A CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THK ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE ' ^ E $% STEAM NAVIGATION BY GEO. HENRY PREBLE n REAR-ADMIRAL, U. S. N. 1543-1882 PHILADELPHIA : L. R. HAMERSLY & CO. 188S. Copyright, 1883, b 7 L. R. Hamersly & Co. TO MY VENERABLE FRIEND ROBERT BEXXET FORBES, ESQ., " OF MILTON, MASS., A PIONEER IN SEVERAL STEAMSHIP ENTERPRISES RECORDED IN IT, I DEDICATE THIS VOLUME, AS AN EXPRESSION OF MY PERSONAL REGARD AND ESTEEM FOR ONE WHO HAS DEVOTED HIS LONG AND USEFUL LIFE TO THE WELFARE OF SEAMEN. THE IMPROVEMENT OF SHIPPING AND IN DEVISING SAFEGUARDS TO NAVIGATION, AND LIFE-SAVING EXPEDIENTS FOR CASES OF SHIPWRECK. iii. PREFACE. This volume is the outgrowth of a newspaper article on the origin, etc. of steam navigation, published in the Boston Commercial Bulletin in 1856 or 1857. My interest having been attracted to the subject, I have con- tinued for twenty-five years to collect Notes for a History of Steam Nav- igation, most of which have been printed in The United Service during the last eighteen months. Those Notes, revised and chronologically arranged, with many addi- tions, are the substance of this volume, which is believed to contain more facts relating to the progress of steam navigation over the world than have ever been gathered together in one book. The large share which is shown that Americans have had in the invention of the steam- boat will be gratifying to my countrymen. To record all the improvements in the marine steam engine from its inception to the present time would require many volumes. The abridg- ments or index of the specifications of patents in the English Patent Office, relating to marine propulsion exclusive of sails, 1618 to 1866, fill two closely-printed 12mo volumes of 333 and 440 pages. The United States Patent Office has published no such compendium. Brookline, Mass., February 1, '1883. CONTENTS. INTRODUCTORY, xi.-xix. CHAPTER I. 1543-1800. PAGE 1-32. SARLY EXPERIMENTERS. Blasco de Garray, 1543. David Ramseye, 1630. Salomon de Carrs, 1641. Marquis of Worcester, 1663. Denis Papin, 1690-95. Thos. Savary, 1698. M. Dugnet, 1699. Jonathan Hulls, 1736. Gautoir, 1752. David Bournoulli, 1753. Euler, 1753 . Mathon de la Cour, 1753. M. Guatier, 1756. M. Genevois, 1759. Comte de Auxiron, 1774. Perrier, 1775. M. Ducrest, 1777. Guyon de la Plombiere, 1776. Andrew Ellicott, 1775. M arquis de Jouffroy, 1778 and 1783. Thomas Paftie, 1778. Matthew Washbrough, 1779. Abbe Darical, 1782. James Rumsey, 1784 and 1788. William Bushnell, inventor of the Screw, 1784. Joseph Bramah, 1785 John Fitch, 1785-91. Oliver Evan, 1788. Nathan Re ad, 1788. Patrick Millar, James Taylor, William Sym- ington, 1788. William Longstreet, 1790 .John C. Stevens, 1791. Baron Seguier, 1792. Earl Stanhope, 1792-94. Elijah Ormsbee, 1792-94. Will iam Littleton, 1794. Samuel Morey, 1794-97. Edward Thomson, 1796. Livingston, Stevens and Roosevelt, 180 0. Hunter and Dickinson, 1800. Edward Shorter, 1800. Samuel Brown, 1800. CHAPTER II. 1800-1819. PAGE 32-97. Win. Symington's steam-tug, 1802. Robert Fulton's French Experiments, 1802-4. Oliver Evans, 1802-4.-Stevens, 1804. The Clermont, Fulton's first successful steamboat, 1807 .-Robert L. Stevens, 1808 Jonathan Nichols, 1807-9. Inland Steam Navigation, U. S., 1809. John Cox Stevens' sea voyage, 1809. Robert Fulton's patent, 1811. Rapid Traveling in Steamboats, 1811. First Steam- boat on the Western waters of the U. S., 1811' Fulton's Steamboats, 1812. Steamboat on the Delaware, 1812. Steamboats betw een Philadelphia and New York, 1818.-^-Hezekiah Bliss, 1810 -19. The Comet, and Henry Bell, 1812. The Elizabeth, 1813 The Clyde, and Glasgow, each 1813. First- Steamboat on the St. Lawrence, 1813. Robert Fulton's patent, 1813. First Steamboat in India, 1810, 1819, 1821 Early English Steamboats. 1813-15. First use of Steamers in war, 1812-14 The Margery et als, 1814 The Demologos or Fulton the First, the 1st war steamship, 1814. Steamers in England in 1814. The Argyle or Thames, 1815. Steam Navigation adopted in Russia, 1815-16. Trevatheniet's patents on Screw Propeller in England, 1815. Roosevelt claims the invention of paddle-wheels, 1814-16. Liverpool Steam Ferry-boat, 1816. The Majestic first to cross the English Channel, 1816. First Line of Steamboats New York to New London, 1816. Jona Morgan's Steamboat in Maine, 1816. First Steamboat commanded by Cor. Vanderbilt, 1817. ' First Steam Tow Boat, 1816. The Fire-fly, 1817. First Steamboat on the Rhine, 1817. The Manifest of first Steamboat to Boston, 1817. Frst Steamboat on Lake Erie, 1818. Baltimore and Philadelphia Steamboat, 1813-15. The First English Steam Tug, 1818. Steamers between the Mersey and Clyde, 1819. First steamer, Liverpool andlreland, 1819. CHAPTER III. 1819-1838. PAGE 97-160. The Savannah, the First Ocean Steamship, 1819. David Napier's Enterprise, 1819-22 First Steam- boats on the Missouri, 1819. The Robert Fulton Steamship between New Orleans and New York, 1819." Walk-in-the-Water," First Steamboat on Lake Erie, 1819. First Steamboat on Lake Michigan. 1827. First Ramsgate Steamboat, 1820. First Steam Vessels in the Royal Navy, 1820- 23. French Officers Sent to United States to Enquire about Steam Vessels, etc., 1820. First Steam- boat on the Indus, 1820. First Sea-going Steamboat for Hull, England, 1821. First Steamboat Excursion from New York to Providence, 1821. First Steamboat Line between Providence and New York, 1822. David Gordon's Patent for Boxing Paddle- Wheels, 1822. Table of Comparative Voyages of Sailing and Steam Vessels, 1822. Number of Steamboats on American Waters, 1823. Capt. de Lisle Proposes Screws to be Applied to French Ships of the Line, 1823. Delangue of vii. Vlll. CONTENTS. Paris Patents a Screw, 1824. Steamer Enterprise Goes from London to Calcutta, 1825. Jacob Perkins' Propeller, 1825. Samuel Brown's Canal Towing Co. Propeller, 1825. Steamboat Speed on the Hudson, 1826. Woodcroft's Screw, 1826. Winter Steamboats between Philadelphia and New York, 1827. The Atlas Launched at Rotterdam, 1828. The Swift, First Steamer in Turkey, 1828. The Curacoa, 1828. The Steam Brig New York, 1826. Patten's Screw ; Copley's Screw ; Pettier's Screw, 1830. First Steamboats on the Danube, 1830. Temperance Resolutions of the Livingston Steam Packet Co., 1829. The Meteor, the First Ship of the Royal Navy to Carry the Mails, 1830. The Hugh Lindsay, First Steamer to Navigate the Red Sea, 1830. GiFard's Screw, 1831. First Steamer to Arrive at Chicago, 1831. Woodcroft's Screw, 1822. First Wrought-Iron Steamboat, 1832. The Firebrand's Long Voyage, 1833. First Vessel of Royal Navy to West Indies, 1832. Junius Smith, the Originator of Ocean Steam Navigation, 1832-8. The Second Steamship to Cross the Atlantic, 1832. First Steamer on the Merrimac River, 1834. Smith's Screw, 1835. Fitzpatrick's, 1835. French Steamboats, 1836. First Steamer to China, 1832. An American Iron-Clad, 1836. Commodore Barren's Ram, 1836. Steam Tow-Boats introduced on the Delaware, 1836. Steam Vessels of Great Britain, 1836-7. The Francis B. Ogden, Ericsson's First Practical Screw Steamer, 1836 The Enterprise, 1839. The Robt. F. Stockton Screw, 1838-9. Crossing the Atlantic Under Sail. The Princeton, First Screw War Steamer. Smith's Screw Steamer Archimedes, 1836-1838. The Rattler, First English Screw War Steamer, 1843. Austrian - Russian, and Hungarian Steamers, 1837. Dr. Lardner on Steam Navigation of the Atlantic, 1837. Steam Vessels of the United States, 1838. The Germs of the United States Navy, J.837. CHAPTER IV. 1838-1858. PAGE 160-205. THE INAUGURATION OF REGULAR TRANSATLANTIC STEAM NAVIGATION Arrival of the City of Kingston at New York from Cork, April 2, 1838 Arrival of the Sirius from Cork and the Great Western from Bristol at New York, April 23, 1838 The President, 1839 The British Queen 1839 Dimen- sions of the Earliest and Largest Transatlantic Steamships, 1840 Miscellaneous Notes The Cyclop, Steam Frigate, 1840 The Nemesis, 1840 The Screw Steamer Archimedes, 1840 The Argyle, Chili and Peru, 1839 The Cunard Line Inaugurated, 1840 The Bangor, 1842 The French_ SteamNayy, 1840 Screw Steamers in Great Britain, 1842 Steam Navigation on the Indus, Est;:i>- ""lTshed'184'2 The Driver, the first Steamship to Circumnavigate the Globe, 1842 United States Steamship Princeton, the First Screw Steam W r ar-vessel, 1843 H. M. Ship Rattler, the Second Screw Steam War-Vessel, 1843 The Great Britain, 1843 First English Steam Collier, 1844 The Midias and Edith, the first Steam Screw Vessels to China, 1844-45 The Witch, 1845 American Mail Steamships to Havre and Bremen, 1845-50 The .Propeller Massachusetts, 1845 Thames Steamboats, 1845 The North River Steamer Oregon, 1846 The First French Atlantic Steamer, 1847 First American Steamer to the Pacific, 1848 The Gemeni Iron Twin Steamer, 1850 Screw Steamship Himalaya, 1851 The Francis Skiddy, 1852 The Australian, 1852 The Argo, the Second Steamship and First Screw to Circumnavigate the Globe, 1854 The Golden Age, 1854 The Cunard Steamer Persia, 1855 Steam Vessels of the Royal Navy, 1856. CHAPTER V 1858-1882. PAGE 206-286. THE GREAT EASTERN, 1858 ; Description of the Vessel, &c.; Her First Voyage to New York and Arrival Described The Emperor, a Steam Yacht, Presented to the Japanese, 1859 The Scotland and England Purchased by the Prince of Satsuma, 1861. The MONITOR, First Turreted Steam War Vessel, 1861 The Paid Rabani Yacht of the Khedive, 1863 The Dundenburg or Rochambeau, 1865. The Double-turreted Monitors Modapnock and Miantonomah, and their Ocean Voyages 1866. Number of British Inventions Patented in the Ten Years Preceding 1866 Steamers on Lake* Memphremagog, 1867 The Kate Corser, the First Steamer on the Great Salt Lake. 1869 An Ex- traordinary Inland Voyage, 1969. Mercantile Steamers of the World, 1870-4 Coal-Saving Discov- ery, 1872-The Cable Steamer Faraday, 1873 A Chinese Steamboat Enterprise, 1874 The Bessimer Anti-Sea-Sick Steamboat, 1875 The Double-Hulled Castalia, 1875 The lona, 1876. Steamboats in Corea, 1878 The Solano, 1879 The Remarkable Voyage of a Wrecked Steamer, 1880 The Comet on Lake Bigler, 1880 A Mountain Steamer on Twin Lakes, 1880 The Three Brothers Transferred to the British Flag, 1880 A Canal Boat Propelled by Air, 1880 The Hochung, the First Chinese Steamer to cross the Pacific, 1880 The Chinese Steamer Meefoo Arrives at London with a Cargo of Tea, 1881 Taggart's Screws, 1880 The Anthracite, the Smallest Steamer that ha* Crossed the Atlantic, 1880 The Harriet Lane, 1881 First Freight Steamei from England to Cali- fornia, 1881. Cost of Ocean Steamships in England, 1881. Largest Torpepo Boat, 1881. The De- CONTENTS. IX. stroyer, 1881 The Dessoug, 1881 A Hydraulic Ship, 1881 A Novel Steam Yacht, 1881 The Kit- tatinny, 1881 Steamboat Disaster, 1881- -The Fall River Line, 1882 The Colossus, 1882 Duncan and Campertown Ironclads, 1882. RECENT NOVEL INVENTIONS AND EXPERIMENTS Morse's Un- sinkable Ship Lundborg's Twin-ScrewsRoot's Side-Screw Steamship Coppin's Tripple Steam- ship Fryer's Buoyant Propeller Rosse's Catamaran Steam Tugs, etc. CHAPTER VI. PAGE 286-396. THE GREAT OCEAN STEAMSHIP COMPANIES, GENERAL REMARKS, OCEAN TRAMPS, ETC. The Cunard, 1840. The Peninsular and Oriental,- 1840. Pacific Steam Navigation, 1840. Royal West India Mail, 1841. Collins' Line, 1817. Pacific Mail Steamship Company, 1848. Warren Line, 1850. In- man Line, 1850. The Messageries Maritimes, 1851. Hamburg American Packet Company, 1855. Anchor Line, 1856. North German Lloyds, 1857. Leyland Line, I860. Company Generale Trans- atlantique, 1862. National Steamship Company, 1863. Williams & Guion Line, 1866. Old Do- minion Line, 18G7. White Star Line, 1870. American or Keystone Line, 1871. City Line State Line, 1872. Red Star Line, 1873. The Monarch Line, 1874. Harrison Line. Ocean Steamship Company of Savannah. The Mitsu Bishi Steam Navigation Company, 1875. The Atlas Steam- ship Company. Roach's United States and Brazil Steamship Line, 1875. The Mallory Line. The Red " D " Line, 1879. New York, Havana and Mexican Mail Line. Boston and Savannah Steam- ship Companny, 1882. Thingvalla Line; 1882. West India Steamship " Enterprise." The Castle Line. Allan Line, 1854, NOTES. PAGES 397421. filler's Experiments, 1788-89. Fulton's Submarine Boat at Brest, 1801. Early Steamboats on the Hudson, 1810. The " Comet" in 1812. Steamboats between Providence and New York, 1826. Iron Steamboat " Caledonia," 1818. Transatlantic Steamship Company in 1825 Junius Smith's Company for Transatlantic Navigation, 1832. Anthracite Coal first used . on Steamers. Cable Steamer " Minia." First race between English and American Transatlantic Steamships, 1847. Fast Steamer in California, 1849. Bibliography. APPENDIX, 423 INTRODUCTORY, THE first rude attempt of man at navigation was doubtless to bestride a log or the trunk of a tree and float down the stream, as some of the lower animals in their migrations, the squirrel, for instance, are still known to do. His next infant step was with pole or paddle to push or propel his log against the stream. His third, to hollow out his log and properly sharpen its ends, so that it would carry him and his mate, it may be, and his effects across and up the streams dry shod, the sharpened ends of his " dug-out" causing it to be easier pushed or propelled through the water. From these rude first steps and the invention of the modern ocean steam- ships engaged in peaceful commerce, or the huge ironclads of the world devised for the destruction of that commerce, how great the stride! I do not propdse in this work to follow all the inventions and improve- ments in ships and navigation that have intervened, but to take up that chapter which begins with the first practical use of steam ao a motive-power for vessels at the commencement of the present century, and show the pro- gressive advancement of steam navigation to the present time. Now that inventors are searching for some less expensive and less cumbersome motor than steam to be applied to the machinery for propelling vessels, and there are signs that steam as a moving power is doomed to be succeeded by one more compact and economical, it seems a good time to recall the brief and brilliant history of the origin and development of steam navigation, which, commencing with the humble experiments of Fitch, Rumsey, Sym- ington, Fulton, and others, at the close of the last century and the begin- ning of the present, has, in less than three-quarters of a century, circled the globe, and covered the surface of its streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans with a network of steam-vessels until there is scarcely a place where water flows which does not bear on its surface a vessel, small or large as required, propelled by the power of steam. Even while I write these lines I find in a paper* some evidence that the days of its power are numbered. A little vessel has been launched upon the Thames whose motive-power is elec- tricity, and whose success is far in advance of any of the early experimental steamboats. " Professor Sylvanus P. Thompson sends to the London Times an account of atrip on the Thames in a launch propelled by electricity. He says: ' The little craft, which is appropriately named " Electricity," is about 26 * Boston Evening Transcript, October 13, 1882. % xi. Xll. INTRODUCTORY. feet in length and about 5 feet in the beam, drawing about 2 feet of water, and fitted with a 22-inch propeller screw. On board were stowed away under the flooring and seats, fore and aft, 45 electric accumulators of the latest type, as devised by Messrs. Sellon-Volckmar. Fully charged with electricity by wires leading from the dynamos or generators in the works, they were calculated to supply power for six hours at the rate of four horse-power. These storage cells were placed in electrical connection with two Siemens dynamos of the size known as D 3, furnished with proper reversing gear and regulators, to serve as engines to drive the screw pro- peller. Either or both of these motors could be " switched " into circuit at will. After a few minutes' run down the river and a trial of the powers of the boat to go forward, slacken or go astern at will, her head was turned citywards, and we sped silently along the southern shore, running about eight knots an hour against the tide. For the benefit of electricians I may add that the total electro-motive force of the accumulators was ninety-six volts, and that during the whole of the long run the current through each machine was steadily maintained at twenty-four amperes. Calculations show that this corresponds to an expenditure of electric energy at the rate of 3 1-11 horse-power."'* Before commencing the "History of Steam Navigation" I will sketch in brief a few of the earlier attempts of man to propel his boat by mechanical appliances. The date of maritime, enterprises commenced with the Phoenicians be- tween the years 1700 and 1100 B.C. The far-famed city of Sidon was the centre from which their expeditious were sent forth. It appears they traded with Cyprus and Rhodes ; then with Greece, Gaul, and the coast of Spain upon the Mediterranean. About 1250 B.C. their ships ventured cautiously beyond the Straits of Gibraltar. An Egyptian monunjent 2800 2000 B.C. represents a vessel pulling forty oars. It had a double mast made of two spars and a large square sail bent to a yard, and managed by sheets and braces. About 280 B.C. Hero, of Alexandria, formed a toy which exhibited some of the powers of steam, and was moved by its power. Some writers state that this toy was invented by a Greek during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus, 130 B.C. Archimides was probably the first who made practical use of the powerful agent of steam, and it was by steam Syracuse was defended against the Romans during the reign of Hiero II., 220 B.C. Antheminus, an architect, A.D. 540, arranged several caldrons of water, each covered with the wide bottom of a leathern tube, which rose to a narrow top, with pipes extended to the rafters of the adjoining building. A fire was kindled beneath the caldron, and the house was shaken with the effect of the steam ascending the tubes. This is the first recorded notice of the power of steam. * See page 280 for further account of this vessel. INTRODUCTORY. xiiL It need not excite surprise that DeGarey, A. D. 1543, used paddle-wheels for propelling his vessel, as they were well known before his time. Roman gal- leys were occasionally moved by them, and they have never been wholly laid aside in Europe since the fall of that empire. Stuart, in his "Anecdotes of the Steam Engine," observes that the substitution of them for oars is men- tioned in several old military treatises. In some very ancient manuscripts in the National Library of France it is siated that the boats in which the Roman army under Claudius Caudex was transported into Sicily were pro- pelled by paddle-wheels, which received their motion from a capstan pushed by oxen. The Chinese in ancient times used paddle-wheels. In the University Library, London, there is a Chinese book with a wood-cut representing pad- dle-wheels on the side. In 1578 W. Bourne, an Englishman, says : " You may make a boate ta goe without oares or sayle by placing of certain wheeles on the outside of the boate, in that sort that the armes of the wheeles may goe into the water, and so turning the wheeles by some provision, and so the wheeles shall make the boate goe."* In 1588 A. Ramelli describes a ferry-boat which he calls a pontoon or locomotive bridge. He says : " This bridge is made, as shown in the design, tight and well-covered like a boat, so that the water cannot penetrate ; but it has its bottom flat, in order to float lighter on the water; moreover, it has behind, like vessels, a rudder, with which they steer it, and on each side is a wheel, which serve for oars, being turned by one man with a winch handle. Paiicirollus, professor of Padua, in a book published in 1589, says: "I have seen a certain representation of ships they call 'Liburnse/ which have three external wheels on each side touching the water, each of them fur- nished with eight boards^ projecting a palm breadth from the wheel. Six oxen inside, by working a machine, turned the wheels, and the spokes strik- ing the water backwards moved the ' Liburnse' with such force on its course that no tri-remo galley could resist it." An ancient bas-relief has been found representing a galley with three wheels on each side, the whole being moved by three pair of oxen. Robertus Valturius, in his " De Re Militari Verona," 1472, gives the 'figure of two galleys with five paddle-wheels on each side, connected by an axle with a crank in the middle. The drawing shows one side of a double-prowed boat with five pairs of paddle-wheels, turned by cranks connected by a rod or cord. To these may be added another from the Nuremburg Chronicle, 1497 (a copy of which is in the library of the American Antiquarian Society), at folio xcviii, where a vessel is figured with two wheels on the side represented. An old English writer, in 1578, mentions the u^ "*' wheels on boats, and a horse tow-boat with paddle-wheels was at Chatham, England, in 1682. * Invention or devices hv Win. Bourne, London, 1578. XIV. INTRODUCTORY. Thus it will be seen paddle-wheels were no novelty as a means of propelling vessels, and it only needed the advent of the power of steam to make them go faster. Mathesius invented the whirling eolipile, a sphere made to revolve by steam, A.D. 1563, and de Caus, in his " Raison De Force," describes a spherical vessel acted on by the power of steam. M. Arago has claimed for de Caus the invention of the steam-engine. The English, he observes in his memoir of James Watt, have ascribed the honor to the marquis of Wor- cester, 1663, " but on this side of the channel we maintain that it belongs to an humble engineer, almost forgotten by our biographers, in Solomon de Caus," and he asserts that " the idea of raising water by the elastic force of steam" belongs to him. The elevation of water by the elastic force of steam was, however, known before the time of de Caus. Nature had presented striking proofs of it in boiling springs, as in the geysers of Iceland. In the following pages due honor has been given to both of these inventors or discoverers. The controversies as to who is the inventor of the steam- engine, between Millington, Stuart, Arago, and others, are ingenious and amusing. In 1618 David Rumsey and Thomas Wildgoose patented in England an engine " To make boates for the carryage of burthens and passengers upon the water as swifte in calms and more saft in stormes than boates full sayled in greater wynes." In 1630 David Rumseye (probably the same) obtained a patent " To raise water from a low pit by fire, and also to make boates, shippes, and barges to goe against wind and tide," and a pamphlet published in London in 1651 is entitled " Invention of Engines of Motion Lately Brought to Perfection," among which is "an engine to drawer hale ships, boats, etc., up rivers against stream." In August, 1662, James Hays and Thomas Togood patented " Several new inventions by them found out for the making of shipps to saile without the assistance of winde or tyde." From the marquis of Worcester's description of his invention in 1663, it seems to have been a boat with paddle-wheels on an axis across it, which axis is turned as by the action of the stream on the paddles, and thus winds up a rope and draws the boat onward to the other side of the rope fixed by an anchor. In 1683 Sir Samuel Moreland endeavored to obtain a patent for the in- vention of a steam-engine, and gives a long account of his experiments on the expansion of steam. Prof. Denis Papin, a native of Blois, the French claim with national pride to be the inventor of the steam-engine. There is no doubt he was the first to introduce the safety-valve, on which there has also been an amusing controversy. In 1688 he proposed gunpowder to create a vacuum under a piston in a cylinder, and in 1690 he described his steam cylinder, in which INTRODUCTORY. XV. the piston descends by atmospheric pressure when the steam below is con- densed. Among the uses to which this may be applied he mentions the "propulsion of ships by l remi-rotatiles,' or paddle-wheels, such as he saw made in London, by order of Prince Rupert, to be turned by horses. Some account of his experimental steamboats on the Fulda may be found in the following chapter. In January, 1696, Thomas Savary asked for a patent for an invention which consisted in moving a paddle-wheel on each side of the ship by men turning round the capstan, and thereby giving motion through wheels to the axis of the paddles. In 1698 he published an account of another engine for rowing a ship by paddle-wheels at the vessel's side. The discovery of a method of producing a vacuum by the condensation of steam it seems was made by Papin about 1695, but it was independently discovered by Captain Thomas Savary in 1698, who states that his discovery of the condensing principle arose from the following circumstance : Having drunk a flask of Florence at a tavern and flung the empty flask on the fire, he called for a basin of water to wash his hands ; a small quantity which remained in the flask began to boil, and steam issued from its mouth. It occurred to him to try what effect would be produced by inverting the flask and pjunging its mouth in the cold water. Putting on a thick glove to defend his hand from the heat, he seized the flask, and the moment he plunged its mouth in the water, the liquid immediately rushed up into the flask and filled it. This immediately suggested to him the possibility of giving effect to the atmospheric pressure by creating a vacuum in this manner. Jonathan Hulls, who in 1736 obtained a patent for propelling a boat by steam, which, however, was never put to practical experiment, is beyond doubt the first Englishman who proposed to apply that power to naval purposes. The Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris offered a prize in 1753 for the most advantageous manner of supplying the action of wind on large ships. M. Daniel Bernoulli, then Professor of Philosophy at Basle, produced the successful essay, having proceeded on the plan advanced by M. Bouguer. Euler and M. Mathon de la Cour wrote on the same subject, and each pro. posed the use of floats (paddle-wheels) attached to a shaft, which was to revolve by means of mechanical arrangements within the ship. In Euler's plan the shaft supported four floats, placed at right angles, and the inboard mechanism for working this four-armed paddle-wheel was a vertical shaft with toothed wheel and pinion. M. Mathon de la Cour proposed the use of six floats on each axle and the intervention of an endless cord passing over a drum at the end of the axle, which was fastened to the ship's side and over a corresponding drum annexed to the frame, to be constructed on the deck for working these paddle-wheels. The physical power of man was the only means looked to XVI. INTRODUCTORY. for turning these wheels. M. Mathon de la Cour says : " One can hardly think of having other moving power than that of men ; horses require for their subsistence too great a quantity of water, hay, and corn ; they would be unable to endure the labor joined to the hardship of the voyage, and they can be employed only with machines too complicated and taking up too much room. Let us then endeavor to draw the greatest amount that we can from the strength of man."* James Watt, of Glasgow, and afterwards of Birmingham, and whose engines did more to make navigation by steam a practical success than any inventor who preceded him, obtained his first patent for a steam-engine in 1769. He invented the condenser, enclosed the cylinder, and adopted the use of oil and tallow in moving a piston by steam against a vacuum, etc. In 1782 he took out his second patent for his expansion engine, for six modes of regulating motion, for a double action engine, double cylinders, steam wheels, etc. In 1784 he Obtained a third patent for parallel motion, loco- motive engine, hand gear, and valves. In 1785 he obtained a fourth patent for furnace for the consumption of smoke and lessening the consumption of fuel. ' The general idea of propelling vessels by a submerged helix or screw is very ancient, and its modern application to vessels propelled by steam power is claimed by nearly every great nation French, English, German, Ameri- can, Swedes. In 1729 Duguet, whose apparatus was approved by the French Academy of Sciences, used the screw as the moving power for towing boats against the currents of rivers. Mr. MacGregor, in a paper " read before the Society of Arts in 1858, stated, "The use of the screw propeller may be of indefinite antiquity," and added, " A model of one was brought from China in 1680, which had two sets of blades turning in opposite direc- tions. In 1745 Masson describes an apparatus for working an oar at the stern of a vessel so as to give it a "sculling" motion. In 1746 Bougner mentions that "working arms, like the arms of a windmill," were tried for the propulsion of vessels; and in 1770 James Watt speaks of using a screw propeller to be turned by a steam engine. The invention of the screw and its application to the propulsion of vessels is not the sole property of one man. Experiments to discover the means of applying it as the motive power to ships were at different periods spon- taneously and independently made in various places, by persons perfect strangers to each other and to each other's discoveries or appliances. In 1768 Paucton, in a work entitled "Theory of the Archimedean Screw, Paris,. 1768," suggested its use for giving vessels a direct impulsive force, having for the motive power the ship's crew. The apparatus was called by him "The Pterophore," and was to be placed either in the forward part or on each * Fincham's " History of Naval Architecture," which has an engraving of both these devices. INTRODUCTORY. Xvii. side of the vessel, projecting from the inside through a box of timber work. He hinted that his apparatus 011 a small scale might be adapted to rneasur*- ing the track of a ship, an anticipation of the log of M. Laignel, better known to English-speaking people as " Massey's Log." There were many subsequent experiments in screw propulsion, but none, says the London Mechanics' Magazine, in 1865, seem to have been carried into practical effect." " A vessel built by Captain Ericcson," it continues, "was probably the first practical screw prope^er the world ever saw, and in fine the undivided honors of having built the first practical screw-steamer, the first screw war-ship, and the first cupola (monitor) war-vessel belongs to Captain John Ericsson," who, we may add, still lives in a green old age to plan new inventions and enjoy his honors. The application of steam as a naval motor in fighting ships was very limited until the advent of the screw propeller. The reason is easily stated. In the first place, the interference of the clumsy paddle-wheel with the sailing power and the ship's battery prevented the latter from full and free exercise. In the second place, the necessary exposure of the paddle machinery to hostile shot would ha\*e precluded the general use of steam in naval -war- fare, because a single well-directed shot would have destroyed the motive power and left the ship an easy prey. The introduction of the screw has so transformed the whole aspect of the steam marine, that from it should really be dated the adoption of steam as a motor in naval warfare. It is not the province or within the scope of this work to narrate and de- scribe the improvement in steam vessels of war and the ironclad navies of the world. The reader for information on that subject is referred to the recent works of Lieutenant Very, U. S. N., Chief Engineer King, U. S. N., and Sir Thomas Brasseys. The British Navy, vol. i ; " Ship Building for the Purposes of War." The successful application of steam to the purposes of ocean navigation has brought with it an era of rapid improvement in naval architecture and all other matters relating to nautical affairs which was never dreamed of by the ancient mariners of fifty years ago, and an impetus has been given to all sciences in connection with ocean voyages. "Among the various ways," says Doctor Lardner in his Treatise on the Steam Engine* " in which the steam-engine has ministered to the social prog- ress of our race none is more important and interesting than the aid it has afforded to navigation. Before it lent its giant powers to that art locomo- tion over the deep was attended with a degree of danger and uncertainty, which seemed so necessary and so inevitable that, as a common proverb, it became the type and representative of everything else which was precarious * The Steam-engine Familiarly Explained and Illustrated, etc. ; its Application to Navi- gation and Railways. By Rev. Dionysius Lardner, LL.D., with additions and notes by James Renwick, LL.D. Third answer from fifth London edition. Philadelphia: E. L. Carey and A. Hart, 1838. XV111. INTRODUCTORY. and perilous. The application, however, of steam to navigation has rescued the mariner from much of the peril of the winds and waves ; and even in its actual state, apart from the improvements which it is still likely to receive, it has rendered all voyages of moderate length as safe and regular as journeys over land. " We are even now upon the brink of such improvements as will probably so extend the powers of the steam engine as to render it available as the means of connecting the most* distant points of the earth." It should be recollected that this prophecy was written before the passage of the first transatlantic steamship under steam alone, and which it is the popular im- pression that he had declared an impossibility. It is shown elsewhere that he only doubted in the then state of steam navigation such a voyage could be made profitable, or in other words, a commercial success. The result has proved his judgment correct, and that the subsidies received in the first instance was, and the improvements subse- quently made were the ultimate cause of the success of transatlantic navigation. The original type of nearly all the engines used in steam navigation was the engine constructed at Soho by Watt and Bolton for Fulton, and first used by him upon the Hudson River. This had the beam below the piston- rod, as in the English boat engines, but the cylinder above deck, as in the American. From this primitive form the two nations diverged in opposite directions, the Americans navigating rivers, with speed the principal object, kept the cylinder upon deck and lengthened the stroke of the piston ; the English, on the other hand, having the deep navigation of stormy seas as their more important object, shortened the cylinder in order that the piston- rod might work entirely under deck, while Fulton's working (walking) beam was retained. The most formidable difficulty encountered in applying the steam-engines to the navigation of the ocean arose from the necessity of supplying the boiler with sea instead of fresh water. This difficulty was soon overcome. E. J. Reed, C. B., the distinguished English naval constructor, writing in " Naval Science" about an attempt, in 1874, to propel a small yacht by the power of electro magnetism, says: "Although not approving of the particu- lar manner in which the principle has been worked out in this instance, we cannot help thinking that a step has been taken in the right direction ; and the day is not far distant when, having traveled through the inter- mediate improvements in* the steam-engine itself, we shall cast it aside as altogether too cumbrous and complicated, and find ourselves ploughing the ocean in vessels propelled by a motive-power which, while occupying a comparatively insignificant portion of the vessel, will yet be strong enough to drive her at a speed hitherto unattempted. Any attempt at guaging the future, even the future of but very few years, must necessarily be sketchy and incomplete. It is true of the mechanical world as of the world outside, INTRODUCTORY. XIX. that 'coming events cast their shadows before;' but, like the mirage of the desert, shadows are sometimes cast without the ultimate presence of the sub- stance; and many, promising discoveries, which at first appear destined to revolutionize the entire profession of the mechanic, have finally sunk into oblivion, which is the natural end of inventors lacking the stamp of prac- ticability and commercial economy. On the other hand, when the boundary line of perfection seems nearly drawn, and there appears little to do but to gaze retrospectively upon the triumphs of the past, some great intellect arises, and with the aid of some well-timed discovery shows the world of science that the spirit of progress still lives. Such a mind was that of James Watt, and such an influence did he exert ; and who can tell at what moment a dis- covery like his master-piece of separate condensation may be made." THE IRSITY! ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENTS OF STEAM NAVIGATION. CHAPTER I. 1543-1800. A HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. EARLY EXPERIMENTERS. Blasco de Garray, 15i3 David Ramseye, 1630. Salomon de Carrs, 16-41 Marquis of Worcester, 1663. Denis Papin, 1690-95. Thos. Savary, 1698. M. Dugnet, 1699. Jonathan Hulls, 1736. Gautoir, 1752 David Bournoulli, 1753. Euler, 1753. Mathon de la Cour, 1753. M. Guatier, 1756. M. Genevois, 1759. Comte de Auxiron, 1774. Perrier, 1775. M. Ducrest, 1777. Guyon de la Plombiere, 1776. Andrew Ellicott, 1775. Marquis de Jouffroy, 1778 and 1783. Thomas Paine, 1778. Matthew Washbrough, 1779. Abbe Darical, 1782. James Rumsey, 1784 and 1788. William Bushnell, inventor of the Screw, 1784. Joseph Bramah, 178*. John Fitch,' 1785-91. Oliver Evan, 1788. Nathan Read, 1788. Patrick Millar, James Taylor, William Sym- ington, 1788. William Longstreet, 1790. John C. Stevens, 1791. Baron Seguier, 1792. Earl. Stanhope, 1792-94. Elijah Ormsbee, 1792-94. William Littleton, 1794. Samuel Morey, 1794-97. Edward Thomson, 1796. Livingston, Stevens and Roosevelt, 1800. Hunter and Dickinson, 1800. Edward Shorter, 1800. Samuel Brown, 1800. 1543. It has been asserted that Blasco de Garray, a native of Biscay, June 17, 1543, tried a vessel of two hundred and nine tons, called the "Trinity," with tolerable success, at Barcelona, in Spain, the motive power of 'which consisted of a caldron of boiling water and a movable wheel suspended on each side of the vessel. The story or legend of de Garray is this : In 1543 a native mechanic of Marina, named Blasco de Garray, or ac- cording to other accounts, a captain in the navy, the probability being he was made one for his invention, offered to exhibit in the presence of the Emperor Charles V. a machine by means of which a vessel might be impelled without the assistance of sails or oars. The proposition appeared ridiculous, but de Garray was so convinced that the power of his machine Would be adequate to the production of the effect announced, that he renewed his representations to the government, supplicating his majesty to command the execution of the project. The Emperor, in consequence, appointed a com- mission to proceed to Barcelona to witness the experiment and to report upon the result. De Garray, secure now of making a proof of his invention prepared a merchant ship called " La Trinidad," of two hundred tons, 1 2 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. burthen, which came from Coubre to discharge a cargo of corn at Barcelona, 'of which Peter de Scary was captain, (thus states the record,) and the com- missioners, Don Henry de Toledo, the Governor Don Pedro de Cordova, the Treasurer Ravage, and the Vice-Chancellor, having arrived, the experiment was made on the 17th of June, 1543. Immediately upon a given signal the vessel was put in motion ; proceeding forward, it turned from one side to the other, according to the will of the steersman, and finally returned to the place whence it started, without the assistance of sails, oars, or any visible machinery, except an immense caldron of boiling water, a compli- cated number of wheels within, and paddles gyrating without. The multi- tude assembled on the seashore were filled with admiration at the sight of this prodigy, the port of Barcelona resounded with applause, and the commissioners, who witnessed the performance with the greatest enthusiasm, related to the emperor that de Garray .had accomplished with his machine all he had undertaken to do. But the head of the commission, Ravage, who was the chief treasurer of the kingdom, through ignorance or some other of those unknown causes which influence the conduct of statesmen, showed himself little favorable either to the inventor or the machine. Confessing the success of the experiment, and expressing his approbation of the inge- nuity of Garray, he endeavored to persuade the Emperor that the invention would be of little or no utility ; that its complicated construction would require constant repairs, attended with immense expense ; that the vessel would not proceed at the rate of much more than a league an hour, and more slowly when freighted ; and finally, that the boiler, unable to resist the force of the steam for any extended period, would frequently burst and be productive of the most dreadful accidents. Such was the substance of the opinion given by this covetous or invidious minister. Though Charles V. was influenced by the representations of his treasurer, he was not insen- sible to the merits of the inventor, whom he promoted one grade to the rank of an officer, and in addition to paying him the expenses of the experiment, presented him with a reward of two hundred thousand maravedis from the royal treasury, equivalent to sixty-six thousand reales de vellon, a very con- siderable sum at that period, the munificence of which proves that the invention of Garray equalled, if it did not surpass, the most extraordinary productions of that era. This statement was first published in 1825, by Thomas Gonzales, who cer- tified : "This account is derived from the documents and original registers kept in the royal archives of Simancas, among the commercial papers of Catalonia, and from those of the military and naval departments for the said year 1543." Mr. VVoodroft, after a careful search among those papers, failed to discover the documents in question or any trace of Garray's invention. . John MacGragor, Esq., in a paper read before the Society of Arts, April 14, 1858, stated : j HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 3 "On the 23d of September last (1857) I visited the town of Simancas, near Valladolid, in Spain, with Captain John Ussher, to inspect some letters of Blasco de Garray, which are there preserved among the national archives. " Having obtained the requisite royal permission I was allowed, after much difficulty, to read (but not to copy) two letters signed by Blasco de Garray, written clearly in Spanish and well preserved. One of these was addressed from Malaga, the other from Barcelona ; and both were dated A. D. 1543. They described two separate experiments with different vessels, both of them moved by paddle-wheels turned by men. " One vessel was stated to be of two hundred Spanish tons burthen, pro- pelled by a paddle-wheel on each side, worked by twenty-five men. The other vessel was moved in a similar manner by forty men. The speed attained is mentioned in the texts, and is stated in a side note (written in a different hand,) to have been one league, or about three and a half English miles, per hour. Various calculations as to the tonnage, the motive power, the cost and other matters, are contained in the letters, and it is said the vessels thus moved were found to steer well, but could be propelled more easily for a long time by oars. Also that, like other inventions, this would probably be improved by the experience of further trials. We read the letters carefully through, and neither of them contained any mention whatever of the use of steam, or any expression to indicate that this was contemplated." There were no other letters of de Garray, or documents relating to his experiment, in the archives, and no traces of the relics of the machinery could be found at the school of artillery. Since Mr. MacGragor's visit M. Bergenroth has been allowed to copy the documents relating to de Garray. 1. A notograph from him to the Emperor dated Malaga, September 10, 1540, containing his report on the trial of one of his paddle-wheel ships. 2. The report of Captain Des Ugasura on^he same trial trip. 3. The report of the Proveedores of Malaga concerning the same trip, dated July 24, 1540. 4. The report of Blasco de Garray to the Emperor, dated July 6, 1543, con- cerning the trial trip of another of his paddle-wheel ships, made at Barce- lona in June, 1543. 5. A letter of Blasco de Garray to Carrs, dated June 20, 1543. In none of these is any reference to steam power to be found. Blasco de Garray's connection with the invention of boats moved by steam, notwithstanding the prominence and general belief it has attained, may hereafter be dropped as having no foundation in fact. 1630. In Sanderson's edition of Rymer's " Fsedera," vol. xix., there is a copy of a patent granted by Charles I. to David Ramseye, a groom of the privy chamber, dated January 21, 1630. Among its specifications is one " to raise water from low pits by fire," and another " to make boats, shippes, and barges to go against strong wind and tide." 1641. The following letter written by Marion Delorme, dated at Paris, February, 1641, suggested to Dumas one of the best scenes in one of his wonderful romances : 4 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. PARIS, February, 1.641. " MY DEAR EFFIAT. While you were forgetting me at Narbonue, and giving yourself up to the pleasures of the court and the delight of thwarting M. le Cardinal de Richelieu, I, according to your express desire, am doing the honors of Paris to your English lord, the Marquis of Worcester; and I carry him about, or rather he carries me, from curiosity to curiosity, choosing always the most grave and serious, speaking very little, listening with great attention, and fixing on those whom he interrogates two large blue eyes, which seem to pierce to the very centre of their thoughts. He is remarkable for never being satisfied with any explanations which are given him ; and never sees things in the light in which they are shown to him. You may judge of this by a visit we made together to Bicetre, where he imagined he had dis- covered a genius in a madman. " If this madman had not been actually raving I verily believe your Marquis would actually have entreated his liberty, and have carried him off to London, in order to hear his extravagances from morning to night at his ease. " We were crossing the court of the mad-house, and I, more dead than alive with fright, kept close to my companion's side, when a frightful face appeared behind some immense bars, and a hoarse voice exclaimed, * / am not mad ! I am not mad! I have made a discovery which would enrich the country that adopted it !' * What has he discovered ?' I asked the guide. ' On,' he answered, shrugging his shoulders, 'something trifling enough, you would never guess it: IT is THE USE OF THE STEAM OF BOILING WATER.' I began to laugh. ' This man,' continued the speaker, * is named SALOMON DE CARRS ; he came from Normandy four years ago, to present to the king a statement of the wonderful effects that might be produced from this invention. To listen to him you would imagine that with steam you COULD NAVIGATE SHIPS, move carriages, in fact, there is no end to the miracles which, he insists upon it, could be performed. The cardinal sent the madman away without listening to him. SALOMON DE CARRS, far from being discouraged, followed the cardinal wherever he went, with the most determined persever- ance, who, tired of finding him forever in his path, and annoyed to death with his folly, ordered him to be shut up in the Bicetre, where he has now been for three years and a half, and where, as you hear, he calls out to every visitor that he is not mad, but that he has made a valuable discovery. He has even written a book upon the subject, which I have here.' " Lord Worcester, who had listened to this account with much interest, after reflecting a time, asked for the book, of which, after reading several pages, he said, ' This man is not mad. In my country, instead of shutting him up, he would have been rewarded. Take me to him, for I should like to ask him some questions.' " He was accordingly conducted to his cell, but after a time he came back sad and thoughtful. ' He is indeed mad now,' said he ; ' misfortune HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 5 and captivity have alienated his reason, but it is you who have to answer for his madness. When you cast him in that cell you confined THE GREAT- EST GENIUS OF THE AGE !' After this we went away, and since that time he has done nothing but talk of SALOMON DE CARRS. Adieu ! my dear and faithful Henry. Make haste and come back, and pray do not be so happy where you are as not to keep a little love for me. "MARION DELORME." 1651. An anonymous pamphlet was published in London in 1651, entitled " Inventions of Engines of Motion lately brought to Perfection," etc. The author claims "to have erected one little engine or great model at Lambeth," which among its capabilities was intended " to draw or haul ships, boates, etc., up river against the stream." Steam is not indicated in the pamphlet, but it is difficult to conceive any other agent, unless some explosive compound by which the pressure of the atmosphere was exerted. 1663. The Marquis of Worcester published a little book in 1663, which he called " A Century of the Names and Scantlings of Inventions." In it he evi- dently describes an engine capable of raising water by the repellant power of steam. In this book one hundred inventions are enumerated, but the account of each is so short as often to be very obscure. Among his other boasts he says, " I can make a vessel, of as great a burthen as the river can bear, to go against the stream, which the more rapid it is the faster it shall advance, and the movable part that works it may be by one man still guided to take advantage of the stream, and yet steer the boat to any point ; and this engine is applicable to any vessel or boat whatsoever, without therefore being made on purpose ; and it worketh these effects, it moveth, it draweth, it driveth (if need be) to pass London Bridge against the stream at low water ; and a boat lying at anchor, the engine may be used for loading and unloading." A recent investigation of his patent shows, as it is expressly so stated, that he had no idea of using steam, but "the force of the wind or stream caused its motion." 1690. Denis Papin, a French engineer, who was forced, after the Kevoca- tion of the Edict of Nantes, to quit his country, took refuge at the court of the landgrave of Hesse, and was a professor of mathematics at the University of Marburg during several years. In 1690 he published a methodical and clear description of the fire-engine, now known as the atmospherical engine, and suggested the practicability of applying the power of steam to the navi- gation of rivers. 1695. Papin, in another work dated 1695, says, " It would be too long to describe here in what manner this invention (the atmospherical engine) could be applied to drain rivers, throw bombs, and row against wind. I can- not abstain from remarking how much this power would be preferable to that of galley-slaves to navigate with rapidity to sea." Papin next criticises the use of men as agents, who, he says, occupy a larger space, and consume 6 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. a great deal, even when they do no work, and observes that his tubes or pumps would be less cumbersome ; " but," he adds, " as they cannot be con- veniently adapted to ply common oars, it would be necessary to apply to them rotatory oars." He mentions having seen oars of that description fixed to an axle-tree in a boat belonging to Prince Robert of Hesse, which were turned by horses. He thought, however, that they might be put in motion by the aid of a steam-engine. To Denis Papin is attributed the invention of the safety-valve. The " Encyclopaedia Britannica" appears to think that Papin's sugges- tions for the application of steam to navigation must be considered as theory alone, never carried out. But his correspondence with Leibnitz, which has recently been brought to light, fully proves that Tie actually con- structed a steamboat which he navigated upon the river Fulda in 1707, which boat may serve as a warning to men not to be too clever for their age. M. Fournier relates that Papin labored at his construction for some years at Hanau, and that at Cassel the boat was launched in presence of the landgrave. The experiment succeeded, but he derived from it only scorn, ridicule, and abuse. He was treated as a charlatan and a fool. Disgusted with the conduct of the Hessians, Papin attempted to go to London in his steam vessel. He descended the Fulda as far as Miinden, and was entering the Weser, formed by the union of the Fulda and Werra, when the boat- men of Miinden, envious or suspicious of what might arise from the inven- tion, laid violent hands upon him and his boat. He escaped with difficulty, but his boat was destroyed. He tried in vain to obtain redress ; and then came to reside in London, where he died three years afterwards (1710) with- out having built a new boat. 1698. July 25, 1698, Captain Thomas Savary, an Englishman, took out a patent for raising water by the impellant force of fire. The same year he recommended the use of paddle-wheels similar to those now employed on steam-vessels, though without in the remotest degree alluding to his engine as a prime mover. It is probable he intended to employ the force of men or animals working a winch. In 1696 he obtained a patent for rowing ships with greater ease and expedition than had hitherto been done by any other. In 1698 " he believed steam might be made useful to ships," but not daring to meddle with the matter, left it to the judgment of those who were better judges of maritime affairs. 1699. M. Duguet appears to have tried revolving oars ; aud experiments were made with them on a large scale, both at Havre and Marseilles. This mode was soon given up as impracticable. 