Senator (Propeller), U116752, 13 Jun 1896

At 3 o'clock P. M. Saturday the steel steamer SENATOR, the largest craft ever turned out from a Michigan shipyard, will be launched at Wyandotte for the Wolverine Steamship Company, composed of John B. Roby, President and General Manager; James McMillan ; C.L. Freer; F.J. Hecker; M.W. Humphries, the estate of the late Capt. Peck; A. McVittie and others. The keel length of the SENATOR is 400 feet, length over all 420 feet, beam 45 feet, and molded depth 28 feet. She will be propelled by a triple-expansion engine with cylinders 22, 35 and 60 inches in diameter by 44 inches stroke. It is expected that on 16 feet draught she will carry 4,800 gross tons of ore and that with this load her engine, which is of 1400 horse power, will drive her at the rate of 13 miles an hour. A feature of the steamer will be a patent stern anchor, intended for use in emergencies while passing through St. Marys River and other narrow waters, when through currents or the influence of a passing vessel control of the big steamer is lost and she begins to swing so as to bring her into dangerous proximity to another vessel or to a rock or bottom. She will carry one smokestack, two short spars forward of this, the Howden hot draft, a complete electric lighting plant, search lights, full handling equipment, telephones to connect the master or pilot with distant parts of the ship and in other ways will be fully up to the mark in the matter of modern improvements. The SENATOR will go into commission about July 15. She will be sailed by Capt. E. B. McQueen, who, though still a young man, has had experience as commander of the big steel steamer MARINA and S.S. CURRY and the wooden steamers GEORGE F. WILLIAMS, JOHN F. EDDY and others.
      Milwaukee Wisconsin
      June 11, 1896
     


Matters in the ship yard of the Detroit Dry Dock Co. at Wyandotte are being arranged for the launching of the big steel steamer SENATOR on Saturday, the 13th. The SENATOR is one of the steamers of the 400-foot type and will be owned by the Wolverine Steamship Co., of which John B. Roby is president and in which Senator McMillan and other stockholders of the dry dock company are interested. The steamer will be managed by Capt. M.W. Humphries. She is 420 feet long over all, 400 feet keel, 45 feet beam and 28 feet deep, and will be propelled by a triple expansion engine with cylinders 22, 35 and 60 inches in diameter by 44 inches stroke. It is expected that on 16 feet draft she will carry about 4,800 gross tons of ore and that with this load her engines, which are of 1,400 horse power, will drive her at the rate of 13 miles an hour. A feature in this boat is a patent anchor in the extreme stern. This is to be used in case of emergency in the "Soo " river and other narrow channels when through current or the influence of a passing vessel control of the big steamer is lost and she begins to swing so as to bring her into dangerous proximity to another boat or to a rock or dock. She will carry one smokestack, two short spars forward of this, will be fitted with Howden hot draft, and will have a complete electric lighting plant, search light, full handling equipment, telephones to connect the master or pilot with distant parts of the ship, etc. Alike to other big coarse freight carriers of her kind, she will have no deck house or in fact anything between the boiler house and texas excepting the deck engines. The SENATOR will be sailed by Capt. H.B. McQueen, who has been in the MARINA, S. S. CURRY, GEO. F. MCWILLIAMS, JOHN F. EDDY and other steamers.
      Marine Review
      June 11, 1896
     
     
     
      The big freight steamer SENATOR, which was launched Saturday at the Wyandotte yard of the Detroit Dry Dock Co., was quite fully described in our issue of June 11 on page 11. She is 420 feet long over all, 400 feet keel 45 feet beam and 28 feet deep, with twelve hatches and a water bottom 5 ½ feet deep. Two of the hatches are forward of the pilot house, but the after house is placed far in the stern, giving a clear deck as in other steamers of her kind. Cylinders of engines are 22, 36 and 58 inches diameter by 44 inches stroke, and there are two boilers, each 13 feet 6 inches by 12 feet, allowed 165 pounds working pressure. The two Rockefeller steamers building at Wyandotte will be in nearly all respects similar to this boat. The SENATOR is owned by the Wolverine Steamship Co. of Detroit, composed of John B. Roby, president and general manager; James McMillan, C. L. Freer, F. J. Hecker, M.W. Humphrey, the estate of the late Capt. Peck, A. McVittie and others. She will be sailed by Capt. E. B. McQueen with Andrew Carter as chief engineer.
      Marine Review
      June 25, 1896