The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 24, 1903, Page 26

26 GREATEST OF LINERS | That Ply the Atlantic Is THE KAISER WILHELM I TERIOR VIEWES SHOWING ARTISTIC (IOUS APPOINTMENTS ©O TRIUMPH OF MARINE ENGINEERING. DECORATIONS AND ¥ THE KAISER WILHELM II, THE 3 iser Wilhelm II is the lat-| t of the achievements of | - engineering. In response to | s shipbuilders have | mproved on their own | rivals—launching ma- | r another in such | d each one with so ver its immediate pre- | i has almost ceased | now takes every- .. | 1 the Kaiser Wilhelm II is | clal notice. Of the recent ns of the deep” we have | 5 feet over all, the longest | the Great Eastern; the | her . trans-Atlantlc | hour, the fastest of | i the Celtic, | feet beam, | t, makmd ps afloat, - and . the | er mold- | feet, which makes ship on the ocean—all | bher the deep great and at time thought to be the best adapted for the purposes for which | they were bulit. | most of the essentizls, however, the | In w helm II mearly equals each, respects surpasses any of | e is the longest, being 7065 feet | 1 over all, 15 feet more than the | She is the most powerful, hav- horsepower (contract), or. 7000 the Deutschland. She is great ts, too, with her beam of | d pth 526 feet, load | nd displacement 26,000 a double bottom extending of the ship and divided into twenty-six compartments, while the hull itself is divided into nineteen water- tight compartments She has seven decks—orlop, lower, main, | upper, two promenade decks and an awn. ing or boat deck—and from the captain's bridge, seventy feet zbove the water, one | run the eye up and down the full | feet of the vessel's length. | The Kaiser Wilhelm II has 29 first-class | s d-class cabins, and among features are two imperial | comprising a dining-room, | drawing-room, bedroom and bathroom, all | daint! and tastefully furnished and | dec There are eight other suites, with sitting-room, bedroom ' and bath- ing 40,000 toms the full len " room, and eight state cabins with bath- rooms adjoining. The first-class saloon is 108 feet long by 69 feet wide, and provides sitting accom- modations for G54 persons. The children’s saloon, typewriting-room and safe deposit department are also no- table features. The four kitchens, the largest 55x30 feet, can cater to 800 first-class, 400 second-class and 1100 stecrage passengers, besides the officers and crew, the latter numbering | 600 persons, of whom 237 are in the engine- -room force. It is in the engine-room that the chief nterest in this boat -centers, as it is an innovation in trans-Atlantic travel, though not new on warships. The engine-room is made up of four separate compartments, with a complete engine in each.. There are two propeller shafts, with two en- gines arranged tandem on each, a stuf- fing-box arrangement being used on the L crank shaft where it passes through the transverse watertight bulkhead separat- « ing each pair of engines. Each engine is a complete quadruple ex- pansion four-cylinder unit, with a con- tract indicated horsepower of 10,000, and promise of far more after “‘sweetening out.” Taking the performance of the Deutschiand as a criterion, the Kaiser Wilhelm II probably ‘will develop a speed of twenty-four knots an hour. The two propellers are each 22 feet 10 jnches in diameter. The driving shaft is 230 feet long and 253 tons, the crank shaft alone more than 108 tons. To condense the huge Wm.d steam > that are delivered hour by hour the con- densers have forty-six and a half miles | of tubing. The vessel has nineteen boil- | ers, .twelve of which are double enders, | and welgh when empty 114 tons each. The | total heating surface of these bollers is more, than two.and a half acres. The coal bunkers have a capacity of 9 long tons, of which 650 tons are ex- ected, to be the daily consumption. | On her maiden voyage to New York the | vessel was not ‘hurrled, as her engines and plant were new, but,- nevertheless, she averaged 2.1 knots per hour, with every bearing keeping cool and everything working perfectly. L LA RAPID TRANSIT, Automobiles Are Suggested for Use | in Cities. “Small unit, direct transit,” is John Brisben/Walker's descriptive name for his method of carrying passengers in great cities, applicahle allke to Chicago, New York, London and small towns, according to the Engineering News. He is president of the Mobile. Rapid’ Transit Company, and he tells the New York Rapid Transit Commissioners that the subway,, now only about half done, is already antiquat- ed, and asks them to advance $10,000,000 | for putting in service automobiles, each | seating fourteen passengers. Every part | of the city could be served because the carriages would not have to keep to cer- | tain lineswof tracks and “the daily