1736. John Barrow, under-secretary of the Admiralty, in his auto- biography says: "Neither Lord Stanhope, nor Fulton, nor the American Livingston, nor Patrick Millar, nor his assistant Symington, have the least claims of priority to the application of steam and wheels for propelling vessels. There can be no doubt that Jonathan Hulls was the real inventor of the steamboat." HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 1 Jonathan Hulls was a man of no ordinary capacity, but we cannot admit > that " he was the inventor of the steamboat ;" that must be conceded to Papin, who actually moved a boat by the power of steam on the Fulda in 1707. He, undoubtedly, in a rough way, was the first Englishman to point out how steam might be employed in the propulsion of vessels. His scheme was clever, but speculative. It did not obtain any practical trial, and like many other efforts of genius, came to nothing. John Scott Kussell, in the " Encyclopedia Britannica," however, asserts that Hulls not only made a model of his invention, but that a boat was actually constructed and use- fully employed. According to the tradition of the neighborhood in which Hulls was born, he was the son of a mechanic of Hanging- Aston, near Campden, Glouces- tershire; his name being entered in the baptismal register December 17, 1699. Thomas Hull, or Hulls, the father, having removed from Aston to Campden, the boy was educated at the ancient grammar school there. With a natural turn for mechanics, Jonathan Hulls was brought up as a clock- maker, or rather cltck-mender, one of an humble class of artisans whose business it is to make a circuit through a district, cleaning and repairing cottage and farm-house clocks, and the clocks of churches. He married early, and settled in the hamlet of Broad Campden about 1729. During the earlier years of manhood Hulls bore the reputation of being a thoughtful and studious man, and his neighbors regarded his superior mental powers with no small degree of respect. It is asserted that the idea which has given him claim to posthumous honor occurred to him while he was yet young, and was matured in his mind long before any channel was opened through which he could make it known to the world ; for Hulls had a family to support, and no means beyond his precarious handicraft. A patron at last appeared in Mr. Freeman, of Batsford Park, whose seat (now that of Lord Redesdale) is about a mile from Aston, the native place of the inventor. With the funds provided by this gentleman Hulls was enabled to go to London to procure a patent and to publish the pamphlet in which his invention is described. Hulls' patent is dated December 21, 1736, when he was thirty-seven years old, and bears the sign-manual of Queen Caroline as a witness. In this instrument the invention is described as a " machine for carrying ships and vessels out of or into any harbor or river against wind and tide;" and further, it sets forth that as the inventor could not at that time " safely dis- cover the nature of his invention," he might afterwards enroll a description of the same in the High Court of Chancery. The little pamphlet in which Hulls made his scheme known to the world was printed in London in 1737. It is entitled " A Description and Draught of a new-invented Machine for carrying Vessels or Ships out of or into any Har- bour, Port, or River against Wind and Tide or in a Calm." In his preface he says : " There is one great hardship lies too commonly upon those who pro- 8 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. pose to advance some new though useful scheme for the public benefit. The world abounding more in rash censure than in a candid and unprejudiced estimation of things, if a person does not answer their expectations in every point, instead of friendly treatment for his good intentions, he too often meets with ridicule and contempt. But I hope this will not be my case, but that they will form a judgment of my present undertaking only from trial. If it should be said that I have filled this tract with things that are foreign to the matter proposed, I answer : There is nothing in it but what is neces- sary to be understood by those who desire to know the nature of that machine which I now offer to the world, and I hope that, through the blessing of God, it may prove serviceable to my country." Mr. Hulls proposed to put his engine into a tow-boat, and in discussing its advantages says : " If this machine is put in a separate vessel, this vessel may lie in any port, etc., to be ready on all occasions. A vessel of small "burthen will be sufficient to carry the machine to take out a large one. A vessel will serve for this purpose for many years after she is not safe to be taken abroad." Alluding to the wheel being at the ste*rn, " When the wind comes ahead of the tow-boat the fans will be protected by it ; and when the "wind comes sideways the wind will come edgeways of the fans, and therefore strike them with less force." Again he says : " The work to be done by this machine will be upon particular occasions, when all other means yet found out are wholly insufficient. How often does a merchant wish that his ship were on the ocean, when if she were there the wind would serve toler- ably well to carry him on his intended voyage, but does not serve at the same time to carry him out of the river, etc., he happens to be in, which a few hours' work of this machine would do." Hulls gives a full description of all the mechanism of this steamboat, and shows how steam is applied, and the comparative advantages of having the steam machinery in the ship itself, or in a separate tow-boat. He seems to have studied the matter very fully, even to the consideration of the relative expense, and there seems to be no doubt of his having been the first inventor of an ingenious and practicable mechanism for propelling vessels by a con- densing steam-engine and by paddle-wheels. This pamphlet seems to have attracted no attention,, and Freeman, unwilling to risk further outlay, abandoned Hulls and his project. It is evident that the invention did not receive a practical trial, and whatever hopes the projector based upon its success were disappointed. Commercially, like all the ventures of Jonathan Hulls, it proved a complete failure. In- curring some derison from his want of success he quitted the place where he was best known and hid himself among the crowds of London with what might be called a broken heart, and died in extreme poverty, the date of his decease being unknown. The following doggerel is still the burden of a common street-ditty among the boys of Campden in Gloucestershire, Hulls' native place : HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. \\ "Jonathan Hulls, '/ With his patent skulls, Invented a machine To go against wind and stream ; But he, being an a$&, Couldn't bring it to pass, And so was ashamed to be seen."* ^vvJu 1752. Gautoir, a regular canoo, and professor of mathematics, presented to the Royal Society of Nancy a memoir, in which, having shown the in- conveniences of navigation by means of sails, he proposed to employ a fire- engine (machine feu} of his invention for navigating purposes. In 1851 there was discovered in the archives of Venice a treatise on " Navigation by Fire," by M. Gautoir, member of the Royal Society of Paris, which shows that the professor's plans for steam navigation were ex- hibited by him to the Venetian republic in 1756. 1753 Daniel Bournoulli wrote a memoir mathematically proving that a steam-engine might be advantageously used in vessels, which obtained a prize from the French Academy of Sciences. His proposition was to propel vessels by wheels, with vanes set at-" an angle of sixty degrees both with the arbor and keel of the vessel, to which the arbor is placed parallel. To sustain this arbor and the wheels two strong bars of iron, of between two and three inches thick, proceed from the sides of the vessel, at right angles to it, about two feet and a half below the surface of the water." The propellers for the stern he describes to be of similar construction, but shorter, and for driving them he says they " can be moved by men aboard the vessels, t>r by steam-engines, or on rivers by horses placed in the barges." Bournoulli's plan is described, and several modifications proposed, in Annales des Arts et Manufactures," tome 20, p. 329 (A.D. 1803). These represent, by drawings, shafts annexed at the sides, bow, and stern of the vessel. Each shaft carries eight wheels, each wheel having eight spokes, with inclined broad vanes at the ends. It is suggested that a shaft might go out at the stern, under water, through a stuffing-box, and means are de- scribed for raising the shaft which is under water. The steam-engine is proposed to be used to turn the shaft by having a T cross-head on the pis- ton-rod, working vertically, with a crank or connecting-rod at each end, turning wheels, one of which works the shaft. In 1.753 Euler proposed to use a shaft with four floats at right angles. This was worked by a vertical shaft with a toothed wheel and pinion. Fin- cham's " History of Naval Architecture " has a drawing of this device. The same year " Mathon de la Cour proposed floats on each axle, and the intervention of an endless cord passing over a drum at the end of the * " Notes and Queries," vol. iii., 1st series. 10 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. axle, which was fastened to the side of the ship, and over a corresponding drum annexed to the frame."* 1759. M. Gene vois, a Swiss clergyman of the Canton of Berne, published at Geneva a book containing what he called the discovery of the " Great Principle." This was to concentrate power by whatever means obtained into a series of springs, which might be applied to a variety of purposes, among which he suggested the application of the " Great Principle " to pro- pel a vessel by oars, and also proposed the application of an atmospheric steam-engine to bend or empower the springs by which the oars were to be worked ; but his favorite project appears to have been to accomplish that object by the expansive force of gunpowder. M. Genevois visited England in 1760, and submitted his plan to the Board of Admiralty, without receiv- ing any encouragement. His apparatus resembled in principle the feet of aquatic birds, opening when moving through the water in one direction, and closing on its return. 1774. The Comte de Auxiron made an experiment, but his boat moved so slowly and irregularly that those who had been at the expense of the trial at once abandoned all hopes of success. 1775. The elder Perrier, for whom M. Arago claimed the honor of hav- ing constructed the first steamboat, and who was afterwards celebrated as the introducer of the manufacture of steam-engines into France, constructed in 1775 a vessel impelled by a steam-engine ; but the power of the engine was so small being scarcely that of one horse that it could not impart sufficient velocity to the vessel to ascend the river Seine to advantage. Not discouraged, and ascribing his failure to the use of paddle-wheels, he applied himself for several years to the search for other substitutes for oars. It does not, however, appear that he made any valuable discovery. M. Ducrest published a work in 1777, which contains an account of various experiments made by Perrier in his presence. In 1776 Guyon de la Piombiere suggested the use of the steam-engine for propelling a vessel.f Mr. Andrew Ellicott, an American, in 1775, states that he had a conver- sation on the subject of steam with Mr, William Henry, of Lancaster, who suggested the possibility of applying steam to vessels, as did also Mr. Thomas Paine/the author of" Common Sense," in 1778. 1778. The Marquis de Jouffroy made his first experiments, in 1778, at Baumes les Dames, and in 1781 he built upon the Saon a steam-vessel one hundred and forty feet long by twenty feet wide. In 1783, his experiments became the subject of a favorable report made to the French Academy of Sciences by Borda and Perrier. M. de Jouffroy demanded a patent, but be- fore it was granted the Revolution compelled him to emigrate. On his re- * Fincham's History of Naval Architecture. London, 1851, p. 280, for drawing. f Encyclopedic Moderr.e. Paris, 1855. Article ' Vapeur," 171. HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 11 turn to France, in 1796, he learned that M. de Blanc, an artist of Trevoux, had obtained a patent for the construction of a steamboat. 1779, March 10, Matthew Washbrough took out a patent for machinery to be attached to a steam engine, one use of which he mentions as follows : " Lastly, I intend to apply my engine, as described above, for the purpose of moving ships, boats, and lighters, or any vessel in water." 1782. The Abbe Darical proposed several plans, which were not supe- rior to Perrier's, and were speedily laid aside. In 1782, Desblancs sent a model to the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers of a steamboat moved by a chain of floats carried by wheels at its side turned by a horizontal cylinder. 1783. IQ the great Patent Office Library, England, there is a French print by Jamont, dated A. *D. 1816, entitled, " Plan et profil du Bateau a Vapeur execute par M. L. Marquis de Jouffroy a Lyon, en 1783." It rep- resents a steamboat one hundred and forty feet long, with paddle-wheels on a shaft turned by a single horizontal steam cylinder and piston, with a double rack work and pauls on the piston-rod. "An experiment was tried in the river Thames on a coal barge to work against the tide by means of an apparatus fixed to the sides ; so contrived that when put in motion, which was done by a fire engine, it rowed three pair of oars, and required only the assistance of one man to steer. It seems rather too complex a business in its present state, but the plan ap- pears practicable, and should it succeed by some judicious constructing, it must prove of immense advantage to the (coal?) trade."* 1784. Moses Hunter, May 19, 1788, certifies that November, 1784, being at Richmond, Virginia, attending the Assembly as a representative from Berkeley county, Mr. James Rumsey, a workLogJmth-tender, informed him in confidence that " he intended to construct a boat which was to be wrought altogether by steam ; that he had tried the principles, some of which he mentioned." From the tenor of the conversation, he understood Rumsey that his principal dependence for the operation of his boat was upon steam. A rude model was exhibited to a company of visitors at Berkeley Springs in the year 1784. George Washington was one of the favored few who witnessed the successful launch of the little boat and testified to the value of the discovery. Fearful of his invention being stolen, Rumsey appears to have sworn all who witnessed the experiment to secrecy, for the certificate given him by General Washington, and meant for publi- cation, is so carefully worded as to avoid using the word steam. It reads : "I have seen the model of Mr. Rumsey's boat, constructed to work against the stream : examined the powers upon which it acts ; been eye-witness to an actual experiment in running waters of some rapidity ; and give it as my opinion (although I had little faith before) that he has discovered the art of working boats by mechanism and small manual assistance against rapid * " British Magazine and Review," October 26th, 1783. 12 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. currents ; that the discovery is of vast importance, may be of the greatest usefulness in our inland navigation ; and if it succeeds, of which I have no doubt, the value of it is greatly enhanced by the simplicity of the work, which, when explained, may be executed by the most common mechanic. " Given under my hand and sea), in the town of Bath, county of Berkeley, in the State of Virginia, this 7th day of September, 1784. " GEORGE WASHINGTON." In 1785 Rumsey gave a public exhibition on the Potomac, above Shep- herdstown, Virginia, of his discovery that a boat could be propelled by steam up stream against the current. The boiler and machinery for Rum- sey's steamboat were made at the Catoctin Iron Furnace, in Frederick county, owned by Johnson and brothers. Afterwards, encouraged by his success, he sailed for England, but first destroyed his precious model. He hoped in that older and richer country to perfect his work and realize fame and for- tune. Doomed to disappointment, after a long and harassing struggle, he died before completing and satisfactorily demonstrating'the principles of anew model. Rumsey accused Fitch of "coming pottering around" his Virginia work-bench and carrying off his ideas, to be afterwards developed in Philadelphia. Rumsey died in England of apoplexy at a public lecture where he was explaining his inventions. A gentleman not many years ago had in his possession letters written by Rumsey in London, which mentioned his receiving frequent visits there from a young American studying engineering, who showed a sympathetic and intelligent interest in Rurnsey's labors. This young man was Robert Fulton, who, nineteen years after Rumsey's death, gave the world a success- fpl steamboat. 1785. Thomas Jefferson, writing from Paris in 1785, describes a vessel recently invented, which he examined while in operation. He says the in- ventor did not know the principle of his own invention. " It is a screw with a very broad or thin worm, or rather it is a thin plate, with its edge applied spirally round an axis. This being turned operates on the air as a screw does, and may be literally said to screw the vessel along. . . . The screw, I think, would be more effectual if placed below the surface of the water." Mr. Jefferson adds that he thinks Mr. Bushnell, of Connecticut, has a prior claim to the invention of the screw as a motive- power for vessels. During our Revolutionary war he invented a submarine torpedo- vessel, to be driven by screws. This torpedo was the original of Fulton's, and may have been the first instrument of its kind ; but the screw had been suggested as a motive-power for vessels long before. Brande's Dictionary says that "the screw-propeller is probably as old as the windmill, and a windmill of the construction now usually employed is represented in the seventy -seventh proposition of Hero's 'Spiritalia,' a work written one hundred and thirty years before the Christian era," HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 13 For a century and a half efforts were made to introduce the screw as a pro- peller of vessels before, Ericsson and Smith successfully demonstrated the utility of the screw, and its advantages over paddle-wheels. The first attempt to connect a steam-engine with a screw-propeller was by Joseph Bramah, of Piccadilly, engine-maker, who on the 9th of May, 1785, took out a patent for improvements in machinery, including two new methods of propelling vessels through the water. The first of these contriv- ances was the application of a paddle-wheel to the stern of the vessel, driven by a steam-engine, the rudder being placed in the bow, in order to facilitate this contrivance. His other invention was the application to the stern of the vessel of " a wheel with inclined fans or wings, similar to the fly of the smoke-jack or the vertical sails of a windmill." This wheel was to be fixed on the spindle of the rotatory engine without intermediate gearing, and wholly under water, where, by being turned either way, it would force the ship backward or for- ward, as the inclination of the fans or wings would act as oars with equal force both ways, and their power be in proportion to the size and velocity of the wheel, allowing the fans to have a proper inclination. Where the en- gine-shaft passed through the vessel it was to be made tight with a stuffing- box. This is considered to be the first attempt at coupling together a submerged screw-propeller and the steam-engine for the propulsion of vessels, but there is no evidence that Bramah ever made or tried a propeller, and his rotary engine by which it was to be driven turned out a failure. At a special meeting of the American Philosophical Society of Philadel- phia, held on the 27th of September, 1785, John Fitch laid before it a draw- ing and description of a machine for working a boat against a stream by means of a steam-engine, and on the 2d of December following presented a copy of the model and drawing to the society, as appears by the minutes of Samuel Magan, one of the secretaries. In the latter part of the year Fitch set out from Philadelphia with a view of visiting Kentucky, but he turned aside from his purpose at Richmond, and petitioned the Legislature of Virginia for assistance for his steamboat. No formal report was made, but believing that the experiment would not be costly, he executed a bond to Patrick Henry, governor of Virginia, condi- tioned that if he should sell one thousand copies of his map of the Western country in that State at 6s. Sd. each, he would, in nine months thereafter, exhibit a steamboat in the waters of Virginia or forfeit the penalty of three hundred and fifty pounds. In November of the samp year he received from Patrick Henry, the gov- ernor of Virginia, the following certificate.* " I certify that John Fitch, has left in my hands a bond, payable to the * U. S. Patent Reports, 1849-50. 14 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. Governor for the time being, for 350, conditioned for exhibiting his steam- boat when he receives subscriptions for one thousand of his maps, 6s. Sd. each. (Signed) P. HENRY. " November 16, This provision was never put in operation, because the sales of the maps were very small. On his return to Pennsylvania to print the maps he stopped at Philadelphia, and presented a petition for assistance to the Legis- lature of Pennsylvania, and immediately afterwards went to Annapolis and made a similar application to the Legislature of Maryland. These attempts were unsuccessful, and an effort to induce the State of New Jersey to appro- priate one thousand pounds of loan certificates for the purpose of building a steamboat also failed. Shortly afterwards the Legislature of the latter State enacted a law giving to John Fitch the exclusive right for fourteen years of making and using all and every species of boats and water-crafts which might be urged or propelled by fire or steam in the waters of the State. He then returned to Philadelphia, and succeeded in forming a com- pany. The stock was divided into forty shares. The original subscribers were Samuel Vaughn, Richard Wells, Benjamin W. Morris, John Morris, Joseph Budd, John and Chamless Hart, Thomas Say, Magnus Miller, Gideon Hill Wells, Thomas Palmer, Thomas Hutchins, Richard Wells, Jr., John Strother, Israel Israel, William Reubel, and Edward Brooks, Jr., each of whom had one share; Richard Stockton, of Princeton, three shares; Benjamin Say, two shares. Stacy Potts, of Trenton, was an early member of the company, but soon withdrew from it. In the beginning it was agreed that Fitch should have twenty shares for his interest and services in the ex- periment. The first difficulty of the company was about the making of a steam-engine. The assistance of Henry Voight, an ingenious clock and watchmaker of Philadelphia, whom Fitch looked upon as a .practical man of sound sense and experience, was obtained, and shares were gradually made over for his services, until in 1787 he held five. 1786. The subscribers generally paid in twenty dollars each on their shares, and with this small sum the experiments were commenced. A model steam- engine, with a cylinder of one inch diameter, was made, but although it worked, it was too small to demonstrate anything. A new model, with a three-inch cylinder, was then made and applied to a small skiff. With this machinery trials were made on the Delaware, about the 20th of July, 1786, with "a screw of paddles," a screw-propeller, the endless chain, and the side wheels, without much success. The next night, while in bed, Fitch thought of a plan of rowing the boat by oars or paddles on the sides, to be moved by cranks worked by machinery. He immediately rose and drew a plan, and the next morning showed it to Voight, who approved of it with some modi- fications. This was afterwards tried on the skiff with the steam-engine, and the first boat successfully propelled by steam in America was moved in the HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 15 Delaware on the 27th of July, 1786, with flattering promises of the future usefulness of the invention. The members of the company were so much pleased with its success that they determined to build a steamboat for practical use, as a passage and freight boat. But the original subscriptions were now exhausted, and the shareholders were tardy in the payment of new installments. Fitch induced a committee of the Assembly of Pennsylvania to report, in September, in favor of loaning him one hundred and fifty pounds; but the House rejected the report by a vote of twenty-eight yeas to thirty-two nays. Application was made to General Mifflin without success. Matters then languished for a while, during which a law was passed by the State of Delaware securing (1787) Fitch's right to the invention. A new deed was signed by the share holders in February, 1787, and fresh advances were made. The engine was to be of twelve-inch cylinder, and the boat twelve feet beam and forty-five feet long. The engine was finished in May, 1787, but "the wooden caps" to the cylinder admitted air, and the piston was leaky. The works were all taken , out to the foundation and set up again, when the condensation was found to be imperfect. New condensers and other machinery were made, and the boat moved at times as fast as three or four miles an hour. But something was continually going wrong. The work was very imperfect, the details of such machinery being unknown in America, and the work'men common blacksmiths. By entreaty the company was induced to persevere. On the 22d of August, 1787, this boat was propelled on the Delaware in the presence of nearly all the members of the convention to frame the Federal Constitu- tion ; but the rate of progress was too slow to satisfy the projector. Never- theless, certificates of the perfect success of this attempt were given by Governor Randolph, of Virginia, Dr. Johnson of the same State, David Rittenhouse, the astronomer, Andrew Ellicott, professor in the Episcopal Academy, and Dr. John Ewing, of the University. The following is the Certificate of David Rittenhouse : " This may certify that the subscriber has frequently seen Mr. Fitch's (John Fitch) steamboat, which with great labor and perseverance he has at length completed ; and has likewise been on board when the boat was worked against both wind and tide, with considerable velocity, by the force of steam only. Mr. Fitch's merits in constructing a good steam engine, and apply- ing it to so useful a purpose, will no doubt meet with the encouragement he so richly deserves from the generosity of his countrymen, especially those, who wish to promote every improvement of the useful arts in America." (Signed) DAVID RITTENHOUSE. Philadelphia, December 12, 1787. 1786. Fitch a year earlier communicated to the Columbian Magazine this description of his steamboat : 16 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. PHILADELPHIA, December &, 1786. " To THE EDITOR OF THE COLUMBIAN MAGAZINE. " SIR : The reason of my so long deferring to give you a description of the steamboat has been in some measure owing to the complication of the works, and an apprehension that a number of drafts would be necessary in order to show the powers of the machine as clearly as you would wish. But as I have not been able to hand you herewith such drafts, I can only give you the general principles. It is in several parts similar to the late im- proved steam-.engines in Europe, though there are some alterations. Our cylinder is to be horizontal, and the steam to work with equal force at each end. The mode by which we obtain what I take the liberty of terming a vacuum is, we believe, entirely new, as is also the method of letting the water into it, and throwing it off against the atmosphere without any fric- tion. It is expected that the engine, which is a twelve-inch cylinder, will move with a clear force of eleven or twelve hundred weight after the fric- tions are deducted ; this force is to act against a wheel of eighteen inches diameter. The piston is to move about three feet, and each vibration of the piston gives the axis about forty evolutions. Each evolution of the axis moves twelve oars or paddles, five and a half feet, which work perpendicu- larly, and are represented 'by the stroke of the paddle of a canoe. As six of the paddles are raised from the water six more are entered, and the two sets of paddles make their strokes about eleven feet in each evolution. The cranks of the axis act upon the paddles about one-third of their length from the lever end, on which part of the oar the whole force of the axis is applied. Our engine is placed in the boat about one-third from the stern, and both the action and reaction turn the wheel the same way. " With the most perfect respect, sir, I beg leave to subscribe myself, " Your very humble servant, " JOHN FITCH." Oliver Evans, in 1814, affirmed before a Justice of the Peace in Washing- ton, D. C., that when Fitch and his company were constructing their steam- boat in Philadelphia, he suggested the propelling of her by paddle-wheels at the sides. One of the company, Dr. Wm. Thornton had also urged the use of wheels at the sides, but Fitch objected to their use. He also affirmed that Fitch declared his intention to establish steamboats on Western waters, of the advantages of which he appeared to have formed the greatest expectations ; further about the year 1786-1787 or 1788 Fitch informed him that he contemplated employing his steamboat on the lakes, and meant to construct it with two keels to answer as runners, and when the lakes should freeze over, he would raise his boat on the ice, and by a wheel on each side, with spikes in the rims to take hold of the ice, he calculated it would be possible to run thirty miles an hour ; also, that he meant to tow boats and other floats by steamboats. HISTOE Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 17 1787. Mr. Patrick Millar in 1787 published in English and French an account of his naval experiments, illustrated with plates, copies of which were presented to every sovereign in Europe, to the American States, and to the Royal Societies in London and Edinburgh. In this work, speaking of the use of wheels as the moving power of vessels, he says, " I have reason to be- lieve that the power of the steam-engine may be applied to work the ivheels so as to give them a quicker motion, and consequently to increase that of the ship. In the course of the summer I intend to make the experiment," etc. The same year Millar took out a patent for propelling boats by means of paddle-wheels turned. by men. His vessel had a double deck, was sixty-feet long, and had two wheels turned by two men each. During the summer Mr. James Taylor proposed to Millar the application of a steam-engine to the wheels of his boat in place of the men, who were soon fatigued by the labor necessary to force the boat to any speed through the water. Dr. Brewster, speaking of the invention, says, " That this gen- tleman was the inventor of the steamboat in the strictest sense of the word I will not venture to affirm, but I have no hesitation in stating it as my decided opinion that he is more entitled to this distinction than any other individual who has been named." Dr. Brewster was not aware of the suc- cessful experiment of Fitch a year earlier. 1787. The next and third boat propelled by steam within the waters of the United States was built this year, by James Rumsey, of Virginia, who had a long controversy with Fitch as to the priority of the application of steam as a moving power for vessels. Rumsey tried his boat at Shepherdstown, Virginia, on the 3d of December, 1787, and the success of his experiment is certified to by Major-General Horatio Gates, Rev. Robert Stubbs, and others. This boat was propelled by sucking in water at the bow and eject- ing it at the stern. It moved at the rate of four miles an hour, but made only one trip, and probably did not go half a mile in distance. 1788. As early as 1788, Nathan Read, a graduate of Harvard and a resi- dent of Salem, Mass., devoted himself to the purpose of applying steam-power to navigation. Having learned of the unsuccessful experiments of Rumsey on the Potomac, and Fitch upon the Delaware the year previous, and believing their failure was owing to their ill-constructed machinery and modes of propul- sion, he sought to overcome the difficulty by the invention and combination of machinery of a different and more perfect kind. He believed this could be done by a modification of " Watt's" improved engine, also that the modes of propulsion used by Rumsey and Fitch setting poles, oars, paddles, or the ejection of water from the stern of the boat were awkward and un- suitable. He succeeded in inventing a new boiler. This boiler was con. structed of seventy-eight vertical tubes placed within it, and he called it the Multi-tubular boiler. 1791. In 1791 he obtained a U. S. patent for this boiler, and for the improvement of the steam cylinder, and for "a practical mode of 18 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. driving or impelling boats or vessels of any kind in the water or against the current, by means of the chain-wheel, a rowing machine, con- structed and operating upon the general principles of the chain pump, and moved by the force of steam or any other power, in the same manner as the chain pump is moved." 1789. Read constructed in 1789 a boat to which he attached paddle-wheels to an axis extending across the gunwales of the boat, turned by a crank, and designed to be moved by his high pressure engine, with the continuous rota- tive principle of Watt. By means of the crank worked by hand, Read pro- pelled himself with great rapidity .across an arm of the sea (called Porter's River) in Dauvers. Satisfied from his experiment that paddle-wheels would drive a boat with great ease and speed when turned by the power of a steam- engine and controlled by its steady rotative principle, he determined to use paddle-wheels, and constructed a model of his steamboat accordingly, with a view to a patent. January, 1790, a committee of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and eleven of the most prominent citizens of Salem, cer- tified to the importance of his improvements to the steam-engine. 1790. He petitioned Congress February 8, 1790 to grant him a patent for his inventions, specifying he had "discovered an improved method of apply- ing the power of steam to the purposes of navigation," and " The machinery for communicating motion to boats, vessels, etc., is very simple and takes up but little room." No patent laws or regulations had been established or pat- ents granted by the general government, but soon after his petition to Con- gress the " Act to promote the progress of the useful arts" was passed, constituting the Secretaries of State and War and the Attorney General a board of commissioners, to whom all matters of this character were to be re- ferred, and his application came before the new board. He first asked for a patent for a boat consisting of paddle-wheels, his newly invented boiler and im- proved cylinder, but in looking over some of the old volumes of "The Transac- tions of the Royal Society," he chanced to notice an article relating to an ex- periment a long time previous in France, which related that paddle-wheels and oars had both been tried to control a ship of war in a calm. Erroneously supposing such an experiment interfered with his right to a patent for a boat with paddle-wheels, he withdrew so much of his petition as related to them, and, January 1, 1791, presented a new petition and substituted a new propelling agent, whch he denominated a rowing machine, to revolve like a chain pump, which he believed would answer the next best purpose to pad- dle-wheels, which he still considered preferable. As Fulton obtained his patent for paddle-wheels in 1811, Read was surely entitled to a patent for similar wheels in 1791. The paddle-wheel had been rejected by Fitch and Perrier principally on account of the oblique resistance the paddles met with as they entered and emerged from the water, and which was greatly increased as the boat was laden. To obviate this Read constructed his wheels to be raised or lowered as oc- casion might require. HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 19 The first patents issued under the authority of the United States were to Kead, Fitch, Rumsey, and Stevens, under date August 26, 1791. Read's was for his portable-furnace tubular boiler; Fitch's, for applying steam to draw water in at the bow and force it out of the stern of a vessel ; Rumsey's, for propelling boats by means of the reaction of a stream of water forced by the agency of steam through a cylinder parallel to the keel, out of the stern. Stevens' was for propelling his boat in a like way. The patents of Rumsey, Fitch and Stevens clashed in several particulars, but neither in- terfered with the patent of Read.* 1788. In 1788 Rumsey carried his invention to England and procured a patent f ;r it. He then succeeded in inducing a wealthy American mer- chant to join him, and began building a steamboat. It was all but com- pleted when Rumsey suddenly died. His partners got the vessel afloat in February, 1793, and. sailed her many times on the Thames, against wind and tide, with a speed of four knots an hour. The thought of drawing water in at the bow and pushing it out at the stern was not new, and it has been said to have originated with Dr. Franklin, or to have come originally from France. Mr. Arthur Donaldson proposed it, also, to the Assembly of Pennsylvania in 1776. Rumsey pubfished in 1788 a pamphlet entitled "A Short Treatise on the Application of Steam ; whereby is clearly shown from actual experiments that steam may be applied to propel boats or vessels of any burthen, against rapid currents, with velocity, etc. By James Rumsey, of Berkeley County, Virginia. Philadelphia, printed by Joseph James, Chestnut Strest, 1788." The Newport Herald, dated March 6th, 1788, contains the following item : " Mr. Rumsey's steamboat, with more than half her loading (upwards of three tons) and a number of people on board, made a progress of four miles in an hour against the current of Potomac River by the force of steam, . without any external application whatever, impelled by a machine that will not cost more than twenty guineas for a ten-ton boat, and that will not consume more than four bushels of coal in twelve hours." 1788. The fourth steamboat in the United States was built in 1788, by John Fitch, and proved eminently successful. This boat was sixty feet long, and had eight feet beam. The oars or paddles were placed at the stern, and pushed against the water. The engine had a twelve-inch cylinder. About the end of July, 1788, she was propelled by steam from Philadelphia to Burlington, some twenty miles, being the longest trip ever made by any boat under steam up to that time. On the 12th of October this boat took thirty passengers from Philadelphia to Burlington in 'three hours and ten minutes, a fact well authenticated by reliable certificates. Several other trips were made in 1788 and 1789. *Nathan Read was born in 1759, and died in Belfast, ^laine, Jan. 20, 1849, in his nine- tieth year-So he lived full ten years after the successful inauguration of ocean steam navigation- See Nathan Read, etc., by his friend and nephew, David Read, New York, Hurd Hough- ton, 1870, 12 mo., pp. XV and 20. 20 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. Dr. Franklin writes to Dr. Ingenhauz, Philadelphia, October 24th, 1788 : ""We have no philosophical news' here at present, except that a boat moved by a steam-engine rows itself against tide in our river, and it is apprehended the construction may be so simplified and improved as to become generally useful." 1788. About the middle of October, 1788, a boat, the joint production of Patrick Millar, James Taylor, and William Symington, propelled by steam, was put in motion on the Lake of Dalswinton, in Scotland. A successful and beautiful experiment. The vessel moved delightfully, and, notwithstanding the cylinders were only four inches in diameter, went at the rate of five miles an hour. The engine, in a strong oak frame, was placed in a pleasure-boat, the boiler being parallel to it on the opposite side of the vessel, and the' paddles in the centre of the boat. The vessel continued to ply for some days for the amusement of the projector, and to the astonishment of the country people, who assembled from all quarters to see a boat driven by reik (smoke). After these experiments the engine was removed into the library of Dalswinton House, where it stood for a long time as an ornamental model. In 1870 it was on exhibition in London, and an engraving of it was pub- lished in the London Illustrated News. Satisfactory as was the result of this experiment, it did not fulfil all the designs of the inventors. A model vessel even as large as theirs might succeed and still leave it doubtful whether a larger scale might not impair the efficiency of the contrivance. Their success determined them to make an expensive trial on - a large scale. From this determination resulted their second steamboat, constructed in 1789. 1789. The date of commencing this vessel is fixed by the following letter, the original of which is preserved in the Millar family : " DUMFERLINE, 6th of June, 1789. " GENTLEMEN : The bearer, Mr. William Symington, is employed by me to erect a steam-engine for a double vessel, which he proposes to have made at Carron. I have therefore to beg that you will order the engine to be made according to his directions. As it is of importance that the experi- ment should be made soon, I beg also, that you will assist him, by your orders to the proper workmen, in having it done expeditiously. I am ever, with great regard, gentlemen, your most obedient humble servant, "PATRICK MILLAR. " To THE CARRON COMPANY, CARRON." It was proposed to make the second experiment on the Forth or Clyde Canal. For this purpose Mr. Millar's large twin or double pleasure-boat, the same he had previously used with paddle-wheels, driven by men, was sent up from Leith to the Ftoth and Clyde Canal, at Grangemouth, on the Frith of Forth, to receive the new steam-engine. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 21 This double or twin vessel was sixty feet in length, and had cylinders to her engines of eighteen inches diameter. Her engine was in all respects a larger machine than the first, but identical in construction, and of about twelve horse-power. At the first trial the boards of the paddle-wheels were broken by the concussion of the engine, which rendered the experiment in- complete, but on the 26th of December, 1789, the experiment was repeated, and the vessel propelled at the rate of seven knots an hour. The next day the voyage was repeated with the same success. The vessel being a light skiff with plank less than an inch thick, as soon as the experiments were over was replaced on her original station as a pleasure-boat, and the engine deposited at the Carron Works. The following account of this experiment, drawn up by Lord Cullen, was published in three of the Edinburgh newspapers: "It is with great pleasure I inform you that the experiment which some time ago was made upon the Great Canal here by Mr. Millar, of Dalswinton, for ascertaining the power of the steam-engine when applied to sailing, has lately been repeated with great success. Although these experiments have been conducted under a variety of disadvantages, as having been made with a vessel built for a dif. ferent purpose, yet the velocity acquired was no less than six and a half to seven miles an hour. " This sufficiently shows that with vessels properly constructed a velocity of eight or nine, or even ten, miles an hour may be easily accomplished, and the advantages of so great a velocity in rivers, straits, etc., and in cases of emergency, will be sufficiently evident, as there can be few winds, tides, or currents which can easily impede or resist it, and it will be evident that even with slower motion the utmost advantage must result to inland navigation.'' 1790. John Fitch, June 22, 1790, petitioned the Secretaries of State and War, and the Attorney-General of the United States, that in the year 1785 he conceived the idea of applying steam to propel vessels through the water; that the impossibility of procuring experienced workmen and his total igno- rance of the construction of a steam engine, etc., etc., caused him to expend about $8,000 in experiments ; that having at length fully succeeded, he comes forward as a man who, contrary to popular expectation, has really accomp- lished a design which will evince the many important advantages which must result to the United States. He adds to his petition : " The introduction of a complete steam engine formed upon the newest and best principles, into a country like America, where labor is high, would entitle him to public countenance by encouragement independent of its use in navigation ; the great time and money he has expended in bringing his scheme to perfection have been occasioned by his ignorance of the im- proved state of the steam engine, for not a person could be found who was acquainted with the minutia of Bolton & Watt's new engine. "And whether your petitioner's engine is similar or not to those in England 22 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TIOX. he is this moment totally ignorant; but is happy to say, that he is now able to make a complete steam engine which in its effects, he believes, is equal to the best in Europe; the construction of which he has never kept secret. "On his first undertaking the scheme he knew there were a great number of ways of applying the power of steatn to the propelling of vessels through the water, perhaps, all equally effective, but this formed no part of his con- sideration, knowing that if he could briug his steam engine to work in a boat, he would be under no difficulty in applying its force ; therefore he trusts no interference with him in propelling boats by steam, under any pretence of a different mode of application will be permitted ; for should that be the case, the employment of his time and the amazing expense attending the perfecting of his scheme, would, while they gave the world a valuable discovery, and to America peculiar and important advantages, "eventuate in the ruin of your petitioner ; for a thousand different modes may be applied by subsequent navigators," all benefitted by the expense and persevering labor of your petitioner, and then, sharing with him those profits which they never earned." 1789-90. The fourth steamboat built in the United States not being con- sidered fast enough, the steamboat company which had acquired an interest in John Fitch's invention built a fifth, which was first tried December, 1789, about the time Millar was making his second successful experiment in Scot- land. Her speed not proving satisfactory, various alterations were made in her machinery, until April, 1790, when the most complete success was attained. In May, General Mifflin and the whole Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania were passengers in her. The following account of this experi- ment is given by William Thornton, Esq., who was one of the company interested, and a passenger on board : "The day was appointed, and the experiment made in the following man- ner. A mile was measured in Front Street. (or Water Street) Philadelphia, and the bound projected at right angles as exact as could be to the wharves, where a flag was placed at each end, and also a stop-watch. The boat was ordered under way at dead-water, or when the tide was found to be without movement; as the boat passed one flag it was struck, and at the same instant the watches were set off; as the boat reached the other flag it was also struck? and the watches instantly stopped. Every precaution was taken before witnesses, the time was shown to all, the experiment declared to be fairly made, and the boat was found to go at the rate of eight miles an hour, or one mile within the eighth of an hour. The Governor and Council of Penn- sylvania were so highly gratified that, without their intentions being previ- ously known, GDvernor Mifflin, attended by the Council in procession, presented to the Company, and placed in the boat, a superb silk flag, prepared expressly, which Mr. Fitch afterwards took to France and presented to the National Convention." HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 23 They were thus particular in ascertaining the exact speed of the boat, as on her going at the rate of eight miles an hour depended the assignment of her in shares to a company. It seems to be a little uncertain whether the silk flag presented contained the arms of Pennsylvania or was simply the flag of the United States. The boat afterwards ran eighty miles in a day. She was placed upon the Delaware in the summer, and ran regularly as a packet, passenger, and freight boat for three or four months. Advertisements of her trips were published in the Philadelphia newspapers. Of these notices twenty-three have been found, giving advice of thirty-one trips to Trenton, Burlington, Chester, Wilmington, and Gray's Ferry. One of these advertisements, taken from The Federal Gazette and Philadelphia Daily Advertiser of Monday, July 26, 1790, is as follows. It will be seen it was thought sufficiently dis- tinctive to call her the steamboat, since there was none other in the world at that time: " THE STEAMBOAT Sets out to morrow morning at ten o'clock, from Arch Street Ferry, in order to take passen gers for Burlington, Bristol, Bordentown, and Trenton, and return next day. PHILADELPHIA, July 26th, 1790." It is estimated that during the summer this steamboat passed over between two and three thousand miles. In the autumn she was laid up and never used afterwards, there not being sufficient travel and transportation to pay the expense of running her. Before this conclusion was arrived at the company had projected and commenced building another, intended for the navigation of the Mississippi, and called the " Perseverance." She was of twenty-five tons burden, and rigged schooner fashion. The boat was completed, and her engines nearty so, when she broke adrift from her fastenings at the wharf, in a storm, and was blown on shore at Petty's Island, in the Delaware. Before she could be gotten off, the company in their attempts to simplify the machine had ruined it, and moreover, had got into debt, which obliged them to sacrifice both boats and all the machinery. 1790. William Longstreet, an American inventor, born in New Jersey, and who died in 1814, removed to Georgia. In 1790 he wrote a letter to Thomas Tolfairs, of Savannah, asking him to assist him in raising means to construct a boat to be propelled by steam. This letter was published in the Savannah and Augusta, Georgia, newspapers, but the funds were not imme- diately obtained. He subsequently obtained the necessary means for experiment, and*constructed a small model boat upon a plan very different from Fulton's, which went on the Savannah river against the stream five miles an hour.* * Appleton's American Cyclopedia. 24 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 1790. rEarl Stanhope, May 7, 1790, patented a Ja/ms-shaped vessel, which he styled an " Ambi-navigator," with a propeller in the form of a duck's foot, worked by a twelve-horse cross-head engine, with double connecting-rods. At the conclusion of the experiment it was laid up in Deptford Dock- Yard. This engine, at least such portion of it as could be made available, was in 1802 applied to the first steam-dredge, built for the Admiralty. The "Ambi-navigator" had a novel description of rudder, styled by the inventor an " equipollant rudder." 1791. On the 26th of August, 1791, John Fitch obtained a IT. S. Patent for his invention which is signed by George Washington, President, Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State, who also certifies that the patent was delivered to him August 30th. The patent recites " he having invented the following useful devices not before known or used, viz. : for applying the force of steam to a trunk or trunks for drawing water in at the bow of a boat or vessel, and forcing the same out at the stern, in order to propel the boat or vessel through the water, for forcing a column of air through a trunk or trunks filled with water by the force of steam, and for applying the force of steam to cranks, paddles, for propelling a boat or vessel through the water. The said John Fitch, his heirs, etc., were granted for the time of fourteen years, the sole and exclusive right and liberty of making, using and vending to others the said inventions. At the request of Aaron Vail, Esq., the U. S. consul at L'Orient, John Fitch was sent in 1791 by the company to France for the purpose of building steamboats. A brevet of invention was granted him on the 29th of Novem- ber, 1791, for his invention, but in the " Description des Machines et Pro- cedes specific dans les Brevets d'Inventions expires Paris, 1811," it is stated that Des Blancs had previously proposed a similar scheme, and that a model of his plan had been deposited in the " Conservatoire des Arts et Meteirs." his boat, pulled the throttle-valve, and the boat glided out into the bay. He was yet fearful that his new-found power might fail him, and so sat silent and eager, watching the piston rise and fall and the paddles go to and fro. But it did not fail ; the boat went steadily through the water, and arrived at Long Wharf in Providence. The next .day Mr. Ormsbee left in the boat for Pawtucket to show Mr. Wilkinson the success which had attended his enterprise. After a day or two the boat came back to Providence, where it was received with astonishment. For several weeks the boat went up and down the river ; Captain John H. Ormsbee, then a lad of twelve, going in her as steersman. * The steam was not applied to elevate and depress the piston as was done by Watt, but applied to raise the piston, and then being condensed by cold water, the piston was turned by atmospheric pressure. In this way the goose-foot paddles of the boat were moved forward and aft. When they moved forward they closed, and when moved aft they expanded to a width of from eighteen to twenty-four inches. The progress of the boat was from three to four miles an hour, which would probably have been increased to five or six if wheels had been substituted for paddles. But Ormsbee had no Livingston with open purse to assist him, and so, after having demonstrated the possibility of steam navigation, his golden dreams faded, and he sorrow- fully returned the still to the distillery and the boat to its owner. When, in 1817, the "Firefly" arrived in Pawtucket, people remembered the steam long-boat, and said, "We have seen a boat go by steam before;" and Colonel John S. Eddy a few years since related that when fourteen years old he went with his father to Kettle Point and "saw Mr. Ormsbee in a canoe with a kettle in it raising steam to propell a boat." This was in 1794. He did not build it on Kettle Point, but went down there to get out of sight of people. He worked first on a canoe dug out of a log, and afterwards applied steam to a long boat. He used to talk a great deal when steam- boats first came into use about J^lijah Ormsbee's getting up such a thing a great while before. Mr. Henry PI. Ormsbee, of Providence, has a state- ment in the handwriting of his father, Captain John H. Ormsbee, in accor- dance with this statement, and there is corroborative evidence on record in the files of the Transactions of the Society for the Encouragement of Do- 28 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VI GA TION. mestic industry. It was said by Mr. Wilkinson, who took the works after the boat was abandoned, that he exhibited and explained them to one Daniel French, who in turn made Robert Fulton acquainted with them.