Steamships of the Future Will
Make Those of To-day Look
Like Tugs.
\V /HEN the rising generation is big
V enough to spend its honeymoon,
or to incur the disagreeable
necessity of escaping the attentions of
process servers, it will travel on steam
ships which will make those of to-day
seem like tugs. To be more specific, not
later than forty-two years hence the
largest twenty steamships in existence
will have these average dimensions:
length, 1,000 feet; breadth, 100 feet;
draught, 33 feet; gross tonnage, 30,000.
Ais the average dimensions of the pres
ent largest twenty are, length, 640,
breadth 68.9, draught 32.1, and gross
tonnage, 17,151. it will he seen that the
steamships will have to do some tali
growing.
These confident predictions are made
by Elmer Lawrence Corthell, B. A., M.
A., Dr. Sc., of New York and Chicago.
As Mr. Corthell is not a professional
prophet, but an engineer who has done
d notable part of the world's work in
the past, and is still engaged in some
'reat undertakings, his predictions re
garding the future of the world's com
merce are of the liveliest interest.
E. L. Corthell played an important
part in convincing Congress in 1874 of
the wisdom of authorizing the construc
tion of the famous Eads jetties at the
mouth of the Mississippi, and was engi
neer in charge of the construction of
the jetties, whicS increased the dqpth
of water in the South Pass from nine
feet to more than thirty feet. He made
surveys for the 1 ehuantepec Ship Rail
way in 1880, and subsequently, by means
of a number of notable addresses de
livered in the principal cities of the
United States, attracted the world's at
tention to the project. He built bridges
over the Mississippi river at Hannibal,
La., and St. Louis, Mo., and at New
Orleans. He planned and executed the
harbor improvements at Tampico, which
increased the depth of water from eight
feet to twenty-six feet and made that
city the second port in Mexico. He re
duced the nebulous idea of the Chicago
World's Fair to a tangible proposition
by solving the engineering problems of
that great undertaking, and subsequently
carried out some important works that
were instrumental in making the Pair a
success. He was also one of the leading
spirits in organizing the International
Engineering Congress, held during the
Fair. Ten years ago the works of vari
ous kinds constructed under Mr. Cort
hell's supervision footed up an aggregate
value of $100,000,000. 111 1898 lie repre
sented the United States government at
the International Congress of Naviga
tion at Brussells. lie was also at the
Paris Congress in 1900 and at the Milan
Congress in 1905. At present he is
president and chief engineer of the com
pany which is making important im
provements in the harbor of Rio Grande
Do Sill, Brazil, the difficulties of which
have baffled some of the world's fore
most engineers. He is a member of
something like a score of scientific so
cieties in America and Europe.
In 1898, when Mr. Corthell's first pre
diction was made, the number of steam
ships in existence was 11,271, having a
total tonnage of 17,889,006. He predicted
that in five years this number would
increase to 12,002, with an aggregate
tonnage of 20,801,205. The actual num
ber in existence in IQO3 was 13.381, rep
resenting a tonnage of 26,158,358. Ihe
average tonnage of steamships in 1808
was 1,587. Mr. Corthell predicted that
this average would increase to 1,704 by
1903. In reality the average at the end
of five years proved to be 1,955 tons.
The average dimensions of the largest
twenty steamships in 1898 were: Length,
541 feet; breadth, 61 feet; draught, 29
The Cameron County Press.
feet; gross tonnage, 10,717. He pre
dicted an increase in the next five years
to a length of 586 feet, a breadth of
6-1.8 feet, a draught of 29.4 feet and a
gross tonnage of 13,374. When the five
years had elapsed the actual dimensions
were found to he: Length, 640 feet;
breadth, 6X.9 feet; draught, 32.1 fee:;
gross tonnage, 17,151. Steamships of
500 feet or more in length had increased
from twenty-two to ninety-three—an in
crease of 323 per cent. Now Air. Cort
hcll predicts that in 1948 there will be
a total of 16,685 steamships, represent
ing a total tonnage of 45.000,000, or an
average of 2.700 tons. The average di
mensions of the largest twenty steam
ships will be: Length, 1,000 feet;
breadth, 100 feet; draught, 33 feet;
gross tonnage, 30,000.
Other interesting features of Mr.
Corthell's predictions, which are based
on the developments of the past, are that
the speed of the fastest steamships in
io|B will be thirty knots, tl*at the total
number of sailing vessels will have de
creased from 56,281 in 1873 to 10,800 in
1948, and their tonnage from 14,185,836
to 3,241,000, The weight of sea-borne
commerce in 1948 will have increased
to 435,000,000 tons, and the value of the
combined exports of the leading ten na
tions of the globe will have reached the
stupendous total of $t0,000,000,000.
Tn discussing the outlook for the fu
ture Mr. Corthell said:
"There is no reason why steamships
should not continue to increase in size,
and there is every reason why they
"PICTORIAL.COLOR AND f <\GAZINE SECTION"
should do so. It is unnecessary to re
peat the arguments of commercial men
regarding the reduction in the cost of
transportation by increasing the size of
the mass to be moved. The natural out
come of the present tendency of trans
portation, both on land and water, is to
increase the volume to be moved; larger
cars and longer trains and more power
ful locomotives to move them on the
land, and larger ships and greater power
011 the sea. The competition of coun
tries and ports with one another, and
the necessity of reaching the markets of
consumption by distant producers all
serve to increase the freight capacity of
steamships; and the longer the course
the greater the demand for size.
