly for the construction of 

 the "Oceanic," no less than ^^20,000 having been spent on 

 the slip and the gantry before her keel was laid. 



During the last five years many ships of the largest size 

 have been constructed ; including, besides the two named, 

 the " Cymric " (the largest vessel employed in the transport 

 service to South Africa), " Afric," " Medic," " Persic," 

 "Runic," "Suevic," and "Athenic," for the White Star 

 Line; the "Statendam," "Rotterdam." "Ryndam," and 

 "Noordam," for the Holland-America Line; the mail-boats 

 "Briton," "Saxon," and " Walmer Castle," for the Union- 

 Castle Line; the " New England " and "Commonwealth," 

 for the Dominion Line; the "Minneapolis," "Minnehaha," 

 and " Minnetonka," for the Atlantic Transport Line ; and 

 other large vessels for the Leyland, Bibby, and Warren 

 Lines. A notable feature in these ships has been their 

 steady increase in size, the average for the last two years 

 being nearly 13,000 tons. 



The firm have also carried out some important repairs 

 and alterations ; among others, the " Scot " and the 

 " Auguste Victoria " were cut in two and lengthened some 

 60 feet. The P. & O. liner " China " was also rebuilt after 

 being on the rocks at Perim for many months ; but 

 perhaps the heaviest job of this kind was the work to the 

 " Paris," after she had been on The Manacles. She was 

 temporarily strengthened at Milford, and then re-docked in 

 Belfast, where her bottom was cut out and renewed, as in 

 the case of the "China," but, in addition, the vessel was 

 completely altered, and new machinery supplied at a total 

 cost of about ^250,000. 



Although the firm built vessels for the Admiralty some 

 years ago, and have recently constructed the engines for 