* 1793. John Smith, in June, 1793, used a steamboat with paddle wheels on the Duke of Bridgewater Canal, from Runcorn to Manchester. The vessel had on her an engine on the old atmospheric principle, was worked with a beam, connecting-rod, double cranks, in a horizontal line, with seven paddles on each side, which propelled her after the rates of two miles an hour.f 1794. In 1794, Lord Stanhope addressed a letter to Wilberforce on the question of peace or war, likely, he thought to be brought under discussion on the meeting of Parliament. In his letter he speculates on the possible re- sources of France, and hints that England is not invulnerable. He says : "This country, Great Britain, is vulnerable in so many ways, the picture 'is horrid. By my letter I will say nothing on that subject. One instance I will, however, state, because it is information you cannot, as yet, receive from any other quarter ; though in two or three months from the date of this let- ter the fact will be fully established, and you may then hear it from others. The thing I allude to is of peculiar importance. The fact is this. I know (and in a few weeks shall prove) that ships of any size, and for certain rea- sons the larger the better, may be navigated in any narrower other sea with- out sails (though occasionally with), but so as to go without wind, and even directly against both wind and waves. The consequences I draw are as fol- lows : First, that all the principal reasons against the French having the ports of Ostend, etc., cease, inasmuch as a French fleet composed of ships of the above-mentioned description, would come out at all times from Cherbourg, Dunkirk, etc., as well as from Ostend, etc., and appear in the same seas. The water, even at Dunkirk, will be amply deep enough for the purpose of having them there. The French having Ostend, ought not, there- fore, under this new revolution in naval affairs for it would be a complete revolution to be a bar to peace. Under the old nautical system, naval men might have reasoned differently upon that subject. But the most impor- tant consequence which I draw from this stupendous fact mentioned at the top of this page is this, namely, that it will shortly render all the existing navies of the ivorld (I mean military navies) no better than lumber. For what can ships do that are dependent upon the wind and weather against fleets wholly independent of either? Therefore the boasted superiority of the English navy is no more ! We must have a new one. The French and other nations will, for the same reasons, have their new ones." This is a curious prediction as to the effect* of the introduction of steam *History of Steam Navigation between Providence and New York, 1792 1877, by Charles H. Dow. f Nautical Magazine, vol. i., 1832. HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 29 to navigation upon naval warfare and armaments, written as the Earl's letter was, full thirteen years before Fulton's success with the " Clermont " on the Hudson. 1794. William Lyttleton, July 15, 1794, took out a patent in England for a screw propeller of three blades, which was to be rotated by hand-power or a steam-engine, and experimented with a copper screw so formed as described by Colonel Beaufry. The same year Samuel Morey, of Connecticut, who commenced his experi- ments on the Connecticut River in 1790, propelled his boat by a stern wheel from Hartford to New York City, at the rate of five miles an hour. Chan- cellor Livingston, Judge Livingston, Edward Livingston, John Stevens, and others, were on board this boat when she went from New York to Greenwich. This was the sixth steamboat built in the United States. The most reliable account of Morey's experiments and claim to having made the first application of steam to navigation, and of having made the "first practical steamboat," was published in 1864, by the Rev. Cyrus Mann, of Orford, New Hampshire. Mr. Mann,- an educated man, of strict integrity, spent both time and research in the investigation of the claims of Fulton, Morey, and others, of a practical success in steam navigation. The following is an extract from his book : " The credit of the invention of the steamboat is commonly awarded to Robert Fulton, but it belongs primarily and chiefly, it is believed, to a more obscure individual. So far as is known the first steamboat ever seen on the waters of America was invented by Captain Samuel Morey, of Orford, New Hampshire. The astonishing sight of this man ascending Connecticut River, between Orford and Fairlee, in a little boat just large enough to contain himself and the rude machinery connected with the steam-boilers and a handful of wood for a fire, was witnessed by the writer in his boyhood, and by others who yet survive.* This was as early as 1793 or earlier, and before Fulton's name had been mentioned in connection with steam naviga- tion." The records of the Patent Office at Washington show that several patents for the application of steam were taken out by Morey for the application of steam " to boats" previous to Fulton's, as Morey's great aim had always been to invent a steamboat. Captain Samuel Morey, a son of General Israel Morey, who moved to Orford from Connecticut in 1766, died in 1843, aged seventy-one years. He originally owned fifteen hundred acres of woodland about Fairlee Pond, and employed a large number of men and oxen during the winter months in clearing the lumber for market, the proceeds of which, forty thousand dol- lars, were consumed in scientific projects. He began in 1780 to give * Mrs. Nathaniel Mann was on board the steamboat of Morey, and " ordered it," as she said. 30 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. attention to subjects of light, heat, and steam, acd invented .several ingenious contrivances. He was a correspondent of Professor Silliman, and contributed to the pages of the American Journal of Science and Arts. He also corresponded with Fulton, and visited him twice in New York, and exhibited to him the m@del of his boat, receiving a return visit from Fulton. After visiting Morey, Fulton commenced his boat on the Hudson, and Morey always held that he surreptitiously imitated his model. In 1820 Morey put on Fairlee Pond a boat named the " Aunt Sally." It was twenty feet long, and neatly painted. Some unprincipled person sunk it soon after its trial trip, and it now rests beneath the waters of the pond. Writing to William A. Duer, Esq., October 31, 1818, Morey says : " As near as I can recollect it was as early as 1790 that I turned my at- tention to improving the steam-engine and in applying it to the purpose of propelling boats. ... In June, 1797, 1 went to Bordentown, on the Del- aware, and there constructed a steamboat, and devised the plan of pro- pelling by means of wheels, one on each side. The shafts ran across the boat with a crank in the middle, worked from the beam of the engine with a shackle bar. . . . The boat was openly exhibited in Philadelphia. . . . I took out patents for my improvements. ... I never had any doubt but that I had a right to take out a patent for the application of two wheels to a steamboat, and often told Mr. Livingston and Mr. Fulton that I had. To the latter, I once asserted this right when on board his steamboat with him." Nothing but want of pecuniary means, as he asserted, seems to have been wanting for his inaugurating his methods of propelling boats by steam. Morey's claim as the inventor of the first successful steamboat must give way before the superior claims of Fitch's steamboat already recounted, however. Captain Morey continued his scientific pursuits to the time of his decease, and they were more or less honored and recognized, but he never recovered from the blow received through the alleged perfidy of Fulton. 1796. The tenth volume of the " Repository of Arts" contains a descrip- tion of the fire-ship of Edward Thomason, which was laid before the lords of the Admiralty, in England, in 1796. It had vertical wheels at the sides, operated on by steam-engines, and was intended to possess the power of moving given distances in all directions according to the intentions of the director, so that, ivithout any person on board, it would conduct itself into an enemy's port, and by clock-work, at the given moment, explode the com- bustible. This seems to have been the pioneer of the modern torpedo boat, which is moved from the shore by electricity. The seventh successful steamboat was tried in 1796, in the United States, the invention of John Fitch after his return from France. The experiment was tried under the patronage of Robert H. Livingston, as certified to by John R. Hutchings, General Anthony Lamb, and William H. Westlock. HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 31 It was made with a screw-propeller, the vessel used was a yawl, about eighteen feet in length and having six feet beam, and steered at the bow with an oar. The boiler was a ten-gallon iron pot, with a thick plank lid firmly fastened to it by an iron bar placed transversely. The cylinders were of wood, barrel-shaped on the outside, straight on the inside, and strongly hooped. Steam was raised sufficiently high to send the boat once or twice around the pond, when more water was needed to generate steam for a new start. The time was the summer of 1796*, and the scene of the experiment was " The Collect" a fresh-water pond in New York City, near what is now called Canal Street. The pond has been drained, and its site, covered with houses, is now in the heart of the city. 1797. The eighth United States steamboat was built by Samuel Morey, assisted by the Rev. Burgees Allison, of Bordentown, New Jersey. It was constructed with paddle-wheels at the sides, in the same manner as Fulton's steamboat subsequently, and was propelled from Bordentown to Philadelphia in the summer of 1797, and publicly exhibited. In this year, also, Chancellor Livingston built a boat on the Hudson River, and obtained exclusive privilege from the New York Legislature for one year, on condi- tion that he produced a vessel impelled by steam three miles an hoar, but which he was unable to effect. He was associated in this enterprise with a person of the name of Nisbett, a native of England. Bruuell, afterwards distinguished as the engineer of the Thames Tunnel, acted as their engineer. Morse, in his " Gazetteer," published in 1797, under the head of Territory, and referring to the Northwest Territory, says that he thinks "it is probable steamboats will be found of infinite service in all our extensive river navigation." In 1797 an experiment in canal steam navigation wa-s made in the neigh- borhood of Liverpool, and the Monthly Magazine for July of the year says, " Lately the Newton-Common, in Lancashire, a vessel heavily laded with copper slag passed along the Sankey Canal without the aid of haulers or rowers, the oars performing eighteen strokes a minute by the application of steam only ! After a course of ten miles the vessel returned the same even- ing by the same means to St.'Helen's, whence she had set out. This inge- nious discovery by the original form and motion of the oars may be ranked amongst the most useful of modern inventions, and in particular promises the highest benefits to inland navigation." 1798. The next vessel moved by steam, in the United States, was a model boat, about three feet long, built by John Fitch, at Bardstown, in Kentucky, in the summer of 1798, and tried upon the creek near that town. 1798. The success of the steamboat was assured by the adoption of verti- cal paddle-wheels over the sides, though later inventions have so modified the hulls and engines, that the screw placed at the stern has in a general measure supplanted the side wheels. In 1815 Nicholas J. Roosevelt in a petition to the New Jersey legislature asserts with the modesty and manly firmness of honesty that "he is the true 32 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. and original inventor and discoverer of steamboats with vertical wheels." In an affadavit attached to his petition he says : " In or about the year 1781 or 1782 " he resided with Joseph Vosten- handt, about four miles above Esopus on the North river, in New York, and that he did there make, rig, and put in operation on a small brook near Yostenhandt's house " a small wooden model of a boat with vertical wheels over the sides," each wheel having four arms or paddles made of shingles, and that " these wheels being acted on by hickory or whalebone springs propelled the model boat through the water by the agency of a tight cord passed between the wheels, and being reacted on by the springs." In 1798 in conjunction with Chancellor Livingston, and John Stevens, he entered into an agreement to build a boat on joint account for which the en- gines were to be constructed at Second River by Roosevelt, while the pro- pelling power was to be on the plan of the Chancellor's. Steam was applied to the machinery about the middle of the year 1798 unsuccessfully. Improvements were made in it until in October Roosevelt wrote the Chancellor an account of a trial trip on which the speed attained was equivalent to ab.out three miles in still water, though with wind and tide, the Spanish minister who was on board and highly elated estimated the actual speed at double that amount. The month previous to this trial, on the 6th of September, 1798, Roosevelt wrote the Chancellor in this connection, after referring to a change in the plan a letter in which he says, " I would recommend that we throw two wheels of wood over the sides, fastened to the axis of the flys (fly-wheels) with eight arms or paddles ; that part which enters the water of sheet iron to shift ac- cording to the power they require either deeper in the water, or otherwise, and that we navigate the vessel with these until we can procure an engine of the proper size which I think ought not to be less than 24 inch, cylinder" On the 16th of the same month he again wrote the Chancellor "I hope to hear your opinion of throwing wheels over the sides, and the Chancellor an- swers, "I say nothing on the subject of wheels over the sides, as I am per- fectly convinced from variety of experiments of the superiority of those we have adopted." Their apparatus was a system of paddles, resembling a horizontal chain- pump, set in motion by an engine of Watt's construction. We know that such a plan, if inferior to paddle-wheels, might answer the purpose ; it, however, failed, in consequence of the weakness of the vessel, which, chang- ing its figure, dislocated the parts of the engine. Their joint proceedings were interrupted by the appointment of Chancellor Livingston to represent the American government in France. Stevens, however, undiscouraged, continued his experiments at Hoboken, while Livingston carried to Europe the most sanguine expectations of success. Previous to these 'attempts, Mr. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 33 Nicholas K. Roosevelt and R. R. Livingston had made some experiments in steam navigation, the detailed account of which has not been preserved.* 1800. Messrs. Hunter and Dickinson are said to have taken out a patent in England in 1800 for propelling vessels by steam, which was tried on the Thames, in January, 1801. The English Monthly Magazine contains an ac- count of this performance, " as very creditable to them, and as exceeding everything before accomplished ; " and says that " the vessel was moved at the rate of three miles an hour through the water." The newspapers of 1801 announce that on the 1st of July " an experiment took place on the River Thames for the purpose of working a barge or any other heavy craft against the tide by means of a steam engine on a very simple construction. The moment the engine was set to work the barge was brought about, answering her helm quickly, and she made way against a strong current, at the rate of two and a half miles an hour." 1800. Edward Shorter patented a screw-propeller in 1800, which was successfully tried by manual power, to move vessels of war in 1802. Mr. Samuel Brown hadta boat built expressly for being propelled by a gas vacuum-engine, of which he was the inventor, made to drive a two- bladed submerged propeller, in the bow of the boat, by which a speed of from six to seven miles an hour was obtained. * A detailed account of these experiments can be found in a pamphlet entitled " A Lost Chapter in the History of the Steamboat," by J. If. B. Lathrop. Published by the Mary- land Historical Society, Baltimore. March, 1871. t N x 3 CHAPTER II 1800-1819. Win. Symington's steam-lug, 1802. Robert Fulton's French Experiments, 1802-4. --Oliver Evans, 1802-4.-Stevens, 1804. The Clermont, Fulton's first successful steamboat, 1807,-Robert L. Stevens, 1808 Jonathan Nichols, 1807-9. Inland Steam Navigation, U. S., 1809 John Cox Stevens' sea voyage, 1809. Robert Fulton's patent, 1811. Rapid Traveling in Steamboats, 1811. First Steam- boat on the Western waters of the U. S ,1811- Fulton's Steamboats, 1812. Steamboat on the Delaware, 1812. Steamboats between Philadelphia and New York, 1818. Hezekiah Bliss, 1810 -19. The Comet, and Henry Bell, 1812 The Elizabeth, 1813 The Clyde, and Glasgow, each 1813. First Steamboat on the St. Lawrence, 1813.- -Robert Fulton's patent, 1813. First Steamboat in India, 1810, 1819, 1821 Early English Steamboats 1813-15. Loss by wreck of Steamers in war, 1812-14. The Margery et als, 1814. The Demologos or Fulton the First, the 1st war steamship, 1814. Steamers in England in 1814. The Argyle or Thames, 1815. Steam Navigation adopted in Russia, 1815-16. Trevatheniet' s patents on Screw Propeller in England, 1815. Roosevelt claims the invention of paddle-wheels, 1814-16. Liverpool Steam Ferry-boat, 1816. The Majestic first to cross the English Channel, 1816. First Line of Steamboat* New York to New London, 1816. lona Morgan's Steamboat in Maine, 1816. First Steamboat commanded by Cor. Vanderbilt, 1817. First Steam Tow Boat, 1816. The Fire-fly, 1817. First Steamboat on the Rhine, 1817. The Manifest of first Steamboat to Boston, 1817. Frst Steamboat on Lake Erie, 1818. Baltimore and Philadelphia Steamboat, 1813-15. The First English Steam Tug, 1818. Steamers between the Mersey and Clyde, 1819. First steamer, Liverpool andlreland, 1819. 1802. In 1802, William Symington, who had been associated with Millar and Taylor in the experiments at Dalswiuton, under the patronage of Lord Dundas, of Kerse, an extensive proprietor in the Forth and Clyde Canal, constructed a steam vessel for the purpose of superseding the use of horses in towing vessels along the canal. His narrative of the experiment, the truthfulness of which has been confirmed by others, is as follows : "Having previously made various experiments, in March, 1802, at Lock Twenty-two, Lord Dundas, the great patron and steamboat promoter, along with Archibald Spiers, Esq., of Eldtrslee, and several gentlemen of their ac- quaintances being on board, the steamboat took in drag two loaded vessel^ the ' Active ' and ' Euphemia,' of Grangemouth, Gow and Elspine, masters, each upwards of seventy toils burthen, and with great ease carried them through the long reach of the Forth and Clyde Canal at Port Dundas, a dis- tance of nineteen and a half miles, in six hours, although the whole time it blew a very strong breeze right ahead of us ; so much so that no other vessel could move to windward in the canal that day but those we had in tow." When unimpeded by having other boats in tow, this vessel went steadily at the rate of six miles an hour, aud may be considered to have been a com- plete success. Her cylinder had a diameter of twenty-two inches, and her piston a stroke of four feet. She had her paddle-wheel astern, and steering apparatus in front. Mr. Symington proposed to apply side-wheels to this 34 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 35 boat, but it was feared they would injure the banks of the canal, and he was induced to substitute a stern-wheel. The " Charlotte Dundas," as this vessel was called, is said to have cost three thousand pounds. If not the first practical English steamboat, she was certainly the first tug or tow-boat ever built, and her performance, says Scott Russell, writing in 1841, " appears to be about as great as any since accomplished by the many boats which on the same canal have attempted the same duty. So simple was the machinery that it might have been at work to this day with merely ordinary repairs."* 1802. Robert Fulton, with whose name the history of steam navigation is inseparably connected, the son of a poor Irish laborer who emigrated to America, born in Pennsylvania in 1765, was in 1802 spending the winter at Paris, where he made a model, and wrote a description of a small steamboat with paddle-wheels. Pie also wrote the following letter to a friend, showing he "was at that early day engaged in the attempt to move vessels by mechani- cal power. Paris, the 2Oth of September, 1802. To Mr. FITLNER SKIPWITH. Sir, The expense of a patent in France is 300 livres for three years, 800 ditto for ten years, and 1500 ditto for fifteen years; there can be no difficulty in obtaining a patent for the mode of propelling a boat which you have shown me ; but if the author of the model wishes to be assured of the merits of his invention before he goes to the expense of a patent I advise him to make the model of a boat, in which he can place a clock spring which will give about eight revolutions ; he can then combine the movements so as to try cars, paddles, and the leaves which he proposes ; if he finds that the leaves drive the boat a greater dis- tance in the same time than either oars or paddles, they consequently are a better application of power. About eight years ago the Earl of Stanhope tried an experiment on similar leaves in Greenland Dock, London, but without success. I have also tried experiments on similar leaves, wheels, oars, paddles, and flyers similar to those of a smoke jack, and found oars to be the best. The velocity with whkh a boat moves, is in proportion as the sum of the surfaces of the oars, paddles, leaves, or other machine is to the bow of the boat pre- sented to the water, and in proportion to the power with which such machinery is put in mo- tion ; hence, if the sum of the surfaces of the oars is equal to- the sum of the surfaces of the leaves, and they pass through similar curves in the same time, the effect must be the same ; but oars have their advantage, they return through air to make a second stroke, and hence create very little resistance ; whereas the leaves return through water, and add considerably to the resistance, which resistance is increased as the velocity of the boat is augumented : no kind of machinery can create power; all .that can be do'ne is to apply the manual qr other power to the best advantage. If the author of the model is fond of mechanics, he will be much amused, and not lose his time, by trying the experiments in the manner I propose, and this .perhaps is the most prudent measure, before a patent is taken. I am, Sir, with much respect, yours, ROBT. FULTON. 1803. About the same time, in connection with Chancellor Livingston, then the American minister at the French court, he commenced the con- * The machinery of this boat was exhibited at an exhibition in London a few years since. 36 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. struction of an experimental steamboat on a large scale, which was launched in the spring of 1803, on the Seine, below Paris, and the steam-engine and boilers put on board. He had, however, miscalculated the strength of his vessel, and when the weight of the machinery was placed in the centre she broke through the middle and sunk, and when raised.was found to be unworthy of repairs. He therefore built a new hull to receive the machinery, which was but little injured, and in August, 1804, made a 'second trial. This new vessel was sixty-six feet long and eight feet wide ; but she moved so slowly as to oe altogether a failure. Soon after the experiment Fulton visited England, where he sought out Mr. Symington, and made a trip with him in his steam tug on the Forth and Clyde Canal. Mr. Symington says, "In compliance with Mr. Fulton's earnest request, I caused the engine fire to be lighted up, and in a short time thereafter put the steamboat in motion, and carried him from Lock 16, where the boat then lay, four miles west in the canal, and returned to the place of starting, in one hour and twenty minutes, to the great astonishment of Mr. Fulton and several gentlemen, who at our outset chanced to come on board." An act passed the Legislature of New York, April 5, 1803, by which the rights and exclusive privilege of navigating all the waters of that State, by vessels propelled by fire or steam, which had been granted to Livingston in 1798, were extended to Livingston and Fulton for twenty years from the date of the new act. By this act the producing proof of the practicability of pro- pelling a boat by steam, of twenty tons capacity, at the rate of four miles an hour, with and against the ordinary current of the Hudson, was extended two years. Subsequently it was extended to April, 1807. Fulton's experiments on the Seine in 1800-4, and his relations with Napo- leon I., are ^hus graphically narrated by Mr. A. Ducasse. He says : " Between six and eight o'clock on the 8th of August, 1804, the two banks of the Seine, at Paris, at the foot of the heights of the ' Pompe a Feu ' at Chaillot, were crowded with curious observers collected together to witness an experiment, the importance of which, unfortunately for the civilized world, was not recognized for a long time afterward. " Fulton was trying on the Seine the first steamboat, already invented by him some years before, and subsequently offered in vain first to France, then to England, and subsequently to his native country, the United States, which adopted the grand discovery. " On that evening, then, vast numbers of curious gazers were assembled on the quay, and unfortunately the Emperor, detained at the camp of Boulogne, was not in Paris. The trial took place without being witnessed by him, and, in spite of the scientific men delegated by his orders, this was not appreciated. " A strange history is that of the short-lived relations of these two men of genius, Napoleon I. and Fulton, made to understand one another, and yet whom a fatal and jealous destiny seems to have perpetually kept apart. " Towards the end of the year 1800, Fulton, then for some time residing HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 37 in Paris, had been able to establish relations with several savans. He asked Volney, who was known to the First Consul, and who was a member of the Conservative Senate, to propose to the great man who governed France to make a trial of his system of navigation with steam as a motive power. " Volney naturally addressed himself to Forfait, the Ministre de la Marine, who laid the matter before the First Consul in the following terms : " ' The Ministre de la Marine submits to the First Consul the proposals concerning the " Nautilus," the name of Fulton's steamboat, which Mr. Robert Fulton, citizen of the United States, has place4 before him, through the citizen Volney, member of the Conservative Senate.' " On the 4th of December, 1800, the First Consul wrote on the margin of this demand the following decision : "'The Ministre will treat this affair with Fulton, Volney, and others.' "Napoleon, occupied with the affairs of Germany, whither Moreau was then marching to fight the battle of Hohenliuden, occupied with the vast interests placed in his powerful and organizing hands, unceasingly tormented with projects and inventions, did not at first seize the importance of Fulton's discovery. Moreover, he thought it was the business of the Ministre de la Marine to examine the affair, and to make a report upon it to him if it were serious. " For the present, then, he thought no more about it. "In the month of March of 1801, Forfait returned to the charge and sub- mitted to the Chief of the State the following : " 'The Ministre de la Marine proposes to allow Fulton a sum of 10,000f. to enable him to make a thorough trial of the "Nautilus" at Brest, and to give him certain sums by way of reward.' " Napoleon wrote on the margin of this demand, 'The First Consul agrees to this arrangement.' " Fulton's project was then, by order of the Chief of State, sent to the Institute to be examined. But it was not till three years later, in 1804, that the trial of the steamboat took place on the Seine, as we shall presently show. "This boat, built under the direction of Fulton, by Messrs. Brown, of New York, was fifty metres long ; it was moved by a double steam-engine, which turned paddles on each side, and gave it a speed equal to about that of a carriage drawn by post-horses. " One fine day Napoleon bethought him of Fulton's project. It was at the time when he was in the midst of his troops at Boulogne, preparing his grand expedition against England. " With his gaze constantly fixed on the great rival of France, he sought every means likely to insure the success of his descent upon the bank of the Thames. The plan of the American engineer recurred to him. Great indeed would be the chances of success if Fulton had really discovered the means of moving ships by means of steam, a power the use of which might be regulated and controlled in spite of tides and winds. What a wondrous and unequaled victory obtained over t e elements ! 38 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. "Napoleon then asked his Minister for Fulton's project. The Minister sent it, and on the 21st of July, 1804, the First Consul, two months ago hailed as Emperor, wrote the following curious letter : "'I have just read the project of Citizen Fulton, Engineer, which you have sent me much too late, since it is one which may change the face of the world. Be that as it may, I desire that you " immediately " confide its examination to a commission of members chosen by you among the different classes of the Institute. "' There it is that* learned Europe would seek for judges to resolve the question under consideration. A great truth, a physical, palpable truth, is before my eyes. It will be for these gentlemen to try and see it and seize it. As soon as their report is made it will be sent to you, and you will forward it to me. Try and let the whole be terminated within eight days, as I am impatient. "'FROM MY IMPERIAL CAMP AT BOULOGNE, this 21st July, 1804.' "In the last two months the Parisians had seen with astonishment, off the quay of the Pompe a Feu, at Chaillot, a boat presenting a most strange appearance. It was armed, said the journals of the time, with two large wheels, placed on an axle like that of a cart. Behind these wheels, which were intended to be put in motion, so ran the journals of 1804, there was a sort of large stove with a pipe, a little fire-engine by means of which the wheels, and consequently the whole vessel, 'might be put in motion, turned, and made to go backward or forward. " Some evil-minded persons had attempted, shortly after its arrival in the Seine, to sink it, and they had partially succeeded in their attempt. The relations of the period do not tell us who these persons were or what were their motives. * "When Fulton had repaired the injuries done the ship, the first trial of a steamboat in France, as has already been mentioned, took place on the Seine on the 8th of August, 1804. Fulton, assisted by three other men, put his boat in motion, taking in tow two vessels of less tonnage. "During an hour and a half he afforded a curious crowd the strange spectacle of a ship moved, like a carriage, by wheels fitted with oars and set in motion by a fire-engine. The trial succeeded wonderfully, and appeared conclusive. "The rate of progress up the Seine was from five to six kilometres per hour; in going down it was double. "The ship was easily manoeuvred in every direction, answered readily to the helm, was anchored without difficulty, and rapidly pjt again in motion, No well-broke horse was more easily to manage. " At the present time all this excites no astonishment, but sixty years ago when navigation was only comprehended by means of sails or oars, the wonder we have described was natural. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 39 " What is really surprising is that the results of this trial were so unim- portant ; above all, when we remember that the Emperor had ordered a serious examination of the discovery by the members of the Institute, and that several of them, among whom were such men as Bossout, Carnot, Prony, Perrier, and Volney, were on board the ' Nautilus ' when the trial trip was made. " And yet, four days afterwards, on the 12th of August, the Journal des Debats received an article communicated by the Government on the subject of this trial, which terminates thus: " ' Doubtless they (the members of the Institute) will make a report which will give this discovery all the eclat it deserves, since this mechanism, ap- plied to our rivers, would be fraught with the most advantageous results to our internal navigation,' etc. "Thus it appears that the system was not considered applicable to mari- time navigation, and thus Messieurs de 1'Institute ocular witnesses of a fact the consequences of which they were able to appreciate, and of which they had been ordered to find out the value and to explain the causes thought it was consistent with their dignity to reject scornfully the most wonderful discovery that had ever been submitted to their lofty understanding. " For the rest, this is no exception to the general rule. Have we not seen in our own time distinguished soldiers reject percussion powder for muskets? Do we not even now see breech-loaders rejected for the army ? and has it not required the campaign of Sadowa to open the eyes of most of the chiefs of the armies of Europe ? " Be this as it may, the reports on Fulton's discovery were far from favor, able. Scientific men rejected it. The Emperor is said to have sighed on reading their report, exclaiming, ' It is a pity !' "What must have been the regret of the great captain when, eleven years later, while being borne into exile on board the ' Bellerophon,' under the English flag, he saw a small steamer manoeuvring with facility in British waters, and, on inquiring who was the inventor, was told that his name was Fulton !" 1803. M. Dalleny, a French engineer, in October, 1803, secured a patent, the first of its kind, for an original idea of his own for applying the steam- engine to two screws, one of which was placed on the bow on a moveable axis, and served as a rudder. At Boulogne-sur-Mer, on Monday, October 12, 1881, was unveiled a statue of Frederic Sauvage, whom the French claim to be the inventor of the screw propeller. A Scotchman named Swan, born at Coldingham, Berwickshire, in the year 1787, who claimed to be the original inventor of the screw pro- peller, died in London in 1869, and a monument in Abney Park Cemetery there bears the following inscription ; "Few men have been greater benefac- tors to their country than the late John Swan. He was the original inventor of the screw propellor in the year 1824, as now used in Her Majesty's ships, 40 HIS TOE Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. and published by the late Dr. Birkbeck in the Mechanic's Register of the same date." 1802-4. In 1802, Oliver Evans agreed with James McKeever, of Ken- tucky (father of the late Commodore Isaac McKeever, U. S. Navy), and Louis Valcourt, to build a boat to run on the Mississippi between New Orleans and Natchez. Mr. Evans's high-pressure engine was built in Phila- delphia, and the boat in Kentucky; both were sent to New Orleans, but when the engine arrived at New Orleans it was found that the boat had been destroyed by a hurricane. The engine was then set to sawing timber in New Orleans, and Mr. Stackhouse (one of the engineers), who remained with it twelve months and fifteen days, stated that during that period the mill was constantly at work, and that " Nothing relating to the engine broke or got out of order so as to stop the mill one hour." This was the engine sent by Oliver Evans to drive a steamboat against the current of the Mis- sissippi five years before Robert Fulton started the " Clermont " on the Hudson. In 1804, Oliver Evans built a scow-steamboat at Philadelphia, for the purpose of clearing out the docks, which he called the " Eruktor Amphibolis." To prove that wagons could be moved on land and vessels moved on water by the force of steam, Evans geared machinery to the wagon upon which the "Eruktor" was placed, and propelled his wagon by steam from the Centre Square, Philadelphia, to the Schuylkill River, at Market Street. The wagon-wheels were then taken off, the scow launched, and a paddle- wheel placed at- its stern. It was then propelled down the Schuylkill to the Delaware, and up the latter river to Philadelphia, a distance of sixteen miles, passing several vessels bound to the same port. Mr. Evans has left the following account of this experiment : " In 1804 I constructed at my works, a mile and a half from the water, by order of the Board of Health of the City of Philadelphia, a machine for cleaning docks. It consisted of a large flat or lighter, with steam-engine of the power of five horses on board to work machinery to raise the mud into lighters. This was a fine opportunity to show the public that my engine could propel both land and water carriages, and I resolved to do it. When the work was finished I put wheels under it, and though it was equal in weight to two hundred barrels of flour, and the wheels were fixed on wooden axle-trees for this temporary purpose in a very rough manner, and attended with great friction of course, yet with this small engine I transported my great burthen to the Schuylkill with ease; and when it was launched into the water I fixed a paddle-wheel at the stern, and drove it down the Schuyl- kill to the Delaware, a.nd up the Delaware to the city ; leaving all the vessels going up behind me at least half way, the wind being ahead." On the 26th of September, 1804, he closed an address to the Lancaster Turnpike Company as follows : " It is too much for an individual to put in operation every improvement HIS TOE Y OF STEAM NA VIOA TION. 41 which he may invent. I have no doubt ray engines will propel boats against the current of the Mississippi, and carriages on turnpike roads with great profit." In 1805 he published a work describing the principle of his steam-engine, with directions for working it when applied to propel boats against the cur- rent of the Mississippi, and carriages on turnpike roads. 1804. In May, 1804, John Stevens * constructed a steamboat which went from Hoboken to New York and returned; its propelling power being a wheel at the stern, formed in the manner of a wind-mill or smoke-jack, and driven by a rototary engine. The engine not proving successful, it was superseded by one of Watt's engines, when the vessel attained an average speed of four miles an hour. For a short distance Stevens could make his boat go at a speed of seven or eight miles per hour; but was unable to maintain that speed for any length of time from a deficiency of steam. Professor Renwick read a, paper several years since before the New York Historical Society, in which he stated that the first he ever heard of an attempt to use steam for the propulsion of vessels was from a classmate who, in 1803, witnessed an experiment made upon the Passaic River by John Stevens, of Hoboken. According to his account, the propulsion was at- tempted by forcing water, by means of a pump, from an aperture in the stern of the vessel. In May, 1804, Mr. Renwick saw Robert L. Stevens and the late Commodore Stevens, as he was styled, cross from the Battery to Hoboken in a boat propelled by steam. This boat was a small one, and had tubular boilers, the first ever made. The machinery was made under his own direc- tions, and in his own shop at Hoboken. It set in motion hvo propellers (the first double-screw) of five feet diameter each, and each furnished with four blades having the proper twist, to obtain which he had the greatest difficulty with his workmen, and set at an angle of thirty-five degrees. It is a proof of the remarkable accuracy and skill of the Hoboken workshop that the engine of this first small propeller, which is carefully preserved in the Stevens Institute of Technology at Hoboken, was set up again forty years after- wards (1844) in a new vessel, which was modeled on the lines of the first boat, and without altering a screw was worked successfully, and in the presence of a committee from the American Institute was propelled at the rate of eight miles an hour. The second vessel is also preserved in the Stevens Institute at Hoboken. Three years before Robert Fulton's steamer, * Colonel John Stevens, born in New York, 1749. Died at Hoboken, New Jersey, 1838. Colonel Stevens was the father of Edwin A. Stevens, founder of the Stevens Institute cf Technology. During the war of the Revolution he served in a variety of civil and military capacities, and afterwards became the owner of large estates in New Jersey. In 1787 he became interested in steamboats, from seeing that of John Fitch, and experi- mented for near thirty years. In 1789 he petitioned the New York Legislature for a grant of the exclusive navigation of the waters of that State, but without success. 42 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. the " Clermont," plowed its way up the Hudson, this engine and boiler, in the hands of Colonel John Stevens, had demonstrated the efficiency of the screw propeller. 1806. Encouraged by the success of his former experiments, Colonel Stevens repeated them in 1806 on a larger scale, and built a pirogue fifty feet long, twelve feet wide, and seven feet deep, which attained considerable speed. He named her the " Phoenix." THE " CLERMONT." 1807. In the spring of 1807 Robert Fulton launched from the building- yard of Charles Brown, on the East Hudson, a steam-vessel, one hundred and thirty feet long, having eighteen feet beam and six feet hold, which he named the " Clermont," after the residence of his friend, patron and asso- ciate, Chancellor Livingston. The " Clermont " was provided with a single engine, built by Boulton and Watt, in England, which lay for many months on the wharf at New York, near where the city prison now stands, between Canal Street and the Battery, being held by the agent of the ship which brought it over for non-payment of freight. This engine was twenty-four inches diameter of cylinder, and three feet stroke. The boiler was of the low- pressure pattern, twenty feet long, seven feet deep, and eight feet broad. The side-wheels were fifteen feet in diameter, with buckets four feet wide, dipping two feet in the water. The " Clermont" started on her first trip from New York for Albany, at one p. M., on the 7th of August, 1807, just three years, to a day, after Fulton's experiments with the " Nautilus " on the Seine. * Robert Fulton, with a few friends and mechanics and six passengers, was on board. An incredulous and jeering crowd were gathered on the shore as she cast loose. She arrived at Clermont, a distance of one hundred and ten miles, on Tuesday at the same hour. Leaving Clermont on Wednesday, at nine A.M., she arrived at Albany at five P.M. the same day, a distance of forty miles in eight hours. " The run," says Fulton, "is one hundred and fifty miles in thirty-two hours, nearly equal to five miles an hour. She kept up the same rate of speed on her return trip to New York, and made several trips during the summer with like results." * * Marcus Richardson, of Bangor, the oldest Mason in Maine, who died in that city January 7, 1881, aged one hundred and six years and two months, witnessed this trial trip of the " Clermont." He was a privateersman in the war of 1812, and was a mason seventy- seven years. In August, 1882, Geo. Dexter, aged eighty-four years, of Albany, and Wm. Perry, of Exe- ter, New Hampshire, aged ninety years, who were passengers in the " Clermont " on her return trip from Albany to New York were still living. At the time of the great triumph Peter Cooper was an apprentice boy, Thurlow Weed was a cabin-boy on a Hudson River sloop and Charles O'Connor a prattling child of three years. HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 43 Professor Kenwick, describing the " Clermont " as she appeared on her first trip, says, " She was very unlike any of her successors, and very dis- similar from the shape in which she appeared a few months afterward. With a model resembling a Long Island skiff, she was decked for a short distance at stem and stern. The engine was open to view, and from the engine aft a house like that of a canal-boat was raised to cover the boiler and jthe apart- ment for the officers. There were no wheel-guards. The rudder was of the shape used in sailing vessels and moved by a tiller. The boiler was of the form then used in Watt's engines, and was set in masonry. The condenser was of the size used habitually in land engines, and stood, as was the practice in them, in a large cold-water cistern. The weight of the masonry and the great capacity of the cold-water cistern diminished very materially the buoyancy of the vessel. The rudder had so little power that she could hardly be managed. The skippers />f the river craft, who at once saw that their business was doomed, took advantage of the unwieldiness of the vessel to run foul of her as often as they thought they had the law on their side. Thus in several instances the steamer reached one or the other termini of the route with but a single wheel." Before the season closed, the wheels were surrounded by a frame of strong beams and the paddles were covered in ; the rudder was changed to the pattern now used on all river boats and was worked by a wheel, the ropes from which were attached to the ends most distant from the pintles. This rudder rendered the vessel manageable, and the beams placed around the wheel were capable of inflicting instead of receiving harm in a collision with sailing vessels. During the winter of 1807-8 she was almost wholly rebuilt. The hull was considerably lengthened and covered from stem to stern with a flush deck. Beneath this two cabins were formed, and surrounded by double ranges of berths, fitted up in a manner then unexampled for comfort, and the public taste wascousulted in the application of numerous coats of rather gaudy paint. Thus improved, she commenced her trips for the season of This year (1882) a movement has been set on foot to erect z. suitable monument to the memory of the great inventor, whose ashes lie neglected in an obscure vault at the south- west corner of Trinity Church. The name of the chief engineer of the " Clermont " on her first trip up-river has not been preserved ; but Mr. Fulton, having had some difficulty with him, promoted Mr. Charles Dyck to his place on the return trip. Mr. Dyck was born in 1787 and died in 1871. While at Albany, a gentleman, Mr. Dyck said, came on board and engaged passage to New York. Mr. Fulton, on receiving his money, hed tears, remarking that it was the first he had re- ceived for all his labor. In 1813, Mr. Dyck: was engineer on the "Car of Neptune," from New York to Albany, and also oh the " Fire-Fly," from New York to Poughkeepsie. He was on the first steamer on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers ; also on the first steamboat on the Fulton Ferry line, and from New York to New Brunswick on the Philadelphia line with Captain Vanderbilt. For five years before his death he was blind. 44 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 1808, and started regularly at the appointed hour, at first much to the discontent of travellers, who had previously been waited for by sloops and stages. At the end of the season she proved too small for the crowds who thronged to take passage. The success of the "Clermont" led Fulton and Livingston to build two other vessels and add them to the line, viz., "The Car of Neptune" and the "Paragon," of three and three hundred and fifty tons respectively. Fulton sent the following account of the first trip of the " Clermont" to the American Citizen : " SIR : I arrived this afternoon at four o'clock in the steamboat from Albany. As the success of my experiment gives me great hopes that such boats may be rendered of great importance to my country, to prevent erro- neous opinions and to derive some satisfaction to the friends of useful im- provements, you will have the goodness to publish the following statement of facts : "I left New York on Monday at one o'clock, and arrived at Clermont, the seat of Chancellor Livingston, at one; time, twenty-four hours; distance, one hundred and ten miles. On Wednesday I left the Chancellor's at nine in the morning, and arrived at Albany at five in the afternoon; distance, forty miles; time, eight hours. " The run is one hundred and fifty miles in thirty-two hours, equal to nearly five miles an hour. On Thursday, at nine o'clock in the morning, I left Albany, and arrived at the Chancellor's at six in the evening. I started from thence at seven, and arrived at New York at four in the afternoon ; time, thirty hours; space run through, one hundred and fifty miles, equal to five miles an hour. Throughout my whole way, both going and return- ing, the wind was ahead. No advantage could be derived from my sail. TJie whole has therefore been performed by the power of the steam-engine, etc. " EGBERT FULTON." Fulton also wrote to a friend: "I overtook many sloops and schooners beating to windward, and parted with them as if they had been at anchor. The power of propelling boats by steam is now fully proved. The morning I left New York there were not thirty persons who believed that the boat would' ever move one mile an hour or be of the least utility; and while we were passing off from the wharf, which was crowded with spectators, I heard a number of sarcastic remarks. This is the way in which ignorant men compliment what they call philosophers and projectors. Although the pros- pect of personal emolument has been some inducement to me, yet I feel in- finitely more pleasure in reflecting on the immense advantages my country will derive from the invention." The British Naval Chronicle for 1808 has an extract from a letter written by a gentleman of South Carolina, one of the favored few who were pas- HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 45 sengers on board the "Clermont" on her first trip. Under date September 8th, 1807, he says, " I have now the pleasure to state to you the particulars of a late excursion to Albany in the steamboat made and completed under the directions of the Hon. Robert R. Living&ton and Mr. Fulton, together with my remarks thereon. On the morning of the 19th of August, Edward P. Livingston, Esq., and myself were honored with an invitation from the Chancellor and Mr. Fulton to proceed with them to Albany in trying the first experiment up the river Hudson in the steamboat. She was then lying off Clermont, the seat of the Chancellor, where she had arrived in twenty- four hours from New York, being one hundred and ten miles. Precisely at thirteen minutes past nine o'clock A.M. the engine was put in motion, when we made head against the ebb-tide, and head wind blowing a pleasant breeze. We continued our course for about eight miles, when we took the flood, the wind still ahead. We arrived at Albany about five P.M., being a distance from Clermont of forty-five miles (as agreed upon by those best acquainted with the river), which was performed in eight hours without any accident or interruption whatever. This decidedly gave the boat upwards of five miles an hour, the tide sometimes against us, neither sails nor any other im- plement but steam used. " The next morning we left Albany, with several passengers, on the return to New York, the tide in favor, but the wind ahead. We left Albany at twenty-five minutes past nine o'clock A.M., and arrived at Clermont in nine hours precisely, which gave us five miles an hour. The current on return- ing was stronger than when going up. After landing us at Clermont, Mr. Fulton proceeded with the passengers to New York. The excursion to Al- bany was very pleasant, and represented a most interesting spectacle. As we passed the farms on the borders of the river every eye was intent, and from village to village the heights and conspicuous places were occupied by sentinels of curiosity, not viewing a thing they could possibly anticipate any. idea of, but conjecturing about the plausibility of the motion. As we passed and repassed the towns of Athens and Hudson, we were politely saluted by the inhabitants and several vessels, and at Albany we were visited by His Excellency the Governor and many citizens. Boats must be very cautious how they attempt to board her when under way, as several acci- dents had nearly happened when boarding her. To board ahead will endan- ger a boat being crushed by the wheels, and no boat can board astern. The difference between the wake of ' Neptune's Chariot ' and that of a common water-carriage is very materially open for observation, as when, you ap- proach the first you will be told by anticipation to pay respect to a lady in the 'Chariot/ as you will be readily notified by the expansion of a fan, which forms the dimensions of her wake, but moving with great impetuosity from the warm repulsion. It is a curious fan ; it only spreads by an aquatic latchet, being sprung by the kicking of the horses. I may now venture to multiply and give you the sum-total. The boat is one hundred and 46 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. forty-six feet in length, and twelve feet in width (merely an experimental thing), draws to the depth of her wheels two feet of water, one hundred feet deck for exercise, free of rigging or any incumbrances. She is unques- tionably the most pleasant boat I ever went in. In her the mind is free from suspense. Perpetual motion authorizes you to calculate on a certain time to land; her works move with all the facility of a clock, and the noise, when on board, is not greater than that of a vessel sailing with a good breeze." The Philadelphia Times published in 1878 a chat with a survivor of the party on board the "Clerrnont," on her return trip. This gentleman, the Kev. Frederic Reynolds Freeman, a Baptist clergyman, of Illinois, was then on a visit to Philadelphia. He was carried in his mother's arms at the time, being but two years old. His personal remembrance, of course, does not amount to much, but he has, said the Times, a store of information con- cerning the trip not in the possession of anybody else, for as soon as he was old enough to realize the importance of the occasion, he sought with more assiduity than a person less directly" interested would for all the facts con- cerning it. His lather, Elisha Freeman, before retiring to a farm, had been a sea captain, and for that reason was invited, with a small number of other per- sons, including municipal officials of Albany, to go on board the "Clermont" upon its arrival. Captain Freeman went, taking with him his wife and little son Freddy. " The event is like a dream to me," says Mr. Freeman. " Prob- ably my memory would now be unable to reach it but for the constant re- hearsals of the scenes and incidents made to me in my youth. '* When Columbus walked the streets in Spain meditating upon his project, which had become generally known, men and small boys would point their fingers at their foreheads and exchange smiles. Just so Robert Fulton was treated before he turned the laugh upon a country of scoffers. " The first steam packet was trim and handsome enough, excepting the boilers, machinery and smoke-stack, which were rude, cumbrous, and of extremely formidable appearance. " The side-wheel was a clumsy affair, uncovered and with twelve huge paddles, held in their place by a ring half-way between their extremities and the hub, that sent water splashing upon the deck with every revolution. The top of the smoke-stack was about thirty feet above the deck, nearly as high as the two masts, from the rear one of which floated the Stars and Stripes. Hours before she started a great multitude had assembled along the wharves to witness the expected inglorious ending of what was generally known as 'Fulton's Folly.' Cries of 'God help you, Bobby!' 