jour- ney down or into town instead of being a horror, composed of bad alr, indecent crowding, stopping and jamming at every corner, and clinging to straps will become a pleasure trip and be looked forward to as the most delightful event of the day. The time is as surely coming as you are sitting here when this method of transit will become universal.” He estimated that 5000 “Mobile” carriages will bring in a profit of 114% per cent on the investment, the fares to be from 3 cents to 10 cents, according to distances. In 18%, Jacob Sharp, a promoter with a creative imagination, but an insufficient distaste for corruption, substituted sur- face cars for omnibus “‘units” on Broad- way, New York. Right minded citizens were moved to indignation at his methods and an enormously increasing number of all kinds were moved to destination by his achievement, while at the same time street congestion was relleved. It is not easy to recall any fact in the art of trans- portation more clearly and . repeatedly demonstrated than that an ordeérly pro- cession of vehicles on a track, or of men on march, has greater capacity than-any movement of uncontrolled units. One familiar with upper Wabash avenue and State street, in Chicago, or with any avenue in New York between 5 and 6 in the afternoon, needs.few figures to pic- ture the results of substituting automobile stages for the existing means of riding, or of adding automobiles to the present sys- tems. Nevertheless an application of the antiquated forms of arithmetic and horse sense may help in the details of the pie- ture. The subway may reasonably be ex; - ed to carry three-quarters of a mll:ellztn people a day on'long trips up or down the island. Mr. Walker's fourteen-pass- jenger automobile will do well to make four such trips a day, “weaving in and out and not keeping to certain lines.” It is easy to see that ug automoblles are needed and, that, the c#st of them would be something lke $40,000,00—nothing to frighten one, as things go nowadays, but still it happens-to be about the estimated cost of the tunnel and all-of its local and express equipment. But the tunnel takes none of the present street room, while Mr, ‘Walker's solvent, packed solidly togethef with o leeway for movement, is about five miles long. The really attractive feature of the “proposition to the Rapid Commis- sion is the 114}% per cent profit;, ich like all gall can be dlvided into parts: , per cent for interest, 10 cent for pri ion and the rest for the idea. THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, MAY 24, 1903, THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL. OFN D. SPRECKELS, Proprietor. SUNDAY = Publication Office... .Third and Market Streets, 8. P. SOME MARRIAGE PROBLEMS. ESPITE the efforts of divorce courts to relieve marriage of that feature which made scof- fers speak of it as a “life sentence,” there remain a good many matrimonial problems to perplex the minds of people who like to be perplexed. Hence we have endless discussions on the subject and not a few efforts to bring about changes under the name of reforms. Of these efforts barely one or two are wise, and the rest are foolish. They are, however, worth some brief attention as parts of the news of the day and as evidences that a good many well-to-do people have a host of troubles that do not trouble other folks. The Chicago Tribune, which keeps records of all abnormal happenings such as lynchings, sui- cides, donations to colleges, foundations:of libraries and hospitals, etc., keeps also a close watch on reform movements. It reports that matrimonial problems have been so disturbing to a considerable number of persons that there havbl{een formed within the last few years societies for the encourage- ment of bachelors, for the advancenient of spinsters, for pjomoting large families, for the educa- tion of wives and for the suppression of divorce. Last, but by no means least, among these is an association just organized-for the suppression of matriage itself. In narrating the methods to be pursued by the new society the Tribune says: “The members propose to collect the details of every case of domestic infelicity they can discover, such as wife-beat- ing, desertion, separation, divorce and scandal, and send this delectable information to all the Young Women's Christian Associations and girls’ seminaries and colleges in the country. In this way they hope to discourage marriage. Of course, such a large and active association can pick up a choice and well-assorted mass of information, as well as all the scandal that is going, and in the course of even a few days might flood a Young Woman’s Christian Association resort with extraordinary literature.” IFor the purpose of providing funds for the collection and