THE LARGEST VESSEL EVER BUILT SAVE THE GREAT EASTERN.
By London Times
THE largest vessel save the Great Eastern that has ever been built will be launched on the Clyde from the yards of the Fairfield Company. She is one of two new liners that have been ordered for the service of the Cunard Company, and she is to be called the Campania. It is expected that she will be completed in time to make her first trip to New York in April next, immediately prior to the opening of the Chicago exhibition. The Great Eastern was 692 feet long by 83 feet broad.107The Campania will be but ninety-two feet shorter and eight feet narrower, and will, when fully loaded with cargo, passengers, and stores, have a displacement which is estimated at over 19,000 tons. This is a displacement by at least 3,000 tons greater than that of any ship, merchant vessel, or man of war now in existence. It is anticipated that upon her trials, when loaded to a displacement of something over 14,000 tons, she will attain a speed of twenty-six and a half land miles per hour; and she will, not improbably, exceed even this. Upon her voyage she is to make a continuous speed from port to port of twenty-one knots, or twenty-four and one-tenth land miles; and this speed is tolerably certain to be improved upon after she has made a few trips. It is understood that her weight upon the day of the launch will be 9,000 tons. Her engines are ready for her, but no part of them will be put on board until she is in the water. The machinery consists of twin phosphor bronze screws, driven by two pairs of triple expansion engines, each capable of indicating up to 15,000 horse power. Each engine has two cranks and five cylinders. There will be twelve double-ended boilers, each with eight furnaces, and there will be six stokeholes. The funnels, two in number, will be the largest ever made. The launching of so huge a vessel will present considerable difficulties, as the river at Govan is narrow. The Campania will be sent into the water obliquely, with her stern down stream, will then be towed up the river to a basin, in which, with care, she can be turned round, and will finally be taken to a specially prepared jetty close to the launching ways, and will there be completed for sea. Excepting only her rudder, she is entirely of British construction. The rudder, formed of a single steel plate, is so wide that no British firm possessed the necessary machinery for rolling it, and the work had in consequence to be intrusted to Krupp, of Essen.—London Times.