'Bring us back a chip of the North Pole !' ' A fool and his money are soon parted !' etc., were frequent, loud and annoying. Fulton, however, knew that the crowd were sincere in their ridicule, and with a confident smile went on superintending preparations for the start, as if he knew that triumph would presently more . HISTOE Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 47 than overbalance the sneers, jibes, and cat-calls of the vulgar and the pitying manners of the more refined. Smoke issues from the stack ; the hawser is drawn in ; the side-wheel quivers; it slowly revolves; Fulton's own hand at the helm turns out the bow ; he is pale, but still confident and self-possessed ; the * Clermont' moves out into the stream, the ponderous machinery thumping and groaning, the wheel frantically splashing, and the stack belching like a volcano ; the ' Clermont' steadily moves ; all aboard swing their hats into the air and give a cheer that is immediately taken up by the entire multitude on land ; the crowd remain cheering on the piers until the ' Clermont' is out of sight up the Hudson." Mr. Freeman says that the boat arrived at Albany thirty-six hours after starting from New York. It had not been continually in motion, the party having stopped at the residence of Chancellor Livingston on the way up. The speed was at the rate of five miles an .hour. The appearance of the strange vessel as she steamed up the river had a remarkable effect, even in daytime, upon the crews of craft passing by, for comparatively few of the skippers coming down could, in those days of slow mail and no telegraph, have been prepared to encounter such an oddity ; but at night the " Clermont" spread consternation and terror on all sides. It was very dark, and the fires were fed with dry white-pine wood, which, when stirred, would send up columns of flame and sparks from the mouth of the tall stack. This apparent volcano, moving steadily through the darkness up the middle of the river, and accompanied by the rumbling and groaning of the hard-laboring ma- chinery, was well-calculated to strike terror into the hearts of sailors on the sloops and other craft coming down with grain and general farm produce, who had never heard of any motive power for vessels except wind, and who, withal, were extremely superstitious. " My father and others told me," says Mr. Freeman, " that whole crews prostrated themselves upon their knees and besought Divine Providence to protect them from the horrible monster that was marching on the tides and lighting up its pathway by its fires." When the members of the Freeman family went aboard the " Clermont," upon its arrival at Albany, Mrs. Freeman observed a workman emerging from the eugine-room-aa place very suggestive to her of the infernal regions carrying in his hands a ladle filled with molten lead. With this he proceeded to stop up holes whose presence here and there in the rude machinery was indicated by escaping steam. Captain Freeman then learned that the work- man had been busily employed doing the same thing ever since the " Cler- mont" had left New York. The people of Albany had been apprised of the arrival in advance, and the whole town turned out to receive Fulton and his steamboat, giving them an enthusiastic reception. The " Clermont" had not been long under way on its first trial when Fulton ordered the engine stopped. Having observed that the paddle floats were too deeply immersed in the water, he shifted them nearer to the centre of the 48 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. paddle, so that they did not enter so deeply into the water ; and this altera- tion had the effect of increasing the speed of the vessel.* A correspondent of the Cincinnati Gazette in 1880 says : " Fulton's first successful boat was called not the ' Clermont,' but the ' Katharine of Clermont,' after Fulton's wife, Katharine Livingston, of Cler- mont Manor. I read the name so painted, having been a passenger on the first regular trip made by her down the Hudson. As there are few survivors of that notable event, which occured in April, 1808, an account of it may gratify your readers. I was a student at Union College, Schenectady, and arrived at Albany in charge of a maiden lady of mature years. The river was then navigated by sloops, and on reaching Albany there was no vessel in port. The lady accordingly went to a friend's house, while I took up my quarters at a tavern. During* the night the Katharine arrived from Kinder- hook, a few miles down the river. She had made her trial trip the previous Fall,f being then a mere skeleton. The Winter was spent in fitting her up. She was about the size and shape of an ordinary canal-boat, painted a light color, and provided with a small upright engine. She was advertised to leave for New York at 9 o'clock on the morning after her arrival. I at once determined to take passage. My fair charge, with the proverbial dilatoriness of her sex, was slow in getting ready, and when we reached the wharf the steamer was out in the stream. She stopped, however, in response to the signal, made by ourselves and the other persons gathered on the bank, and we went Out to her in a skiff. There did not seem to be much excitement in Albany, but at Hudson, where the engineer showed the capacity of the craft by turning her about and steaming a little way up the river, a great crowd was gathered. There were about fifty passengers on board, quite a large proportion being boys and young men. I was to land at Kingston, seventy- five miles below Albany. Before reaching that place the boat ran aground, and it took twelve hours of hard work to get her afloat again. Fulton was on board. He was plainly dressed, and wore a boot on one foot and a shoe on the other. He appeared buried in thought and spoke to no one. Shortly after the boat left Kingston, where I quitted her, her boiler burst, but, as it . * David Dunham, whose eccentricities and enterprise were alike celebrated, the principal owner of the celebrated privateer, " General Armstrong," was one of the foremost patrons of Robert Fulton in his experiments with steam navigation, and advanced large sums to further his projects. An accident prevented him from being the first to apply steam to ocean transit. He was knocked overboard or fell from the deck of one of his own vessels. When his body was recovered, among the papers in his pocket was a contract with the Government for carrying the mails between this country and Great Britain, giving specifications as to the fleet of steamers he proposed to establish. Soon after his demise his eldest son emigrated to the South, and established a plantation in Florida. His lineal grandsons entered the Confederate army. Fulton died in London, England, February 24, 1815. f Her trial trip was made August 7, 1807, as already shown. HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 49 was a sheet-iron affair, no one was hurt. She was taken to New York for repairs, where I saw her about a week later, having made the remainder of my voyage in a sailing vessel." 1808." It is a little curious," says Scott Russell, " that, although Fulton was the first in America, and Bell in Europe, to successfully avail them- selves of the advantage of steam applied to navigation, it was in both cases non longo-intervello distanti. Fulton was first in the race only a few days, and Bell by a few months." " Robert L. Stevens is probably the man to whom, of all others, America owes the greatest share of its present highly-improved steam navigation. His father was associated with Livingston in his experiments previous to the connection of the latter with Fulton, and persevered in his experiments dur- ing Livingston's absence in France. Undisputedly he is the pioneer of steam-navigation on the open sea." At the age of twenty he built a steamboat with concave water-lines the first application of the wave-line to ship-building and adopted a new method of bracing and fastening steamboats. In conjunction with his father, John Stevens, the inventor, in 1807, he constructed a paddle-wheel steamer, which was in motion on the Hudson only a few days later than Fulton's first successful voyage. He called her the " Phoenix." Precluded by the monopoly which Fulton's success had ob- tained for him in the waters of New York, Mr. Stevens first employed the Phoenix as a passage boat between New York and New Brunswick, and finally conceived the bold idea of carrying her under steam around Cape May to the Delaware, and so to Philadelphia, a voyage which was success- fully accomplished in June, 1809, he going in command of the boat. A storm overtook them ; a schooner in company was driven to sea and absent many days, but the " Phoenix " made a harbor at Barnegat until the storm abated, and then continued her voyage to Philadelphia, where she plied for many years between that city and Trenton.* She was commanded by Captain DeGraw. Robert L. Stevens was her temporary engineer, and she was placed on the Delaware River for the purpose of carrying the New York passengers. She ran from Philadelphia to Bordentown, and made the pas- sage thence, in 1812, in three hours when running with the tide, and in five hours against it. The boat had no wheel-house, and sometimes when in motion the water would be thrown as high as her smoke-stack. She belonged to what was called the Swiftsure Line, and attracted much interest. Her hour of departure was announced by the blowing of a long tin horn, and hundreds of persons would crowd the wharves to see her embark on her voyage. Passengers on this boat were landed in New York in 1812 some time during the following night if no accident occurred. * The first English experiment in deep-sea navigation by steam was made by James Watt, ten years later, from Leith to London, in 1818. 4 50 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. About 1816 Robert L. Stevens commenced steam ferriage between New York and the Jersey shore; in 1818 he discovered the utility of employing steam expansively and using anthracite coal for fuel in steamers ; in 1821 he substituted the skeleton wrought-iron for the heavy cast-iron walking-beam; and in 1824 applied an artificial blast to the boiler-furnace, and in 1827 the hog-frame to boats to prevent them from bending at the centre. In 1842 he was commissioned by the United States government to build an immense steam-battery for the defense of New York Harbor, which was left unfinished at the time of his death, April 20, 1856.* 1807-9. A screw vessel was constructed at Providence, in 1807 to 1809,, by Jonathan Nichols, a blacksmith, a native of Vermont, and David Griere, a tailor, from Nantucket; she was forty feet long, and was worked by four horses. A small model boat had been before successfully worked. On June 24, 1807-8 or 1809, this craft conveyed to Pawtuxet a happy couple to be married in that place, and a party to attend a Masonic gathering. The trip to Pawtuxet was made in two hours, but on the return the vessel, being destitute of a keel, drifted ashore in a thunder-squall, but was not much in- jured. A Boston mechanic afterwards bought her at a sheriff's sale, but while being towed to Boston by a sloop he was obliged to cut loose from her, and she went ashore and was totally lost in Buzzard's Bay. 1809. " Steam," says the Genlleman's Magazine for December, 1809, under the head of AMERICA, " has been applied in America to the purpose of inland navigation with the greatest success. The passage boat between New York and Albany is one hundred and sixty feet long, and wide in pro- portion for accommodations, consisting of fifty-two berths, besides sofas, etc., for one hundred passengers ; and the machine which moves her wheels is equal to the power of twenty-four horses, and is kept in motion by steam from a copper boiler eight or ten feet in length. Her route is a distance of one hundred and fifty miles, which she performs regularly twice a week, and sometimes in the short space of thirty-two hours." Mr. Longstreet, of Augusta, Georgia,f is said this year to have invented a steamboat, on principles entirely different from any that had been con- structed, for navigating the rivers of the Southern States. This steamer was fifteen feet long by four broad, with a cylinder of four inches. It carried eight persons, and went at a uniform rate of six miles an hour. * It was relinquished by the United States Government, in 1862 or 3, after a large sum of money had been expended upon its construction, and was willed by Mr. Stevens to the State of New Jersey, with an annual sum of money towards its completion. It has never been launched, the improvement in naval armament having rendered it useless for the purposes intended, and recently has been sold at auction by the State of New Jersey. The purchaser will probably break the vessel up and utilize its material and engines. Some account of this vessel will be given further on. f See notice of him under heading, 1790. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. STEAMBOATS ON THE HUDSON. 51 1806. Prior to the practical working of any steamboat in Europe, Mr. Charles Brown had built for Fulton the following vessels : NAME. When built. 1 H | s Breadth. ,4 I Cylinder. Stroke. HOW EMPLOYED. Clermont . 1806 1 60 feet. I-?-? feet. 18 feet. 7 inch. 24. feet. On the Hudson River Raritan . 1807 1 2O On the Raritan River Car of Neptune 1807 2Q C iyc 24. 8 5 } 4. 4. On the Hudson River Paragon . 1811 ??I 17? 27 Q 32 On the Hudson River Jersey Ferry-Boat 1812 O.V 118 78 ?Q 7 2O By the Ferry Co Fire-Fly 1812 118 IOO IQ I 2O ? Q From New Yorlc to Newburgh. The following advertisement is from the New York Evening Post of June, 1813, five years after the advent of the " Clermont/' with a copy of a cut of the steamboat at its head : "HUDSON RIVER STEAMBOATS. " FOR THE INFORMATION OF THE PUBLIC. " The Paragon, Capt. Wiswell, will leave New York every Saturday after- noon .at five o'clock. The Car of Neptune, Capt. Roorbach, do, every Tues- day afternoon at five o'clock. The North River*, Capt. Bartholomew, every Thursday afternoon at five o'clock. " The Paragon will leave Albany every Thursday morning at nine o'clock. " The Car of Neptune, do, every Saturday morning at nine o'clock. The North River do, every Tuesday morning at nine o'clock. "PRICES OF PASSAGE. "From New York to Verplanck's Point, $2 ; West Point, $2.50; New- burgh, $3 ; Wappingers Creek, $3.25 ; Poughkeepsie, $3.50 ; Hyde Park, $4 ; Esopus, $4.25; Catskill, $5; Hudson, $5; Coxsachie, $5.50; Kinderhook, $5.75 ; Albany, $7. " From Albany to Kinderhook, $1.50 ; Coxsachie, $2 ; Hudson, $2 ; Cats- kills, $2.25; Red Hook, $2.75; Esopus, $3; Hyde Park, $3.25; Pough- keepsie, $3.50; Wappingers Creek, $4; Newburgh, $4.25; West Point, $4.75 ; Verplanck's Point, $5.25 ; New York, $7. " All other way passengers to pay at the rate of one dollar for every twenty miles. No one can be taken on board and put on shore, however short the distance, for less than one dollar. The " North River " was the " Clermont," which had been lengthened. 52 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. " Young persons from two to ten years of age to pay half price. Chil- dren under two years one-fourth price. Servants who use a berth two-thirds price ; half price if none." In 1816, eight steamers had been built to run on the Hudson ; besides the four above named were the " Hope," " Perseverance," " Richmond" and " Olive Branch,'* and the " Clermont," having been enlarged, was re-named the " North River." In 1816, the *' Chancellor Livingston," named for his friend and patron, was constructed under the superintendence of Robert Fulton in New York, to run on the Hudson, and was the largest boat that had been built in that g a & & X May, 18X5 Enterprise 25 2 40 ! April, 1840 Edward Shippen. . 5 14 oo April, 1817 Washington 2Z OO OO April, 1842 Belle of the West.. 6 14 oo Sept., 1817 Shelby 20 4 20 April, 1843 Duke of Orleans... 5 2\ oo May, 1819 Paragon., 18 10 oo April, 1844 Z 12 OO Nov., 1828 Tecumseh 8 4 oo May, 1849 Bostona s 8 oo April, 1834 Tuscarora 7 16 oo June, 1851 Belle Key 4 23 oo Nov., 1837 General Brown 6 22 OO 1 May, 1852 Reindeer . . . 4 20 45 Nov., 1837 Randolph i 6 22 OO May, 1852 Eclipse 4 18 oo Nov., 1837 Empress. 6 17 oo May, 18m A L Shotwell 4 10 20 Dec., 1817 Sultana. 6 15 oo May, 1853 Eclipse 4. Q 3O Captain Shreve died March 6, 1851. He invented the first snag boat. 72 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. The last was the quickest time on record up to that date. Her average speed was fourteen miles an hour against the stream. STEAMBOATS IN ENGLAND. 1812. THE "COMET." Stimulated, as he tells us, by the success of Mr. Fulton, with whom he was in correspondence,* Mr. Henry Bell, of Helens- burgh, for many years a house carpenter in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, determined, in 1812, to try the power of steam on the Clyde, and produced the first trading steam vessel in Europe. Helensburgh is a watering-place on the river Clyde, and Mr. Bell, for several years preceding, had been the proprietor of a hotel and bathing- establishment there. It was to increase the facilities for reaching these baths that Mr. Bell first constructed his steamboat. In those days there were no conveyances on the river except "fly-boats," pulled by four oars or using sails when practicable ; with these the voyage was sometimes made in five or six hours, but often the time was longer and uncertain. After various experiments with paddle-wheels driven by hand in place of oars, Mr. Bell was convinced, by the experiments of Millar and Symington and the success of Fulton, that steam power alone would effect his object. In consequence, after making several models of a steam vessel, he succeeded in one suited to his ideas, and contracted with Messrs. John Wood & Co., ship-builders, in Port Glasgow, to build a steam vessel after his model, to be forty feet on the keel and have ten feet six inches beam. She was called the " Comet," because she was built and finished the same year that a comet appeared in the north-west part of Scotland. . The " Comet" had two paddle-wheels, or rather two radiating sets of pad' dies, on each side, resembling very much in their appearance four malt shovels, radiating from a revolving axis to which they were all fixed. This was soon changed to Mr. Bell's complete wheel, which has been in use ever since. The engine known as the bell-crank, on Mr. Watt's principle, was put up under Mr. Bell's superintendence. The boiler was every way inferior to the boilers of Millar, Taylor, and Symington, inasmuch as the fire was on the outside of the boiler, separated from the wood of the vessel only by the bricks in which it was set, while in theirs, as in all steam vessels of the present day, the fire was wholly within the boiler, and surrounded by water, so as to prevent danger from accident by fire or loss of heat. The boiler, which was fed by a cistern of fresh water, was on one side of the engine, the funnel being bent to the centre of the boat, where it served the purpose of a mast to carry sail. The early constructors of steamboats endeavored to dis- '* Mr. Bell, in a letter dated March I, 1824, says, " When I wrote to the American gov- ernment on the great utility that steam navigation would be to them on their rivers, they appointed Mr. Fulton to correspond with me; so in that way the Americans got their insight from your humble servant." Memoir by Patrick Millar, Jr. HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. 73 guise the cxjious funnel under the designation of a main-mast, and some went so far as to raise up a top-mast in the thick folds of the dense, black smoke. The " Comet" began to ply from Glasgow to Helensburgh in January, 1812, making a speed of about five miles an hour. She was of about twenty- five tons burthen, and her engine exerted a force of about three horse-power. She continued during the summer to ply successfully as a passenger boat. The following is a copy of the original advertisement : " STEAM PASSAGE BOAT. THE COMET. Between Glasgow, Green- ock, and Helensburgh, for passengers only. The subscriber having, at much expense, fitted up a handsome vessel to ply upon the RIVER CLYDE BETWEEN GLASGOW AND GREENOCK, to sail by the power of wind, air, and steam, he intends that' the vessel shall leave the Broomielaw on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, about midday, or at such hour thereafter as may answer from the state of the tide ; and to leave Greenock on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays, in the morning, to suit the tide. " The terms are for the present fixed at 4s. for the best cabin and 3s. for the second ; but, beyond these rates, nothing is to be allowed to servants or any other person employed about the vessel. " The subscriber continues his establishment at HELENSBURGH BATHS the same as for years past, and a vessel will be in readiness to convey passengers in the Comet from Greenock to Helensburgh. " Passengers by the Comet will receive information of the hours of sailing by applying at Mr. Housten's office, Broomielaw ; or Mr. Thomas Blackney's, East Quay Head, Greenock. " Helensburgh Baths, Aug. 5, 1812. HENRY BELL." ^ \ The " Comet" was wrecked in 1825 in the Firth of Clyde on a return trip from the Western Highlands, and many of her passengers were drowned. Bell, her originator, became as great a wreck as his vessel, and the Clyde trustees, out of gratitude, settled on him an annuity of one hundred pounds, which he enjoyed until he died, in 1830. His widow died in 1856, aged eighty-six.* 1813. THE "ELIZABETH." The success of the "Comet" soon excited competition, and three months after she began t ply upon the Clyde, the keel of a rival was laid, and in March, 1813, the " Elizabeth," the second steamer on the Clyde, was started, and continued to ply successfully, eclips- ing the "Comet" and bringing much profit to the owner. The " Elizabeth," says John Scott Russel, was probably the first remunerating steam vessel in the world ; but we think he is mistaken. Mr. Bell had employed in his experiments on fly-boats an engineer named John Thomson, of Glasgow, who appears to have assisted in planning his * Notes and Queries, vol. iv., 2nd Series. 74 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. first boat, and to have felt himself ill-treated by Bell in not b^ing made a partner in that speculation. To avenge his wrong he, got Mr. Wood, who built the "Comet," to build a vessel fifty-one feet keel, twelve feet beam, and five feet deep. The tonnage of this vessel was about thirty-three tons, and her power about ten horses. The correct proportion of power to tonnage seems to have been the secret of her success. The owner's description of this vessel is an interesting and characteristic memorial of early steam, navigation, he fcays: " The ' Elizabeth' was started for passengers on the 9th of March, 1813, and has continued to run from Glasgow to Greenock daily, leaving Glasgow in the morning and returning the same evening. The passage, which is twenty-seven miles, has been made, with a hundred passengers on board, in something less than four hours, and in favorable circumstances in two and three-quarters. The ' Elizabeth' has sailed eighty-one miles in one day, at an average of nine miles an hour. The ' Elizabeth' measures aloft fifty-eight feet; the best cabin is twenty-one feet long, eleven feet three inches at amid- ships, and nine feet four inches aft, seated all round, and covered with hand- some carpeting. A sofa, clothed with marone, is placed at one end of the cabin, and gives the whole a warm and cheerful appearance. There are twelve small windows, each finished with marone curtains with tassels, fringes, and velvet, cornices ornamented with gilt ornaments, having altogether a rich effect. Above the sofa there is a large mirror suspended, and on each side bookshelves are placed containing a collection of the best authors for the amusement and edification of those who may avail themselves of them during the passage ; other amusements are likewise to be had on board. " The engine stands amidships, and requires a considerable space in length and all the breadth of the vessel. The forecastle, which is rather small, is about eleven feet six inches by nine feet six inches, not quite so comfortable as the after one, but well calculated for a cold day, and by no means disagreeable on a warm ; all the windows in both cabins are made in such a way as to shift up and down like those of a coach, admitting a very free circulation of fresh air. From the height of the roofs of both cabins, which are about seven feet four inches, they will be extremely pleasant and healthful in the summer months for those who may favor the boat in parties of pleasure. " Already the public advantages of this mode of conveyance have been generally acknowledged ; indeed, it may without exaggeration be said that the intercourse through the medium of steamboats between Glasgow and Greenock has, comparatively speaking, brought those places ten or twelve miles nearer each other. In most cases the passages are made in the same time as by the coaches ; and they have been, in numerous instances, done with greater rapidity. In comparing the comfortableness of these conveyances, the preference will be given decidedly to the steamboat. Besides all this, a great saving in point of expense is produced ; the fare in the best cabin being only four shillings, and in the inferior one two shillings and sixpence, whereas HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 75 the inside of a coach costs not less than twelve shillings and the outside eight shillings." The " CLYDE," a third vessel, was built by Mr. Wood the same year for Mr. Robertson, an engineer of Port Glasgow, and commenced her trips in July. She was ^seventy feet on the keel, seventy-six feet long on deck, thir~ teen to fourteen feet beam, of fourteen horse-power, and sixty-nine tons measurement. Her speed was six miles an hour. The " GLASGOW," a fourth vessel, was also launched by Mr. Wood in 1813> seventy-two feet long, fifteen feet beam, seventy-four tons measurement, and sixteen horse-p wer. Her engines were constructed by Mr. Cook, of Glas- gow. She was intended to carry goods as well as passengers, and was mod- erately sharp, but afterwards improved by lengthening the bow five feet, and giving it greater sharpness. , This vessel belonged to the first joint stock company for steam navigation ever established. The "DUMBARTON CASTLE," eighty-one tons, one hundred and seven and a half feet long, sixteen feet ten inches broad, and eight feet eleven inches deep, having two engines of thirty-two horse-power, was built in 1815, and the following year accomplished the first trip to Rothesay, considered a feat, as the sailing packets formerly on th# station occupied one day, and occasion- ally three days, in making the passage. The succeeding year she made the passage through the Kyles of Bute, and up Lochfyne to Inveraray, having left Glasgow at six A. M., and reaching Inveraray about ten P. M., a most remarkable occurrence. The " BRITANNIA," of seventy-three tons, ninety-four feet four inches long, by sixteen feet five inches broad, and eight feet eight inches deep, having two engines of fourteen horse-power, was built in 1815, and some years there- after made the trip to Campbeltown in about fourteen hours. The " ROB ROY," fifty-six tons, eighty feet eleven inches long, fifteen feet eight inches broad, and eight feet deep, was built in 1818, and was the first steamer that plied to Belfast. The " ROBERT BRUCE," of ninety tons, ninety-four feet long, eighteen feet seven inches broad, and eleven feet deep, was also built in 1818, and was the first steamer that proceeded to Liverpool as a regular trader from Glasgow. In 1813 a steamer was launched at Manchester and another at Bristol. October, 1814, the first steamer was in operation on the > Humber, and in December the first steamer on the Thames was put in motion on the canal at Limehouse. June 28, 1815, a steamboat, built on the Clyde, arrived and was placed on the Mersey. On her passage she called at Ramsey, Isle of Man. She is notable as the first steamer which plied on the Mersey, and also as the pioneer of that noble fleet of steamers which ply with regularity between Liverpool and the numerous ports of the English, Irish, and Scotch coasts, also from being the first steamer to encounter the passage of these coasts. t^bout 1814 two vessels, " The Princess Charlotte " and the " Princess of 76 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI GA TION. Orange," were built and experimented with on the Clyde by a man named Miller, and proved unsuccessful. Watt & Boltou were the engineers. THE "INDUSTRY." The seventh steamer built on the Clyde was launched by William Fyle, May, 1814. She was of only fifty-four tons register. After an honorable career she lay a long time sunk in the East India harbor at Greenock, but November, 1872, was floated, beached, and calked, and in 1876 was presented by Messrs. Steele & Co., Catskill, her owners, to the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, to be preserved as a memento of the early days of 'steam navigation, being beyond doubt the oldest steamboat in the world. In 1815 ten steamboats were plying from the Clyde for the conveyance of passengers. The success of the steam-vessels at Glasgow soon excited atten- tion elsewhere, and several Clyde-built vessels were purchased as models., A Mr. Lawrence, of Bristol, established a steamboat on the Severn, and hav- ing carried her to ply on the Thames, the Company of Watermen made such opposition he was obliged to take her back to Somersetshire.* June 11, 1813. Robert Fulton filed in the Patent Office at Washington a petition for a patent, in which he asserted that he was the proprietor of two patents which contemplated the propelling of one single boat by the steam-engine, and that in this prosecution of his experiments on the naviga- tion by steam on a large scale he had made discoveries and produced inven- tions extending to an incalculable degree the benefits of his original discovery and invention of the practical method of navigation by steam. These inventions he goes on to state consist principally in the combi- nation and connection of several boats, constructed and connected in a manner so as to be propelled or drawn forward by one boat containing a steam-engine with the machinery necessary for the propelling of such steamboats. This invention consisting essentially in the separation of the steam-engine and of the boat containing the same, from the boat or boats which carry the passengers and cargo, without, however, its being necessary to exclude from the boat carrying the steam-engine some part of the passengers and cargo. By which invention the weight being distributed over a surface of water,* which may be indefinitely increased, the draft of water necessary to carry the same may be indefinitely dimin- ished, while at the same time all the inconveniences, expense and liability to warp, which attend one boat of very large dimensions and great length are avoided. 1814. Early in 1814 there were five steamboats on the Thames River. 1. The " Thames," (originally the " Argyle"), fourteen horse-power, plying be- tween London and Margate ; reckoned the best boat. The paddles alternated with each other, and were set at an angle of forty-five degrees. 2. The " Re- gent," ten horse-power, paddles set square, with rims like an overshot wheel ; * Buchanan's " Practical Treatise on Propelling Vessels by Steam." HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 77 expected to ply between Chatham and Sheerness. She was first built for the wheel to work in the middle ; but this, not having been found to answer, was altered. 3. The "Defiance," twelve horse-power, to Margate, with double horizontal cylinder engine. 4. A boat which plied between London and Gravesend was laid aside on account of a lawsuit, as she was not worked by a privileged person. She was soon to start again, with a new twelve or fourteen horse-power Scotch engine, being originally fitted with a high- pressure engine. The wheels had rims, and the paddles swung like tap butt-hinges. 5. A boat with double keel, six horse-power, was building above Westminster Bridge ; paddles upright ; said to be for London and Kichmond. 6. Mr. Maudslay built a small boat in 1813 for Ipswich and Harwich, sixteen miles done in two and a quarter hours, but against a strong wind in three hours. This had six frying-pan paddles set square, without rims. " There are two steam vessels on the River St. Lawrence, one forty- eight the other thirty-six horse-power, which go at seven miles an hour, measure about one hundred and seventy feet long and thirty feet wide ! Another forty-eight horse-power vessel will be launched next year on that river. So that one may go by steam from Quebec to New York in eight days, with a short land carriage."* In October, 1814, the first steamboat OQ the Humber was started to run between Hull and Gainsborough. She was called the " Caledonia," and accomplished, with a favorable tide, fourteen miles an hour. She made the voyage between the two ports, a distance of fifty miles, in eight hours. The " Margary" was takn south in 1814, along the east coast of Scotland. When she reached the Thames she passed close along the English fleet at anchor. Her extraordinary apparition excited a commotion among officers and men ; none of them had seen a steamer before ; by some she was taken for a fire-ship. The nearest man-of-war hailed her, and on being answered that she was a steamer built at Dumbarton, on the Clyde, a seaman named John Richardson, from Dumbarton, who was alive in 1857, ran along the deck of the man-of-war shouting "Hurrah for Scotland! Dumbarton for- ever !" The " Margary" was fifty-six feet long and nineteen feet in breadth over all. On leaving for London she was taken through the Forth and Clyde Canal, and coasted up to London.f The claims of the "Margary" conflict somewhat with those of the "Cale- donia," but the " Margary" was launched June, 1814, according to Cleland's "Annals of Glasgow," published in 1816, and went to London November 1814, while the same annals say the " Caledonia " was not launched until April, 1815, and did not go to London until May, 1816. According to Cleland, twenty steam vessels* of various dimensions were built at Port Glas- gow, Greenock, and Dumbarton with engines of Glasgow make during the * Buchanan 's Treatise on Propelling Vessels. f Diimbarton Herald ; also the Greenock Advertiser, May 12, 1857. 78 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. four years 1812-16. Of these the " Elizabeth," launched November, 1812, went to Liverpool in 1814; " Argyle," launched in June, 1814, went to London in 1815; "Margary," launched June, 1814, went to London No- vember, 1814; "Caledonia/' launched April, 1815, went to London May, 1816 ; " Greenock," launched May, 1815, went to Ireland, and then to Lon- don May, 1816.* A Margate hoy of large dimensions, propelled by steam, was, in 1815, run constantly from London to Margate, and, says a letter-writer, "from its novelty, and the certainty of its arrival within a given time (about twelve hours), it is much crowded with passengers." This was probably the " Margary." Mr. Martin, the harbor-master of Ramsgate, who commanded a sailing- packet from Margate to Ramsgate, says that in June, 1815, on one of his trips, his companions pointed out to him an object some distance ahead, which they supposed to be a vessel on fire, but as they neared it was dis- covered to be the steamboat " Margary," alias " Thames."f AVith a fresh breeze he sailed round her easily, as her engine was of only fourteen horse- power, and her model a clumsy one. Nothing could exceed the ridicule his passengers bestowed upon the unseemly vessel ; some compared her to a jaded horse with a huge pair of panniers, others to a smoke-jack. Yet this vessel had voyaged from Port Glasgow to Dublin, and from thence to Lon- don, and traversed fifteen hundred miles of sea, some part of it in tempestu- ous weather. 1815. The "British Naval Chronicle" for July, 1815, says, "The ' Thames ' steam yacht is said lately to have accomplished a voyage of fif- teen hundred miles. She twice crossed St. George's Channel and sailed round Land's End, and is the first steam-vessel that ever traversed these seas. The advantages of a vessel enabled to proceed either by sail or steam, or both united, must indeed be sufficiently obvious, and especially in the cer- tainty of reaching its place of destination in a given time." The Hampshire Telegraph, June, 1815, notices a steam-vessel which " sud- denly made its appearance lately at Portsmouth, England, and coming into the harbor immediately against the wind, produced a considerable degree of curiosity. She was a very neatly fitted vessel, and goes through the water at the rate of seven or eight miles an hour, which is produced by the steam from an engine of fourteen horse-power. One ton of coal is sufficient fuel to produce the necessary force of steam for propelling her one hundred miles. She came from Plymouth Sound in twenty-three hours. It was intended, had the wind not been fair, that she should have towed the ' Endymion ' frigate out of the harbor ;" the " Endymion" Being the vessel which was on the coast of the United States during the war of 1812-14, and had the credit of receiving the surrender of the U. S. Frigate " President." * London Notes and Queries, vol. v., 2nd Series. j- Another gives the name of the " Argyle" to the " Thames." HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 79 This notice undoubtedly refers to the " Argyle," launched on the Clyde, June, 1814, and re-named the " Thames," which is memorable from being the first steamboat to make an extended sea-voyage in British seas. The " Argyle," or " Thames," was seventy tons register, seventy-nine feet long on the keel, had sixteen feet beam, and engines of fourteen horse-power.' Her paddle-wheels were nine feet in diameter. She had two cabins, one aft, the other forward of her engines. In her waist was the engine, the boiler on the starboard, the cylinder and fly-wheel on the port side. Her funnel did duty as a mast, and was rigged with a large square-sail. A gal- lery upon each side of the cabin formed a continuous deck. She had eigh- teen painted ports on each side, with two astern, which to a casual observer were very formidable. After plying a year between Glasgow and Greenock she was purchased by a London company, to be run between that city and Margate, and it became necessary to bring her by sea from the Clyde to the Thames. There was then in London a man named Dodd, who had served in the navy, and had distinguished himself as an engineer and architect, but who finally, driven by misfortune to intemperance, almost literally died in the streets a beggar. To this Dodd was intrusted the task of taking 1 the "Argyle" from the Clyde to the Thames. He arrived in Glasgow April, 1815, with a crew consist- ing of a mate, an engineer, a stoker, four seamen, and a cabin-boy ; and with these put boldly to sea in the "Argyle" about the middle of May, 1815. His voyage at first was far from auspicious. The weather was stormy, the sea ran high in the strait which separates Scotland from Ireland, and, through ignorance, negligence, or misunderstanding, the pilot during the night altered the course, and the vessel came near being wrecked. At break of day, a heavy gale blowing, it was discovered they were within half a mile of a rock-bound lee-shore, two miles north of Port Patrick. To beat off in the teeth of the gale by the united power of steam and sails Dodd found im- possible. Depending, therefore, entirely on his engine, he laid the vessel's head directly to windward, and kept the log going. The vessel began slowly to clear the shore, about three knots an hour. Having acquired a sufficient offing, he bore away for Loch Ryan, gained the Irish'coast, and May 24 en- tered the LifFey.* A graphic and detailed account of her voyage, written by Mr. Weld, the secretary and historian of the Royal Society, who with his wife took passage on board at Dublin, can be found in Chambers' Journal for April 25, 1857. Leaving the LifFey on Sunday noon, the 28th of May, 1815, many persons from curiosity crossed the bay in her and landed at Dunleary (now Kings- town), and the sea being rough, the passengers were violently sea-sick. Several naval officers on board declared it to be their firm opinion that *Morning Chronicle, June 15, 1815. 80 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. the vessel could Dot live long in heavy seas, and that there would be much danger in venturing far from shore. At Dunleary all the passengers except Mr Weld and his wife left the boat, and it is to their brave resolve to remain that such a complete account of this pioneer voyage around the British Islands has been preserved. The voyagers soon left behind them all the vessels which had sailed from Dublin with the same tide, and the next morning, when off Wexford, the dense smoke which issued from the mast-chimney being observed from the heights over town, it was concluded the vessel was on fire, and all the pilots put off to her assistance. Putting in at several intermediate points, on the the 6th of June, the adventurers arrived at Plymouth. The harbor-master, who had never seen a steamboat, was as much struck with astonishment when he boarded the "Thames" as a child in the possession of a new plaything. The sailors ran in crowds to the sides of their vessels as she passed, and, mounting the rigging of their vessels, gave vent to their observations in the most amusing manner. On her arrival at Portsmouth thousands of spectators assembled to gaze upon her, and the number of boats that crowded around her was so great that it became necessary to request the port-admiral to assign the voyagers a guard to preserve order. A court-martial sitting on board the " Gladiator" adjourned its session to visit her, and on the 10th of June Sir Edward Thornborough, the Port- Admiral, sent his band and a guard of marines on board, and soon after followed himself, accompanied by three admirals, eigh- teen post-captains, and a large number of ladies. The morning was spent very pleasantly in steaming among the fleet and running over to the Isle of Wight, the admiral and the naval officers expressing themselves delighted with the " Thames." From Portsmouth the steamer proceeded to Margate, which was reached Sunday, July 11, 1815. The next day she arrived at Limehouse, and was moored. They passed everything on the Thames, all the fast-sailing Gravesend boats, pleasure-boats, West Indiamen, etc. The whole distance sailed from Dublin to Limehouse was seven hundred and fifty-eight nautical miles, which were accomplished in one hundred and twenty-one and a half hours, with an expenditure of one ton of coal for every one hundred miles. Sir Rowland Hill, the Post-office Reformer, whose life has recently been published, makes a note as to the commencement of steam traffic at Margate. He was there in the year 1815, with his brother, Matthew Davenport Hill. On the 3d of July they " went to see the steamboat come in from London, generally performing the voyage in about twelve hours." " It is surprising to see," says Sir Rowland, " how most people are prejudiced against this packet. Some say that it cannot sail against the wind, if it is high ; but when it entered the harbor, (at Margate), the wind and tide were both against it, and the former rather rough ; yet I saw it stem them both. There was a great HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 81 crowd, and much enthusiasm, though carpers predicted failure, and sneered at 'smoke-jacks.' "* 1815. Richard Trevithick obtained a patent in England for " a screw propeller, consisting of a worm or screw, on a number of leaves placed ob- liquely around an axis, which revolves in a cylinder, fixed or revolving, or without a cylinder, at the head, sides, or stern of a vessel. In some cases the screw is made buoyant and works on a universal joint." In a second specification he adds : "A stuffing box, enclosing a ring of water," also " a boiler of a number of small perpendicular tubes each tube closed at the bottom, but all opening at the top with a common reservoir." This was the first English patent for a screw propeller. It never was, however, made the subject of a practical experiment. EMPLOYMENT OF STEAMERS IN THE WAR 1812-14. The Gentleman's Maga- zine, April, 1814, in an article on "Steam Engine Passage Boats," says,"For the information of those who are unacquainted with the fact, it may be necessary to state that the principal rivers of North America are navigated by steam- boats ; one of them passed two thousand miles on the great river Mississippi in twenty-one days at the rate of five miles an hour against the descending current, which is perpetually running down. This steamboat is one hundred and twenty-five feet in length, and carries four hundred and sixty tons at a very shallow draft of water, only two feet six inches, and conveys whole ships' cargoes into the interior of the country, as well as passengers. " The city of New York alone possesses seven steamboats for commerce and passengers. To name only one or two of them, that from thence to Albany, on the North River, passes one hundred and thirty miles ; then (after about forty-five miles of land-carriage to Lake Champlain) you enter another steamboat that will take you about two hundred miles to near Mon- treal, between which place and Quebec a British steamboat one hundred and forty feet in lengthf is constantly passing, and usually goes down in twenty-eight hours, but sometimes in only twenty-four, although the dis- tance is one hundred and eighty miles, and returning she is seldom more than twelve or fifteen hours additional time, though the stream is almost constantly running against her with the great velocity so peculiar to the river St. Lawrence of North America. This boat in the last year was found of the greatest service to the British government in carrying troops and stores with greater ease and dispatch than can possibly be effected by land ; and it is here worthy of remark that in the late expedition of Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren up the Potomac River, chasing the enemy, they, keeping their ships at a prudent distance from ours, sent one of their steamboats directly against the wind, so as to be just without gun-shot, and reconnoitered our *New Castle Weekly Chronicle, August 21, 1881. f The " Swiftsure." See ante. 82 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. fleet. This fact is mentioned because it is presumed that it is the first instance where they have been applied to such purposes. " The steamboats used at present in our own island are a sufficient demon- stration of their utility ; it will be only necessary to mention those working on the river Braycfon between Yarmouth and Norwich, and on the river Clyde between Glasgow and Greenock ; which boats on this latter station often beat the mail between the two places, and are always certain to time, let the wind and tide be what they may. " It would occupy too considerable a space ia this paper to enter into the merits of those steamboats now building and preparing on the rivers Tyne, Thames, and Medway, particularly those with patent and simplified appara- tus for the use of rivers, to pass coastwise, and for short runs of passages to the Continent ; but it is necessary -to state, from most mature and deliberate examination, that some of these steamboats with patent apparatus are so constructed that they can carry sail, and perform all the manoeuvres of other vessels at sea, when the wind is in their favor, and when against them by furling their sails pass right in the wind's eye with velocity, thus continuing their passages in a straight line, while other vessels are obliged to tack to and fro." It is interesting to note as a measure of the steamboat's speed during the war of 1812-14, the captions of the newspaper articles of that day. Here is one : " By the arrival of the fast sailing " Car of Neptune" in twenty-four hours from Albany, we have news from the army under General Scott to a very late date." At that time the price of passage from Albany to New York was ten dollars. THE FIRST \VAR STEAMBOAT. 1814. Near the close of the year 1813, Robert Fulton exhibited to the President of the United States the drawing of a proposed war steamer or floating battery, named by him the " Demologos." He contemplated, in addition to the proposed armament on deck, she should be furnished with tour submarine guns, two suspended at each bow, to dis- charge a hundred-pound ball into an enemy ten or twelve feet below her water-line, and that she should have an engine for throwing an immense column of hot water upon the decks or through the ports of an opponent. Her estimated cost was three hundred and twenty thousand dollars, which was about the cost of a first-class sailing frigate. Fulton's project was favorably received, and in March, 1814, a law author- ized the President to cause to be equipped " one or more floating batteries for the defense of the waters of the United States." The construction of the vessel was committed by the "Coast and Harbor HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 83 Defense Association " to a sub-committee of five gentlemen, appointed by William Jones, Secretary of the Navy. Robert Fulton, whose soul animated the enterprise, was appointed the en- gineer, and on the 20th of June, 1814, the keels of this novel steamer were laid at the ship-yard of Adam & Noah Brown, in the city of New York. The blockade of our coast by the enemy enhanced the price of timber, and rendered the importation of copper, lead, and iron, and the supply of coal from Richmond and Liverpool difficult ; these obstacles were, however, sur- mounted, and the enemy's blockade only increased the expense of her con- struction. "With respect to mechanics and laborers there was also difficulty; shipwrights had repaired to the lakes in such numbers that comparatively but few were left on the sea-board ; besides, a large number had enlisted as sol- diers. By an increase of wages, however, a sufficient number of laborers were obtained ; and the vessel was launched on the 29th of October, 1814, amid the hurras of assembled thousands. The river and bay were filled with steamers and vessels of war in compli. ment to the occasion. In the midst of these was the floating mass of the " Demologos," or " Fulton," as she was afterwards named, whose bulk and un- wieldy form seemed to render her as unfit for motion as the land batteries which were saluting her.* Captain David Porter, writing the Secretary of the Navy under date New York, Oct. 18, 1814, says, " I have the pleasure to inform you that the 'Fulton the First' was this morning safely launched. No one has yet ven- tured to suggest any improvement that could be made in the vessel, and, to use the words of the projector, ' I would not alter her if it ivere in my power to do so: " She promises fair to meet our most sanguine expectations, and I do not despair in being able to navigate in her from one extreme of the coast to the other. Her buoyancy astonishes every one. She now draws only eight feet three inches of water, and her draft will be ten feet with all her guns, ma- chinery, stores, and crew on board. The ease with which she can now be towed by a single steamboat renders it certain that her velocity will be sufficiently great to answer every purpose, and the manner it is intended to secure her machinery from the gunners' shot leaves no apprehension for its safety. I shall use every exertion to prepare her for immediate service. Her guns will soon be mounted, and I am assured by Mr. Fulton that her machinery will be in operation in about six weeks." On the 21st of November, 1814, the " Fulton" was moved from the wharf of * I have seen a large copper-plate engraving of the launch of the " Fulton." It is entitled " Launch of the Steam-Frigate 'Fulton the First,' at New York, Oct. 29, 1814; one hun- dred and fifty feet long, fifty-seven feet wide, mounting thirty long 32-pounders and two one hundred pounders (columbiads). Philadelphia: Published March 27,1815, by B. Tanner, 74 South street. Drawn by I. I. Baralet, from a sketch by Morgan, taken on the spot. 84 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. Messrs. Brown, on the East River, to the works of Robert Fulton, on the North River, to receive her machinery. The steamboat " Car of Neptune" made fast to her port and the " Fulton " to her starboard side, towed her to her destination at the rate of three and half to four miles per hour.