distribution of such stuff the society has already obtained contributions of a considerable sum of money. The Tribune gives the names of several wealthy old maids who have subscribed §in the aggregate more than $10,000. It is a Chicago movement and of course it goes with a rush. There is no lack of money and energy to back it, and if the promoters are as successful as they expect to be, they will be slaughtering marriage prospects all over this country about as fast as hogs are slaughtered in Chicago packing-houses. While such movements are undertaken among us, some enterprising business men in Denmark have undertaken the establishment of a system of insurance to protect women from the evils of spin- sterhood. The scheme of insurance provides that if a sum equal to about $225 be deposited with the insurance company os the birth of a girl, she becomes if unmarried at the age of 30 entitled to an annuity of $23, which is increased by an additional $25 for every ten years thereafter that she remains wnmarried. If she marry before she is 30, the original deposit is paid to her on her wedding day. Whether the system tends to encourage or discourage marriage depends of course on the view any particular girl takes of the financial proposition. If she marry she gets $225 cash down on the wedding day. If she remain single she gets an annuity that increases as long as she lives. It is for her to choose which she prefers. Amid these ffeakish ponderings on problems which to most people are not problems at all, there occurs now and then a sad story of some one who takes them all too seriously and makes a tragedy where there should have been a comedy more or le An instance of the kind has just hap- pened in New York, where a girl on the eve of her wedding committed suicide because she did not know how to cook or to sew, and was ashamed to confess to her lover her lack of those accom- plishments. Perhaps the Chicago society may circulate that story as a warning to girls against matri- monial engagements. Perhaps some cooking school may make use of it as an argument against enter- ing marriage without ample culinary training. It will serve equally well for either purpose. All of these vagaries, farcical or tragic, are but proofs that men and women can make prob- lems out of the simplest affairs of life if they set about meditating on them. Victor Hugo said that if a man gets up every morning to reflect upon life, he will get up some morning and throw himself | in the river. The saying is not strictly true. The reflecting individuai may get up some morning and, | start out as a reformer. In either case, however, he wastes his life. There is no use trying to suppress | matrimony, for it is unsuppressible; neither is it worth while trying to reform it, for it is good enough | as it is. Neither are cooking and sewing essential to it, for sometimes the wife who does the least cooking makes the happiest home. KING AND CABINET. ROM London come reports of a growing fear that the King is taking advantage of the weak- ness of the Cabinet to exert a much larger influence in politics than any Béitish monarch has attempted since the days of George III. Such an attempt would not be in accord with the reputation IEdward made for himself in the years when he was Prince of Wales, but that does not constitute a sufficient ground for rejecting the story absolutely. The development of an ambition is often dependent upon the coming of an opportunity. Many a man who lived humbly enough in ob- scurity has been found to be quite ambitious when fortune placed him in a position of power and authority. It is therefore not impossible that the dissensions in the Cabinet have afforded Edward an opportunity to exhibit faculties of leadership and traits of character which no one has suspected. The London stories at any rate are quite circumstantial. The weakness of the Cabinet is due to the fact that Chamberlain is a stronger man than the Premier, has a more imperial policy and a | larger following. Balfour and his supporters in the Ministry counted on winning public favor by re- pealing the tax on grain, but Chamberlain, so far from sustaining his colleagues og that point of the budget, has declared himself in favor of increasing rather than diminishing duties. "Dissensions exist also on other points, and it has long been clear to students of British politics that as at present consti- tuted the Cabinet cannot and does not adequately reflect British sentiment or represent the will of | the people. ; Such a situation makes it possible for the King to intervene and practically make himself the head of the Cabinet. Some London authorities declare he has actually taken steps to that end. They assert that his recent tour through Portugal, Italy