New City Liner—Launch of the City of Paris—Glasgow Herald, August 12, 1907
The new steamer City of Paris, which was launched on Saturday by Messrs Barclay, Curle and Co., Whiteinch, is the largest vessel yet built for the Ellerman Lines. She is, generally speaking, a sister ship to the City of London, built at Belfast recently, but she is slightly larger. With the exception of a few mail steamers, she will be the largest vessel running to India. She is 569 feet in length, 57 feet 9 inches in breadth, 36 feet 6¼ inches in depth, of about 9,000 tons gross, and she will have single-screw quadruple-expansion engines, by the builders, of about 9000 i.h.p., capable of giving a service speed of fifteen knots. She will carry about 300 first-class and 100 second-class passengers. The first-class passengers will all be berthed in two and three berth state-rooms on the upper and bridge decks. On the promenade deck there will be provided a novelty in the Eastern trade in the form of several emtes-de-luxe, in which a traveler or a family may enjoy all the comforts and privacy of home. A special feature of the ordinary state-rooms is the provision of daylight for each room, all rooms having access to the ship’s side. Another noteworthy feature is that the two inner rooms of each block may be readily transformed into a large and commodious apartment for the use of a family party. The first-class dining saloon is situated in the bridge deck, and extends almost the full width of the ship. It is lit by large cottage windows on three sides, and also by a lofty dome on the centre, carried up to the top of the upper promenade deck, and surmounted by a handsome teak skylight. The ceiling is in raised Tynecastle, decorated in white and gold. The walls are treated in Austrian oak framing, with quarter panels, having relief ornaments of garlands, medallions, and trophies, finished in dull English gold. The music-room, on the promenade deck, has a height of nine feet, and its walls are finished in the Adams style, with small paintings in the Bartolozzi’ style in the medallions. The ceiling is done in special canvas, with relief ornaments. The dome is elaborately decorated, and is finished in white and gold. The first-class smoking room, situated at the after end of the promenade deck, is a spacious and airy apartment with a large teak skylight above the centre. Aft of the smoke-room there is a comfortable open-air lounge, protected from the weather on three sides. Accommodation for second-class passengers is provided under the poop deck, in a style differing but little from the first-class rooms. The dining saloon, smoke-room, entrance hall and music room are quire as comfortable, if not as ornate as those of the first-class. The upper promenade deck forwards will be used exclusively by the captain and officers, the petty officers and stewards will be berthed under the forecastle forward, the engineers on the upper deck at the aft end of the bridge space, and the Eastern crew at the extreme aft end of the vessel, with independent means of egress and ingress.
The City of Paris has been built to the highest class in the British Corporate Registry, and, with considerable additional strengthening, in order to meet the special requirements of the Eastern trade. The hull generally is of mild steel, and is divided into water-tight compartments with eleven bulkheads. A complete inner bottom is also fitted. This is divided into numerous water-ballast tanks, so that the trim or draft of the vessel may be adjusted at any time to suit the conditions of service. There will be in the holds space for about 10,000 tons dead-weight of cargo, for the efficient handling of which large hatches, served by sixteen powerful winches, have been provided. The machinery, also by Messrs Barclay, Curle and Co., will consist of one set of quadruple-expansion engines, and two double-ended and two single-ended boilers working at a pressure of 215 lb.; each double-ended boiler being fitted with eight furnaces, and each single-ended with four furnaces. Forced draft, on the Howden system, will be supplied by two fans.
Flying Swift awaiting the launch
Into the water
Afloat for the first time
Tugs take control
The vessel was launched and named by Mrs Workman, wife of Mr. W. S. Workman, of Messrs George Smith and Sons. At the luncheon afterwards, Mr. James Gilchrist, chairman of Messrs Barclay, Curle & Co. in proposing “Success to the New Vessel,” said his firm were building ships for the City Line before he was born. They built in 1870 the pioneer of the City Line steamer, but before that they had turned out for the City Line a large number of sailing ships. Up till 1882, practically without a break, they built City Line steamers. Then the orders went for a time to Belfast, but in 1896, the firm came back to Whiteinch, and since then Messrs Barclay, Curle & Co. had been building for them almost continuously. Counting the City of Paris, they had built twelve City Line steamers, while they had also, since Sir John Ellerman acquired the line, built four Hall liners. The City of Oxford, which they built in 1870, was considered a very fine ship of her day. She had 800 horse-power at sea, and she made her first voyage to India and back in 111 days. She had a boiler pressure of only 60 lb., as compared with the 215 lb. of the City of Paris. (Applause.)
Mr Workman, in replying, said the firm of George Smith and Sons, and the City Line to India had been long in Glasgow. It was nearly seventy years since their first sailing vessel was dispatched from the Clyde to Calcutta, while in 1853 a regular line of vessels to Bombay was also inaugurated. The founders of the City Line conceived the idea that what was wanted was regular sailings, the vessels leaving to their date, full or not full, and through good management and keeping ahead of the times they gained the confidence and support of merchants and manufacturers. This confidence he thought they still held. (Applause.) Since 1870 they had on an average added a new steamer each year to the fleet, and they were now giving employment to over 2000 men as crews, besides apprentices. It was six years since Sir John Ellerman bought the City Line. From the date in which it passed into his hands the business has had his close attention, and through the addition of quite a number of large first-class steamers, fully equipped for the trade, it was now in a better position than ever to meet cargo and passenger requirements. The last and finest of their steamers was the City of Paris. The only other City of Paris owned by the line was a sailing ship of 990 tons, launched in 1862, and it might be interesting to add that while in 1862 a vessel carrying about 1400 tons was considered large enough for the trade the steamer just launched was 5700 tons, with a carrying capacity of 10,600 tons. Shortly after acquiring the City Line Sir John Ellerman purchased also the Hall Line, and the two lines were now run in conjunction. Since then he had added new steamers to the value of over £1,500,000, and the Ellerman Line fleet now comprised eighty-four steamers of a total tonnage of more than 310,000 tons. (Applause.)
Mr Gilchrist afterwards proposed “The Health of Mrs Workman.” Mr. Workman replied, and proposed “Messrs Barclay, Curle & Co.,” to which Mr Russell Ferguson replied.
City of Paris on trials
The City of Paris starts on her maiden voyage to Calcutta, via Naples, on October 15.