272 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF PASSENGER STEAMERS. 



Paddle wheels have been recently severely put to it to hold their own with screws 

 working in tunnels as a means of propulsion for shallow draught vessels. We have also 

 seen a revival in proposals made many years ago which looked to the fitting of fixed guide 

 blades abaft the revolving blades to recover some of the energy of the propeller race. It 

 can be said that tunnel screws have definitely established their claims. 



PASSENGER-REFRIGERATOR TRADES. 



The carriage of meat, fruit and dairy products in cold storage has become a very large 

 trade during this generation. 



American, Australian and Argentine fresh meats are now eaten on European tables in 

 large quantities, and at the same time the horrors of the live cattle trade are a thing of the 

 past, thanks to refrigeration. Tropical fruits are enjoyed in northern latitudes in increas- 

 ing quantities. 



Perhaps the chief feature which leads to the passenger-refrigerator ship is the speed de- 

 sirable for refrigerator ships — the less time on the voyage the better. Also, these cargoes 

 are bulk rather than deadweight cargoes, which means that larger ships are needed for a 

 given weight. Both these considerations lead to the desirability of increasing the revenues by 

 carrying mails and passengers. The great white fleet of the United Fruit Company, one of 

 our strongest and best managed lines, is undoubtedly a good illustration of this. 



There are also some large meat carriers fitted with accommodations for passengers, a 

 valuable revenue being derived therefrom to pay for the speed in excess of 11 knots, about 

 a cargo carrying economical speed limit for vessels of moderate to large dimensions. 



TREND OF design; OCEAN PASSENGER SHIPS. 



As an indication of this, the following classes of ships designed in part and estimated 

 on, since January, 1918, by one large shipyard in this country, may be of interest: 



Several of these ships had third-class and steerage passengers in varying numbers, 

 these quarters were portable to a large extent, so only the first and second-class quarters 

 and permanent third-class cabin accommodation have been listed above, thus giving a bet- 

 ter guide to the characteristics of the vessel. In the 600-foot ship, accommodation for 700 

 third-class passengers in permanent cabins is included; also in the 550-foot ship 1,160 such 

 third-class are included. The list thus gives the real cabin accommodation, whether first, 

 second or third. 



