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New Hamburg-American Liner The Leading Features of the Imperator, the Largest Ship Ever Built in Germany and at Present the Biggest in the World--A Floating Palace The passenger steamer Imperator, now being constructed in the yard of the Vulcan-Werke, in Hamburg, for the Hamburg-Amerika Line, ex- cels in size any ship afloat. This is the first large passenger steamer launched from the Vulcan company's works, at Hamburg. The Vulcan com- pany, however, has great experience in the building of such leviathan lin- ers, most of the famous German liners having been constructed at their well-known works at Stettin. The main dimensions of their latest leviathan are: Length, 880 ft.; breadth, 98 ft.; depth, 35 ft..6 in.; gross tonnage (ap- proximate), 51,000 tons; launching weight, about 26,500 tons; speed at séa, 22 lenots, Passenger Accommodations The hull is constructed with a double-bottom, which, in accordance with the German Lloyd regulations in the case of first-class ships, is about Gf 7, in. high, and .extends tight fore and aft, seven steel decks with- in the molded structure, another deck partially of steel, and three steel- plated superstructure decks. Thirty- six water-tight compartments are pro- vided, so that in the case of the most serious damage the vessel would still float. The doors necessary for communication in the transverse bulk- heads, which are as limited in num- ber as. possible, aré hydraulicaily closed on the Lloyd-Stone system. In emergencies they are closed simul- taneously from the conning-bridge, but may each be opened at the sta- tion, although the door again auto- matically closes within a short period, provided the gear on the bridge is in the closed position, and at all times the state of the door is indicated on a disc on the bridge. Each individual door, too, can be closed independently from the upper deck by a mechanical contrivance. In addition to comply- ing in these and other respects with the regulations of the German Lloyd, the ship is in all details equipped in conformity with the most recent regulations of the German Auswan- derergesetzes, the German Seeberufs- genossenschaft, the American and English laws, and the German See- mannsordnung. ' The number of passengers for whom provision is made is as follows: First class, about 700; second class, about 600; third class, about 940; and fourth class, about 1,750, of which 1000 are in rooms and 750 are in several large compartments. The crew numbers about 1,100. Thus the. total number of persons on_ board when the ship is full will be about 5,100. All the cabins in the ship are of unusually large dimensions, and every care has been taken to insure the convenience of all passengers, as well as of the crew. In addition to the ordinary large first-class cabins several special suites are provided. consisting of sitting room and_ bed room, with "bath and. in addition, there are two elegant suites, so- called "imperial". suttés, - consist- ime each .of 4 saloon, a* breakfast room, two sleeping rooms and two bath rooms. For general use there are provided for the first class pas- sengers two main saloons,:.a restau- rant and, winter garden--exact rep- licas of those at the Carlton hotel, large hall, ladies' room, smoking room, veranda cafe, and a large swim- ming bath, identical with that at the London Automobile Club. In addi- iton there are hygienic, warm and hot air, steam, electric and carbonic baths, one room for cold water treat- ment, one massage room, and one large and convenient resting room, For the passengers of the second class there is a. large dining saloon, smoking saloon, social room, hall and a gymnasium. For the passen- gers of the third class dining, smok- ing and reading rooms; and for pas- Sengers: of the fourth class a large dining room. There are promenade decks of ample area for all classes of passengers. Comprehensive cooking and domestic arrangements on _ the most practical basis are provided. Kitchens, pantries and sculleries are to be fitted for all classes of passen- gers, and these are equipped with the most recent and requisite con- trivances, including bakeries, confec- tionery and butcher's departments. The provision spaces are extremely large, and cold stores are provided for the provisions. Trim Appearance of Vessel A light schooner rig, consisting of two masts, combined with three huge funnels arranged between the masts,, gives the ship a sightly appearance. Both masts are equipped with load- ing and unloading apparatus to an ample extent, and electric cranes are fitted for the rapid and convenient handling of loads. The anchor and mooring arrangements for the ship are of a size to correspond witi its great bulk. The weight of the an- chor and chain amounts to about 200 gross tons, the diameter of the métal of the individual links - being 3.94 in. For rescue work the. safety arrangements are on the largest scale, and each person is to be provided with a life belt and life buoy, which, by means of electric contact with the navigating bridge, can be distributed in great numbers. Owing to the number of boats provided on the ves- sel--100--the means of safety for the passengers is most favorable. In re- -spect to boat-launching, the most suitable design has been adopted. As with all new ships, the arrangements for wireless telegraphy are extensive, and there are fitted submarine sig- naling appliances. The electric installation includes five turbo-dynamos for a lighting cir- cuit comprising about 10,000 lamps, and for a power circuit to run mo- tors of a collective horsepower of 850. There..are, for instance, four passenger lifts, several provision litte,' post and packing cae rangements, four rotary cranes for picking up the provisions and luggage and working the life boats. Further, the mechanical appliances in the kitchens and pantries are electrically worked. The installation in the con- ning tower, the telegraph and _ heat- ing apparatus, dock and rudder tele- graphs, are also electrically worked. There is a loud-speaking telephone :n- stallation, which connects the vari- ous rooms with each other, as well as provision of electric clocks, elec- trically worked from the chief clock on the bridge, and also an electric alarm, which is capable of arousing the entire crew by operation from the conning tower. In addition to the large electric generating installa- tion there is a generator on the top deck, which, in case of breakdown, of the main installation would supply current for lighting the gangways, the most important of the work rooms and all of the boat decks. This set also supplies the current for working the installation on the con- ,