* The dimensions of this, the first war steamer, were: Length, 150 feet; breadth, 56 feet; depth, 20 feet; water-wheel, 16 feet diameter; length of bucket, 14 feet ; dip, 4 feet ; engine, 48-inch cylinder, 5-feet stroke ; boiler, length 22 feet, breadth 12 feet, and depth 8 feet. Tonnage, 2,475. She was the largest steamer by many hundreds of tons that had been built at the date of her launch. The commissioners appointed to examine her in their report say : " She is a structure resting upon two boats, keels separated from end to end by a canal fifteen feet wide and sixty-six feet long. One boat contains the caldrons of copper to prepare her steam. The vast cylinder of iron, with its piston, levers, and wheels, occupies a part of its fellow ; the great water- wheel revolves in the space between them ; the main or gun-deck supporting lier armament is protected by a bulwark four feet ten inches thick, of solid timber. This is pierced by thirty port-holes, to enable as many 32-pounders to fire red-hot balls ; her upper or spar deck, upon which several thousand men might parade, is encompassed by a bulwark which affords safe quarters. She is rigged with two short masts, each of which supports a large lateen yard and sails. She has two bowsprits and jibs and four rudders, two at each extremity of the boat ; so that she can be steered with either end fore- most. Her machinery is calculated for the addition of an engine which will discharge an immense column of water, which it is intended to throw upon the decks and all through the ports of an enemy. If, in addition to all this, we suppose her to be furnished, according to Mr. Fulton's intention, with 100- pounder columbiads, two suspended from each bow, so as to discharge a ball of that size into an enemy's ship ten or twelve feet below the water-line, it must be allowed that she has the appearance at least of being the most for- midable engine of warfare that human ingenuity has contrived." Such is a correct description of this sea-monster of 1814, but exaggerated and fabulous accounts of her got into circulation. Among others, the fol- lowing was published in a Scotch newspaper, the writer stating that "he had taken great care to procure full and accurate information/'f " Her length," he writes, " on deck is three hundred feet ; thickness of sides, thirteen feet, of alternate oak plank and cork-wood ; carries 44 guns, four of which are 100-pounders ; and further to annoy an enemy attempting * " Rees's Encyclopedia" states she was towed on this occasion by the " Paragon," of three hundred and thirty-one tons burden, at the rate of four miles an hour. That she was towed by " Car of Neptune" and " Fulton" is, I believe, correct. f Stuart's "War and Mail Steamers" has accurate drawings of the "Fulton" from the originals. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 85 to board can discharge one hundred gallons of boiling water in a minute, and by mechanism brandishes three hundred cutlasses with the utmost regu- larity over the gunwales ; works also an equal number of heavy iron pikes of great length, darting them from her sides with prodigious force, and with- drawing them every quarter of a minute." The stores of artillery at New York not fu Aishing the number and kind of cannon she was to carry, guns were transported from Philadelphia, a prize having placed some excellent pieces at the disposal of the Navy De- partment. To avoid the danger .of their capture, twenty of these guns were sent over the miry roads of New Jersey dragged by horses. In consequence of the exhaustion of the treasury and temporary depres- sion of the public credit, the commissioners were instructed to pay the bills for the " Fulton" in treasury notes, but solely at par. These notes were often so long withheld that those who had advanced materials and labor were importunate for payment, and the commissioners had frequently to pledge their private credit. Once the men discontinued work. From these causes her completion was retarded until winter, and also by the unexpected death of Mr. Fulton, on the 24th of February, 1815. All difficulties at length being surmounted, the machinery was put in mo- tion, and she made her first trial trip on the 1st of June, 1815, only nine months after her keels were laid. On this trial she was found capable of op- posing the wind, of stemming the tide, of crossing currents, and of being steered among vessels riding at anchor, though the weather was boisterous and the water rough. Her performance demonstrated the success of Fulton's idea, and that a floating battery composed of heavy artillery could be moved by steam. She left the wharf near the Brooklyn ferry, propelled by steam alone, against a stiff south breeze (which was directly ahead), and a strong ebb tide, and steamed by the forts, saluting them with her guns, her speed equal- ing the most sanguine expectations. After circumnavigating the bay and receiving a visit from the officers of a French ship-of-war, she came to anchor at Powles' Hook ferry about two p. M., nothing occurring to mar the pleasure or success of the trip. It was discovered, however, that alterations were necessary, some errors to be cor- rected, and some defects to be supplied, before she was prepared for a second trial. On the 4th of July, 1815, she again made a trip to the ocean, eastward of Sandy Hook, and back again, a distance of fifty-three miles, in eight hours and twenty minutes, without the aid of sails, the wind and tide being partly favorable and partly against her, the balance rather in her favor. The gen- tlemen who witnessed this experiment without exception entertained no doubt as to her fitness for the intended purpose. Expedients were sought to increase her power, and devised and executed for quickening and direct- ing her movements. 86 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. A third trial of her powers was attempted, on the llth of September, with twenty-six of her long and ponderous guns and a considerable quantity of ammunition and stores on board. Her draft of water was less than eleven feet. She changed her course by reversing the motion of her wheels, with- out the necessity of putting about, like the ferry-boats of the present day. She saluted as she passed the forts, overcame the resistance of the wind and tide in her progress down the bay, and performed beautiful manoeuvres around the U. S. Ship " Java," then at anchor near the light-house. She moved with remarkable celerity, and was perfectly obedient to her double helm. The explosion of powder produced very little concussion on board and her machinery was not affected by it in the slightest degree. Her prog- ress during the fining was steady and uninterrupted. On the most accurate calculation, her velocity was four and a half miles an hour, and she made headway at the rate of two miles an hour against the ebb of the East River, running three and a half knots. The day's exercise was satisfactory to the company on board beyond their most sanguine expectation, and it was uni- versally conceded that the United States possessed a new auxiliary against every maritime invader. The city of New York was considered as having the means of making itself invulnerable, and that every bay and harbor of the nation might be protected by the same tremendous power. Her perform- ance more than equalled Fulton's expectations, and it exceeded what he had promised the government, that she should be propelled by steam at the rate of from three to four miles an hour. The commissioners who superintended her construction, congratulated the government and the nation on the event of this noble project, and said, 41 Honorable alike to its author and its patrons, it constitutes an era in war- fare and the arts. The arrival of peace indeed has disappointed the expec- tations of conducting her to battle. That best and conclusive act of show- ing her superiority in combat has not been in the power of the commissioners to make. " If a continuance of tranquility should be our lot, and this steam-vessel of war be not required for the public defense, the nation may rejoice in the fact we have ascertained as of incalculably greater value than the expendi- tures, and that if the present structure should perish, we have the informa- tion, never to perish, how, in any future emergency, others may be built. The requisite variation will be directed by circumstances." The war having terminated, " Fulton the First," after these trial trips, was taken to the navy yard at Brooklyn and moored on the flats abreast of that station, where she was used as a receiving-ship until the 4th of June, 1829, fifteen years after the laying of her keels, when she was accidentally or pur- posely blown up. Commodore Chauncey, reporting this catastrophe, says that he had been on board of her all the morning inspecting the ship and men, particularly the invalids, who had increased considerably from other ships, and whom he HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI O A TION. 8 7 had intended asking the Department's permission to discharge, as of little use to the service. He had left the ship but a few moments before the explosion took place. The report did not appear to him louder than a 32-pounder, although the destruction of the ship was complete and entire, owing to her very decayed state. There was on board at the time no more than two and a half barrels of damaged powder, kept in the magazine, for the morning and evening gun. By this explosion, however, twenty-four men and a woman were killed, nineteen wounded, and five reported as missing and probably killed. Among the killed was Lieutenant S. M. Breckinbridge, and among the. wounded Lieutenant C. F. Platt, who died a captain in the navy, Lieu- tenant A. M. Mull, and Sailing-Master Clough ; Lieutenant Platt was dan- gerously, the others severely wounded. Four midshipmen were among the wounded. Commodore Chauncey was of opinion that " the explosion could not have taken place from accident, as the magazine was as well or better secured than the magazines of most of our ships; yet it is difficult to assign a motive to those in the magazine for so horrible an act as voluntarily to destroy themselves and those on board, yet if the explosion was not the effect of de- sign, I am at a loss to account for the catastrophe." Master Commandant John T. Newton,* her commander, was on shore at the time of the explosion. Such was the beginning, end, and uneventful history of the first steam-vessel of war ever put afloat, the pioneer, and to an extent the model also, of the floating batteries, double-hulled vessels, and " double-enders " which have succeeded her. Captain E. C. Bowery, U. S. N., a surviving officer of the Fulton, writing me under date Dec. 13, 1881, says : " I say the destruction of the Fulton was by carelessness. I believe in Divine Providence, but not in accident. I joined her in the early part of 1826 as an acting midshipman, Commander Budd then having command. Her magazine (if it could be called one) was nearly under the ship's coppers, and separated only by a light bulkhead was the 'bag room/ in which the Sergeant of Marines had a writing-desk, on which was a naked oil lamp. Soon after reporting, I had occasion to go down there; the bulkhead had a sliding door, which was open, and his lamp shone on the kegs of powder, one of which was without a head. I remarked to the Sergeant, ' If your light was only five feet nearer (all the space that separated it from the powder) there would be trouble.' ' Yis,' said he, turn- ing his beery eyes on me, ' there would be a sensation.' After that I never turned in at night without thinking there might be a sensation before cock-crowing, and to this day I have not forgot the appearance of that pow- der with the light shining on it, and draw the inference that gross careless- ness caused the sensation. Yet at the time there was a story that a gunner's * Captain Newton also commanded the " Missouri" when she was burned in Gibraltar Bay, 1844. 88 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. mate had been disrated and punished with the cats the morning before the blowing up of the Fulton." FIRST STEAM VESSELS IN RUSSIA. 1815. Steam navigation was adopted in Russia at an early date. Mr. Baird, superintendent of the mines, made the first experiments in 1815 with an open boat of his own construction, fitted with a four horse-power en- gine, with which he made his first trip from St. Petersburg to Cronstadt and back on the 15th of November. In 1816 he built a steam-vessel of larger dimensions, with an engine of twenty horse-power, for conveyance of passen- gers between the two places. For twenty years he had the exclusive privi- lege of furnishing the Russian metropolis with steamboats for mercantile purposes. The first government steam-vessel, the " Rapid," was constructed at the Ishora yard in 1816, and was of thirty-two horse-power. The first Russian steam vessel armed with guns was built in 1826. The Neva was the first river in Russia on which steamboats were applied. The Cas- pian Sea, in 1844, was navigated by four steamboats, each of forty horse- power. The first steamboat introduced into Siberia was built in 1843, and employed on Lake Balkan. She was of thirty-two horse-power, and called the "Emperor Nicholas." In the American Daily Advertiser of November 27, 1816, there appears the following notice of a new steamboat to run between New York and Balti- more, commanded by Captain Moses Rogers, who, three years later, further immortalized himself, in connection with steam navigation, by commanding the " Savannah," the first steam-vessel that ever crossed the Atlantic : " NEW STEAMBOAT. On Tuesday last the elegant steamboat ' New Jer- sey,' Moses Rogers master, sailed from this port for Baltimore. This boat is coppered completely, and furnished with powerful copper boilers. She is finished in a style superior to any ever built in this place ; the workmanship of the main and ladies' cabins is executed with great taste and with every possible accommodation for passengers. "Her engine was constructed by Mr. Daniel Large, of this city, engineer ; it appears to be an improvement of the plan proposed by Mr. David Pren- tice, and exemplified in one of the ferry-boats on the Delaware. The cylinder is fixed upon an inclined plane, and the shafts of the two wheels are fur- nished with a crank common to both, which crank, by a connecting-rod, puts the fixtures of the cylinder and air-pump in motion without that tremor and noise which is so injurious to steamboats in general, and unpleasant to the passengers. Her speed, in the trials which have been made, exceeds that of the fastest boats at their commencement, and if she continues to im- prove she will be one of the most expeditious steamboats in the United States. No expenses have been withheld ; every opportunity has been em- HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 89 ployed to fit her for the station in the line of steamboats for which she is in- tended, between Baltimore and Elkton. Captain Rogers was also the first who went to sea in a steamboat; he navigated the ' Phoenix,' in 1809, from New York to Philadelphia ; in 1813 he navigated the 'Eagle' from this port (New York) to Baltimore, and now, towards the close of November, he pro- poses to conduct this steamboat to the capes of the Delaware, and from thence to Baltimore, by way of Norfolk, in Virginia." 1816. Nicholas* J. Roosevelt, in the following advertisement, claims the invention of vertical paddle-wheels for steamers, and for which he ob- tained a United States patent in 1814 : " STEAMBOAT NOTICE. " ALL persons are hereby informed that I claim the right of Inventor of Vertical Wheels, as now generally us ed for Steam Boats throughout the United States, having been first used, after my invention, in the North River Steam Boat, by Messrs. Livingston & Fulton.. " I have obtained a Patent in due form of law, for my invention, which is dated the 1st day of Dec. 1814. " No other person in the United States has any Patent, but myself, for the invention of Vertical Wheels. Having obtained a legal title to the sole use of steam boats with such wheels, I hereby forewarn all persons from using them hereafter without license from me. The patent and evidence of iny right are in the hands of Wm. Griffith, Esq., of the City of Burlington, my Counsel-at-Law. " On this subject, so very important to me (being the only real and effi- cient invention since Fitch's Boat), I do not by this notice challenge contro- versy, but am prepared to meet it in any form. My object is to make known, that I am the inventor, and have the Patent right. Individuals or companies who use such wheels without my license after this, will be prose- cuted under the Law of Congress, for damages amounting to the profits of the boat. Licenses will be sold under me at moderate rates, and warranted.* "NICHOLAS J. ROOSEVELT. "BURLINGTON, N. J., 4th March, 1816." 1816. The first steamer specially built at Liverpool for the purpose of a ferry was the " Etna," which in April, 1816, began to ply between Liverpool " * NOTE. Although my Patent assures me a legal right, any person may be further satis- fied of my just claim by recurrence to the evidences in the hands of my Counsel-at-Law. They consist principally of original letters between Chancellor Livingston, Mr. Stevens and myself, on this very thing, at the time of my invention, accompanied with depositions of many persons witnesses of, and knowing to the fact. " N. J. R. " March 15, 1816." Philadelphia Newspaper, March 16, 1816. 90 HIS TOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. and Trau mere. She was sixty-three feet long, with a paddle-wheel in the centre* her extremities being connected by beams, and her deck twenty-eight feet over all. This primitive vessel initiated the transit by the numerous ferry-boats which now bridge the Mersey. March, 1816. The "Majestic" was the first steamboat that crossed the English Channel from Brighton to Havre. She was built at Ramsgate, and had engines of twenty-five horse-power, and was considered a gigantic con- cern. Her crossing from Dover to Calais with two hundred passengers, and return without accident was a highly appreciated feat. The Majestic estab- lished the superiority of steamboats over other means of water conveyance. The sailing-packet between Margate and Ramsgate was often detained two days by calms and tides. The steamboat passed and repassed the sailing- packet loaded with passengers. On one occasion, the third night out, the packet caught at anchor in a sudden northerly gale, lost much of her gear, and the next day, while the gale was stronger, had the mortification of see- ing the " Majestic" pass and convey her passengers into Margate. 1816. The first line of steamboats from New York to New London, Connec- ticut, was established in 1816. On the 28th of September, 1816, the "Connecti- cut," Captain Bunker, arrived from New York in twenty-one hours, which was regarded as a signal triumph for steam, the wind and the tide being against her. In October a regular line commenced making two trips per week to New Haven ; the " Fulton," Captain Law, at the same time running between New York and New Haven. The price of passage was five dollars to New Haven, and from thence to New York four dollars. Jonathan Morgan, Esq., of Wiscasset, Maine, a well-known and eccentric citizen of Portland, Maine, in 1816 ascended the Kennebec River by steam. In June, 1818, this boat, the "Alpha," of fifteen tons, was sold at "public vendue" by a constable of Wiscasset, for eighty-seven dollars. The boat was a -long, narrow, flat boat, and the machinery being taken out she was converted into a fishing-vessel. The steam-power was applied to a screw- propeller in the stern. Her boiler was built of pine plank, and about the size of a common molasses hogshead, into which was fixed a fire-box of iron. An endless chain connected the engine with her propeller. The machinery was invented and designed by Jonathan Morgan, who anticipated a fortune from its invention. The first trip of the " Alpha" up the Kennebec was as far as Augusta. At Hallowell the boat halted, when many visitors .inspected the strange craft. Mr. Morgan came on shore, and Page & Bemant, to encourage the enterprise, made him a donation in money. Leaving the wharf, she was unable to stem the current, and was carried sidelong across the river and fell back to Clark's wharf, lower down. At last she gained sufficient headway to proceed up river to Augusta, where she was greeted with many * This was like Fulton's ferry-boats in New York in 1810. HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 91 cheers. Mr. Morgan, who removed to Portland in 1820, was so ashamed of his failure that he never wished to have it spoken of. THE FIRST ENGLISH STEAM TUGS. 1816. It has been asserted that the first application of s,team for the purpose of towing vessels was made in October, 1816, when the "Harlequin" was towed out of the Mersey by the " Charlotte," a steamer which, in the summer of the same year, had been placed as a ferry-boat to run between Liverpool and Eastham.* In 1819 Mr. Rennie, who planned the breakwater at Plymouth, England, was the " advising engineer " to the Admiralty, and on every occasion urged the application of steam-power to vessels-of-war. He hired at his own cost the Margate steamboat " Eclipse," and successfully towed the " Hastings" 74 against the tide from Woolwich to Gravesend, June 14, 1819. In conse" quence 'of this feat Lord Melville and Sir George Cockburn, R. N., urged the great value of steam-power for towing men-of-war. In his " Local Records," 1 857, Mr. Latimer perpetuates the memory of The Tynesides, who introduced steam-towing: "Died in Gateshead, September 27, 1852, aged 81, Mr. Joseph Price, glass manufacturer, who was the first to apply steam-vessels to the towing of ships to and from sea, in adverse winds, for which he received a handsome testimonial in 1818.* In Gateshead the first English steamboat was built. It was launched from the South Shore in the month of February, 1814 ; and the glass-manu- facturer took an interest in the question of navigation by steam. In his retrospect, July, 1838, " To Merchants, Manufacturers, Shipowners, &c," he tells us that, " In 1815 he became a shareholder in a steamboat speculation on the Tyne, which was continued for two years, when the boats becoming out of repairs were laid up. Fertile in resource, Mr. Price devised a new use for the boat with wheels a contrivance that was celebrated in song by his townsman, Wilson, author of "The Pitman's Pay." " Steam" neist cam' puffin' into play, And put an end to rowin' ; When Price said, in his schemin' way, " Let's try the chep at towin.' " "July, 1818," Mr. Price " conceived good might be done by towing vessels to sea." . " In furtherance of my idea," as may be read in his address of 1838, "I applied to the late Mr. Robson, wharfinger of Newcastle, for leave to try an experiment with one of his loaded vessels, which was granted. I gave notice to Captain Copeland, of the Friends' Adventure, Hull trader, to have all ready from an hour to an hour and a half before highwater. * The " Charlotte Dundas," it should be remembered, however, was built for a tow-boat, and we have already shown that Fulton's steam battery was towed on one occasion by the " Car of Neptune " and " Fulton." 92 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. At the time appointed I requested him to throw a line on board the steamer. The tide was against us the first three miles. Everything answered as well as I could wish, and the vessel was towed two miles over the bar in two hours and ten minutes a distance of thirteen miles the wind against us all the way. This was the first time a sailing vessel was ever towed by a steam- boat. The public did not at first appreciate my endeavors for expediting the sailing of ships in adverse winds. On the contrary, I was told I had ruined the port. I continued my two steamboats, the Eagle and Persever- ance, in this employ, with little benefit to myself, for my captains were so' timorous they would not stir but in moderate weather. They once had an offer to tow two ships with one boat. They would on no account undertake so heavy a task." The "Perseverance" was originally known as the "Tyne Packet," or "Tyne Steamboat," and afterwards called by a distinctive name when she was no longer alone on the river. Mr. Price's example led the way to general traction by steam. " After a considerable interval other owners of steamboats saw the advantage of the towing system, and employed theirs in a similar manner, receiving pay according to the depth of water the sailing vessels drew. The advantage to the ship-owner was great. Previously no vessel over 240 tons register ever attempted to come up to Newcastle. After the introduction of the towing system vessels of 400 tons register were brought up ; and vessels that previously averaged only eight voyages in the year between the Tyne and the Thames were able, to average thirteen voyages, thereby keeping the coal market regularly sup- plied, and preventing those great fluctuations in prices whichformerly had such a serious effect in increasing the misery of the poor." The towing system, Mr. Price says, was in 1821 adopted between Hull and Gainsbrough ; in 1826 at Liverpool ; " afterwards at Montreal, where a large steam-vessel towed from three to four ships at once from Quebec in less than forty-eight hours, then thought a heavy task, considering the strong current she had to contend against. Previously, ships going to Mon- treal required from two to three weeks to complete the distance." Mr. Price's services were recognized on the Tyne by a banquet and the presentation of a silver tankard bearing the following inscription : Presented to Mr. Joseph Price by the Shippers and Manufacturers of Lead, and the Wharfingers of the Goods Trade between Newcastle and London, as a mark of their approbation for his zeal and spirited exertions in the Application of Steamboats to the Towing of Vessels on the River Tyne. 1818. HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 93 PROGRESS OF STEAM NAVIGATION IN ENGLAND. 1819.--The. first steamers on the line between the Mersey and the Clyde were the " Robert Bf uce" and the " United Kingdom," which began to ply regularly in 1819, between Liverpool and Glasgow. The following is the advertisement of the first return voyage from Liverpool to Glasgow of the pioneer vessel, Robert Bruce : " SAFE AND EXPEDITIOUS TRAVELING BETWEEN LIVERPOOL AND GLASGOW. " The elegant new steam-packet ' Robert Bruce,' Captain John Paterson, will sail from Glasgow to-morrow (Tuesday), the 23d of August, at eight o'clock in the morning, from the George's Dock pier-head. The accommo- dation of passengers is most excellent, and she is expected to perform the passage within thirty hours. The fare in the cabin forty shillings, steerage twenty-one shillings ; passengers will be accommodated with provisions at mod- erate terms. For passage apply to Captain Paterspn, or to John Richardson. " LIVERPOOL, 2d August, 1819." The first steam-vessel employed in the Irish trade with Liverpool was the "Waterloo," built at Greenock, and launched on the 18th of June, 1819. Being fitted with engines and other requisites for a passenger steamer she proceeded to Belfast to ply between that port and Glasgow. Her destina- tion was soon changed, and she was- placed on the line between Liverpool and Belfast. Her first arrival was thus announced in the Liverpool Mercury of July 23, 1819 : " Yesterday a beautiful steam-packet arrived at this port from Belfast, after a passage of only twenty-four hours. She is called the * Waterloo/ and is a fine, well-built vessel, burden two hundred and one tons, length ninety eight feet, breadth on deck thirty-seven feet, and has two highly-finished steam-engines of thirty horse-power each, which work without noise or vibra- tion, and are on the low-pressure construction, perfectly safe from accident. They are attended by two experienced engineers. The vessel is provided with two masts, with sails and rigging. Her interior accommodations are as complete and elegant as skill and expense can make them. She has a handsome dining-room, capable of accommodating all the cabin passengers, a separate and neatly decorated cabin for ladies, and two apartments for private families ; twenty-two well-furnished beds, each accommodated with light and air ; and a comfortable place for steerage passengers. She cost nearly ten thousand pounds. She will sail for Belfast at tide time to-day, and will return on Monday. She will sail the same day, and regularly every Monday and Friday. Fares, cabin, 1 11s. 6c?.; steerage, 10*. 6 d. The" cabin* passengers are not under the necessity of talcing provisions, as they 94 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. are well accommodated on board with everything at the most moderate prices." The " Waterloo" was soon transferred to the more important traffic be- tween Liverpool and Dublin, where her success resulted in the employment of more powerful steamers. This detailed account of so small a steamer may be pardoned when we consider that the " Waterloo" was the germ and pioneer of the magnificent steam fleet which now sails in and out of the port of Liverpool. It is no longer necessary to caution passengers they are not under the necessity of provisioning themselves. 1817. Herbert Lawrence, who died in 1882, aged 94, built in 1817 the ' Bolona? the first steamboat commanded by Cornelius Vanderbilt. Her model is in the possession of his son, William H. ,Vanderbilt. Mr. Lawrence remembered the trial trip of the " Clermont," and was thus a connecting link with the origin, gradual growth and present state of steam navigation. 1817. THE" FIREFLY!" On Monday, the 26th of May, 1817, the "Fire- fly," Captain Smith, arrived at Newport from New York. The sea was very rough as she rounded Point Judith, and she was twenty-eight hours in mak- ing the passage. She was. intended to ply between Providence and Newport, and made her first trip to Providence on the 28th, leaving Newport at nine A. M. and reaching Providence about noon. A sloop brought news of the approaching steamboat, and long before noon the wharves were crowded with people awaiting the arrival of the strange craft. At last she came wheezing and puffing up the river to where the Crawford Street bridge now stands ; then, turning about, ran up to her wharf and made fast. A gentleman doing business in the Arcade in 1877 remembered being held aloft in his father's arms to see the boat come in. He described the " Fire- fly " as an ugly little thing, full of machinery and awkward in her motions. The people cheered, however, and shouted and looked her over as we would now inspect a balloon just arrived from St. Petersburg. June 28, the " Firefly," with Governor Knight, U. S. Marshal Dexter, and others on board, sailed at seven A. M. for Newport, to meet and escort President Monroe to Providence. He went, however, in a revenue cutter to Bristol, where he embarked on the " Friefly," reaching Providence about nine p. M. On landing he was received by a salute of cannon and the ring- ing of bells. The next day he proceeded to Boston. On the 26th of July the " Firefly " made a " cherry " excursion to Fall River, two dollars being the charge for the fare and dinner. The packet-masters resorted to every lawful means to break down the new enterprise. The " Firefly " was no match for a fast sloop with a favorable wind. She hoisted a huge square-sail when the wind was fair, but the packets would often come into port ahead. The packet captains* even car- HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 95 ried their opposition so far that they would stand upon the " Firefly's" wharf just before her hour of starting and offer to carry passengers to New- port for twenty-five cents, or for nothing if they did not get there in advance of the "Firefly." In this way in four months they succeeded in running her off. Then the packetmeu held a meeting on the packet wharf and denounced interlopers in striking and powerful language, after which they adjourned to a convenient packet and drank confusion to steamboats. Packets in those days furnished the best means of transportation between Providence and New York. The Failing of a mail-packet for New York aroused more at- tention than is now paid to the departure of an ocean steamship. Passen- gers came to the boat accompanied by relatives and friends. The master of the boat would bring out his stately decanters, and place a whole row of glasses on the mahogany table in the cabin. Then a solemn health would be drank to the prosperity of the voyage. The packets were beautifully modeled, sloop-rigged vessels of from seventy- five to one hundred tons burden, built with a view to speed, carrying capa- city, and comfort. The sides of some were adorned with bead-work ; others had polished strips of hard pine let into the sides, and all were painted in gay and lively colors. The cabins were frequently finished and furnished with mahogany, and decorated in every imaginable way. These cabins averaged twelve feet square, and from them opened tiny state-rooms. Packets sailed from Providence for New York every week ; the trip was of varying length. The " Huntress"*often came through in eighteen hours, but sometimes the voyage lasted a week. The fare was ten dollars, includ- ing meals. Over the cabin stairs hung a mahogany letter-box, and on arri- val there would be a rush of people to the packet to get letters in advance of the slow mail plodding over the post-roads. As soon as the immediate business of landing was over the captain would pour the contents of the let- ter-box upon the mahogany table, and after the distribution of letters the decanters were produced and everybody drank the captain's health. Cap- tain Whipple Brown, one morning, unloaded from his sloop seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars in silver. There were five thousand dollars in a keg, and kegs enough to load fifteen baggage-wagons, which before sunrise set out for Boston with two well-armed guards in charge of each wagon."* Seventeen large steamboats were, in 1817, in constant employment on American rivers besides ferry-boats. FIRST STEAMBOATS IN BOSTON. 1817. The steamboat "Massachusetts," in 1817, introduced steam naviga- tion to Boston early in June. She was owned by Joseph and John H. Andrews, * Charles H. Dow's History Steam Navigation between New York and Providence, 1792, 1877. 96 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. William Fettyplace, HOD. Stephen White, and Andrew Watkins, of Sajem > and Andrew Bell, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and was intended to run between Salem and Boston. She was of two hundred and thirty tons register, and had an engine of thirty horse-power. She made a few trips between Salem and Boston, but not being well patronized, in the autumn, or early in the winter, was sent south to Charleston or Savannah, to be sold, and was lost on the passage on the coast of North Carolina. On her arrival in Salem she was called by the Enterprise the " Brilliant North Star." She made her first trip from Salem to Boston July 4, 1817, leaving Salem at S A. M. ; she arrived at Boston at eleven A. M., her greatest rate of speed be- ing eight miles an hour. In consequence of some damage to her machinery she did not return to Salem on that day, and her passengers were sent back in .coaches. The next day she made a trip to Hingham and returned, mak- ing the trip in two hours each way. The enterprise proved more than a total loss to her proprietors. There was a distrust in the public mind in relation to her, and many who cried out against her were thought to be in- fluenced by the stage companies. The Boston Daily Advertiser, July 4, 1817, announced, " We understand that the elegant steamboat ' Massachusetts ' will be here this day at ten o'clock, and will take a few gentlemen and ladies for a few hours to sail about the islands in this harbor." This was beyond a doubt the first Fourth of July steamboat excursion in Boston harbor. She seems to have been supplanted, in 1818, by the " Eagle," which filled her place as an excursion boat. The*" Eagle " ran from Nantucket to New Bedford for six months the same year. 1818. From a return made to the Comptroller of New York, it appears that the tax upon steamboat passengers produced to that State dur- ing the years 1817 and 1818 was a net aggregate of $37,620.18 The gross amount of the tax for these two years was $41,440. All passengers for over one hundred miles paid a tax of $1.00 each, and for under distances over thirty miles, half the sum ; under thirty miles, nothing. For every dollar collected by the State it was estimated that seven was received by the proprietors of the New York steamboats. 1818. One hundred and thirty-nine years after the launch of the first vessel, the " Griffin," of sixty tons, by La Salle, August 7, 1679, upon the Niagara River, between the Falls and Lake Erie, steam navigation com- menced on Lake Erie. The pioneer steamboat called " Walk-in-the- Water " was launched at Black Rock on the 28th of May, 1818. In the Federal Gazette and Baltimore Daily Advertiser of April 27, 1818, I find two advertisements of steamboats running to Philadelphia, one, of the Union Line of Steamboats via Frenchtown and New Castle, advertised by William McDonald & Son to start from the lower end of Bowly's wharf every evening at five o'clock ; the other, advertised by Briscoe & Partridge, leaving the same wharf at the same hour : " the passengers, traveling over HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. 97 a too, there is no necessity for proceeding up as far as Suez, as every object might be equally well attained by going to Cosseir only. As far as the pas- sengers are concerned, the majority, I should suppose, would prefer being landed at that place, for the purpose of viewing the antiquities on the route from thence to Alexandria, and the arrival of dispatches would be very little delayed when we take into account the time occupied by a steamer on going from the parallel of Cosseir to Suez, which, when northwest winds prevail, could not be done in less than two days and a half. " I enclose a copy of the log of the ' Hugh Lindsay' from Bombay to Suez, conceiving it might possess some interest as the journal of the first steam-vessel which has ever navigated the Red Sea. " I am, sir, etc." 1831. April 23, 1831, Giraud patented in the United States "a screw or spiral lever for propelling." 1831. THE FIRST STEAMER TO CHICAGO. The first steamer arrived at Chicago, Illinois, in 1831. Nothing could exceed the surprise of the sons of the forest on seeing this steamer move against wind and current without sails or oars. They lined the shores and expressed their astonishment by repeated shouts of " Taiyoli nichee /" an expression of surprise. A report had been circulated among them that a " big canoe" would soon come from the noisy waters, which by order of the Great Father of the " Chemo Koinods" (Yankees}, would be drawn through the lakes and rivers by a sturgeon, and this served to verify the report. 1832. IRON STEAMBOATS. March, 1832, Bennett Woodcroft patented a screw formed by a circular line coiled round a cylinder, increasing the 122 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. pitch throughout the length and producing greater speed with fewer rev- olutions, to be fixed forward of the middle post by cutting away part of the dead wood. Sauvage also experimented this year. The introduction of wrought-iron hulls for steam-vessels produced great improvements. It enabled builders to combine a strength and lightness of draught peculiarly advantageous in some branches of trade and in certain localities. The "Alburkha," of fifty-five tons, built as a companion to the " Quorra" for the Niger expedition in 1832, gave great satisfaction. Messrs. Laird, of Liverpool, their builders, immediately commenced the " Garry- owen," to run between Limerick and Kilrush.- The " Garryowen" was one hundred and twenty-five feet on deck, twenty-one feet six inches beam, with engines of fifty horse-power each. The "Garryowen" was driven on shore in the great hurricane which happened soon after, but escaped uninjured. This evidence of the power of iron vessels to withstand the casualties of the sea so raised their estimation that they were rapidly increased in number and their size greatly extended. The " Garryowen" was the first steamer built that had a regular arrangement of water-tight bulkheads. 1820. THE AARON MANBY. The first steam-vessel ever constructed of iron was the "Aaron Manby,"* launched in 1820, and named for her builder. She was constructed at the Horsely Iron-Works in sections, and was sent to London and put together in dock. September, 1821, Captain afterwards Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Napier, a partner in the speculation, took charge of her and navigated her from London to Havre, and thence to Paris, without unloading any of her cargo. She was the first, and for thirty years afterwards the only, vessel that sailed direct from London to Paris. In 1843 she was in good condition, and to that time had required no repairs on her hull. She was broken up in 1855, after thirty-five years' service. 1832. The third steamer to cross the Atlantic was the " Royal William," built at Quebec in 1831 by Mr. George Black for the Quebec and Halifax Steam Navigation Company. She is described as 360 60-94-tons burden, one deck, three masts, 160 feet long ; breadth above the main wales, 44 feet; between paddle-boxes, 28 feet ; schooner-rigged, carvel built. She was towed to Montreal, where she was fitted with marine engines with side levers by Messrs. Bennett and Henderson. The ship created a profound sensation, and especially upon the officers of one of his Majesty's frigates, who fired at her as she was steaming through the Gulf, and she was compelled to lay to until convinced that there was nothing diabolical in her construction. The only cargo she carried on her trip across the Atlantic was coal, which was nearly all used on the voyage. The good people of Cockaigne thronged to see the strange craft in the Thames, and were heard to remark that the " In- dians" were not unlike themselves, the hallucination being strengthened by * Previously noted. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 123 the fact that the ancient mariners were talking French. While in the Thames the Royal William, according to our informant, was sold to the Spanish Government, and became the Isabella the Second, and the first war vessel of the Dons. Mr. Joseph Geo. Dauten, who was the Second Engineer of the " Royal William" on this Atlantic trip, was in Montreal in 1880. Her Majesty's ship " Rhodamanthus" arrived at Barbadoes May 17, 1832, from Plymouth. She was the first vessel of the Royal Navy to make the voyage to the West Indies, and the Portsmouth Herald, in announcing her intended departure, says, " we are anxious to learn what may be the effect of the climate on the engines, fittings, etc." 1832. THE FIRST IRON-CLAD BATTERY. Robert L. Stevens conceived the Stevens battery in 1832. It was to be an iron-armored ship, 250 feet long, and 28 feet beam. His brothers, J. C. and E. A. Stevens, assisted in the experiments, and the keel of the battery was laid in 1843. In 1854, the improvement in projectiles having got ahead of the growth of the battery, the old designs were abandoned and the keel of the Stevens battery, as it was called, was laid. It was designed to be 40 feet over all, and 45 feet beam, with a draught of 22 feet, and 6,000 tons displacement. Powerful engines devised by Mr. Stevens were to give the battery a speed of 151 knots. Mr. E. A. Stevens at his death left $1,000,000 to complete the vessel, direct- ing that it should be given when completed to the State of New Jersey. This million, together with nearly as m'uch expended before, was used up. The heirs claimed the battery and began a suit to have it declared theirs. The New Jersey courts held that the title was in the State and the heirs ap- pealed to the United States courts for the reversal of the decision. Mean- while the battery stood on property belonging to the Stevens' estate valued, it is claimed, $150,000. The heirs desired to make the property remunera- tive, and in order to get the battery away asked the Chancellor to have the battery sold. In 1880 in pursuance to a decree of the Court of Chancery of New Jersey, the whole of the still unfinished Stevens battery, together with three steam- engines used in the workshops and in the construction of the hull, an im- mense quantity of iron, bolts and screws, and a lot of tools, wrenches, punch- ing and bolting machines, were sold at auction, at the yard in Hoboken, to Wm. E. Laimbeer, of New York, for $62,790. It had cost nearly $2,000,000. The battery and material were divided into eight lots. The first lot, com- prising the hull of the vessel as far as it was completed, with the engines and boilers on board, a locomotive boiler and Worthington pump, and a quantity of rope and trestle-work and shed beneath which the battery is housed, was offered for sale as soon as the Master in Chancery had read the degree and stated the conditions of sale as follows : On each of the seven small lots 10 per cent, of the purchase money to accompany the purchase, and the re- 124 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. mainder. on October 20. On lot one the vessel, 10 per cent, of the purchase money down, 16 per cent, on October 20, and the rest, if the vessel, etc., should be removed in one lot or remain on the ground for completion, before the 1st day of January, 1881 ; or if removed piece-meal, in instalments as the material is removed, at the rate of $20 per ton. The bidding opened at $25,000, and rose quickly by $1,000 bids to $32,000, then by $500 a bid to $47,000, after which it dragged at $250 a bid to $55,000, at which figure it was knocked down to Mr. William E. Laimbeer, of No. 51 East Thirty-first street, New York. The only bidders beside the purchaser after $35,000 had been offered were Mr. Purves, of Purves & Sou, Philadelphia, and Mr. Clancy, of Boston. In 1832 the " General Jackson" was the only steamer running in the Sound between New York and Norwich. She was thought in her time a splendid craft, and no one ever imagined that any improvements could be made in regards to her beauty, speed or comfort. But time works won- ders. " She had no state-rooms, her passengers being compelled to sleep in berths below the water line. These were roomy enough, but at times they were not numerous enough to accommodate the throngs that took pas- sage. On these occasions Captain Havens used to resort to a lottery. When- ever he saw that all could not get berths he'd send a boy on deck with a big bell which he'd ring and tell the passengers to step into the cabin for berths. When all had assembled he would place slices of paper with numbers cor- responding to the berths, and as many blanks and shake 'em up. Then each man or woman would step up, drawa slip, and if there was a number on it that berth was placed at the disposal of the lucky one. If not, it was a mat- ter of solicitude to find a soft place on the cabin floor. It was a rare thing however, for a lady to be compelled to rest that way, as the more fortunate males gallantly surrendered their privileges and slept where they could find a place," 1833. THE FIRST MAIL CONTRACT. The first contract for carrying the mails in steamers was niade by the British Postmaster-General in 1833, with the " Mona Isle Steam Co., to run semi-weekly between Liverpool and the Isle of Man at 850 per annum. After this a contract was made in 1834 with the " General Steam Navigation Co." for the weekly conveyance of the mails between London and Rotterdam and London and Hamburg at 17,000 per year. Both these contracts continued in force twenty years or more. 1833. EARLY STEAMBOATS ON THE LAKES. Mr, Randall, of Phila- delphia, in 1833, built the "Wisconsin," 218 feet long by 38 feet wide, at Detroit, and ran her through three of the lakes on round trips of two thou- sand miles. In 1845 he designed and navigated the " Empire," 251 feet long, 38 feet beam, 16 statute miles per hour. Soon after the "City of Buffalo" and the "Western Metropolis" were sent afloat. They were sister HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 125 boats, 340 feet long, 42 feet beam, and only 9 feet draft of water, light laden. By a report in the Cleveland Herald the trip between Buffalo and Cleveland at that early date was made at an average speed of twenty-one miles an hour by the "Metropolis," the "City of Buffalo" making even greater speed* 1833. H. M. steam-packet " Firebrand" traversed, in sixty-six days, eleven thousand five hundred miles in two voyages from Falmouth to Corfu, and one from the same port to Lisbon. In the same year the "Koyal William," of one thousand tons burden and one hundred and eighty horse- power engine, built on Three Rivers, in Lower Canada, made the voyage from Pictou, Nova Scotia, to Cowes, in the Isle of Wight, being the third transatlantic voyagef of a steamer. She was employed for three or four years between England and Ireland. She afterwards made several voyages across the Atlantic. The people of the provinces claimed for her the credit of the first ocean transit by steam. The Historical Society of Chicago has the original working plans of this vessel, presented by James Gouchie, a Scotch ship-builder, who in 1880, was a resident of that city. She was launched at Quebec in 1831, and made the trip from Pictou to London in twenty-five days. In 1837 "The City of Dublin Steam Packet Company" purchased the " Royal William," and she made her first voyage from Dublin to Liverpool, October 9, 1837, in nine hours and forty-eight minutes. Soon after she was sold to the Spanish government for ten thousand pounds, and converted into a man-of-war. She sailed from Pictou to cross the Atlantic April 1, 1833. 1834. Up to the year 1834 steamboats in the United States had burnt wood only. The "Novelty" burnt forty cords each trip from New York to Albany. In 1836 experiments were made with anthracite coal for fuel on board the ferry-boats in New York with success, but wood was principally used for American coast-steamers for several years after. * In 1860 Mr. Randall designed and modeled a vessel for an ocean steamship line to be called the Philadelphia and Crescent Steam Navigation-Company, organized for construct- ing vessels for trading between Great Britain and Philadelphia, which obtained an act of incorporation from the State Legislature of Pennsylvania. This vessel was to be 500 feet long, 58 feet moulded beam, and to measure 8000 tons. Her motive-power was to consist of two sets of wheels. She was to have ample accommodations for 3000 passengers and 3000 tons of cargo, and to be a regular " 2O-mile ship." She was to have ample fuel room sufficient to run 8000 miles without stopping for coal ; a main saloon of 350 feet of unin- terrupted length and 175 family state-rooms, with double beds in each of extra size, etc. A dining-room and drawing room, each 150 feet long, a social hall, reading-room, smoking- room, and library, etc., etc. Lindsay's Merchant Shipping, vol. iv, pp. 157-158. Unfortunately this magnificent design of Mr. Randall was never put to a practical test at that time, but he only anticipated the large ocean steamships of to-day. f The " Savannah," 1819, from Liverpool, was the first; the " Curacoa," from Antwerp jo Curacoa, the second. 126 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. The advent of ocean steam-navigation soon led to the almost universal use of coal, bituminous and anthracite, even the steamboats on the Mis- sissippi having adopted the former. 1834. The first steamer on the Merrimac River, Massachusetts, was called the "Herald." S be was built above Pawtucket Falls, launched in 1834, and made regular trips between Lowell and Nashua when Lowell had but fourteen thousand inhabitants and Nashua a few hundred. In 1838 she was lengthened, and could carry five hundred passengers. In 1840 she was floated over the falls to Newburyport, and taken to New York, and run as a ferry-boat between New York city and Brooklyn.