and France was designed for diplomatic purposes; that tvhile ostensibly refusing to discuss politics he really did much to formulate a joint programme of action with the three powers. Furthermore it is added he has drawn about him a host of sturdy | supporters in the Commons, made up largely of the companions of his youth, and is thus able to hold the Cabinet to his will. Altogether it is an interesting situation. For a long time Britain has been looking for a leader. She may possibly find him where she did not look for him—on the throne. POST-MOR'I;EM MERRIMENT. .CCASIONALLY an eccentric rich man prepares to squeeze through the needle’s eye, and wishes to leave behind him directions for a picturesque and unusual funeral. Almost in- variably, under such circumstances, he puts his programme for post-mortem amusement in his will and seals the same with great red seals. Now wills are not opened until the de- cedent is buried, decently or otherwise, so that, as a rule, the pageant-loving public is cheated out of a spectacle by the unbusiness-like act of the deceased. Will all such, who are inclined to have a vaudeville funeral, please take notice that they should in their wills dispose only of their estates and not of their bodies? If they want their friends to have an enjoyable time at the funeral they should write out directions to that effect and put them in a separate envelope addressed to some friend, or put in his keeping long in advance of the shuffling off of their mortal coil. Recently a distinguished Kentucky millionaire died in California and had the most orthodox funeral. The music was just right, and the decorous undertaker flourished his me]anchofy screw- driver as he invited the congregation to look at the quiet departed. After it was all over, the will was 3 opcnéd and in it were found minute directions for the most lurid funeral that ever was. The pro- gramme included a railroad excursion in Pullman cars, with well-stocked larders and liquor chests, and cremation, during which a brass band was to play popular and appropriate airs. The deceased ! book will not, however, run on anything .{ man, of very good humor, but of very NEWS OF T * HE LONDON Writers’ New Gifts to the WORLD OF LITERATURE AUTHOR OF "THE CHRISTIAN,” WHO IS ENGAGED UPON A NOVEL TO BE ENTITLED “FATHERS AND SONS,” TREATING CAPITAL FROM-THE VIEW. OF PARENT AND HEIR. L HE past week has seen a good many new novels brought out, but even more new editions of old novels. Perhaps the greatest nov- elty in the way of bookmaking is the tiny edition of Fitz Gerald's “‘Omar Khayyam.” It Is small enough to go into the smallest walstcoat pocket. Joseph Conrad's new book, *“Typhoon and Other Stories,” seems likely to take the leading place among recent publica- tions. I wonder how many people, read- ing this beautiful English, are aware that Mr. Conrad is'a Pole. His speech certain- ly gives unmistakable indications that he is not English. It is, therefore, a marvel how he picked up his magnificent English style of writing. for. it is-undoubtedly by style that Mr. Conrad appeals to the lover of good writing. It might not be correct to call Mr. Conrad a romancer. He is, rather, a provider of glorified experiences. He has met Nature face to face, and un- der conditions when she is least propitiat- | ing. -Nature has rewarded him with a style that enables him to describe with marvelous vividness many of her aspects. | Hall Caine has just taken a new house | at Wimbledon. Hitherto he has occupied | | ) a cottage there, in which Mrs. Oliphant died. Henceforth he will divide his time pretty evenly between this residence and the Isle of Man. Hall Calne, I believe, is making headway with a new novel, which, \ with an acknowledgment of Turgenieff, he | is to entitle “Fathers and Sons.” The | 1 like the same social llnes as Turgeniefl's | story. It will deal, rather, with the ques- | tion of capital as looked on from the | point qf view of the parent and his heir. In other words, the reader will probably | be presented with a portrait of a million- aire who has laboriously built up a for- tune, and as a contrast, with the figure of a kind of plunger who knows only too well how to spend it. 2 Paul du Chaillu, whose death has just | been announced, made a large sum of | money out of his books of travel, but he | sank something like 350,000, I believe, in | the Investigations on which he based his | “Viking Age.”, This was an attempt to | prove the English race Scandinavian, not | Low German, in origin, but it was not favorably received by experts. Du Chaillu, who spoke with a strong French accent, tried to make believe he did not understand French. He was, he declared, an American. He was a little quick temper. He used to relate with