"A very important feature of the sub
ject is the urgent necessity of increasing
the draught of steamships. The length
and breadth have far outstripped this
other most important dimension. The
draught, of course, is rigidly limited
by the depth of water in channels and
at docks.
"The reasons insistently and persist
ently stated by naval architects for in
creased draught, not only for greater
stability, speed and generally better pro
EMPORIUM, PA., SEPTEMBER 13, 1906.
portions of steamships, but for greater
capacity and greater economy of trans
portation are of the strongest and most
convincing character. As the displace
ment of a steamship is increased by in
creasing the draught, the power required
to drive a ton of displacement at a given
speed is reduced. Some instances of the
limitations of draught may be cited to
show how important is the question of
providing greater draught and greater
depth of channels to meet this draught.
The Deutschland, one of the largest ves
sels o{ to-day, like all the swiftest mail
steamers, carries very little freight be
cause of the limits imposed by her de
parture draught. It has been stated that
this great ship of more than 23,000 tons
displacement can carry only 500 to 600
tons of cargo. If her draught could be
increased one foot, about <>so tons-more
cargo could be carried, and two feet in
crease would represent about 1,800 tons
more cargo. The freight earning ca
pacity would thus be nearly trebled fur
one foot extra draught, »»r made five
fold for two feet, with a very trifling
loss of speed, even at a deeper draught.
"The Moldavia, of the Peninsular and
Oriental I.ine, on a draught of 27 feet
4ZI inches, carries about 3,000 tons of
cargo. Each additional foot of draught
gives an increased carrying power of
about 650 tons. Three feet increase
would, therefore, add about 2,000 tons,
or 66 per cent to her freight earning
capacity. There would be some de
crease in speed, but nothing sensibly af
fecting her time 011 passage. Facts such
as these explain the insistence of ship-
builders and ship owners in urging the
uecessil) for greater depths.
"As to the cost of fuel in large and
small steamships, theoretical calcula
tions and actual practice agree in show
ing that the consumption of coal per 100
ton miles is about 8 to 4.4, as between
a 300 foot ship and a 750 foot ship—
the one having a loaded displacement of
8.640 tons and the other 26,150 tons, the
one with a draught of 24 feet 6 inches
and the other 32 feet 4 1 ■'< inches.
"The operation of the law controlling
the development of steamships, particu
larly in respect to their draught, is inex
orable. The naval architect and the
steamship companies feel its effects first
of all, because behind thein urging them
onto greater and deeper ships are the
world's commercial requirements and
j t! "" i—mivl for cheaper transportation.
m rt spite of the apparent ictnaTgy crt tin.
a , aritime powers, national and local, in
q ( fakening to the situation of port re-
S£ rirements, the size and draught of ves
; k are si : ll increasing.
J nc "A detail of navigation requirements
jf U] vt often referred to is the depth needed
\ »der vessels in the entrance channels,
k, ship moving at even low speed, say 8
( j, lots an hour, will have a greater
; n 'aught than in deep water. As is said
w nautical language, she 'squats.' The
c |- ater between her and the bed of the
w annel is driven out, and often the ship
if ill actually drag 011 the bottom, while
v a (Stationary there would be a foot and
er lialf of water under the keel. In the
t]i trance channels of New York harbor
sr is is a well known fact. For this rea
re n alone, to ?ay nothing of the usual
[juirement of considerable space be
j, ten the ship's keel and the bottom
a le to vertical movement of the ship in
,1, seaway, there should be not less than
c |, fee and a half feet in the entrance
vc annels between the deepest draught
Sscls and the bed of the channel.
co "The ports of the world must meet the
a mmercial requirements of the age by
f a marked and continual enlargement of
p r filities, and those who control their
q t licy should study carefully there
to (irements of steamships and, looking
ar the future, lay their plans adequately
rt , id wisely to meet these ever increasing
quirements."
u Data collected by Mr. Corthell to show
( ] ( hat is being done to provide a suitable
d, [pth of water for larger vessels shows
a at there are 138 ports which now have
ll depth of entrance channel of I'eSs than
],. irty feet at low water, and 70 which
sve a depth of more than thirty feet.
Hien all the channels are deepened,'as
1] Hv proposed, the number having more
w lan thirty feet in the channels at low
ater will be increased to 91. Ninety
0j 'e ports now have less than thirty feet
u water in the entrance channels at high
f e ater, and 113 have more than thirty
w et. When improvements now under
ln ay are completed the number having
] ie ore than thirty feet at high water will
136.
c, The most fortunate port in the United
(j, ates in this respect is Tacoma, where
,] 1 e entrance channel is five hundred feet
112, :t'p and the depth at the wharves is
n( rty to forty-eight feet. Seattle comes
c | ( rxt with a channel two hundred feet
( j. fep and a depth at the . wharves of
y irty-seven to fourty-four feet. New
c | ork will be third when the Ambrose
lannel is completed to give a depth of
Q irty feet at mean low water, and New
(] rleans will be fourth with a depth of
lirty-five feet.