* 1835. John F. Smith, of Charlestown, Massachusetts, September 18, 1835, patented a screw revolving in a cavity made by giving the hull the form of a double vessel from amidships to the stern, the forepart being in the ordinary shape. Edward P. Fitzpatrick, of Mount Morris, New York, November 23,1835, patented a spiral screw, the shaft swelling in the middle like a double cone, surrounded by a spiral thread, also wider in the middle than at the ends. 1836. FRENCH STEAMBOATS. The whole number of French steamboats in 1836 was eighty-two ; the majority were of small size and only suited to the navigation of the French rivers. Forty-four were passenger boats, seventeen freight boats, and twenty-one employed in towing ships. The aggregate horse-power of these eighty-two steamboats was two thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, an average of thirty-five horse-power to each boat. The average tonnage was estimated at one hundred and eighty tons, or fifteen thousand in all. Twenty-seven steam-vessels were also in the French Royal Navy, eighteen afloat, six on the stocks, and three employed as tugs. Of the eighteen afloat eleven had one hundred and sixty horse-power each, and seven one hundred and fifty horse-power and under, and were armed with six guns each, two being Paixhan or steel guns. Fifty-four steam-vessels were also preparing for the service of the Post-Office Department in the Mediterranean. THE ORIGIN OF OCEAN STEAM NAVIGATION, 1832. No thought was entertained of the application of steam to ocean navigation until 1832, when the subject was first brought before the public by an Amer- ican citizen, a graduate of Yale College of the class of 1802, Junius Smith, L. L. D., who had resided in London over forty years, engaged in active business pursuits with this country. In 1832 he crossed the Atlantic on the British ship " St. Leonard," arriving in New York in October, after a pas- sage of fifty-four days. He returned to London in the packet ship " West- * Newburyport Herald. HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. Ill minster," sailing from New York in December, making the passage to Plymouth, England, in thirty-two days. These two passages forced upon his mind the idea of transatlantic steam navigation, and writing to his cor- respondents in New York, under date " London, June 28, 1833," he says: " Thirty-two days from New York to Plymouth is no trifle ; any ordinary sea-going steamer would have run it with the weather we had in fifteen days with ease. I shall not relinquish the project unless I find it absolutely imprac- ticable." After giving the subject thoughtful examination, his mind became tho- roughly imbued with the project, and he entered upon it with enthusiasm, first introducing the scheme to leading businessmen and bankers of London, and to shipping merchants engaged in the American trade. The novel project was received with indifference and scouted as visionary, and presenting insurmountable obstacles. These objections he regarded as the offspring of ignorant prejudice, which it was his province to overthrow. He issued a prospectus embodying facts and figures to disprove such objections, which he distributed personally. He failed to meet with the slightest encouragement, but on the contrary, with unqualified ridicule, as a visionary, and an outspoken opposition from all the sailing-packet interest, whose craft would be endangered if the enterprise should prove successful. Nothing daunted by these difficulties, which served only to furnish him new arguments favor- able to his project and to enlarge his ideas, he issued a second and then a third prospectus, giving a wider scope to his idea on a more extended basis. Thus, his first prospectus contemplated a company with 100,000 sterling capital to build steamers of 1,000 tons, while his third prospectus proposed forming a company with 1,000,000 sterling capital, to build steamers of 1,800 to 2,000 tons. These prospectuses presented calculations based upon facts connected with the commerce and shipping interests of the two coun- tries which could not be controverted, the only remaining point was to satisfy the public of .the practicability of the scheme. Here was a direct issue, for which no precedent was furnished, and it seemed for a time a formidable objection. Although the fact that a vessel might be safely and expeditiously navigated by steam-power from port to port in the coasting trade was fully demonstrated, it was universally thought impracticable to cross the Atlantic by the same means. It was a Herculean task to turn such currents of thought, but to this great change his efforts were directed. In accomplishing this he set about organizing a company under the title of " The British and American Steam Navigation Company," by securing a Board of Directors upon the basis of his third prospectus, as stated, with a capital of 1,000,000 sterling. To further this he waited upon lead- ing merchants and bankers, soliciting the use of their names borrowing them 128 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. as a man would borrow money, with the promise to return it as soon as he could do without. After great labor he succeeded in securing a list of Directors. With these he came before the public, pening books of sub- scription to the stock. Here it may be proper to remark that a more diffi- cult task can scarcely be conceived than the introduction to the British public of a new project embracing such physical objections as Atlantic Ocean steam navigation for a consecutive number of days, for the reason that they are a conservative and peculiarly cautious people, slow to move, while ready with their vast wealth for great enterprises. The books of subscription were opened in July, 1836, shares were liberally subscribed, sufficient being alloted to warrant contracting for their first steamship, which was made with Messrs. Curling & Young, shipbuilders at Blackwall, London. Relative to this Dr. Smith wrote his New York correspondents : "I have the pleasure to inform you that the Directors of the 'British and American Steam Navigation Company' have contracted for the building of the largest and intended to be the most splendid steamship ever built, ex- pressly for the New York and London trade. She will measure one thou- sand seven hundred tons, two hundred feet keel, forty feet beam, three decks, and everything in proportion. She will carry two engines of two hundred and twenty-five horse-power each, seventy-six inch cylinder, and- nine feet stroke. The expense of this steam-frigate is estimated at 60,000. These large undertakings require time to mature, but I think the business will at last be done effectually." The contract for the engines was made with Messrs. Claude, Girdwood & Co., of Glasgow, which firm, after completing about two-thirds of the work, was obliged to suspend and went into bankruptcy, which proved a serious disappointment, involving a year's delay. A new contract was then made with Mr. Robert Napier, of Glasgow, and as the building of the ship pro- gressed the views of the Directors enlarged, resulting in the completion of the " British Queen," of two thousand four hundred tons. The delay con- sequent upon the failure of the first contractors for the engines, coupled with the importance of practical demonstration of the feasibility of crossing the Atlantic Ocean by steam, determined the company to charter the steamer "Sirius," of about seven hundred tons, fbr a voyage from London to New York and return. She was dispatched from London 1st April, 1838, and arrived at New York on the 17th, making the passage in sixteen days' con- secutive steaming, encountering very tempestuous weather, completely de- monstrating the feasibility of crossing the Atlantic by steam. She was soon succeeded by the " British Queen," which left London in July, 1839, and arrived in New York after a passage of fourteen and a half days. It is cer- tainly of value as a matter of record, to give the prospectus under which the enterprise was originated. The following is a verbatim copy of the original : HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 129 BRITISH AND AMERICAN STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY. "CAPITAL, 1,000,000, IN 10,000 SHARES OF 100 EACH. DIRECTORS : " HeDry Bainbridge, Esq., Chairman, " Chas. Enderby, Esq., Col. Aspinwall, U. States Consul, " Capt. Thomas Larkins, Junius Smith, Esq., " Capt. Ro-bt. Locke, Jos. Robinson Pirn, Esq., " Capt. Robt. Isaacke, Liverpool, " Paul Twigg, Esq., Dublin, Jas. Beale, Esq., Cork. " Bankers Messrs. Puget, Bainbridge & Co., 12 St. Paul's Churchyard. " Secretary Macgregor Laird, Esq. " The object of this company is to establish a regular and certain commu- nication by steamships between Great Britain and the United States. The vessels are intended to depart alternately from London and Liverpool to New York ; their average passage will not exceed fifteen days. The com- pany's first vessel, the ' British Queen,' has capacity for five hundred pas- sengers, twenty-five days' fuel, and eighty tons measurement goods, exclusive of provisions, stores, etc. " The successful voyages of 'Sirius' and ' Great Western' steamships having placed the success of the undertaking beyond a doubt, the Directors are now preparing contracts for other vessels of similar description to the ' British Queen,' and will be able in 1839 to despatch their vessels for New York on the 1st and 16th of each month from London and Liverpool alternately. " Applications for shares may be made to Macgregor Laird, Esq., at the Company's offices, 78 Cornhill ; to Buxendale, Tathem, Upton & Johnston, 7 Great Manchester Street, London ; to Isaac Miller, Esq., Liverpool, and to Boyle, Low, Pain & Co., Duane Street, Dublin." Such was the modest prospectus under which a system of ocean steam navigation, now extending throughout the entire globe, was inaugurated. The Duke of Wellington, in answer to a letter addressed to him by Dr. Junius Smith, replied " he would give no countenance to any scheme which had for its object a change in the established system of the country."* 1830. THE FIRST STEAMERS IN CHINA. In the " Life of E. C. Bridge- man, the Pioneer of American Missions in China," the arrival of the first steamer at Macao is thus mentioned in his diary : " May 1, 1830. Arrived at Macao on the 19th (April) in the steamer * These facts were furnished to the JV. Y. Evening Post by Henry Smith, of the firm of Wadsworth & Smith, N. Y., who is in possession of all the correspondence from the first inception of the enterprise. 9 130 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. * Forbes,' the first ship of the kind that has ever visited these shores. She's a wonder to the Chinese ; they call her Fo Shune, The Fire-Ship." In 1832 a Canton paper contained an advertisement of the steamer " King-fa." It said, " She carries a cow, a surgeon, a band of music, and has rooms elegantly fitted up for cards and opium smoking." In 1835 an attempt was made by the foreign residents to place a small steamboat called the " Jardine" upon the Canton River, to run between. Lintin, Macao, and Whampoa. In consequence of the opposition of the Chinese authorities, as shown in the following correspondence, the under- taking was temporarily abandoned. The editor of the Canton Register re- marks : " We understand that the project of running the steamer in the way set forth in the letter is not abandoned, notwithstanding the deputy-gov- ernor's refusal to accede to the proposition of the whole of the foreign com- munity of Canton. Perhaps the arrival of the new governor will be a favor- able opportunity to re-urge this reasonable and judicious plan of communica- tion with the shipping at Lintin and with Macao. A united and determined perseverance on the part of the foreigners is all that is wanted to carry this or any other reasonable project into effect. " We notice with unfeigned pleasure the unanimous feeling of the foreign community on this subject. The name of every foreign merchant in Canton was signed to the letter to Howqua, including the three East India Com- pany's agents, whose names head the list. si sic " To HOWQUA, SENIOR HONG MERCHANT - - CANTON : " SIR, We, the undersigned, merchants of all nations residing at Canton j having for years past experienced much inconvenience from the tardiness and uncertainty of our communication with Macao, where our wives and children reside, as well as from the difficulties attending the conveyance of letters to and from vessels arriving and departing, have lately procured from Europe, at considerable expense, a traveling boat of a modern construction propelled by steam and capable of moving against wind and tide. " The said boat having arrived at Lintin, we intend to order her up with- out delay ; and, as the officers stationed at the different forts, never having seen a travelling boat of this description, may entertain erroneous ideas re- garding her, and may attempt to impede her passage up the river, which might terminate in disaster, the motive of our now addressing you is to re- quest the favor of your forwarding a true statement to the government officers, in order to preclude the possibility of misunderstanding or trouble. " Being all personally known to you, it is superfluous to assure you of our peaceable dispositions and the rectitude of our intentions. "Our boat is purely a passage-boat, and no cargo can ever be admitted. Neither is she provided with a defensive weapon of any description, such is * Canton Register, December 29, 1835. HISTOK Y OF STEAM NA VI GA TION. 131 our unbounded confidence in the protection of the Imperial government. Any officer doubting our statement can satisfy himself by personal inspec- tion. "The regularity of communication thus established will leave no induce- ment to resort any longer to Chinese fast-boats for the conveyance of letters or passengers, which has so frequently led to petitioning at the city gate, re- moving at once one of the chief sources of trouble to the Hong merchants as well as to ourselves. " The boat is expected at Canton in seven days, when we shall be happy to see you, sir, or any gentleman of your honorable country, on board. " With compliments we affix our names. " We herein state her length 85 feet, beam 17 feet, draft of water, 6 feet. Reduced to Chinese feet in the Chinese letter, being 70 feet length, 14 beam, 6 draft of water." To this letter the Hong merchants replied : " We respectfully inform you, benevolent elder brethren, that yesterday we received your letter, the contents of which we immediately submitted to Tuhheen. Now, we have received the Tuhheen's reply, which we have faith- fully transcribed, and we present it praying that you, benevolent elder brethren, will all inform yourselves thereof. You, gentlemen, and the established authorities of your honorable country, should obey the orders that the said steamship is not permitted to enter the port. When there are letters, ships' boats, as heretofore, should be ordered to make a clear report and bring them up for delivery. We earnestly request your particular attention to this matter. Directed to Mr. Jardine and the constituted gentlemen for their information. " Signed by tyootaeyung, and ten others. "llth moon, 6th day, 25th December, 1835." The acting governor also wrote to Hong merchants in reply to the peti- tion of the foreign merchants : " Ke, Guardian of the Prince, Acting Governor-general cf the two Kwang, Seunfoo of Kwantung, proclaims to the Hong merchants, who have presented the petition of the English foreign merchant Tanele (Daniel) and the others in reply " I have examined, and find that each ship of every nation arriving in the Chinese waters (of Canton province) have hitherto been cargo-ships, and, consequently, they have been permitted to come up to Whampoa ; with these exceptions, ships are not allowed to enter the port. As the ships that re- main at anchor in the offing have letters for delivery and such-like business, heretofore it has been the custom to order ships' boats to make a clear re- port at the custom-houses, and then allow them to enter the port ; these are the reported and fixed regulations. Now, as the English have brought hither a steamship, it is proper to manage the affair agreeably to the regula- 132 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. tions. The said Hong merchants must immediately transmit the orders to the foreigner of the said steamship, that if he has letters he should order ships' boats to make a clear report, and then enter the port and deliver the letters, he must not hastily bring in the steamship; if he presumes obstinately to disobey, I, the Acting-Governor, have already issued orders to all the forts that when the steamship arrives they are to open a thundering fire and at- tack her. On the whole, since he has arrived within the boundaries of the Celestial Dynasty, it is right that we should obey the laws of the Celestial Dynasty. I order the said foreigner to ponder this well and act in trem- bling obedience thereto. "TAOUKWANG, 15th year, llth moon, 6th day, 25th December, 1835." Hoppo followed this letter with this edict three days later : "Pang, by Imperial appointment Controller- General of the Customs at Canton, per hour, and should be preferred to larger ones, as they would be less liable to damage from the shock to which they might be exposed when the vessel should come at her full speed in contact with the enemy. " Let those who are curious or doubtful of the efficiency of this plan cal- culate the effect which would be produced on a stationary body by a con- cussion so violent as would be occasioned by a stroke of the prow of this massive vessel. To make it apparent that the strongest ships in the world are entirely inadequate to resist such force, it need only be observed that they seldom come in contact with each other with any violence without sinking or sustaining a most destructive degree of damage. " Ancient as well as modern history furnishes us with many proofs of the decided effects of this mode of attack. The Romans and Carthaginians were in the .practice of running into each other's vessels at their greatest speed, impelled by their oars ; and it is recorded of them that when they found their enemies entangled with their friends, so as to render them sta- tionary for the moment of their assault, that it seldom failed to produce that description of destruction contemplated by the adoption of this invention ; but the power of steam and the solid construction of this vessel would give this mode of attack a decided advantage over all other attempts of a similar nature ever heretofore resorted to, and beyond a doubt insure success. " The proof of the effects of an attack made by a whale on the ship * Essex' of New Bedford, in the year 1819, is conclusive that no construction of a ship now known could resist the shock of such a vessel as the one I have described. A circumstance not very dissimilar occurred to Captain Jones, in the United States ship ' Peacock,' in the Pacific Ocean. " The instances of destruction occasioned to vessels by one running into another are too numerous to admit of a doubt that if the plan recommended above should be adopted on a proper scale, it could never fail of effecting its object. " The rudder is attached to the centre vessel, and must be moved by a wheel, which may be placed on the upper surface of the centre vessel, under the roof or main covering^ either forward or aft; but I should prefer its being aft, and it should be considerably forward and lower down than in ordinary cases. A breast-work should be raised aft, for the protection of officers and others; also for the chimneys and steam-pipes, in their proper places, which should be circular. "The timber alluded to in the above description is the white pine, 'PinusStrobui,' poplar, ' Liriodendron Tulipifera,' and some species of the gum, none of which exceed four-tenths of the gravity of water. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 137 " The prow mentioned in the first part of this description is not of such a form as I would either use myself or recommend to those whom I would allow to use my invention : that form might become fixed in the body as- sailed, but the form represented by the drawing will surely clear itself. " In speaking of the different presentations of the prow and its momentum,, it is to be considered as in contact with a solid body. "Dimensions, etc., of the steam prow-ship: Length. Width. Depth. Number of feet. feet. feet. Cubic Feet. " Middle vessel ... 150 20 30 90,000 Side vessels . . each 125 12 30 both 90,000 Number of cubic feet in the three vessels, 180,000. Weight of each cubic foot of white pine in the three vessels, 24 pounds. Specific gravity of the three vessels, 4,320,000 pounds, or 1,963 tons. Specific gravity of the three vessels multiplied by their velocity gives, as the whole mo- mentum of the three vessels, 43,200,000 pounds. Momentum on each foot of the prow, 900,000 pounds." 1836. STEAM TOW-BOATS ON THE DELAWARE. Steam tow-boats were introduced upon the Delaware in 1836, as appears from the following advertisement which appeared in the first number of the Philadelphia^ Ledger March 25, 1836 : " PHILADELPHIA STEAM Tow-BoAT Co. "A meeting of the stockholders will be held on Saturday evening next, at the room of the Board of Trade, in the Exchange, at 7 o'clock. " Merchants generally, who take an interest in facilitating the navigation of the Delaware by means of steam tow-boats, are respectfully invited to attend. " By order of the Board of Directors, " D. B. STACEY, Secretary." 1836. REGISTERED STEAM VESSELS OF GREAT BRITAIN. The number of registered steam-vessels in Great Britain in 1836 was three hundred and ninety-seven. One hundred and fifty-three were under fifty tons, and one hundred and eighteen more under one hundred tons. The number above one hundred tons was one hundred and twenty-six. The largest, the "Monarch," of London,, measured only five hundred and eighty-seven, and no other exceeded four hundred tons. The newspapers of this year speak of " an immense steam-frigate, to be called the ' Gorgon,' to be built in London. She is to be eleven hundred tons, and will carry twelve guns, and is larger than the old seventy-fours." In 1837 the number and tonnage of steam-vessels belonging to the British empire distinguishing British possessions in Europe from the British plan- tations, was 138 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIOA TION. Vessels. Ton-nage. England, 432 37> 2 4O Scotland, 109 13,368 Ireland, . 87 18,437 Total for United Kingdom, . . 618 69,045 Isles of Guernsey, Jersey, and Man, ... 6 832 British Plantations 44 8,411 Total for all, 668 78,288 THE FIRST PRACTICAL SCREW STEAMERS. 1836. Captain John Ericsson,* a native of Sweden, who had for some time previous to the date of his patent for propelling vessels been a resident in England, and was well known as a mechanician of originality and skill, ob- tained a patent in England, July 13, 1836, for a spiral propeller consisting of two broad thin hoops with eight fans, each fixed on a shaft, the outer hoop re- volving in a contrary direction and at a greater velocity to the inner one. This propeller was to be entirely submerged abaft the rudder, the shaft passing through the stern-post; the rudder was divided into two parts, con- nected by a strong iron stay on each side, having a wide bend to allow the rudder to traverse clear of the shaft. Before the construction of his first vessel Captain Ericsson -experimented in a circular bath in London with a model boat, which was propelled by a screw. This model boat was fitted with a small engine supplied with steam by a pipe leading from a steam-boiler over the cenfre of the bath and descending to within a foot of the water-line, where it was branched off by a swivel-joint and connected with the engine in the boat. Steam being admitted in this pipe, the engine in the boat was put in action, and motion was thus communicated to the propeller. This model, though less than three feet long, performed its voy- age about the basin at the rate of upwards of three miles an hour. His next step in the invention was the construction of a wooden boat forty-five feet long, eight feet beam, three feet draught of water, with two propellers, each five feet two inches in diameter. So successful was this ex- periment that when steam was turned on for the first time the boat moved at once upwards often miles an hour without any alteration in her machin- ery. This vessel was named by the inventor the " Francis B. Ogden," in compliment to the United States Consul at Liverpool, who was the first to appreciate and encourage his efforts. The vessel was built at Wapping, by Mr. Gulliver, boat-builder, and was constructed solely for the purpose of testing Ericsson's propeller. * Eric is in Scandinavian countries the same as Enrico in Italian, Enrique in Spanish, Heinrich in German, Henri in French, and Henry in English. So that Mr. Ericsson may be called Mr. Henryson. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 139 The following description of her motive power was published in the Lon- don Mechanics' Magazine for June, 1837 : " The propelling apparatus is placed at the stern, and works entirely under the water. It consists of a peculiar application of the old and well-known principle of the water screw, by which a great propelling power is concen- trated in a small space. Of the degree of power concentrated no better proof can be adduced than the fact that the speed of- 4i knots, against wind and tide, was produced by an apparatus measuring only 5 feet 2 inches in diameter and 2 feet 2 inches wide, weighing only 615 pounds, and worked by a high-pressure engine having 2 cylinders of 14 inches stroke and 12 inches diameter, and which, during the experiment, made only 60 strokes per minute, and showed a pressure of not more than 50 pounds to the square inch. The new propelling apparatus consists of two short cylinders of thin wrought iron supported by arms of a peculiar form, which are placed en- tirely under {he water at the stern and made to revolve in contrary direc- tions round a common centre. To the outer periphery of each cylinder is attached a series of spiral planes or plates, which may be placed at any angle^ according to the effect sought to be obtained, whether it be great speed or great propelling power. " The apparatus may be made to ship and unship at pleasure; the engine that works it may also be loco-movable, so as to be worked upon deck and any part of the deck ; and in these two peculiarities we are inclined to think the chief advantage of this new step in steam navigation will be found to consist. Sailing-vessels may by this means command all the aid that steam can give them without divesting themselves of any of their peculiar fitness for long sea voyages or undergo any change in their original construction."* As noticed, the "Ogden" when first tried, April, 1837, upon the Thames, attained a speed of ten miles an hour. She subsequently towed schooners of one hundred and forty tons seven miles an hour, and the American packet-ship " Toronto," of six hundred and fifty tons register, at the rate of more than five English miles an hour, according to the following certificate : " PACKET-SHIP ' TORONTO,' " IN THE THAMES, 28th May, 1837. " We feel pleasure in certifying that your experimental steamboat, the * Francis B. Ogden,' has this morning towed our ship at the rate of 43 knots through the water, and against tide. " E. NASHLY, Pilot, " H. R. HOOEY, Mate. " To CAPTAIN ERICSSON." The London engineers looked upon the experiment with silent neglect, and when the subject was laid before the British Admiralty it failed to * Vol. xxvii, p. 130. 140 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. attract its favorable notice. Accounts of the experiments, with favorable mention appeared in the Times, and other public journals ; also in the Civil En-gineer's and Architect 1 s Journal, the London Journal of Arts and Sciences, the London Mechanics' Magazine, and similar publications. Perceiving its peculiar and admirable fitness for ships-of-war, Ericsson was confident that the Lords of the Admiralty would at once order the construction of a war-steamer on the new principle. He therefore invited them to an ex- cursion in tow of his experimental boat. Accordingly, the -Admiralty barge was ordered to Somerset House, and Ericsson's little steamer was lashed alongside of it. A lecture before the Boston Lyceum in December, 1843, by John O. Sar- gent, supplies the following graphic description of the trip : " The barge contained Sir Charles Adam, Senior Lord of the Admiralty ; Sir William Symonds, Surveyor of the British Navy ; Sir Edward Parry, the Commander of the Second British North Pole Expedition ; Captain Beaufort, the Hydrographer of the Royal Navy ; and other scientific and naval officers. " In anticipation of a severe scrutiny from so distinguished a personage as the chief constructor of the British navy, the inventor had carefully pre- pared plans of his mode of propulsion, which were spread on the damask cloth of the magnificent barge. To his utter astonishment, as we may well imagine, this scientific gentleman* did not appear to take the slightest in- terest in his explanations. On the contrary, with those expressive shrugs of the shoulder and shakes of the head which convey so much without abso- lutely committing the actor, with an occasional sly, mysterious, undertone remark to his colleagues, he indicated plainly that though his humanity would not permit him to give a worthy man cause for unhappiness, yet ' he could an' if he would' demonstrate by a single word the utter futility of the invention. " Meanwhile the little steamer proceeded at a steady progress of ten miles an houi; through the arches of the Southwark and London bridges towards Limehouse, and the steam-engine manufactory of the Messrs. Seward. Their lordships having landed and inspected the huge piles of the marine engines intended for his Majesty's steamers, with a look at their favorite propelling apparatus, the ' Morgan paddle-wheel,' re-embarked, and were safely re- turned to Somerset House by the noiseless and unseen propeller of the new steamer. " On parting, Sir Charles Adam, with a sympathizing air, shook Ericsson cordially by the hand, and thanked him for the trouble he had been at in showing him and his friends this interesting experiment, adding that he feared he had put himself to too great an expense and trouble. Notwith- standing this ominous ending of the day's excursion, Ericsson felt confident that their lordships would not fail to perceive the importance of the inven- * Sir William Symonds. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 141 tion. To his surprise, however, a few days afterwards a letter written by Captain Beaufort, at the suggestion, probably, of the Lords of the Admir- alty, was put into his hands, in which that gentleman, who had witnessed the experiment, expressed his regret that their lordships had been very much disappointed at its results. The reason was altogether inexplicable to the inventor ; for the speed attained at the trial far exceeded anything that had been accomplished by any paddle-wheel steamer on so small a scale. " An accident soon relieved his astonishment. The subject having been started at a dinner-table where a friend of Ericsson was present, Sir William Symonds ingeniously remarked that * even if the propeller had the power of propelling a vessel, it would be found altogether useless in practice, because the power being applied in the stern, it would be absolutely impossible to make the vessel steer.' It may not be obvious to every one how this naval philosopher derived his conclusion ; but his hearers doubtless acquiesed in his oracular proposition, and were amused at the idea of ' undertaking to steer a vessel when the power was applied in her stern.' " But we may well excuse the British Admiralty for exhibiting no interest in the invention when the engineering corps of the empire arrayed itself in opposition to it, alleging that it was constructed upon erroneous principles and was full of practical defects ; regarding its failure as too certain to au- thorize any speculation of its success. The plan of screw propulsion was specially submitted to many distinguished engineers, and publicly discussed in the scientific journals; and there was scarcely any one but the inventor who refused to acquiesce in the numerous demonstrations proving the vast loss of mechanical power which must attend the substitute for the old-fash- ioned paddle-wheel." In August, 1837, a lithograph of the apparatus of the " F. B. Ogden" was published in London. The machinery was subsequently removed and ap- plied to other purposes. THE NOVELTY. In the winter of 1837 the "Novelty," a canal boat, was fitted with Ericsson's propeller, and sent to ply on the canal between Man- chester and London, England. The propellers were but two feet six inches in diameter, and were driven by an engine of ten horse-power ; nevertheless, the boat realized a speed of eight or nine miles an hour. This is the first screw-boat ever employed for commercial purposes, but in a short time she was laid up, owing to the failure of her owners. Although Ericsson's invention was treated with indifference by the high- est naval scientific authority of England, Mr. Ogden did not lose his interest or belief in it. He was distinguished for his attainments in mechanical science, and is entitled to the honor of having first applied the principle of the expansive power of steam, and of having originated the idea of right- angular cranks'for marine engines. His practical experience and long study of the subject for he was the first to stem the waters of the Ohio and Mis- sissippi, and first to navigate the ocean by steam alone enabled him at once to perceive the truth of the inventor's demonstrations. 142 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. Other circumstances consoled Ericsson for the rejection of his propeller by the Admiralty. The subject was brought to the notice of Captain Robert F. Stockton, IT. S. N., then in London, who was induced to accompany the inventor on one of his experimental trips on the Thames. Captain Stockton must be credited with being the first naval officer who dared to act upon the suggestions of Ericsson as to the application of his propeller to ships-of-war. He saw the importance of the invention, and his acute judgment enabled him to predict it was destined to work a revolution in naval architecture. After making a trip in the " Ogden," from London Bridge to Greenwich, he ordered Mr. Ericsson to build for him forthwith two iron boats, for the United States, with steam machinery and propeller on the plan rejected by the British Admiralty. " I do not want," said Captain Stockton, " the opinions of scientific men : what I have seen this day satisfies me." At a dinner at Greenwich Captain Stockton made several predictions respecting the new invention, all of which have been realized. To the inventor he said, in words of no unmeaning compliment, " We will make your name ring on the Delaware as soon as we get the propeller there." Captain Stockton not only ordered, on his own account, two iron boats, but at once brought the subject before the government of the United States, and had numerous plans and models made at his own expense, explaining the peculiar fitness of the new invention for ships-of-war. So completely was he persuaded of its importance, and so determined his views should be carried out, that he assured the inventor the government of the United States would test the propeller on a large scale ; Ericsson was so confident that the perseverence and energy of Captain Stockton would accomplish all he promised that he abandoned his professional engagements in England and set out for the United States at once. THE ENTERPRISE. Before leaving England, however, he built for Mr. John Thomas Woodhouse an iron sffrew propeller, which was named the " Enterprise," to run as a passenger-boat on the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal. Her length was about 70 feet; beam, 7 feet; and her engine about 14 horse-power; her speed, from 9 to 10 miles an hour. She commenced run- ning on the canal in August, 1839, and having run the season through without profit was afterwards used as a steam-tug on the Trent and Mersey. The Naval Magazine for November, 1837, published at New York under the auspices of the United States Naval Lyceum, and which contains a de- scriptions and drawing of Ericsson's propeller for steamboats, says: "We do it from a conviction that this ingenious engineer has discovered a most valu- able improvement in the mode of propelling vessels by steam," and adds, " If it succeeds on a large scale as well as it has on the trials already, it must craate an entire revolution in the mode of propelling by steam" 1838. THE ROBERT F. STOCKTON. The iron vessel birilt for Captain Stockton was launched from the yard of Messrs. Laird & Co., of Birken- head, the 7th of July, 1838, and named the " Robert F. Stockton." A HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI GA TION. 148 drawing of this vessel as rigged for her voyage across the Atlantic illustrates " Woodcroft's History of Steam Navigation." On a trial below Blackwall the 12th of January, 1839, in the presence of thirty gentlemen, a distance of nine miles (over the land) was passed with the tide in thirty-five minutes, proving her speed in the water to be between eleven and twelve miles an hour. The " Stockton " was 70 feet long, had 10 feet beam, and drew 6 feet 9 inches of water. The diameter of her pro- peller was 6 feet 4 inches. To test the power of her propeller, she was made to tow four coal barges with upright'sides and square ends, each of fifteen feet beam and drawing four au'd three-quarter feet of water, from Southwark to Waterloo Bridge. Steam being set on, full speeed was attained in one minute, and the distance between the bridges, which is precisely one mile, was performed in eleven minutes. Considering the square form of the barges, and that they presented to- gether 58 feet 1 onch beam, with an average draft of 4 feet 4 inches, besides the sectional area of the steamer, which was 53 square feet, and that the propeller, only 6 feet 4 inches in diameter, occupied less than 2 feet 6 inches in length behind the stern of the boat, the result was considered very satisfactory. The "Robert F. Stockton" left England for the United States early in April, 1839, under the command of Captain Crane. Her crew comprised four men and a boy. She was forty days making the passage under sail, and for his daring in crossing the Atlantic in this small vessel Captain Crane was presented with the freedom of the city of New York. Her ma- chinery was arranged so that either one or two propellers could be used. In her experiment on the Thames she was worked with a single propeller. THE NEW JERSEY. In 1840 Captain Stockton sold the "R. F. Stockton" to the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company, permission having been ob- tained, by a special act of Congress, to run her in American waters, her name at the same time being changed to that of " New Jersey." From that date she was in constant employment as a steam-tug on the Delaware and Schuylkill, both winter and summer, as she was the only vessel capable of towing through the drift ice, paddle-wheel steamers being of little use for that purpose. The " New Jersey" was the first screw-propeller vessel prac- tically used in America, although numerous unsuccessful experiments with the screw had been previously made. In the autumn of 1839, Ericsson came to the United States, and stilj. lives in a green old age to plan new and to perfect his old inventions on steam nav- igation. Before he had been long in America he had an opportunity of introducing his propeller into the United States navy. THE PRINCETON. The "Princeton" war-steamer was built and fitted with Ericsson's screw ; the engines also designed by him were so constructed as to lie beneath the water-line, and therefore more out of reach of shot. 144 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIOA TION. These were the first engines made upon this principle, and we believe her engines, though compact and eminently successful, have never been duplicated in any other vessel in the United States.* THE " POMONE." When Ericsson left England he consigned his interests to the guardianship of Count Adolph E. de Rosen, and in 1843 Count Rosen received an order from the French government to fit a forty- four-gun-frigate, the " Pomone," with a propeller on Ericsson's plan, with engines of two hundred and twenty horse-power, which were to be kept below the water-line. In 1844 the English government had the " Amphion" frigate fitted on the same plan, with engines of three hundred horse-power. ^ These were the first engines in Europe which were kept below the water-line. They were also the first direct-acting horizontal engines employed to give motion to the screw. Both vessels were completely successful. 1836. SMITH'S ARCHIMEDEAN SCREW. In 1835 Francis P. Smith, a farmer at Hendon, first directed his attention to screw propulsion. In the spring of 1836 he obtained the co-operation of Mr. Wright, a banker, and his first patent was granted the 31st of May, 1836. A model boat, con- structed under his supervision and fitted with a wooden screw, was then exhibited in operation upon a pond on his farm at Hendon and at the Adelaide Gallery in London. At the Adelaide Gallery it was inspected by Sir John Barrow, the Secretary of the Admiralty, and Messrs. Harris & Bell, of Alexandria, offered to purchase the invention for the Pasha of Egypt ; but their offer was declined. The results with the model boat were so satisfactory that in the autumn of 1836 Mr. Smith and his friends constructed a boat of six tons burthen, and about six horse-power, to further demonstrate the advantages of the invention. This boat was fitted with a wooden screw of two turns. On the 1st of November, 1836, she was exhibited to the public in operation on the Paddington Canal, and continued to ply there and on the Thames until the month of September, 1837. During one of her trips on the Paddington Canal, in February, 1837, an accident occurred which first pointed out the advantage of diminishing the length of the screw. The propeller having come in contact with some object in the water, about one-half of its length was broken away, and no sooner had this been done than the boat quickened her speed and was found to realize a better performance than before. In consequence of this discovery, a new screw was fitted, of a single turn, and with the vessel thus improved, very satisfactory results were obtained. Although these experiments established the eligibility of the screw as a propeller for canal and river vessels, nothing had yet been done that was known or remembered to show that it was applicable to vessels navigating the sea. To this point, therefore, Mr. Smith directed his atten- tion, and he determined to carry his small vessel to sea with the view of * A full description of the " Princeton " will be found in the next chapter. HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI GA TION. 145 * ascertaining if she would there exhibit the same efficiency displayed in canal and river navigation. Accordingly, on a Saturday evening, September, 1837, he proceeded in his miniature vessel from Blackvvall to Gravesend, and having at three in the morning taken in a pilot, went on to Ramsgate, and reached that place during divine service. From Ramsgate he proceeded to Dover, where a trial of the vessel's performance was made in the presence of Mr. John Wright and Mr. Peak, civil engineer. From Dover he went on to Folkestone, and thence to Hythe, returning again to Folkestone. The dis- tance between Hythe and Folkestone, about five miles, was accomplished in three-quarters of an hour. On the 25th of September he returned to Lon- don, in weather so stormy and boisterous that it was accounted dangerous for any vessel of se small a size to put to sea. The courage of the under- taking, and the unexpected efficiency of tie propeller, rendered the little vessel during this voyage an object of great interest; and her progress was watched with solicitude from the cliffs by nautical and naval men, who were loud in their praises. These favorable impressions reached the Admiralty, and produced a visible effect there. In March, 1838, the Lords of the Admiralty requested Mr. Smith to have the vessel tried under their inspection.* Two trials were accordingly made which were considered satisfactory ; and thenceforth the adoption of the propeller for the naval service was deemed riot improbable. Before finally deciding, however, upon the adoption of the propeller, the Lords of the Admiralty considered it desirable that an experiment should be made with a vessel of at least two hundred tons, and Mr. Smith and the gentlemen associated with him in the enterprise accordingly resolved to con- struct the " Archimedes." 1839. THE "ARCHIMEDES." This vessel, of two hundred and thirty-seven tons burthen, was designed by Mr. Pascoe, laid down in the spring of 1838, and launched on the 18th of October following, and made her first trip in 1839. She was fitted up with a screw of one convolution, which was set in the dead- wood, and was propelled by two engines of the collective power of ninety horses. Her cost was ten thousand five hundred pounds. She was built under the persuasion t^at her performance would be considered satisfactory if a speed was attained of four or five knots an hour, and that in such an event the invention would be immediately adopted for the service of the navy. Nearly twice that speed was actually obtained. After various trials on the Thames and at Sheerness, the "Archimedes," on the 15th of May, 1839, proceeded to sea. She made the trip from Gravesend to Portsmouth, under adverse circumstances of wind and water, in twenty hours. At Portsmouth she was tried against the " Vulcan," one of the swiftest steam vessels in Her Majesty's service. The trial took place before Admiral Fleming, Captain Crispin, and other competent au- * This was a year or more after their trip in Ericsson's " F. B. Ogden." 10 146 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. i thorities, who acquired from the result a high opinion of the efficiency of the scmv as a propeller, which they expressed in writing to Mr. Smith. The following description of the "Archimedes" is from a newspaper of the time :* "The 'Archimedes' is rigged as a three-masted schooner, with her masts raking. Her length is 125 feet ; average draught of water, 10 feet ; capacity, 240 tons ; power of engines, 80 horses. " The mode of propulsion may be said to be by a portion only of the Archimedean screw. When the vessel was first tried, a full turn of that species of screw was employed. The inventor afterwards, for the sake of compactness, introduced the double-threaded screw, with half a turn of each thread, as more applicable to this vessel, although he prefers the other. This is of iron, and is fixed in an opening on the run of the vessel, above the keel, and about ten feet forward from the rudder. The screw works transversely with the keel, radiating the water all round as it turns with a backward movement. Its diameter is five feet nine inches, and the length fore and aft about five feet. It almost appears incredible that so small a portion of machinery could propel a vessel of such length ; but the hold it takes of the water, and the velocity with which it turns, are the elements of its power. It is quite under the surface, and is therefore invisible to spec- tators, either on board or on shore. It is worked by a spindle forming its axle, which runs fore and aft and is connected with the steam-engine, the velocity being acquired by a combination of spur-wheels and pinions. Each revolution of the larger wheel turned by the cranks of the engines gives, by the multiplied power, five and one-third revolutions of the screw, which con- sequently revolves at the rate of from one hundred and thirty to one hun- dred and fifty turns in a minute, according to the speed of the engine. In consequence of the powerful stream thus propelled against the rudder, the ship is actually found to obey the helm much more readily, and to be there- fore more under command in steering, than either a common steam or sail- ing-vessel; so that she can easily turn round in one and a quarter or one and a half of her own length, while it is well known that an ordinary steamer cannot do so with the paddles in less than six times 'her length.f The shafts of the steam-engine work fore and aft, the cranks turning transversely, so as to communicate the power directly, by cog-wheels, to the screw ; and there is one considerable advantage arising from this arrangement of the machinery, namely, that the cylinders, and in fact the whole weight of the engine, rests immediately over the keel, where the vessel is the least liable to strain- ing or twisting from the effects of undue pressure. The larger wheel is toothed or cogged with horn-beam (timber). "The action of the screw is different from the operation of ' sculling,' in * The Inverness Courier. j- This was a confounding answer to Sir William Symond's opinion of Ericsson's boat, " It would be absolutely impossible to make the vessel steer." HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 147 the particular that in sculling there are but two motions, the chief force be- ing derived from the lateral ; whereas the screw exerts an equal degree of power for every part of its surface towards the periphery in the direction of the radii. The successive columns of water, as fast as presented, are forced away by the act of rotation, pretty much as the earth is turned away from the mold-board of a plow. The action of the screw may be said to bear the same relation to ' sculling' which the use of paddle-wheels does to the ordi- nary mode of propulsion by oars. " The 'Archimedes' has made several trips and works well. Her speed is not quite so great as that of a first-rate steamboat in calm weather, but this is believed to result from the fact that her engines are on a new principle, and made by an inexperienced engineer. The full power of the boat is eighty horse-power, but in reality they do not work up to more than sixty. " One of the greatest advantages of this invention, as applicable to all de- scriptions of shipping, is the circumstance that the screw may be thrown out of gear in two minutes and the vessel be put under sail alone. The screw is then turned by the motion of the vessel, but the drag is not more than half a mile in ten. Even the drag itself admits of being removed, as provi- sion is made for totally unshipping the screw and bringing it upon deck. " The advantages of the screw over paddle-wheels in ocean-steamers, it will be readily seen, must be very great. The leaning over of the ship often throws one of the paddle-wheels out of water and immerses the other too deeply. The screw is always in the water. The saving of fuel will be con- siderable, as the fires may be extinguished on board a ship propelled by the screw and the vessel used as a sailing-ship when the wind is full and fair. As a vessel of war the advantages would be palpable. This opinion has been expressed by officers of the royal navy who have witnessed the performance of the 'Archimedes.' When it is recollected that this invention is yet in its infancy, and that the 'Archimedes' is the first vessel on a large scale that has been constructed on the new principle, we may readily infer that the introduction of the screw in the construction of steamers is destined to work an important change in one of the most essential features of naval architec- ture." Soon after this the "Archimedes" had to jreturn to London, an accident having occurred to her boilers, and new boilers were fitted, which occupied five months. She was then sent to the Texel, by request of the Dutch gov- ernment, whose interest her performances had excited ; but on the way she broke the crank-shaft of one of her engines. She was consequently put into the hands of Messrs. Miller, Ravenhill & Co. for a complete repair, and at the same time the form of her screw was altered by dividing the one whole turn into two half turns, which, being placed on the opposite sides of the axis, gave to the propeller the character of a double-threaded screw of half a turn. In April, 1840, the Admiralty dispatched Captain Chappell, of the Royal Navy, and Mr. Lloyd, Chief Engineer of the Woolwich dockyard, to conduct a series of experiments upon the vessel at Dover. These experi- 148 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. meiits were carried on during April and May, and the speed of the "Archi- medes" was tested relatively with that of the mail packets on the Dover station. The result was a highly favorable report to the Admiralty, stating that the success of this new method of propulsion had been completely proven. Immediately after these experiments the vessel was placed at the disposal of Captain Chappell, who, accompanied by Mr. Smith, performed in her the circumnavigation of Great Britain, visiting every seaport of im- portance. Everywhere the vessel became an object of wonder and admira- tion. Heretofore engineers had been almost unanimous in opinion that a screw would occasion a loss of power from the obliquity of .its action, and the consequent dispersion of the water, and concluded, therefore, that it would be ineligible as a propeller. But it was impossible for them to resist facts such as the performance of the "Archimedes" afforded. The London Nautical Magazine at this time took decided ground against the screw as a means of propulsion in the following article: " PADDLE-WHEEL versus SCREW. Trial of Strength.^-A few days ago the following experiment was made in the river to test the power of the Archi- medean screw, as compared with the common paddle-wheel, in presence of Mr. Fawcet, the eminent steam-engine builder of Liverpool, Mr. Barnes, and other gentlemen. The 'Archimedes,' with Mr. Smith's screw propeller, and the ' William Gunston' tug-boat, with common paddles, were lashed together, stern to stern, with an interval between them of from twenty to thirty fett. The former vessel has two engines of twenty-five horse power each ; the latter, two of twenty. "The 'Archimedes' was employed to tow the 'William Gunston' with her engines and paddle-wheels in a state of rest, and this she did with ease, the object of this preliminary trial being to ascertain that the working efficiency of the screw was not impaired by the relative position of the two vessels. The steam was then let op to the engines of the ' William Gunston,' and a fair trial of strength commenced between them In a little while the 'Archimedes' was seen to have lost all power over her rival ; a minute or two more and the ' William Gunston' was tugging the 'Archimedes' after her in spite of the superior engine power employed on the opposite direction, and in spite also of the aid of her much-lauded screw propeller, at first slowly, and as it were intermittingly, but at a constantly increased rate of speed, till at last it reached the usual tug- boat speed of from eight to nine knots per hour. " So complete and convincing an experiment, as recorded in the above extract from the Mechanic's Magazine* must indeed have been a most inter- esting sight, the result of which has fully confirmed our opinion of Mr. Smith's invention, as being one of those that are theoretically most ingeni- * Vol. xxxii. p. 149, No. 885, for July. HIS TOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 149 ous, but in practice deficient. In the midst of the laudatory accounts of the doings of the 'Archimedes,' which followed her all round the coast, we briefly recorded our opinion among our ' Shakings,' and that too in spite of her beating an old government steamer at Liverpool. We ask then, * Where is the power of the "Archimedes" to contend with the ocean waves?' And ' echo answers, Where ?' Let her keep to still water, and Mr. Smith's pro- peller will prove as good in practice as it has in theory. We understand it is being adopted on canals."* After the "Archimedes" had accomplished the circumnavigation of Great Britain, she made a voyage to Oporto. This voyage was performed in sixty- eight and a half hours, and was at the time held to be the quickest on record. She also visited Antwerp and Amsterdam, passed through the North Hol- land Canal, and mafle a great number of trips to other places, leaving everywhere the impression that she had succeeded in demonstrating the practicability of propelling vessels by a screw in an efficient manner. She was next loaned to Mr. Brunei, who fitted her with screws of several differ- ent forms, and performed various experiments with her at Bristol. The result of his experiments was so satisfactory that the " Great Britain," orig- inally intended to be propelled by paddles, was altered and adapted for the reception of a screw. Meanwhile the Admiralty determined upon adopting the screw for the navy, and in the merchant service an opinion had arisen equally favorable to its eligibility. In 1840 and 1841 the " Princess Koyal" was built at New Castle, the " Margaret" and " Senator" were built at Hull, and the " Great Northern," a vessel of fifteen hundred tons burden, was laid down at Londonderry, in Ireland.f These were merchant screw vessels. In 1841 the "Kattler," the first screw vessel built for the British navy, was laid down at Sheerness as a paddle-wheel steamer, but while on the stocks was changed to a screw steamer. This vessel, of eight hundred and eighty-eight tons burden, was launched in the spring of 1843. The " Rattler" was fitted with a screw in every respect the counterpart of the screw of -the "Archimedes," viz., a double-threaded screw of half a convolution. The length of the screw was subsequently re- duced, and it was found that best results were obtained with a length of screw answering to one-sixth of a convolution. In the years 1843, 1844, and 1845, an extensive series of experiments were made on the " Rattler" upon screws of various forms, and under varying circumstances of wind and water. The performance of the vessel was so satisfactory that the Lords of the Admiralty ordered twenty vessels to be fitted with the screw, under Mr. Smith's superintendence. The screws introduced into these vessels in every case were double-threaded screws, set in the deadwood, after the fashion adopted in the "Archimedes" and the " Rattler." * London Nautical Magazine > September, 1840, j- A description of these vessels will be found in the next chapter. 