sat- isfaction his first encounter with the late | Duke of Argyll. When the skeleton of | the first gorilla ever brought to Europe | was on exhibition in London the public | were admitted on presentation cards. The Duke wrote to Du Chaillu that on such and such a day the Duke of Argyll pro- posed :o visit the gorilla. Du Challlu at once wrote back that the gorilla was to be seen every day between certain hours and that if the Duke of Argyll presented his card he would no doubt be admitted, like the rest of the public. Maurice Hewlett has just finished the novel upon which he has been engaged for the last two years. It concerns the love story of Mary, Queen of Scots, based upon recent historical discoveries, which regroup some incidents in the life of the Queen, so that Mr. Hewlett has an old omitted to mention what music is appropriate at a cremation, but he would doubtless agree with us that “There’ll Be a Hot Time” would go for one piece and “Under the Bamboo Tree” for another. During pauses in the music he directed that his friends invite the orchestra to join them in drinking “bon voyage.” Everything was provided for except a dance, but it all went for nothing be- cause it was put in the will. Just what view the executors may take of their duty in the matter is not - known. They may conclude to have a banquet and music, for Kentucky hates to miss any fun. In a recent will case in which spiritualism is involved a wéman testified that her deceased hus- band had sent back word to her that her parrot, also deceased, had joined him in the spirit world; and now there will be a wild desire to know whether there is not some world where parrots cannot come. : ; © |\ sional theme with new variations. Opinion will probably never become unanimous on the subject of Sir Hudson Lowe's behavior toward Napoleon at St. Hefena. Part of a book which Mr. Mur- ray is to issue refers to this matter. It years ago, but not with the com- pleteness it will now have. The volume gives the reminiscences of Colonel Basil Jackson, 'who, from personal knowledge, wrote about Waterloo and St. Helena. His gossip of the battle is interesting and his | evidence about St. Helena favors Sir Hud- son Lowe. The book will contain a hith- erto unpublished drawing of Hougomont, by Landseer. - + Darling. Another came out only the other day. Then there is Augustine Birrell. Mr. McDonnell Bodkin, the well-known King's counsel, is a practiced novelist, and Judge Parry is known to children as the author of a series of fairy fantasies. By the way, an outcome of the action of Judge Parry against Mr. Moring is the announcement of a new, revisededition of his “Letters of Dorothy Osborne.” This edition will contain additional letters. It is stated that the owner has sold to Judge Parry the sole right of publication. A CHANCE TO SMILE. Church—Some men are always anxious to have a finger in the ple. Gotham—Yes; but in the case of the | waiter he seems perfectly satisfled if he can only get it in the Statesman. soup.—Yonkers “You say you have a new idea for a story 2 . “Yen." “‘Something original in plot?” “Well, I hadn’'t thought much about the plot. But I have an advertising scheme that will make a fortune for any book.”—Washington Star. Churchill—The pastor preached a very caustic sermon this morning that seemed to be a slap at the congregation. Ascum—That so? What was*his text? Churchill—I forget. I put in all my time wondering what his pretext was.—Phila- delphia Press. Deacon Jones—What do you think of our latest new convert? Do you think it a genuine case of conversion? Deacon Brown—I'm afraid not. In the remarks he has made in prayer meet'ngs thus far he has not boasted of being the vilest of sinners.—Boston Transcript. % —_—— Townsend's Cal. glace fruits. 715 Mkt.* —_———————— Special information supplied daily to business houses and public men by the Press Clipping Bureau (Allen's), 230 Cal- iforna street. Telephone Main 1042. —————— Townsend's California glace fruits and candles, 50c a pound, in artistic fire-et boxes. A nice present for Eastern Moved from Palace Hotel buflding to Market st., two doors above Call building® ————— Emperor William is collaborating with Joseph Lauft, the court poet, on a entitled “Under the Helmet.” The hero is the great elector, Frederick Willlam of Brandenburg, who dfed in 1688. ' PUBLICATIONS. An Immediate Success Harriet Bartnett's Charming Love Story, ANGELD "Susicun. A Love Story of to-day, full of the romance of music. Frontispiece in photogravure. . Fine - laid paper. Decorated cover. Gilt top. Price $1.25. 2 At All Bookseliers. GODFREY A. S. WIENERS, At the Sign of the Lark, % | & The. connection which: exists between law and the pen is suggested by the occa- publication of books by Justice New York. - .