The Gazette, Montreal, 8 May 1909
Maiden Voyage Upholds the Satisfactory Results Achieved on Trial Trip
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AN EPOCH IN SHIPPING
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Perfect steadiness Exhibited---Electrically Driven Fans Provide Continual
Delightful Atmosphere
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The largest passenger vessel that ever steamed up the St. Lawrence, the new
R.M.S. Laurentic, of the White Star-Dominion line, tonnage 15,000, arrived
at Montreal at 5.20 yesterday afternoon on completion of her maiden voyage
from Liverpool, and was greeted by a large concourse of people as she moved
into her berth at the head of the company's wharf.
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Amongst the over one thousand passengers were many Montrealers. Mr. H.
Markland Molson was one of them. "A perfect ship," said Mr. Molson, "and
thoroughly equipped in every department. Unquestionably the most up-to-date
vessel I have ever been on. Everything for the comfort of the passenger has
been provided, the accommodation is unsurpassed, the cousine [sic] most
excellent, and as for comfort she is so steady one might imagine they were
in the Gulf all the time."
***
From the engineering point of view the Laurentic's maiden voyage, fitted, as
she was, with a combination of reciprocating engines with low pressure
turbine, will be of extreme interest. In this new departure the White
Star-Dominion Line were determined to provide not only the most modern and
up-to-date tonnage in the Canadian trade, but to give the new service the
utmost benefit represented by the latest advancement in British marine
industry. Mr. J. Willett Bruce, R.N.R., Superintendent Engineer, of the
White Star-Dominion Line, came over on the boat on her maiden trip. Asked
what he could say as to the performance of the machinery, Mr. Bruce stated
that the results on the outward passage had quite upheld the trial tests of
the ship at home. The Laurentic, Mr. Bruce said, was built for an open sea
speed of 16 knots, and the experiment so far had fully come up to
expectations, allowing for the weather experienced, which on Wednesday and
Thursday necessitated a slowing down in consequence of the fog and
snowstorms. Mr. Bruce did not mention it, but there is little question but
that, apart from the conditions experienced, the Laurentic, or any other new
boat, would have considerably slackened speed after entering the Gulf, as,
with an entirely new ship, the deviations of the compass could not be
properly computed until two or three voyages had proved its working.
Mr. Willett Bruce stated that he was not prepared to express a direct
opinion in any way at present. He preferred to await the trial voyage, in
June, of the sister ship Megantic, which, unlike the Laurentic, is fitted
with quadruple reciprocating engines only, when the results of both systems
can be properly compared. Personally, he has advocated the combination of
reciprocating engines with low pressure turbine, the latter screw in center,
and the two others, as usual, as an important economy. During this trip,
the engines and boilers acted magnificently, he said, never stopping from
the time the ship left port, with the exception of the necessary slowing
down by reason of falling in with the fog. After the first voyage of the
sister ship, Megantic, the company will be in a position to fully judge of
the respective merits of the two systems, and the result will be shown, in
the machinery arrangements selected for the Olympic and Titanic, now being
built.
The automatic steamship whistle, patented by Mr. Willett Bruce, automatic
with intermittent, time 60 seconds and blast five seconds, is in use on this
boat and was used pretty well all day on Thursday.
Mr. W. J. Pratten, representing the firm of Harland & Wolff, the entire
builders of the Laurentic, ship and machinery, expressed the opinion that
the voyage fully came up to their expectations, but he did not care to
express a definite opinion until the Megantic had made her run, when they
could make accurate comparisons. The Laurentic's machinery, he said, would
need to be somewhat more economical than the other ship to compensate for
the extra cost of construction.
[Note: These paragraphs are extracted from a much longer article, the entirety of which appears
on the ET Message Board at http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/cgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?tpc=6937&post=290253#POST290253]
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