150 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. Such are the respective merits of Smith and Ericsson in connection with the practical introduction of the screw propeller. Ericsson had the advan- tage in mechanical capacity, and Smith in persistency of character. Ericsson? previous to his connection with the screw, was an accomplished engineer. Smith was only an amateur, with everything except the leading idea to learn. Ericsson's mechanical resources gave him means of overcoming difficulties which Smith did not possess; and Smith had to accept expedients then usual among engineers as his starting point, while Ericsson could reject those expedients in favor of others which his own ingenuity suggested. In bring- ing up the speed of his screw, Smith had to use gearing, as that was the expedient which was approved by orthodox engineers; but Ericsson, throw- ing the dogmas of the engineers to the winds, coupled the engine immedi- ately to the propeller. This comparative destitution of mechanical resources must have added to the difficulties of Smith. Smith's patent was taken out on May 31st, 1836; Ericsson's patent was taken out on the 13th of July, 1836. The first trial of Smith's experimental boat was the 31st of May, 1836, and the first trial of Ericsson's experimental boat was on the 30th of April, 1837. In the summer of 1837, Ericsson exhibited his vessel to the Lords of the Admiralty, but without result, owing, as is alleged, to the anticipated diffi- culty of steering. In September, 1837, Smith carried his vessel to sea, and showed, by repeated experiments, that the objection entertained to Ericsson's plan did not exist in his. Ericsson's vessel appears to have been more effi- cient than Smith's. Its engine power was greater, and the mechanical details- of its construction more perfect. But Smith's vessel was also completely successful. She towed the " British Queen" steamer in the river, and also the "Lord William Bentinck," a heavily-ladened ship, at a speed of two and a half miles an hour, although there was an opposing breeze. Both vessels were therefore successful. 1837. STEAMERS ON THE DANUBE. On the 18th of February, 1837, six steamers launched by the Austrian government commenced running between Pesth and the ports of Lower Hungary. This step was hailed in Germany as an important inception of the entire navigation of the Danube by the Austrian government. Of the steam-packets which were to run between Marseilles and Constan- tinople, and between Marseilles and Alexandria, seven vessels were this year assembled at Toulon. The " Scamandre" was the first vessel to start for Constantinople. She left during the month of April. A Russian steamer left Constantinople for Odessa on the 20th of each month ; fare, twenty-two dollars. An English steamer was running from Constantinople to TrebizoncJ at the beginning and middle of each month, the distance being five hundred and thirty miles. An Austrian steamer, however, placed on that station in May, 1837, made the passage once a week. The steamer "Maria Dorothea" left Constantinople for Smyrna every Monday, and made the voyage in thirty-six hours. An English steamer, the HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 151 " Crescent," made the same passage in thirty hours. The Levant steamer, which had hitherto run between Smyrna and Athens twice a week, made the voyage in about forty-eight hours. The Ionian steamers left Corfu for Zante twice a month, the voyage being made in about fourteen hours. The English steamer left Corfu the 29th of each month, touched at Patras to take the mail, and thence proceeded to Malta, touching at Zante, and on to Falmouth, making the voyage of nineteen hundred miles in about twenty days. Upper cabins in steamers on the great American lakes were first intro- duced in 1837, on board the steamer " Great Western," by Captain Augustus Walker, who died at Buffalo, New York, 1865, aged sixty-five years. 1837. ATLANTIC STEAM NAVIGATION. The Edinburgh Review, in 1837, in a long article on steam navigation across the Atlantic, which was at- tributed to Dr. Lardner, maintained that until further improvements should be made in the construction and management of steam-vessels, or the economy of fuel, it would be impossible, as an ordinary thing, to make a continuous voyage from New York to Liverpool, and especially from Liverpool to New York. The New York Journal of Commerce, in June, 1837, referring to this article, approved of its conclusions, and supported them in a long article, concluding, " Whatever difference of opinion may exist as to the practicability of an Atlantic steam voyage, it must be admitted upon all hands that its extent, for an uninterrupted run, comes to the extreme verge of the possible powers of steam navigation." " To be successful, the nearest points of approach to the Eastern and Western continents should be chosen as the points of arrival and departure, to in- crease the probabilities of success."* The London Nautical Magazine for March, 1837,f says, " The time is fftst approaching when the famous prophecy of the Rev. Dr. Dionysuis Lardner, delivered in Dublin and redelivered in Bristol, 'that it is as easy to go to the moon as to go direct from a* port in England to New York/ will be tested. There are two vessels at present building to run direct from Bristol and London to New York. The Great Western Steamship Company is building a vessel at Bristol, which will probably make her first trip next August. She is intended to carry twenty-five days' coal. The British and American Steam Navigation Company, of London, have contracted for a vessel of seventeen hundred and ninety-five tons. This, the largest steam vessel ever yet propelled, will have a capacity for twenty-five days' fuel, eight hundred tons measurement goods, and five hundred passengers. We sincerely wish both the Bristol vessel and the London one all manner of success ; and when we reflect that sixty thousand people have lauded at New * See Army and Navy Chronicle, June 29, 1837, for the Journal of Commerce articles and several others. f See also Army and Navy Chronicle for April 13, 1837. 152 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. York from January 1 to September 1, and twenty-seven thousand in Quebec last year, the increase that will naturally take place when the passage is shortened to fifteen days instead of thirty-seven, the present outward average of the New York packet ships, we do not think that any of the numerous plans before the public hold out stronger inducements to the capitalists. " It is difficult to calculate the natural benefits that will accrue to both countries by the establishment of steam communication between them. This much we may affirm, it will greatly improve both countries and render per- petual the peace that now happily exists between them." 1837. THE FIRST STEAM WHISTLE. The first steam whistle used upon a, steamboat was on Narragansett Bay, R. I., upon the "King Philip," Captain Thomas Borden, running between Fall River and Providence, in 1837, by Stephen D. Collins. He is still (1882) engineer of the "Canonicus," of the same line, having been in service forty-five years. Having seen a whistle on a locomotive, Mr. Collins ordered one to be made for the "King Philip." It was not liked at first, but its usefulness as a signal led to its rapid adoption. 1838. STEAMBOATS IN U. S. WATERS. A letter prepared by the Secre-. tary of the Treasury of the United States, in answer to a resolution of inquiry of the House of Representatives, 20th of June, 1838, communicated many interesting particulars concerning the employment of steam-vessels in the United States, and the accidents that had happened to them : "The number of accidents resulting in loss of life or much injury to prop- erty from the use of marine steam-engines of every kind in the United States is computed to have been about 260. Of these, 253 are ascertained, and the rest are estimated. Accidents, by explosions and other disasters to ste*amboats, appear to have constituted a great portion of the whole, and are estimated tcfhave equalled 230, two hundred and fifteen of which are ascer- tained. The first of these is believed to have occurred in the 'Washington,' on the Ohio River, in 1816. "Since the employment of steamboats in the United States it is computed that 1300 have been built here. About 260 of these have been lost by acci- dent, as many as 240 worn out, and the rest are running. " The largest boat in the United States is the ' Natchez,' of 860 tons, and about 300 horse-power, designed to run between New York and the Missis- sippi. The 'Illinois' and the ' Mattison,' on Lake Erie, are next in size, the first being 755 and the last 700 tons. The 'Massachusetts,' on Long Island Sound, is the next, being 626 tons, and the 'Buffalo,' on Lake Erie, next largest, being 613 tons. "The largest boats passing Louisville in 1837 were the 'Uncle Sam,' of 490 tons, and the 'Mogul,' of 414 tons; below Louisville the 'Mediterranean,' of 490 tons, and 'North America,' of 445 tons, on the Ohio, and the 'St. Louis,' of 550 tons, on the Mississippi, were running. "The whole number of steamboats ascertained and estimated to be in this HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 153 country (1838) is 800. In England, in 1836, the whole number of steam- boats in that country was computed to have been 600. On the AVestern and Southwestern waters near 400 were supposed to be running in 1838> where none were used till 1811, and where, in 1834, the number was com- puted to be but 234. On the Ohio River, in 1837, 413 steamboats are re- ported to have passed through the Louisville and Portland Canal, not in- cluding many below and above, which never passed through. It is deserv- ing of notice that of the 413 near 60 went out of use by accidents, decay, etc., within the year ; and 104 of the others were new, and many of them were probably destined to run on other rivers. As an illustration of the rapid increase of steamboat business on the Ohio, the steamboat passages through the Louisville Canal increased from 406, in 1831, to 1,501, in 1837, or about fourfold in six years. Seventy boats were running in 1870 on the Northwestern lakes, where a few years since the number was very small, having been as late as 1835 only twenty-five. Of the 800 steamboats now in the United States the greatest number ascertained to be in any State is 140, in the State of New York. "The tonnage of all the*steamboats in the United States is computed to exceed 155,473. Of this, 137,473 is in boats reported. By the official re- turns, the whole tonnage now would probably equal near 160,000 tons, having been in 1837 153,660. Many boats included in those returns have since been lost or worn out, and several new ones have been built. "The tonnage of each boat averages about 200, and the estimates, where the returns have been defective, were on that basis. In England the ton- nage is estimated to have been 67,969 in 1836. " The greatest loss of life on any one occasion in a steamboat was by a collision, and the consequent sinking of the 'Monmouth/ in 1837, on the Mississippi, when 300 lives were lost. The next greatest were by the ex- plosions of the ' Oronoka,' in 1838, on the Mississippi, by which 130 (or more) lives were lost; and of the ' Moselle,' at Cincinnati, Ohio, by which between 100 and 120 persons were destroyed. The greatest injury to life by acci- dents to boats from snags and sawyers appear to have been 13 lost, in 1834, on the ' St. Louis,' on the Mississippi River. The greatest by shipwreck was in the 'Home,' in 1837, on the coast of North Carolina, when one hundred persons perished. The greatest by fire happened in the ' Ben Sherrod,' on the Mississippi River, in 1837, when near 130 perished. The number of steamboats built in the United States in 1834 was 88 ; in 1837 it was 184, having increased over 200 per cent, in three years. The greatest number of steamboats and other steam-machines appear to have been constructed at Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Louisville, on the Western waters, and New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, on the Atlantic. At Louisville alone, from 1819 to 1838, there was built 244 steam-engines, 62 of which were for boats. The fuel originally used in steamboats in the United States was wood ; of late years bituminous coal has been substituted in many instances, 154 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. also anthracite coal. The latter, from the small space it occupies, seems to possess a decided advantage for sea-going vessels, as well as locomotives. " Some steamboats made of iron are believed to be in use in Georgia, if not in other parts of this country, though none of that material have been manufactured here; it is computed that their cost is less than those of wood, and as they draw less water with the same freight, they are more useful on shallow streams. " The number of steamboats built in the United States during the years ending on the 30th of September, 1838 and 1839, were 90 and 125 respec- tively."* 1837. WHAT DR. LARDNER SAID ABOUT TRANSATLANTIC NAVIGATION. It has been frequently said, and it is generally believed, that Dr. Dionysius Lardner publicly asserted, before the voyages of the " Great Western" and " Sirius" were accomplished facts, that a steam voyage across the Atlantic was a physical impossibility. What he did say was, however, quite differ- ent, viz. : that such vessels could not be made a paying investment for such a voyage without government assistance or a subsidy, in the then state of steam navigation. He says,f " It cannot be seriously imagined that any one who had been conversant with the past history of steam navigation could entertain the least doubt of the abstract practicability of a steam vessel making the voyage between Bristol and New York. "A vessel having as a cargo a couple of hundred tons of coals would, cceteris paribus, be as capable of crossing the Atlantic as a vessel transport- ing the same weight of any other cargo. A steamer of the usual form and construction would, it is true, labor under comparative disadvantages, owing to obstructions presented by her paddle-wheels and paddle-boxes ; but still it would have been preposterous to suppose that these improvements could have rendered her passage to New York impracticable. But, independently of these considerations, it was a well-known fact that long antecedent to the epoch adverted to, the Atlantic had actually been crossed by the steamers 'Savannah' and 'Curacoa.' . . . Projects had been started, in 1836, by two different and opposing interests, one advocating the establishment of a line of steamers to ply between the west coast of Ireland and Boston, touching at Halifax, and the other a direct line making an uninterrupted trip be- tween Bristol and New York. In the year 1836, in Dublin, I advocated the former of these projects, and in 1837, at Bristol, at the next meeting of the British Association, I again urged its advantages, and by comparison dis- couraged the project of a direct line between Bristol and New York. When I say that I advocated one of these projects it is needless to add that the popular rumor that I had pronounced the Atlantic voyage by steam im- practicable is utterly destitute of foundation." * Extract from the Report of the Secretary of the Treasury to Congress, June 30, 1830. f Museum of Science and Arts, vol. x., 1856. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 155 The meeting took place August 25, 1837, and the report of the Times' special reporter which appeared in that paper on the 27th says, "Dr. Lard- ner said he would beg any one, and more especially of those who had a di- rect interest in the inquiry, to dismiss from their minds all previously-formed judgments about it, and more especially upon this question to be guarded against the conclusions of mere theery ; for if ever there was one point in practice of a commercial nature which more than another required to be founded on ex- perience, it was this one of extending steam navigation to voyages of extra- ordinary length. He was aware that, since the question had arisen, it had been stated that his own opinion was averse to it. This statement was totally wrong ; but he did feel that great caution should be used in the means of carrying the project into effect. Almost all depended on the the first at- tempt, for a failure would much retard the ultimate consummation of the project. " Mr. Scott Russell said that he had listened with great delight to the lu- cid and logical observations they had just heard. He would add one word. Let them try this experiment with a view only to the enterprise itself, but on no account try any new boiler or other experiment, but have a combina- tion of the most approved plans that had yet been adopted. "After some observations from Messrs. Brunei and Field, Dr. Lardner, in reply, said that he considered the voyage practicable, but he wished to point out that which would remove the possibility of a doubt, because if the first at- tempt failed it would cast a damp upon the enterprise and prevent a repeti- tion of the attempt."* "What I did affirm in 1836-7," continues Dr. Lardner, "was that the long sea voyages by steam which were contemplated could not at that time be maintained with that regularity and certainty which are indispensable to commercial success by any revenue which could be expected from the traffic alone, and that without a government subsidy of a considerable amount such lines of steamers, although they might be started, could not be permanently maintained." He then proceeds to show, up to 1851, the commercially non-success of transatlantic steamers that were not subsidized, and adds " Thus it appears, in fine, that after a lapse of nearly fourteen years, not- withstanding the great improvements in steam navigation, the project ad- vanced at Bristol, and there pronounced by me to be commercially imprac- ticable, signally failed."f It is a pity he could not have looked a little farther into the future and seen the commercial success of later steamships, consequent upon their in- crease of size and the economical improvements ^adopted, as also from the * London Times, August 27, 1837. f " Museum of Science and Arts," vol x., 1856. 156 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. demand for the agricultural projects of the United States furnishing return cargoes. 1839. SIR JOHN Ross's IDEAS ABOUT STEAM WAR VESSELS. Sir John Ross, R. N., the distinguished Arctic voyager, in his "Treatise on^ Navigation by Steam,"* says, " The ships and vessels proper in steam navigation will admit of a still greater variety than sailing-vessels ; and although none have as yet been constructed of a greater ton- nage than one thousand tons, there is no good reason why they may not be- twice as large or of as much tonnage as the largest ship in the navy ; for although there may be a limit to the size of the boiler, shaft, and other parts of the machinery, there can be no objection to two sets if the ship is too large for one." He then proceeds to say, " There can be no doubt that in a future war a fleet of men-of-war, and indeed a small squadron, will scarcely be effective without a considerable, if not an equal number of steam vessels to act under various circumstances; and, among other things, their province will be to tow or increase the velocity of the ships in calms or light winds, and particularly in action." Such vessels, he adds, should have the parts containing the machinery fortified against shot at distances where it would take effect upon her consort; and he also proposes a class of steam gunboats for coast defense, having their guns and paddles covered by a semi-circular shield-deck of iron ; he gives sectional illustrations of this proposed defense. He says also in the same volume, " It is believed by those who have not devoted much time and attention to the subject of steam navigation that it cannot be extended to perform foreign voyages, and it must be confessed that the experiments which have been made seem rather to confirm than to alter that opinion ; but it will be shown here that the trials which have hitherto been made have not been of such a nature as to justify a decided opinion." He also gives in the volume, illustrated by diagrams, a system of naval tactics, in which the steam vessels are represented either as towing ships of the line on the off-side, or as whippers-in of a convoy in time of war. In 1837 Mr. Samuel Hall, of Basford, the inventor of the tubular con- denser, patented a wheel having its floacs placed obliquely, but so arranged that every three of them were set in an opposite direction ; and about the middle of 1838 a patent for another oblique paddle-wheel was taken out by Lieutenant W. S. Hall, of the Eighteenth Regiment. These and other in- ventions for the improvement of the paddle-wheel preceded the invention of the Archimedean propeller, improperly called the Archimedean screw, being only a small segment of a screw, and resembling more a short fan than * Treatise on Navigation by Steam, etc., and an Essay toward a System of the Naval Tactics peculiar to Steam Navigation, as applicable both to Commerce and Maritime War- fare. By Sir John Ross, C. B. Second edition. I vol., quarto. London : John Weale, 1837- HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 157 a screw. The system was taken from a kind of small windmills called " water-snakes" employed in low countries like Holland to draw water off the plains. 1837. THE GERM OF THE UNITED STATES STEAM NAVY. After the destruction of the steam battery " Demologos," or "Fulton 1st," the steam galliot " Sea-Gull, " a purchased vessel of one hundred tons, was employed in Porter's mosquito fleet for the suppression of piracy in the West Indies in 1822-5. She was employed as a receiving vessel at Philadelphia for many years and finally sold out of the .service in 1840. But "Fulton 2d," launched in 1837, from the New York Navy Yard, was the pioneer steam war-vessel of our present naval organization, and the second war- vessel built by the United States. She was designed and intended for a floating battery for the defence of New York Harbor, as a substitute for the " Demologos." With machinery of great power, she attained for that time a high rate of speed, but was virtually inadequate for an ocean steamer, although she did make one trip to the West Indies and back. Her hull was built solid of the best live oak. Strength rather than speed was consulted in its lines, her midship cross-sections being the same for one- third of her length, with a bluff bow, partially relieved by a hollow line and finer lines aft. Heavy bulwarks were built up from her decks for the pro- tection of her crew and battery, bevelled in all directions to glance off an enemy's shot. She had three masts and was rigged as a topsail schooner. Her principal dimensions were: Length between the perpendiculars, one hundred and eighty feet; extreme beam on deck, thirty-four feet eight inches ; depth of hold, thirteen feet four inches ; estimated tonnage, nine hundred and seventy-three tons. At thirteen feet draft she displaced one thousand four hundred and thirty-three tons of sea water. She had two horizontal condensing engines on the spar deck, supported by wooden frames. The boilers were of copper, set in flues wagon-shaped and four in number, each with its separate smoke stack. The paddle-wheels were twenty-two foet ten inches in diameter ; the buckets eleven feet six inches wide and three feet broad. Her armament consisted of eight long forty-two pounders and one twenty-four pounder. Her total cost, hull and equipments, engines, wheels and boilers, was $299,650. There are no logs extant of the performances of this vessel, but in a letter to Captain Matt. C. Perry, dated February 18, 1838, from Chas. H. Haswell, the chief engineer, the speed in smooth water in New York Bay is given at fifteen statute miles per hour with a boiler pressure of thirty pounds per square inch, cutting off at three eighty the stroke with the old-fashioned canboid cut-off, the engines making twenty-six double strokes of piston per minute. The average draft of water was ten feet six inches. The coal lockers contained coal for two days' consumption. 158 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. "Fulton 2d" remained for several years in useless hulk at the New York Navy Yard until 1853, when she was hauled upon ways, lengthened and repaired, and fitted with pew machinery, and became known as " Fulton 3d."* The " Fulton 2d" lay at the New York Navy Yard for many years a use- less hulk, until 1852, when the old engine was condemned and she was fitted with new engines of different arrangement, two iron boilers being substituted for the copper. The new engine was a single, inclined, condensing one, with circular, double-drop return flue boilers. The hulk was hauled upon the ways and thoroughly repaired. The upper deck and heavy bulwarks removed and a complete change made in her in- ternal arrangements, but none in her lines. She was rigged ao a two-masted /ore-topsail schooner. Her armament consisted of one pivot eight-inch paixhan gun forward, and four medium thirthy-two's in broadside. The hull of this " Fulton 2d" was launched August 30, 1851, and on the 1st of January, 1852, a trial trip was made in the harbor of New York, em- bracing a run of seventy-one miles, under steam, average miles per hour 13.34 ; consumption of coal per hour, 2280 pounds ; average revolutions per minute, 21 ; horse-power developed, 899 ; draft, 10 feet. After cruising in New York Harbor for the relief of distressed vessels, she sailed on the 25th of February to join the Home Squadron in the Gulf of Mexico. On the 31st of March she steamed from Havanna to Pensacola, 550 miles, on an air line in fifty-five hours, said to be at that time the quickest trip ever made between those two ports. Going down the bay from Pensacola to the navy yard, she ran the six miles in twenty-two minutes, accurate time, a rate equivalent to 17.73 miles per hour.f "Fulton 3d" was in ordinary at the Pensacola Navy Yard when it was taken possession of by the rebels in 1862, and was then destroyed. October 31, 1837. The Secretary of the Navy authorized Captain M. C. Perry " to appoint two first-class and two second-class assistant engineers ; the appointments to be confirmed by the commandant of the station." " The engineers must receive from you," he adds, " a letter of appointment revoca- ble at any time by the commanding officer of the station, upon complaint of intemperance, incapacity, insubordination, negligence, or other misconduct, preferred by the commander of the steamer, if proved to the satisfaction of the commanding officer of the station. The commander of the steamer, of course, to have the power of suspending them from duty if necessary. The engineers must be required to sign some proper instrument of writing which will legally make them liable to this law for the government of the navy, but to be exempt from corporal punishment, which instrument is to be * For full particulars of Fulton ist, 2d, and 3d, see the Naval and Mail Steamers of the United States, by Engineer-in-Chief Chas. B. Stuart, U, S. N., 1853. j- Stuart's Naval and Mail Steamers of the United States. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 159 transmitted to the Secretary of the Navy, with their letters accepting their appointments." November 7, 1837. The Secretary wrote Captain Perry that the "Fulton," as recommended by the Commissioners of the Navy and approved by the Navy Department, was allowed two first-class engineers,' at $800 per an- num each ; two second-class engineers, at $500 per annum each ; four coal- heavers, at $15 per month ; and eight firemen, at $25 to $30 per month. Both the firemen and coal-heavers were to sign the ship's articles, and were to be removable "at the pleasure of the commander of the vessel," qp authorized for the reduction of petty officers and seamen. " If additional coal-heavers should be found necessary, some of the seamen or ordinary seamen of the vessel might be designated by the commander to perform that duty." He next wrote : "NAVY DEPARTMENT, November 21, 1837. " CAPT. M. C. PERRY, Com'dg Str. ' Fulton,' New York : " SIR, Your letter of the 16th instant, relative to the engineers of the * Fulton' and their uniforms, has been received. " The adoption of a uniform such as you may approve, if agreeable to those at whose expense it is to be provided, meets with the sanction of the Depart- ment, and it is also desirable, as mentioned in your letter, that none be appointed engineers but those of the very best standing. " I am, respectfully, &c., 1 "M. DICKENSON, " Secretary of the Navy." A letter dated December 19, 1837, authorized Captain Perry to employ, agreeably to his request, four additional firemen. December 21, 1837, the Secretary wrote him: " Your communication of the 17th instant has been received, with its several inclosures, and the ap- pointments of assistant engineers which you have made, as well as the measures you have taken in regard to the engagements, etc., of the engineers^ firemen, and others, of the steamer ' Fulton,' are approved by the Depart- ment." February 13, 1838, the Secretary wrote Captain Perry that he approved of his suggestion, and says, "I have directed Commodore Ridgely to place on board the * Fulton' five apprentices to the navy, who are to be under the particular charge of the engineers (one to each) and exclusively attached to the engineers, and to be shipped and paid as other apprentices." February 21, 1839, the Secretary authorized the pay of the second-assist- ant engineers on the " Fulton" to be increased from five hundred to six hundred dollars from the 1st of March. March 1, 1839, he authorized "the salary of such engineers as now receive eight hundred dollars to be increased to nine hundred." 160 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. In this connection it is interesting to note the rapid rise in importance of our steam navy in the past forty-one or forty-two years. Its personnel in 1882 consists of: 10 chief engineers on the active list ranking relatively with captains in the navy, one of whom, as Chief Engineer of the Bureau of Steam Engi- neering, has the relative rank of commodore ; 15 chief engineers with the relative rank of commander ; 45 chief engineers with the relative rank of lieutenant-commander; 81 passed assistant engineers with the relative rank 0f lieutenant ; 17 passed assistant engineers with the relative rank of master ; 11 assistant engineers ranking as masters ; 51 assistant engineers with the relative rank of ensign ; 62 cadet engineers, graduates ; 74 cadet engineers at the Naval Academy, viz., 25 first-class ; 25 second-class; 24 third-class. 1 chief engineer on the retired list, with the relative rank of captain : 1 chief engineer with the relative rank of commander ; 6 chief engineers with the relative rank of lieutenant-commander ; 18 passed assistant engineers with the relative rank of lieutenant ; 25 assistant engineers with the relative rank of master. While the rank of engineer officers has been increased, the pay has simi- larly advanced. The engineer-in-chief now receives $5,000 ; chief engineers, from $4,000 to $2,800, on duty ; passed assistant engineers, from $2,200 to $2,000, on duty; assistant engineers, from $1,900 to $1,700, on duty; -cadet engineers, from $1,000 to $500, on duty ; and their right to leave pay has been recognized. When retired they receive three-fourths of their highest pay on the active list. CHAPTER IV. 1838-1858. THE INAUGURATION OF REGULAR TRANSATLANTIC STEAM NAVIGATION Arrival of the City of Kingston at New York from Cork, April 2, 1838 Arrival of the Sirius from Cork and the Great Western from Bristol at New York, April 23, 1838 The President, 1839 The British Queen 1839 Dimen- sions of the Earliest and Largest Transatlantic Steamships, 1840 Miscellaneous Notes The Cyclop, Steam Frigate, 1840 The Nemesis, 1840 The Screw Steamer Archimedes, 1840 The Argyle, Chili and Peru, 1839 The Cunard Line Inaugurated, 1840 The Bangor, 1842 The French Steam Navy, 1840 Screw Steamers in Great Britain, 1842 Steam Navigation on the Indus, Estab- lished 1842 The Driver, the first Steamship to Circumnavigate the Globe, 1842 United States Steamship Princeton, the First Screw Steam War-vessel, 1843 H. M. Ship Rattler, the Second Screw Steam War- Vessel, 1843 The Great Britain, 1843 First English Steam Collier, 1844 The Midias and Edith, the first Steam Screw Vessels to China, 1844-45 The Witch, 1845 American Mail Steamships to Havre and Bremen, 1845-50 The Propeller Massachusetts, 1845 Thames Steamboats, 1845 The North River Steamer Oregon, 1846 The First French Atlantic Steamer, 1847 First American Steamer to the Pacific, 1848 The Gemeni Iron Twin Steamer, 1850 Screw Steamship Himalaya, 1851 The Francis Skiddy, 1852 The Australian, 1852 The Argo, the Second Steamship and First ScreAV to Circumnavigate the Globe, 1854 The Golden Age, 1854 The Cunard Steamer Persia, 1855 Steam Vessels of the Royal Navy, 1856. 1838. Daniel Webster, in a lecture at Boston, said, in allusion to steam- power, " In comparison with the past, what centuries of improvement has this single agent comprised in the short space of fifty years ! . . . What further improvements may still be^made in the use of this astonishing power, it is impossible to know, and it were vain to conjecture. What we do know is, that it has most essentially altered the face of affairs, and that no visible limit yet appears beyond which its progress is seen to be impossible." When Webster spoke thus, the grand problem of ocean steam-navigation had not been solved; in fact, the possibility of a steamship crossing any ocean was generally denied both by practical and scientific men. At a meeting of the Directors of the Great Western Railway, October, 1835, one of the party % spoke of the enormous length, as it tben appeared, of the proposed railway from London to Bristol. Mr. Brunei exclaimed, " Why not make it longer, and have a steamboat to go from Bristol to New York, and call it the Great Western?" The suggestion, treated at first as a joke, soon engaged the serious attention of three of the leading members of the Board. A tour of the great ship-building ports of the kingdom was made in order to collect information. In the report of the result of the in- quiry Mr. Brunei inserted a paragraph which laid down the principles on which the success of oceanic steam navigation wholly depended. It was this, that the resistance to the passage of vessels through the water increases at a lower rate of progression than their tonnage. At equal speeds, a vessel twice the size of another will encounter four times the resistance. 161 162 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. But its capacity, or tonnage, will be eightfold that of the smaller vessel. By a well-proportioned increase of size, therefore, it is possible to employ far more powerful engines, to carry enough coal for the consumption of a long voyage, and at the same time to have ample accommodation for passengers and goods. So true is this, that it is now admitted that the economical limit to the size of vessels is imposed rather by the dimensions of ports and harbors than by the exigencies of the shipwright. Speed, also, can be considerably increased by the employment of more powerful engines ; the limit to ocean speed being imposed by another physical law, that 'the resistance increases as the cube of the velocity. The keel of the " Great Western" was laid, and assurance given that she would be followed by a splendid line of vessels, which would consign the packet-ships to the care of the historian as " things that were." The project was simultaneously started by two opposing interests, one ad- vocating a line of steamers to ply between the west coast of Ireland and Boston, touching at Halifax, the other a direct line between Bristol and New York. The former, the " British and American Steam Navigation Company," resolving not to be left astern by the company in Bristol, which was getting the " Great Western" ready for sea, chartered the "Sirius," a steamer which had been built to run between London and* Cork, to run against the " Great Western," and she made two voyages in their employ. 1838, April 2, 1838, the British steamer " City of Kingston," arrived at New York from Cork, Ireland, being the second British steamship that crossed the Atlantic. Subsequently she went to the West Indies and re- turned to Norfolk and Baltimore. 1838. THE ' SIRIUS." The "Sirius" arrived at New York on St George's day, the 23d of April, also the anniversary of the birth and death of Shakspeare. The New York papers of that date say, "Myriads of persons crowded the Battery to have a glimpse of the first steam vessel which had crossed the Atlantic from the British Isles and arrived safely in port." The " Sirius," of seven hundred tons' register and engines of three hundred and twenty horse-power, sailed from Cork at ten A. M. Wednesday, April 4, 1838, and was followed by the "Great Western," which sailed from Bristol (the port which sent 'out the Cabots), April 8, both vessels arriving at New York April 23, 1838, the "Sirius" a few hours in advance of the "Great Western." The "Sirius" was advertised to return May 1, and the Chevalier Wickoff was one of seven passengers who met on the tug-boat which was to convey them on board. He says in his reminiscences: " We moved off amid the hurrahs of excited people who came on every kind of craft to wish us God speed." Among the passengers was James Gordon Bennett, the remarkable founder of the New York Herald. He says, " Perceiving a tall, slim man near me, I entered into conversation. His physiognomy was striking: lofty forehead, prominent nose, firm mouth, and the general expression, though HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 163 somewhat stern, not forbidding. After chatting for some time I remarked: " ' I hear the famous Bennett is on board." " 'Yes, I believe he is/ said the tall man, with a smile. " ' Do you feel at all nervous about it?' " ' Not in the least/ was the reply. " ' Well, for my part/ I continued, * I am not altogether comfortable on the point.' " ' Why ?' asked my companion. " ' Because he is so given to saying sarcastic things of people.' " ' That depends a good deal/ he answered, ' whether they are worth it.' '"Do you know him by sight?' I inquired. " ' Very well.' " 'Then do point him out if you see him on deck.' " ' He is standing before you. My name is Bennett.' " 'What!' I exclaimed, on recovering my breath ; 'are you the man so fiercely assailed, and whose humorous sallies I have read with such delight these six months past?' " ' Ecco homo /' he retorted. " All went merrily the first week. Then stormy weather set in, and our little steamer was put to a tougher test than I had expected. She was dreadfully knocked about, but was staunch and steadfast in the worst gales. " When only a couple of days from the English coast, the coal was nearly exhausted, and they economized by going at half speed, but toward the last we were forced to burn up whatever could be spared. On entering the English Channel the vessel became enveloped in a dense fog. Suddenly the mist cleared off and it was found we were heading on to one of the Sicily Islands, and in half an hour would have been a wreck. On the seventeenth day we put into Falmouth for coal and provisions, and thence started for London." The "Sirius" ran afterwards on the line of steam-packets between Dublin and Cork, and ran on the rocks of Bally Cotton Bay January 16, 1847, and was wrecked, when twenty lives were lost. The " Great Western" made her return trip to Bristol in less than twelve days. Steam travelling across the Atlantic was thus inaugurated. The following account of these pioneer steamships, and of their first voyage across the Atlantic, is from the New York Express of April 24, 1838.* * The New York Courier and Enquirer," ol April 23, 1838, has this notice of the arrival of the " Sirius :" " ARRIVAL OF A STEAMER FROM EUROPE. " Seven days later from London. Six days later from Liverpool. " Last night our news schooner Eclipse' boarded the steamer ' Sirius,' Lieutenant Richard Roberts, R. N., Commander, from Cork, whence she sailed on the 4th inst. She has per- 164 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 41 STEAMSHIPS ' SIRIUS' AND ' GREAT WESTERN.' SPLENDID SIGHT FROM THE BATTERY." " Yesterday was a day of unusual excitement in this city, it being univer- sally considered the beginning of a new era in the history of Atlantic navi- gation. The steamship ' Sirius' having arrived Sunday night, thousands as- formed the voyage without accident, save a slight one whcih befell her on coming in the Hook, where she grounded. Since her departure she has used only fresh water in her boil- ers, having on board Mr. Hall's condensing apparatus." Under the head of marine news is reported : " Steam packet < Sirius,' Roberts, from Cork, sailed April 4, with forty-six passengers, etc., to \Vads\vorth & Smith. The 'Sirius' went ashore on the point of the Hook last evening about ten o'clock. She did not sustain any damage, and will be got off on the rising tide." The same paper contains the following advertisement : "BRITISH STEAM-PACKET SHIP FOR LONDON, TO SAIL FROM NEW YORK, MAY i, 1838. " The new and powerful Steamship " SIRIUS, " 700 tons burthen and 320 Horse-power, " LIEUTENANT R. ROBERTS, Commander, is intended to sail from London, March 28th, touching at Cork, ana thence, on the 2d of April, for this port, returning from New York to London on the 1st of May. " This vessel has superior accommodation, and is fitted with separate cabins, for the ac- commodation of families, to whom every possible attention will be given. " Cabin, $140, including provisions, wines, etc. " Second cabin, $80, including provisions. " This superior steamship has been chartered by the Directors of the British and American Steam Navigation Company of London, to meet the pressing demands of the public, in an- ticipation of the steamship ' British Queen,' now building; is a new vessel, about six months old, and has proved herself superior to any steam vessel in British waters in speed and sea- worthy 'qualities. " Further information afforded on application ; and for freight and passage apply to "WADSWORTH & SMITH, " 4 Jones Lane (rear 103 Front Street), "Agent of the American and British Steam Navigation Company" The following is the first advertisement of the " Great Western" in the New York Courier and Enquirer, April 24, 1838 : " BRITISH STEAM-PACKET SHIP " GREAT WESTERN, " JAMES HOSKINS, R. N., Commander, " Having arrived yesterday from Bristol, which place she left on the 8th inst., at noon, will sail from New York for Bristol on Monday, 7th May, at 2 o'clock p. M. HIS1 OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 165 sembled to see her, as the news spread about the city. She anchored a short distance from the Castle, and crowds upon the Battery had a view of her from that promenade. The sun shone clear, and the weather was as fine as could be wished. " The ' Sirius' sailed from Cork on the evening of the 4th instant, and made the Highlands of New York at six o'clock, P.M. on the 22d, making the passage in eighteen days' and having on board forty seven, passengers. During the day she was thronged by small boats filled with passengers to view her. About one o'clock it was announced, by telegraph that the steamer ' Great Western' was off the Hook, when thousands poured down Broadway ; and the Battery at two p. M. presented a brilliant 'appearance. The crowd reminded one of the landing of the ' Nation's guest,' Lafayette. The smoke of the 'Great Western' was seen in the horizon as- cending in black volumes long before her hull was visible. The ship, as she came in sight and [passed Bedloe's Island, received a salute from the fort of twenty-six guns. She approached the Battery through a fleet o*f row- boats and small craft, cheered by every one. She soon ranged alongside the Castle, sailed around the ' Sirius,' which saluted her, and the crowd from the wharves. Castle, boats, etc., gave three hearty cheers, returned by those on board. She then went up the East River, and anchored near Pike Street. This successful experiment of steam packets between New York and Eng- land gave life and joy to all. " The ' Great Western' left Kingroad, Bristol, at two o'clock, April 7th, and she was at two o'clock, April 23d, only sixteen days, in New York, thus bringing England nearer to us than many parts of our own ceuntry. This has been done in a season of the year, not of summer sunshine, but of gales, storms, sleet, and hail, and steam navigation across the Atlantic is no longer an experiment, but a plain matter of fact. The thing has been done triumphantly. "The 'Great Western 1 was built at Bristol, by the Great Western Steam- ship Company, and intended to commence a regular line between Bristol and " She takes no steerage passengers. Rates in the Cabin, including Wines and Provisions of every kind, 30 guineas; a whole state room for one person, 50 guineas. Stewart's fee for each passenger, \ los. sterling. Children under 13 years of age half price. No charge for letters or papers. The captain and owners will not be liable for any package unless a bill of lading has been given for it. One to two hundred tons can be taken at the lowest current rates. " Passage or freight may be engaged, a plan of the cabin may be seen, and further particu- lars learned, by applying to " RICHARD IRVING, 98 Front Street." The " Great Western" continued to sail from the Severn, and subsequently from the Mersey, and made seventy-four transatlantic passages before passing into the hands of the West India Company. On her second trip from New York she reached Bristol in twelve and a half days. v 166 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. New York. She was launched on the 19th of July, 1837. Her length be- tween the perpendiculars, from the forepart of the stern to the afterpart of the stern at the keel, 212 feet ; length of keel on the blocks, 205 feet ; length of cabin-deck (saloon), 75 feet ; length over all (from figure-head to tafFrail), 235 feet ; breadth between paddle-wheels, 34 feet 4 inches ; depth under deck to the top of floors, 23 feet 3 inches ; scantling floors on the side of keel, 15 inches, sided ; ditto, 16 inches, moulded ; length of floors, 24 feet ; thickness of bends, 7 inches ; bottom plank, 5 inches ; top sides, 4 inches ; sheer streaks, 5 inches'; upper deck clamps, 8 inches; diagonal riders, 5 inches, 3 feet apart; iron diagonals, 4 inches by f ; bilge planks, 6 inches; keelson, 20 by 21 inches. "Tonnage, 1320 tons; best berths, 150; berths for crew, 26 ; berths for' engineers, firemen, and officers, 40 ; two engines, by Maudsley & Field, 400 horse-power, 200 each ; diameter of cylinder, 73? inches ; length of stroke, 7 feet ; coal stowage, 600 tons, or enough for thirty tons per diem for twenty days. " Her whole cost amounted to about 50,000, 21,373 15s. Wd. of which has been expended for ship-building, 13,500 for the engines, about J,000 for the fitting up, furniture, and painting of the grand saloon, and the re- mainder for rigging, equipment, stores, and coals. " The ' Sirius' is a beautiful model, seven hundred tons, three hundred and twenty horse-power, schooner-rigged. Notwithstanding rough weather, she came over with perfect safety. Passengers were delighted with her per- formance. Her boilers were supplied with fresh water by a distilling ap- paratus which converted the salt into fresh water. The distilling worms (small copper tubes) measured, as reported, near /our miles ! " The following is the journal of her voyage : " 4th April. Started ; light breezes from N.E. Draft of water, 15 feet 2 inches. "5th. Heavy at N.E. to N.N.E., windy; fresh gale, much head-sea, slight raio. Exchanged numbers with the bark 'Dale,' of Liverpool. Weighted one ton of coal, which lasted 1 h. 30 m.; pressure on the boilers, 53.4 pounds. " 6th. Stormy, W.N. W. breezes, with squalls and heavy head-sea. Passed two brigs, one standing east and the other north. " 7th. Same, strong gales, and squally, with rain, vessel laboring heavy. Passed two large ships standing to the eastward, under double-reefed topsails. Very squally. Passed a barque. Heavy sea, with long swell ; took in water on deck. " 8th. Same, with hazy weather. Stopped engine, owing to one of the braces working loose started the engine in an hour after heavy rains. " 9th. Wind still W.N.W., and a heavy head-sea clear. Passed a brig standing east. Set a single-reefed foresail and double-reefed mainsail. HISTORY OF STEAAL NAVIGATION. 167 "10th. Spoke ship 'Star,' of New York, longitude 24 W. fresh gales and squally shipped a great deal of water. "llth. Winds E.N.E. passed a ship standing to the south light breezes. " 12th. Light winds, easterly stopped ejigine to pack the stuffing-boxes light winds and fair. 13th. S.E., light breezes. Spoke the * Roger Sherman/ of Bath, 36 days from New Orleans, bound to Havre hoisted colors to a Falmouth packet three sail in sight reduced the weight to 33.4 Ibs. on boilers. " 14th. S.W. light breezes passed a ship standing to the westward observed a change in the color of the water. "15th Heavy W.N.W. gale; dark and foggy. " 16th N.W. to W. gales ; heavy head-sea and snow vessel laboring stopped engine three-quarters of an hour to fasten screws. " 17th. N.W. by W. winds; squally, with hail and snow. " 18th. S.W. winds and squalls. " 19th. Same. " 20th. W. by N., heavy sea and hard rain stopped engine, and was boarded by Her Majesty's ship " Coromandel," from Bermuda, bound to Halifax, with Eleventh Regiment. t " 21st. Ditto exchanged signals with an Austrian brig. " 22d. Made light for the pilot off the Highlands. Not getting a pilot, the ' Sirius' ran in, and then touched off the Hook receiving, however, no damage." Her Majesty's Consul historically records the event of her arrival in the following letter addressed to the commander of the "Sirius:" "HER MAJESTY'S CONSULATE, "NEW YORK, April 23, 1838. " SIR, I have the honor and happiness to congratulate you on the arrival of your steamship across the Atlantic, at a season when strong gales so gen- erally prevail, thereby having proved that British skill has accomplished a most important enterprise, which will produce a revolution in commercial and social intercourse, of which we are incapable of forming any "just con- ceptions. Permit rne, sir, to add that I have, in common with my fellow- subjects of Her Majesty in this city, a further cause of rejoicing, that the honor of accomplishing the enterprise has been achieved by a son of the British navy, and that it was completed on St. George's day. " I have the honor to be, sir, " Your humble servant, "JAMES BUCHANAN. " RICHARD ROBERTS, Esq., R.K, " Commander of the Steamship ' Sirius.' " 168 HISTORY OF fjTEAM NAVIGATION. 11 LOG OF THE ' GREAT WESTERN.' We published yesterday an abstract from the log-book of the ' Sirius, 5 showing her daily progress, and the sort of weather she had to encounter, and WQ now give an extract from the log- book of the ' Great Western' : LATITUDE. LONGITUDE. m i 8 C3 d Wind. REMARKS ON WEATHER. 1 t~> 1 2 1 1 o 5 4 S 8 pril 8.... 10 P.M. Sandy I. N.W. N.N.W. Strong gale. " 9.... West. "240 50.27 07.32 N.N.W. and S.W. Moderate. " 10.... 78-30 W. 213 49.55 00.00 12.50 12.16.45 W. by N. and S.W. Moderate. " 11.... W. by S. 206 49.04 43.11 17.25 17.10 S.W. and E. by S. Moderate and hazy,. rough at night. " 12.... " 18.... W. 1-2 S. W. 1-4 S. 231 218 47.47 46.56 47.17 46.56 22.48 23.09 22.05.10 28.27 E. by S.E. to S.E. E.S.E. Moderate and cloudy. Light winds. " 14.... W. 3-4 S. 218 46.26 46.23 33.40 34.09 S.W. and S.S.W. At 10 P.M., squally, with small rain. " 15.... W. by S. 241 45.24 45.19 39.43 39.38.30 S.E. to S.W. by S. Strong and squally, ves- sel lurched deeply but easv. " 16.... W. 3-4 S. 243 44.46 44.34 45.19 45.31 Variable. Squally. " 17.... W. 3-4 S. 185 44.07 44.10 49.46 49.21 S.W. to W.N.W. Strong gales 'and heavy " 18.... W.S.W. 169 42.02 '42.58 52.55 52.30 W.N.W.toW.byN. SCft. Moderate. " 19.... W. 1-4 S. 206 42.02 42.02 56.50 56.49.45 S.W. Strong winds and heavy sea. ?o.... W. 3-4 S. 183 41.36 No Ob 60.54 No ob. S.W. W.N.W. Strong winds and heavy " 21.... " 22.... " 23.... W. 3-4 S. S. 83 W. S."79 W. 192 198 230 41.05 39.48 40.30 39.41 65.05 68.38 64.24.13 69.03.30 N.N.W. N.N.W. to W.N.W. N.N.W. and X. sea, ship very easy. Light winds and cloudy. Strong winds and frosty. Fine weather; at 10 re- - ceived a pilot. To harbor, 50; 3,223 miles sleaming. A passenger on the " Great Western," on this her first transatlantic voyage, in a communication to Chambers' Edinburgh Journal, says : "A number of daring passengers for daring they were thought in that day took berths for the voyage in the * Great Western' ; and on 8th April, 1838, at noon, the gallant ship steamed away from her anchorage at the mouth of the river Avon, and majestically descended the Severn, bound for New York. One of her passengers says, when they were fairly under way, ' Whatever misgivings might previously have assailed us in the contempla- tion of oty voyage, I believe that at this moment there was not a faltering heart among us. Such stability, such power, such provision against every probable or barely possible contingency, and such order presented itself everywhere on board, as was sufficient to allay all fear.' " Suffice it that the ' Great Western' entered the harbor of New York at full speed on the afternoon of 23d April, having performed the passage in the then unprecedentedly short period of fifteen days, in which only four hundred and fifty-two tons of the six hundred tons of coal on board had been consumed. The fort on Bedloe's Island saluted the steamer with twenty-six guns, answering to the number of States of the Union at that time. