Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 February 1911 — LARGEST OCEAN LINER [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

LARGEST OCEAN LINER

ABOUT once in a decade a new fleet of ocean liners is launched, setting a new standard for size, luxury and safety at sea. the great shipß which are thought to express the last word in .boat building are suddenly found dwarfed by their new sisters and relegated to a second place. The new fleet now under construction, in turn, surpasses all the great ships which have gone before. The world has scarcely become accustomed to using the Mauretania as a synonym for large objects, when two great ships, the Olympic and the Titanic, were designed to surpass all of her dimensions. No sooner was one of these liners launched than the owners of the Mauretania planned a new ship of even greater length. Now, in turn, comes the greatest of all ocean liners, the Europa, which is still larger. With the'increase in length, beam and tonnage, comes ' a corresponding development in the luxury of equipment. Qne may no longer call the great ocean liners floating hotels, since the new boats offer many more attractive and novel features not yet attempted by the builder of hotels. The new liners have all, even more than the comforts of a palatial home. The supremacy of the seas in black and white is as follows: Vessel. Length. Tonnage. Mauretania 790 ft. 32,500 Olympic 860 ft. 48,000 Europa ..900 ft. 60,000 Statistics are likely to be stupid things and the mere recital of dimensions, however large, give little idea of the overpowering bulk of such a ship as the Europa. The new liner will have a displacement of about 70,000 tons. In other words, the material used in this construction will weigty 140,000,000 pounds. It would, therefore, require 1,400,000 men, or about the population of Philadelphia, .each carrying 100 pounds, to handle this material. If this material was

EUROPA

loaded upon the largest American freight cars. It would All a train 40 miles In length, which, by the way, would extend all the way across the Panama canal. The combined capacity of the three largest hotels in New York city is 3,236 persons, while the Europa carries 4,260 passengers. Bhlp With Nine Decks. The Europa will have a beam of 96 feet, so that her deck will be as wide as Broadway In New York city at its widest point She will have nine decks above the water line, thus making her literally a skyscraper afloat The population of a small city will be luxuriously accommodated aboard without crowding, since her capacity will slightly exceed 6,000. The old familiar standard of comparison, such as the height of the Btatue of Liberty or the Washington monument, la completely outclassed. Some idea of the enormous slse of the Europe may be had from the order which has been given* for 9,000.000 feet of Oregon Hr to be used for the decks alone. For months this lumber has been lying near Portland, Ore., before being shipped to Germany. Special care has been taken to provide only clear, vertical grain wood, which haa been selected with the greatest care. With the unprecedented amount of cabin and deck space available on the Europe, a number of unique features become possible which have never

before been attempted on a ship. None of the staterooms will be cramped, as on the early boats. For those who care to travel with all the comforts of home, there will be complete suites available. There will be a choice of dining rooms for those who do not care for the main dining salon; there will be a Ritz-Carlton restaurant, a grill room, tea garden and even a rathskeller. Spacious palm gardens, which in winter may be converted into sun parlors, will occupy the upper deck. Several ladies’ salons finished in different decorative periods will appeal to the tastes of different nationalities. All of these salons will be connected by telephone to the private staterooms, so that those whose cabins are perhaps two or three city blocks/'apart rtvay talk with one another.

The gymnasium on the Europa will be much larger and more completely equipped than any heretofore installed. In addition to the regular apparatus, there will be a running track, so. that an athlete could actually cross the ocean without breaking training. Tljie mechanical exercising devices already introduced on some ships will be very complete, enabling one to exercise any set of muscles without effort or enjoy a mechanical cornel or horseback ride. An experienced attendant will be in charge of the gymnasium to offer intelligent advice to those seeking exercise.

To Have Many Luxuries.

A special squash court will be built in connection with the gymnasium. Nearby will be found a large swimming pool and completely equipped Turkish and Roman baths presided over by skillful attendants. The Europa will be ventilated thoroughly by a new system. She has no ventilators rising above her decks, which is so familiar a feature of ocean liners, and her long, unbroken deck incidentally gives her a very trim and shipshape appearance. Air will be forced to the lowermost decks by powerful air pumps. Every part of the great ship will thus be supplied with currents of pure air to the proper temperature. This system insures pure air and equitable temperature throughout the ship. The moßt powerful telegraph apparatus ever carried to sea will be set up on the The unusual height of her masts will make It possible to transmit or receive messages over the entire width of the Atlantic ocean, so that the Europa will always be In direct communication with land.

Ship Dimensions Compared.