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 169 " * It had been agreed among us,' says one passenger, ' some days previ- ously, that before we left the ship one of the tables should be christened Victoria, the other the President. Wine and fruit had been set upon them for this purpose : we were standing round the former of them ; the health of Britain's Queen had been proposed ; the toast was drunk ; and amidst the cheers that followed, the arm was just raised to consummate the naming, when the fort opened its fire. The fire was electric. Our colors were lowered in acknowledgment of the compliment, and the burst' which accompanied it from our decks drinking the President and the country, and breaking wine again was more loud and joyous than if at that moment we had unitedly overcome a common enemy. Proceeding still, the city became more distinct, trees, streets, the people, the announcement of the arrival of the ship by telegraph had brought thousands to every point of view upon the water-side ; boats, too, in shoals, were out to welcome her, and every ob- ject seemed a superadded impulse to our feelings. The first to which our attention was now given was the ' Sirius,' lying at anchor in the North River, gay with flowing streamers, and literally crammed with spectators, her decks, her paddle-boxes, her rigging, mast-head high ! We passed round her, receiving and giving three hearty cheers, then turned towards the Bat- tery. Here myriads seemed collected, boats had gathered around us in countless confusion, flags flying, guns were firing, and cheering again, the shore, the boats, on all hands around, loudly and gloriously, seemed as though they would never have done. It was an exciting moment, a mo- ment which, in the tame events of life, finds few parallels : it seemed the outpouring congratulations of a whole people, when swelling hearts were open to receive and to return them. It was a moment of achievement ! We had been sharers in the chances of a noble effort, and each one of us felt the pride of participation in the success of it, and this was the crowning instant Experiment then ceased ; certainly was attained ; our voyage was accom- plished.' In explanation of the allusion in the above to the ' Sirius ' we may here state that this steamship, which had sailed from Cork before the ' Great Western' left Bristol, had arrived a day or two before the latter ves- sel ; but the ' Sirius' only partially used her engines, not having stowage for sufficient fuel to keep them constantly plying." . 1839. The Charleston (S. C.) Mercury says, August, 1839, " Major John Lind, of Charleston, S. C., an officer of the United States Engineers, is justly entitled to the credit of the application of the screw in the place of the pad- dle-wheel to the steamboats. More than five years since* he explained the principle, and experimented successfully with a small model boat on the canal near Washington City." 1839. The New Jersey Journal, August, 1839, says, " Mr. Samuel Dow, of Elizabeth town, upwards of twenty years since, made two small boats from The s.rew as a method of propulsion was devised nearly half a century earlier. 170 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. twenty to twenty-five inches in length, one with a screw, and the other with paddle-wheels, in order to test the superiority of the screw. Each had a mast and cord, the standing part of the latter fast to and wound around the shaft or axle, and over a sheave in the masthead, with equal weight at- tached. At the going off the wheel would go ahead ; but before the race the screw would overhaul and shoot ahead. " Mr. Dow built a boat twenty-five feet in length, with a screw on each side, to ship and unship as might be advantageous. It was worked by four men with a crank and cog-wheels." 1839. SAIL VESSELS TO BE PROPELLED BY STEAM. The Norfolk Herald, October 7, 1839, says Mr. Benjamin Harris, of that borough, had conceived a plan by which sail-vessels of every description might be propelled with the aid of steam, by paddles operating vertically in the bottom of the vessel above the keel, connected with the machinery above by a perpendicular shaft working in a metal cylinder, constructed to exclude the water. In the larger class of ships, the boilers, engines, and all the ma- chinery could be stowed away below the water-line. Mr. Harris tested his idea on a skiff fourteen feet long and three wide, which, propelled by the hand, by a crank turning a paddle-wheel two and a half feet in diameter, made the rate of five miles an hour. Many ingenious plans were proposed up to 1839, when the utility of the screw-propeller was fully demonstrated, and a number of screw boats were placed on the lines of inland navigation connecting Lake Ontario with the St. Lawrence. THE "LONDONDERRY" OR "GREAT NORTHERN" SCREWS, 1842. There is a good representation of the " Great Northern," which was launched the latter part of 1842, with sections of the stern showing the screw, in the London Illustrated News, for January 24, 1843. The vessel is represented as ship rigged, with the smokestack aloft the main mast and having a line of painted ports along her side. The paper states, "Her great length, breadth and depth exceeds, we believef the dimensions of any steam vessel ever in exist- ence. She was built at Londonderry by Captain Wm. Coppin,* (an experi- enced ship builder and inventor), and is a remarkable monument of marine architecture. She is propelled by the Archimedean screw, which works on each side of the rudder : the engine is of three hundred and sixty horse- power. No paddles are required, and but for the funnel which is seen amidships, she might pass for a square-rigged ship of the larger class. She has three masts with lower and upper yards, and is rigged in every respect *Captain Coppin has obtained in England and in this country (March 28, 1882) a patent for a compound ship constructed of three hulls of narrow beam, the two outer hulls being longer than the central hull, and the whole decked over and combined as one vessel. The centre vessel is entirely devoted to machinery and has a screw at both ends. The design bears promise of great speed and carrying capacity and great stability, but has not yet been put to a practical trial. HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 171 like a frigate or sloop-of-war. We were favored by one of her officers with the following dimensions : Length from taffrail to stern, 274 feet ; beam, 37 feet ; depth, 50 feet. On her passage from Londonderry she ran upon an average thirteen and a half knots without her engine, which can be spared or used as circumstances may require. When it was necessary to put on the engine she ran nine knots head to wind. The space for storage is most capacious. Standing aft and looking forward on the orlop deck the distance seems immense, exceeding indeed the largest first-rate in the navy. With all this room there is at present a want of arrangement for cabins, but we understand she will be fitted up in the best style. With respect to her exter- nal appearance the vessel seems a huge monster steamer, but pleasing in her mould and trim. (This the cut shows). A beautiful female figure is placed over the cut water and her stern is richly decorated with carving, gold and color. In consequence of the heavy mast, yards and rigging, she will require an immense quantity of ballast. At present it is not decided whether she is to run to and from Ireland or be employed in other service. During her stay many persons entered the dockyard to gaze upon this truly wonderful object." Extracts from her log from Cowes to London, beginning December 25, 1843, and ending December 29, when she steamed into the East India port docks, which are given, show that her sailing qualities were not impeded by the screw propeller. 1842. In March 1842, Lieutenant W. W. Hunter, U.S. N., took out a patent for a submerged horizontal wheel, for the propelling of steamers. The first essay was made in the canal at Washington, D. C., on a small boat called the "Germ" The results obtained was represented as so favorable it was determined by the U. S. Government to build a wooden vessel of 1000 tons to test this method of propulsion. This vessel, named "The Union" was built at the Norfolk, Virginia, Navy Yard, and was of the following dimen- sion : Length on deck, 184 feet 6 inches ; beam on deck, 33 feet 6 inches; beam at wheels, 26 feet; depth of hold, 161 feet; deep drop, 13 feet; dis- placement at 11 feet draft 900 tons. Engines, Two iron condensing hori- zontal disconnected engines, built at the Washington Navy Yard. Diame- ter of cylinders 24 feet ; strokes of piston, 4 feet. The Hunter wheel consisted of a plain drum revolving in a horizontal plane beneath the water upon the sides or periphery of this drum ; the pad- dles placed vertically and radically from the centre. In the Hunter wheel the paddles acted in the same manner as the Orsman paddle-wheel, except- ing that they revolved horizontally instead of vertically. 9 The " Union" was rigged as a three-masted schooner, was never off the United States coast, and did but very little steering, and never-after several alterations attained a speed of over six knots. Her total cost with altera- tions was $172,475. Her armament was four 65-pounders mounted in the centre of the vessel on swivels. After various trials she was put in orders and 172 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. sent to the Philadelphia Navy Yard, where her machinery and boilers were taken out and sold, and the hull turned into a receiving ship, and finally sold and broken up. Two other vessels were built for the United States Navy with Hunter's submerged horizontal wheels, viz. : the " Hunter," a small vessel, lost at Sacrificio on her first voyage in 1841, and the "Allegheny," an iron vessel of large tonnage, but which was only partially a success. 1843. THE " GREAT BRITAIN." The keel of the " Great Britain," built at Bristol from designs and on calculations made by Mr. Brunei, was laid down in July, 1839, and launched on the 19th of July, 1843, His Royal Highness Prince Albert, the Prince Consort, honoring the event with his presence. The " Great Britain " was originally intended for a paddle- steamer, but the [company having been unable to induce any forge-master to undertake the forgings required for the paddle-shafts, necessity compelled the adoption of the screw-propeller. After her launch she was imprisoned several months in Cumberland dock, Bristol, owing to the locks being nar- rower than the ship, which necessitated their being widened. She was re- leased from her long and ludicrous durance December 12, 1844, and early in 1845 steamed round to London. Her propeller was fifteen and a half feet in diameter. She was of large dimensions for the time, having an extreme total length of 322 feet, 51 feet width of beam, 32 feet 6 inches depth of hold, and 3,448 tons burthen by the old measurement. The " Great Britain" was among the first ocean-going steam-ships built of iron, and also among the first of that now numerous class navigated by a screw propeller. Originally she had six masts, which were afterwards reduced to three. The screw was worked by engines of 1,000 horse- power, but were changed to engines of 500 horse-power nominal. She was intended to be employed between Bristol and New York as the companion ship of the " Great Western." Besides being very strongly framed, she was divided into six water -tight compartments, which proved their utility when on her voyage from Liverpool to New York, with one hundred and eighty- five passengers on board, she was stranded on the 22d of September, 1846, in Dundrum Bay, on the Irish coast, where she lay till the 25th of August, 1847, exposed to all the storms which swept that rugged and tempestuous coast. When floated off she was found to have sustained little or no damage. During the Crimean war she was employed by the British government as a transport, and afterwards run to Australia as a passenger-ship, with ma- chinery and equipments modified to suit the service. She was still on that route in 1876.* * This vessel, which has a history of more than ordinary interest, was yesterday offered. for sale by Mr. t. W. Kellock (Messrs. Kellock & Co.) at their salesroom, Walmer Build- ings, Water street, and the event attracted a very large attendance of gentlemen who are closely identified with the shipping interests of the port. The " Great Britain," lying in the West Float, Birkenhead, was described in the "bill of particulars" as of 3270 gross, HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 173 The " Great Western " ran regularly between Bristol and New York till the end of 1846. In 1847 she was sold to the West India Koyal Mail Steam Packet Company, and was considered one of their best vessels. She vWas broken up in 1857, at Vauxhall, being unable longer to compete profitably with the new class of steamers. 1838. THE " LIVERPOOL." The " Liverpool " was built in the city for which she was named, and was dispatched to New York, October 20, 1838, by Sir John Tobin, a well-known merchant, and put back to Cork, October 26. She again proceeded on her voyage on the 6th of November, and made the passage in sixteen and a half days, arriving at New York November 23. She was at first of 1,150 tons, but her tonnage was subsequently increased to 1,543, and she obtained the name of the "Great Liverpool." She made in all six voyages to and from New York, when she was transferred to the Peninsular and Oriental Company, and in 1846 was totally wrecked off Cape Finisterre. 1839. THE " PRESIDENT." The "President" was launched December 7, 1839, with great eclat, and sailed on her first trip to New York August 1, 1840 ; but her career was very brief, and may be summed up in a few words. When due from New York in April, 1841, she failed to make her appearance : tremendous weather having been experienced in the Atlantic, with unusual quantities of ice in very low latitudes, and the greatest anxiety was felt for her safety. She was never again heard of, nor was any trace of her wreck ever discovered. Her figure-head was a bust of Washington after Canova.* tonnage, and 1795 tons net register. It is further stated that "she was for many years in the Australian trade, and well-known by her rapid passages as a most successful ship. Her construction is of great strength, and the iron used was Low Moor of the finest quality. For the cattle trade across the Atlantic she is admirably adapted, her high 'tween decks and side ports affording grand ventilation ; she can carry live stock on three decks. For a sailing ship her beautiful lines peculiarly adapt her, and with the machinery taken out she is cal- culated to carry 4000 tons dead weight. Her engines are by J. Penn & Sons, of Greenwich, and are in good candition ; her boilers by Fawcett, Preston & Co., of Liverpool ; and though this steamer has been built many years, her iron was so good, and strength of construction so great, with a certain outlay she could be made a most desirable merchant ship. Dimen- sions Length over all 325 feet, breadth 50-6 feet, depth 31-5 feet." The bidding began at ;2,ooo, then went to ^"5,000, and before long ^"6,500 was offered. There being no ad- vance on this price, Mr. Kellock announced that the vessel was withdrawn. Liverpool Mercury, July 29, 1 88 1. * On the 23d of April, 1841, in lat. 41, long. 70, a Portuguese brig saw a large steamship under sail going about four miles an hour. No smoke issued from the funnels (the " Presi- dent" had two), and the paddle-wheels were not in motion. The captain of the brig saw the steamer on the following day, and even approached within three or four miles of her while pursuing his homeward route. She did not hail the brig, nor did she appear to be at - all in a disabled state. A British man-of war and two Portuguese vessels were sent to cruise in search of the " President," but without success. 174 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 1839. THE "BRITISH QUEEN." The "British Queen" sailed from Ports- mouth, England, on her first trip, July 13, 1839, with a full complement of passengers, a crew of one hundred men, eight hundred tons of goods, and six hundred tons of coal. She cost three hundred thousand dollars, and when leaving the harbor was said to have afloat in her property to the value of seven and a half millions of dollars. She was sold to the Belgian government in 1841. The " Columbia," of the Cunard line from Liverpool to New York, was wrecked on the rocks off Seal Island July 2, 1843. No lives lost. In 1840 Lieutenant Wall, R. N., communicated interesting papers to the United Service Journal " On the Construction, Proportions, and Power best adapted to Sea-going Steam Vessels," in which he presented arguments in favor of building and supplying large steamers with three instead of two en- gines, and set forth the advantages which would counterbalance the in- creased expense, weight, and friction of a third cylinder. The same year M. Scott RusseM arrived at this " very remarkable result :" " That in a voyage by a steam vessel in the open sea, exposed of course to adverse winds, there is a certain high velocity and high portion of power which may be accomplished with less expenditure of fuel and of room than at a lower speed with less power." The Secretary of the United States Navy, in 1840, in his official report, stated that England, in 1836, had 600 steamers at home and abroad, and in 1840 the number of steamers in the United States was 800, of which 600 belonged to the Western waters, where in 1834 there were about 254. About 140 belonged to the State of New York. In tonnage, in 1840, the United States had 155,000 tons of steam shipping, and great Britain 68,000. The Society of Arts awarded Mr. Jennings a silver medal in 1840, for his invention of night signals for steamers. A small iron steamer was built in England, appropriately named "The Anthracite," especially adapted to burning that kind of coal.* July 10, 1840, the " Cyclops " steam frigate, " the largest and most power- ful steam man-of-war in the world," was launched at the Pembroke Dock- yard. Her dimensions were : length, 225 feet; beam between paddles, 38 feet; depth of hold, 38 feet; tonnage, 1300. She was 200 tons larger than the " Gorgon," launched from the same slip two years before. She had a complete gun-deck, as well as an upper or quarter deck, and on her main deck mounted eighteen long 36-pounders, on the upper deck four 48-pound- ers and two 96-pounders, " tremendous guns on swivel carriages, carrying a ball ten inches in diameter, and sweeping around the horizon 240 degrees." She was commanded by a post-captain, the " Gorgon " being the only steamer in the Royal Navy at that date taking post rank. Her crew con- sisted of 210 men, 20 engineers and stokers, and a lieutenant's party of * Mechanic's Magazine. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 175 marines, who had charge of the guns. All the guns were mounted upon sliding fixed pivot carriages. She was schooner-rigged, and, with six months' stores and twenty days' fuel, drew only fifteen feet of water. Her orlop-deck could store 800 troops and their officers with comfort. She was built in six months, on plans of Sir William Symonds, and had engines of 320 horse-power. The steamer " Nicholai," of eight hundred tons, was built at Deptford, in 1839, to run between Lubeck and St. Petersburg, and the Messrs. Laid & Woodside, of Liverpool, shipped in sections the hulls of three iron steam- boats to be set up in Montevideo. 1838 TPIE " COLUMBUS." The "Columbus" of Liverpool, built in 1838 for trans-Atlantic voyages, was fitted with Howard's vapor engine, and hence obtained the name of the " quicksilver " steamer. She was brig-rigged, had two very low funnels, and burned anthracite coal, so that "no smoke was emitted." She was a vessel of 330 tons, builder's measurement, had 21* feet beam, was 145 feet long on her keel, and her depth of hold was 13? feet; horse-power, 110. She had two 55 feet engines (her cylinder being 40* inches in diameter), her piston had 3 feet stroke, and her paddle-wheels were \1\ feet in diam- eter. .Her speed was 10 statute miles per hour. Her furnace was not applied immediately to the water, but to a pan of quicksilver, which it was proposed to maintain at its boiling-point, but very much above the boiling-point of water. On this surface of hot quicksilver water was injected, which in- stantly converted into steam containing more heat than was sufficient to maintain it in vaporing form. This superheated steam worked the piston, and being subsequently condensed by a jet of fresh water, the mix- ture of warm water produced by the steam and the water injected was con- ducted through the cooling pipes, and subsequently used to supply the water evaporation, thus not only dispensing with the boiler, but also with sea- water, the same distilled water constantly circulating through the cylinder and condenser. The experimental results x were satisfactory, and a small boat fitted with Howard's engine was plying between London and Richmond during the summer of 1838. The result of the trial of the "Columbus" I have not ascertained, but it was probably unsuccessful, as this is the only notice of "Howard's quicksilver engine" I have been able to find. 1838. THE " RAINBOW," built by John Laird, of Liverpool, for the Gen- eral Steam Navigation Company in 1838, was an iron steamer of 580 tons, 190 feet between the perpendiculars, 25 feet beam between the paddle-boxes, and 121 feet depth of hold. Her engines were of 180 horse-power. On one occasion she made the trip between London and Antwerp, a distance of 190 nautical miles, in fourteen hours, the quickest that had been made. On this vessel Prof. Airy experimented on the effect of iron on the compass.* * Nautical Magazine, 1829. 176 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 1839. THE " NORTH AMERICA," the first vessel with which it was at- tempted to open a steam communication between Halifax and Boston, per- formed the voyage in the autumn of 1839 from one place to the other in thirty-six hours, and on a second trip in twenty-nine hours, with very heavy weather. 1839. STEAMERS TO INDIA. The " Queen of the East," an iron steam- ship, the first of a line of steamers to ply between England and Calcutta, launched in 1839, was an iron ship of 2,618 tons and 600 horse-power. Her extreme length was 312 feet, and between the perpendiculars 270 feet ; beam, 45 feet ; depth of hold, 30 feet ; cylinder, '84 inches diameter; 9 feet stroke. The " India," the first vessel of the India Steam Navigation Company via the Cape of Good Hope was 1,200 tons, and had accommodation for eighty passengers. Her extreme length was 200 feet ; beam, 40 ; depth, 40. Her cargo capacity was 400 tons. She had two plate iron bulkheads across the engine to confine accidental fire and prevent a leak spreading from one di- vision to another. Three additional steamers were on the stocks for this company, and others to be immediately commenced. 1840. THE " PROSEPINE" war steamer of 470 tons, built in England, 1840, had four sliding keels, nine water-tight bulkheads, two of which were longitudinal, running the entire length of the engine-room, and was armed with four long guns on non-recoil carriages. Her draft was four feet; her two engines were of 45 horse-power each, and her paddle-wheels could be disconnected. 1840. THE " PROPELLER," a small steamer with engine of 24 horse- power, built in England in 1840, had propellers of single blades of iron on each side, broad and large, which dipped into the water perpendicularly. The appearance of the propellers was like that of the legs of grasshopper?, and when in motion their action resembled the legs of that insect in its work.* 1841. THE " CAIRO," built for the navigation of the Nile in 1841, was flat-bottomed to adapt her for the shallow waters of the Nile, having a draft of only two feet. She had two oscillating engines of sixteen horse-power each. She was an iron vessel and divided by water-tight bulk-heads, with five compartments and could accommodate one hundred persons in her cabins. Her average speed was guaranteed by her builders to be fifteen miles an hour. 1841. THE "FIRE-FLY," of about two horse-power, fitted with a locomo- tive boiler, vibrating engines, and Ericsson screw propeller, attained a speed of nine miles an hour on the Thames at Oxford. 1839. SCREW STEAMER "K. F, STOCKTON." January 29, 1839, The " R. F. Stockton " (screw) towed the American packet-ship " Toronto," 650 tons, and drawing 162 feet water, from Blackwall to the lower points of *Xondon Times, Oct. 10, 1840. HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. Ill Woolwich, 3i miles, in 40 minutes, against a flood-tide running 2 to 2 miles an hour. "The fact of this ship having been moved at the rate of upwards of six miles an hour, by a propeller measuring only 6 feet 4 inches in diameter and occupying less than 3 feet in length, is one which, scientifically considered, as well as in a practical and commercial point of view, is of immense im- portance."* 1840. The " NEMESIS." Captain W. H. Hall, sailed from Portsmouth in the " Nemesis," March 28, 1840. She was the first iron steamer -that ever rounded the Cape of Good Hope. She arrived at Table Bay July 1, left on the llth, but meeting with severe gales, put into English River, Delagoa. Bay, to refit, which occupied three weeks, when she resumed her voyage up the Mozambique Channel to India and China, where she performed gallant service. She was 168 feet long, 29 feet beam, and 650 tons burthen. She was fitted with five water-tight compartments. The " Archimedes," an iron screw steamer, in 1840 made an experimental trip around the island of Great Britain, or 1722 miles, in 210 hours, being on an average about 8* miles an hour. The " Archimedes " was built by F. P. Smith's Archimedean Screw Pro- peller Company. After the experimental trials were over the engines were taken out and she was sold for a sailing vessel.f The first application of Hall's reefing paddle-wheels was to the iron steamer " Lee," in 1840. COMPOUND ENGINES, 1829-1837. A comparatively little known work, by C. A. Tremtsuk, published at Bordeaux in 1842, contains some interest- ing particulars of the steamers plying at that time on the Gironde and the Garonne. One of these vessels, the " Union," launched in June, 1829, had a compound engine constructed by Hallette, of Arras. This engine had two inclined cylinders, the connecting-rods taking hold of the same crank-pin. The cylinders had diameters of 15 and 15.8 inches respectively, and the stroke in each instance was 26 inches. The engine was run at thirty revo- lutions a minute under a pressure of sixty-six pounds of steam. Another example of an early compound engine was in use in 1842 on board the steamer " Le Corsaire Noir." It was built in 1837 by Fol, ST., of Bor- deaux, and had three oscillating cylinders, two of them being each 10.78 inches in diameter, with 39.4 inches stroke, and the third having a diameter of 21.27 inches, with a stroke of 32 inches. The three cylinders acted on three different cranks. The two smaller cylinders received the steam from the boiler at a pressure of seventy-four pounds, and discharged it into an intermediate receiver, from which it passed to the large cylinder and then to the condenser.! * Timbs, in the Year-Book of Facts for 1840. f See ante, Chapter III. J Benjamin, in his paper on " Ocean Steamships," in the Century, September, 1882, says: 12 178 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 1839. The steamer " Argyle" sailed from Liverpool ApriUG, 1839, for New Orleans via Cadiz and Madeira ; and the " Chili " sailed from Falmouth r and the " Peru" from London, July 2, 1839, for Valparaiso and Callao via Kio Janeiro. 1839. THE FIRST TRIAL OF STEAMERS IN BATTLE. The attack upon St. Jean d'Acre November 3, 1839, by the allied squadrons of England, Austria and Turkey, under the command of Commodore Sir Charles Na- pier, was the first occasion on which the advantages of steam was tried in battle. Four English paddle-wheel steamers, viz : the "Phenix," " Gorgon," " Strombolo," and " Vesuvius," were engaged in the action, and the shells thrown from them did prodigious execution ; they were enabled with rapidity to take up the most advantageous positions and rendered great assistance during the bombardment. 1840. A VESSEL PROPELLED BY PRESSURE PUMPS. The Edinburgh Observer of 1840 says, "An ingenious mechanic residing at Grahamstown has been for a long period engaged in constructing a small vessel to be pro- pelled by pressure-pumps. The boat was launched into the Forth and Clyde Canal at Bainsford bridge, and proceeded along the reach at a rate of not less than fifteen miles per hour, conducted by the inventor alone, who worked the pumps. He had no doubt that his invention would entirely supersede the use of paddle-wheels." The London Morning Chronicle for 1840 says, "Experiments were tried with a model of an entirely new form of steam vessel, and with every pros- pect of a successful result. In this remarkable invention there are no paddle-wheels nor external work of any kind. The whole machinery is in the hold of the vessel, where a horizontal wheel is moved by the power of steam, and, acting upon a current of water admitted by the bows and thrown off at the stern, propels the vessel at a rapid rate. By a very simple con- trivance of stop-cocks, etc., on the apparatus, the steamer can be turned, retarded, stopped, or have her motion reversed." An officer of the United States Navy obtained a patent in 1840 for a similar improvement; his model was examined by scientific gentlemen in Washington, who highly approved of it. The whole machinery was situated below the water-line, out of reach of shot. 1840. THE CUNARD LINE ESTABLISHED. Samuel Cunard, of Halifax, in 1840, started the line of ocean steamers known by his name. It was the first permanently successful line of transatlantic steamers. The " Britan- nia," the first regular steamer of the line, left Liverpool, July 4, 1840, and arrived at Boston, July 18, 1840, fourteen days and eight hours from Liver- pool. " The compound engine was-invented by Hornblower in 1781." Also, " that Allaire made such an engine for Eckford in 1825." Hornblower's engine is not mentioned in the Abridgment of Patents for Marine Propul- sion, published by the British Patent Office. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 179 Cunard had for years conducted a line of packet-brigs between Halifax and England, tub-like vessels widely known as coffins, several having foundered under the wintry waves of the Atlantic. Mr. Cunard accepted a subsidy and laid the keels of four steamers of eight hundred tons to run be- tween Halifax and Liverpool, with a small connecting steamer to run from Halifax to Boston. On his return by the " Great Western" he was encoun- tered at Bristol by news from America. Kesolutions favoring the enterprise had been presented at a large meeting in Boston and adopted by acclama- tion. With thesa in hand, Cunard waited on the Admiralty. " See," he says, " my predictions are verified. I told you the boats were too small ; the Bostonians say they must come through to Boslon, and that they will settle the question of the Northeast boundary. Give me ten thousand pounds more and I will enlarge the steamers and extend my route to Boston." They gave him the additional sum : he went back to Glasgow, broke up the keels already laid, and built the " Britannia," " Acadia," "Caledonia," and "Columbia," the pioneers of his line to America. The " Unicorn," a chartered vessel, was the first vessel of the Cunard line to cross the Atlantic, but the " Britannia" was the first regular vessel to arrive at Boston. 1842. The paddle-wheel steamer " Bangor," from Boston, via Halifax and Pictou, arrived at Fayal on the 19th September, 1842, in ten days from the latter port, and left on the 21st for Constantinople, touching at Gibraltar and Malta. She was at one time the steam-yacht of the Sultan, and later employed in conveying Mahommedan pilgrims towards Mecca. She was a side-wheel steamer, built in New York to ply between Boston, Portland, and Bangor, Maine, and was some time on that route. On her voyage to Gibral- tar her lower cabins were converted into coal-bunkers, and her upper cabins removed. 1840. THE FRENCH STEAM NAVY. The French steam navy in 1840 consisted of the following paddle-wheel steamers, viz. : The " Lavoisier," 220 horse-power ; " Veloce," 220 ; " Chameleon," 220 ; " Gassendi," 220 ; " Ma- jeur,"160; "Sphinx," 160; "Ardent," 160 ;" Crocodile," 160; "Fulton/' 160; "Chimere," 160; "Styx," 160; "Me"teore," 160; "Vulture," 160; " Phare," 160; "Acheron," 160; " Papin," 160 ; " Cerberus," 160 ; " Tartar/ 1 160; "Etna," 160; Brandon," "Cocytes," 160; " Phaeton"," 160; " Ton- nerre," 160; "Euphrates," 160; " Gregerois," 160; "Grondeur," 160; "Ka- mier," 150; "Castor," 150; " Brasier," 100; " Coureur," 80;" Flambeau," 80 ;" Corsier," 60 ; " Erebus," 60 ; " African/,' 40 ; and seven other boats on the stocks, viz.: the " Asmodeus," " Pluto," "Infernal," "Gomore," "Ton- are," " Cuvier," and " Chaptal," which gave France an effective force of forty-one .steamboats, whilst the English had nearly twice as many. The "Gomore," of four hundred and fifty horse-power, was to carry thirty-four guns under a covered battery, and the " Infernal" was of three hundred and twenty horse-power. 180 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. On the other hand, the English had the " Cyclops," which could mount sixteen long thirty-twos, four pieces of forty-eight on its quarter-deck, and two of ninety-six, twenty-two guns in all. She could carry coal for twenty- five days' steaming, and take one thousand soldiers on her deck ; four hun- dred troops across the Atlantic, or three hundred to India. Her usual rate of sailing was eleven knots an hour. She beat in sailing, and without using the engine, the "Pantaloon," the fastest sailing brig in the Royal Navy, in a pas- sage of three hundred miles. Her crew comprised two hundred and twenty seamen in time of war, and one hundred and seventy-three during peace. Independent of her war-steamboats, Great Britain had immense resources in her commercial steam navy, which consisted of eight hundred and ninety- nine steamboats, aggregating a force of sixty-eight thousand one hundred and forty-five horse-power. Among these were thirty-three steamboats, of from four hundred and fifty to seven hundred horse-power, which traded to the United States, South America, and India. 1842. EARLY SCREW STEAMERS IN GREAT BRITAIN. The London Nautical Magazine for 1842 notes the following vessels with screw propellers as having been built or then being built in Great Britain, viz.: Already btiilt. "Archimedes," 237 tons, 70 horse-power, belonging to London. "Princess Royal," 101 " 45 " " Brighton. "Bee," 30 " 10 " " Portsmouth. " Beddington," 270 " 60 " " South Shields. "Novelty," 300 " 25 " " London. Building. " Great Britain," 3,600 tons, 1000 horse power, belonging to Bristol. "Rattler," 800 " 200 Two for the French government of 230 horse-power. One " " " " 350 " Propellers had been fitted to other vessels with various success. The old river steamer " Swiftsure " was fitted with one, and an increased speed at- tained by it. The " Great Britain " is described as the " largest vessel in the world ; but the most noble feature about her is her newly-improved screw-propeller, patented by Mr. Smith, of London, and applied by him with complete success to the 'Archimedes.' " Henry Winhault, who launched the " Novelty " on the Thames, in 1843, claims she was the first screw propeller ever used to carry freight. The "Napoleon" of 130 horse-power, built in Havre, in 1842, was the first French steamer propelled by the screw. In 1842 steam navigation was established on the Indus. The iron steamers " Planet " and "Satellite," originally intended for the Rhine, were purchased by the East India Company, sent out in sections, and put together in the HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 181 dock-yards in Bombay. In 1844-45 the " Napier," " Conqueror," and " Meance " were added to the line ; all these had engines of sixty horse- power. In 1842 H. B. M. steamship " Driver " circumnavigated the globe, the first steamship to perform this feat. 1841. THE FIRST STEAM LAUNCH. The "Jane," a steamer 26 feet long, with five feet beam, and of less than three tons tonnage, and one horse- power, attained in smooth water a speed of seven miles an hour. She was built by Mr. Blaxand, of Greenwich, and her propelling power was two screw paddles at the stern. The machinery was worked by straps and fric- tion pulleys, so arranged as to avoid the wear and tear of gears. 1842. Captain Carpenter, of H. M. S. " Geyser," in 1842 had her pinnace fitted with his patent propeller and a small engine of 5 to 6 horse-power. The pinnace was 30 feet in length, 9 feet wide, and capable of carrying 3 tons. Her " disc " engine weighed 6 cwt., and measured three feet by one and a half. The engine and boiler were so fitted to the pinnace that they could be taken out or replaced in five minutes. 1841. AN ICE-CUTTING STEAMBOAT was invented* by M. C. Hiorth, a Dane, in 1851, which could cut its way through the thickest ice with a speed nearly equal to that of an unimpeded navigation. THE " PRINCETON," 1843. Screw propulsion was introduced into the United States Navy, and, it may be said into the United States, in 1843, by the construction of the " Princeton," a steamship classed as a second-rate sloop-of-war. . This vessel was designed by and constructed under the superintendence of Captain John Ericsson, a Swede by birth, but a resident of New York. She was the first screw steam war -vessel ever built* Her dimensions were : Length on deck . . . . . . . 164 feet. Length between perpendiculars, . . . . . 156 " Extreme beam on deck, . . . . . . 30 " 6 inches. Depth of hold to berth-deck, . . . . - 14" Depth from berth to spar-deck, . . . . 7 " " Total depth of vessel, . . . . ' . 21 " " Measurement burden, ...... 673 tons. Launching weight of hull, . . . . 418 " Displacement at i6)4 feet draught , 954 " at 18 . . . . 1046 " Immersed midship sectional 16^ feet draught, . . . 346 square feet. " " at 18 " " . 390 Draught of water at deepest load, with 200 tons of coal onboard . 19 feet 4 inches. Draught of water, with 100 tons of coal in,' after bunkers and") forward 14^ feet. provisions and water for the crew half out ... ] aft, . iS^ " Mean draught of water with half coal out and all other weights full 1 7 feet. * H. M. S. "Rattler," the second screw war vessel, was launched after the " Princeton." 182 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. The peculiarity of her model consisted in a very flat floor amidships, with great sharpness forward, and excessive leanness aft, the run being remarka- bly fine, with a great extent of dead-wood terminating in a stern-post of the unusual thickness of twenty-six inches at the 'centre of the propeller-shaft, but tapering above and below. This dead-wood and stern-post was pierced by a hole thirteen inches diameter. Other of her peculiarities were that for the first time in a vessel of war all of her machinery was placed entirely below the water-line, out of reach of shot. She was also the first war steamer to burn anthracite coal, thus avoiding the dense volumes of black smoke which revealed all foreign war steamers. She was also the first steamer provided with telescopic funnels, to be lowered out of the way of the sails, and the first to use blowers. She was provided with direct-acting engines. Ericsson, who devised her, was the first also to couple the screw directly to the engine. An eye-witness has described a remarkable race between the " Princeton" and the "Great Western" the fastest ocean paddle-wheel steamer of the day. The " Great Western " was aware that the new United States war vessel pro- pelled by an unseen instrument intended to run with her a sufficient dis- tance for a fair trial of the relative speed of the two vessels, and was there- fore fully prepared. On the day in question, shortly after the "Great Western " had passed the Battery in the New York harbor, with volumes of dense smoke pouring from her pipe, her paddle-wheels leaving a snow white wake behind them, the "Princeton" came down the Hudson at great speed. She looked like a fine model of a sailing-ship, with yards squared and not a stitch of canvas spread ; no smoke-pipe visible, it being lowered level with the rail ; no smoke to be seen, anthracite being the fuel supplied ; but propelled by a noisless and unseen agency. She soon reached and passed the " Great Western " and steamed around her, and passed her a second time before the two reached their points of final separation. Captain Stockton, who may be said to have been her originator, superin- tended her construction, and was her first Captain. In a letter to the Secre- tary of the Navy, he thus describes the " Princeton." UNITED STATES SHIP " PRINCETON." PHILADELPHIA, FEB. 5, 1844. SIR : The United States ship " Princeton " having received her arma- ment on board, and being nearly ready for sea, I have the honor to trans- mit to you the following account of her equipment, etc. : The " Princeton " is a full-rigged ship of great speed and power, able to perform any service that can be expected from a ship of war. Constructed upon the most approved principles of naval architecture, she is believed o be at least equal to any ship of her class with her sail, and she has an HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 183 auxiliary power of steam, and can make greater speed than any sea going steamer or other vessel heretofore built. Her engines lie snug in the bot- tom of the vessel, out of reach of an enemy's shot, and do not at all inter- fere with the use of the sails, but can at any time be made auxiliary thereto. She shows no chimney, and makes no smoke, and there is nothing in her external appearance to indicate that she is propelled by steam. The advantages of the " Princeton " over both sailing-ships and steamers propelled in the usual way are great and obvious. She can go in and out of port at pleasure, without regard to the force or direction of the wind or tide, or the thickness of the ice. She can ride safely with her anchors in the most open roadstead, and may lie to in the severest gale of wind with safety. She can not only save herself, but will be able to tow a squadron from the dangers of a Jee shore. Using ordinarily the power of the wind and reserving her fuel for emergencies, she can remain at sea the same length of time as other sailing-ships. Making no noise, smoke, or agitation of the water (and if she chooses, showing no sail) she can surprise an enemy. She can take her own position and her own distance from an enemy. Her en- gines and water-wheel being below the surface of the water, safe from an enemy's shot, she is in no danger of being disabled, even if her masts should be destroyed. She will not be at daily expense for fuel as other steamships are. The engines being seldom used, will probably out-last two such ships. These advantages make the " Princeton," in my opinion, the cheapest fastest, and most certain ship-of-war in the world. The equipments of this ship are of the plainest and most substantial kind, the furniture of the cabins being made of white pine boards, painted white, with mahogany chairs, table, and side-board, and an American manu- factured oil-cloth on the floor. To economize room, and that the ship may be better ventilated, curtains of American manufactured linen are substituted for the usual and more cus- tomary and expensive wooden bulkheads, by which arrangement the apart- ments of the men and officers may in an instant be thro*vn into one, and a degree of spaciousness and comfort is attained unusual in a vessel of her class. The " Princeton " is armed with two long 225-pounder wrought-iron guns, and twelve 42-pounder carronades, all of which may be used at once on either side of the ship. She can consequently throw a greater weight of metal at one broadside than most frigates. The big guns of the " Prince- ton " can be fired with an effect terrific and almost incredible, and with a certainty heretofore unknown. The extraordinary effects of the shot were proved by firing at a target, which was made to represent a section of the two sides and deck of a 74-gun ship, and timbered, kneed, planked and bolted in the same manner. This target was 560 yards from the gun. With the smaller charges of powder, the shot passed through these immense masses of timber (being 57 inches thick), tearing it away and splintering it for sev- 14 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. eral feet on each side, and covering the whole surface of the ground for a hun- dred yards square with fragments of wood and iron. The accuracy with which these guns throw their immense shot (which are three feet in circumference) may be judged by this : the six shots fired in succession at the same eleva- tion struck the same horizontal plank more than half a mile distant. By the application of the various arts to the purposes of war on board the " Princeton," it is believed that the art of gunnery for sea service has for the first time been reduced to something like mathematical certainty. The distances to which these guns can throw their shot at every necessary angle of elevation has been ascertained by a series of careful experiments. The distance from the ship to any object is readily ascertained with an instru- ment on board, contrived for that purpose by an observation which it re- quires but an instant to make, and by inspection without calculation. By self-acting locks, the guns can be fired accurately at the necessary elevation r no matter what the motion of the ship may be. It is confidently believed that this small ship will be able to battle" with any vessel, however large, if she is not invincible against any foe. The improvements in the art of war adopted on board the "Princeton" may be productive of more important results than any thing that has occurred since the invention of gunpowder. The numerical force of other navies, so long boasted, may be set at naught. The ocean may again become neutral ground, and the rights of the smallest as well as the greatest nations may once more be respected. All of which,, for the honor and defense of every inch of our territory, is most respectfully submitted to the honorable Secretary of the Navy, for the information of the President and Congress of the United States. By your obedient and faithful servant, R. F. STOCKTON, CAPTAIN U. S. NAVY. To HON. DAVID HENSHAW, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. The "Arrogant " the first war-propeller vessel planned as such by the English* four or five years after the date of the United States steamer " Princeton," had cylinders of nearly the same capacity as her American prototype, yet her engines occupied 2,812 cubic feet, while those of the " Princeton " occupied but 1,738 feet. The " Princeton's" engines weighed 85 tons ; the "Arrogant's," built by the eminent engineer Penn, were much heavier. The hull of the " Princeton," having been built of white oak, was found to be too rotten for repair in 1849, and was broken up. Her performance was not excelled by any screw steamer of her time, relatively with the fuel she * The " Rattler " was originally laid down for a paddle-wheel steamer, and her plans- changed on the stocks to a screw. HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. * 185 consumed. At sea she worked and steered admirably, either under sail alone or with sail and steam. She was a very dry vessel, but owing to the sharpness of her hull fore and aft the midship section she pitched in a rough sea with great violence. With a fair amount of canvas and a moderate wind she would careen to an extent unusual in a vessel of her class, but though she thus easily went down to her bearings, it took additionally a very large quantity of canvas and a strong wind to depress her sensibly further. In a heavy gale clawing off a lee shore she carried sail to a greater extent than was considered prudent by other sailing sloops-of-war in her company ; all of them, and some frigates, she beat out to windward, dragging her propeller. After the hull was broken up the*machinery of the vessel remained in store at the Boston Navy Yard until the summer of 1851, when the Depart- ment ordered a new clipper hull to be built at that yard, of increased dimensions, to receive the Ericsson semi-cylinder engines, to have new boilers, and a propeller of suitable proportions for this enlarged "Princeton." The new vessel, built of live oak and copper fastened, was beautiful to look at, but her performance did not equal expectation It was a case of putting old wine into new bottles. She performed very little service at sea, was used as a receiving vessel at Philadelphia, and was sold in that city in 1867. Her armament was four 8-inch guns of 58 cwt. and six 30-pounder guns of 32 cwt. Her dimensions were: Mean length at load line, 177.5 feet; ex- treme beam, 32.66 feet ; depth, 25.75 feet ; displacement at mean load line, 1,370 gross tons. She was ship rigged. 1840. The Royal Steam Navy in 1840 consisted of between 38 and 50 paddle-wheel steam vessels of all classes. During the next three years 1842-44 eight screw vessels were ordered to be built, but the " Rattler " was the first that was launched. This number was augmented by twenty- six in 1845. In 1848 there were forty-five screw steamers in the Royal Navy. In 1845 the Queen reviewed the channel fleet, the steam branch being on that occasion represented by one solitary ship, the "Rattler" the first screw steamship added to the Royal Navy. In 1853, when the Queen again re- viewed the fleet at Spithead the steam branch had increased in the interven- ing eight years to twenty-seven paddle-wheels and thirteen screws, while there were only three sailing ships present. An official report of the result of various trials of the performance of screw steamers, dated May, 1850, states it " as lyghly probable that fine sailing-vessels, fitted with auxiliary screw-power, would be able, if not to rival, at least to approach full-powered and expansively-acting steamships in respect of their capability of making a long voyage with certainty and in a reasonably short time." " Another application of the screw, although in- ferior iti general importance to its application as a propeller to ordinary ships," says the same report, is as a manoeuvrer to those large ships in which engines of considerable power cannot be placed, or in which it is considered 186 * HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. unadvisable to place them. No doubt ca*n be entertained of the e fficiency of such an instrument worked by an engine of even fifty horse-power. The full extent of its utility, however, cannot perhaps be thoroughly appre- ciated until it shall have been extensively used in Her Majesty's navy." 1843. The H. M. S. "RATTLER," the first screw vessel of war of the Royal Navy, was ordered to be altered when on the stocks to test the method of screw propulsion. She seems to have been built to see if a propeller would really propel a vessel. Her engines were a set of ordinary paddle-wheel engines attached to the screw by means of gearing, and of course project- ing above the water line. That the experiment might be conclusive, so far as a trial could be made between two vessels, she was constructed on the same lines as the "Alecto" (her after-part being lengthened for the in- sertion of the screw), and she was fitted with engines of the same power, and on a plan which had previously been tried with paddle-wheel vessels. So doubtful were the Lords of the Admiralty of her success that the space on her broadside where paddle-wheels were usually inserted was kept clear of gun-ports that wheel-houses might be appended in case of the non- success of her screw ; and this was the state of her broadside when she was in China, in 1853-54.* The " Rattler " was launched from Sheerness Dock yard in April, 1843. She was considered a remarkably fine model, and of very unusual length in proportion to her beam, her dimensions being one hundred and ninety-five feet extreme length, thirty-three feet extreme breadth, and eighteen and one-half feet mean depth of hold. Her burden was eight hundred and eighty-eight tons. The river trials of the " Rattler " lasted from October, 1843, to the beginning of 1845, and showed that the screw-shaft might be advantageously reduced in diameter, and the blades reduced by one-third of their length ; an alteration which greatly reduced the weight of the screw, and facilitated the shipping and unshipping of it, and also rendered unnecessary the wounding or weakening to so great an extent the after part of the vessel. The result of the experiments with the " Rattler " was that the aperture in future vessels might be of very moderate dimensions without lessening the propelling power of the screw, and that in smooth water the screw was not inferior to the paddle-wheel. Early in 1845 the "Rattler" proceeded in company with the " Victoria and Albert," and the " Black Eagle," from Portsmouth to Pembroke. When rounding Land's End, both these vessels steaming against a strong, head-wind, their paddles being constructed on the feathering principle, proved superior to the " Rattler," which left an un- favorable impression as to the efficiency of the screw against wind and sea in heavy weather, and this impression continued for several years, although when next tried, in a run from the Thames to Leith, in speed she was de- * My informant of this fact was Captain Abel Fellowes, R. N., who commanded her at that time. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 187 cidedly superior to paddle-wheel steamers of greater tonnage. Before join- ing the squadron of Rear-Admiral Hyde Parker, in July, 1845, the " Rat- tler" was employed to tow the "Erebus" and "Terror" to the Orkney Islands on their fatal expedition to the North Pole. In 1843 Count Adolph E. de Rosen, the agent of Ericsson, received an order from the French government to fit a forty-four gun frigate, the " Po- mone," with an Ericsson propeller with engines of two hundred and twenty horse-power, which were to be located beneath the water-line, as in the case of the " Princeton." The next year the English government gave Count Rosen instructions to fit the frigate " Amphion " with a propeller and with engines of three hundred horse-power, which were to be fixed below the water-line like those of the French "Pomone." The engines of these vessels were the first engines in Europe which were kept below the water-line. They were also the first direct acting horizontal engines employed to give motion to the screw. Both vessels were completely successful.* f When the screw propeller was first tried in the British navy it was not supposed by anybody that the small section at present used would be enough ; it might for anything that was then decided be a screw of one complete turn upon its axis. Upon that supposition the "Rattler "was lengthened by the stern sufficiently for a long aperture ; in consequence the run at the forepart of the aperture was constructed of such a degree of fine- ness as to be most favorable to the efficacy of the screw. The correctness of form in this case^ was purely accidental. 1844. THE FIRST STEAM WHISTLE ON THE MISSOURI. The use of the steam-whistle on the Missouri River dates back to 1844. At that time the set- tlers on the Missouri River were in the habit of making yearly visits to St. Louis to do their trading for themselves and friends. They were not provided with daily intercourse with the outside world, and many who lived back from the river seldom if ever saw a steamboat more than once a year. During the fall of the year 1844 the new steamboat "Lexington" started up the Missouri River loaded down to the guards with freight. Among the pas- sengers were Judge Joseph C. Ransom, Theodore Warner, of Lexington, and Ben Holliday, afterwards the famous overland stage proprietor; Colonel Pomeroy, of Lexington, and a planter of Platte County, named George Yocum. The steamer " Lexington " was provided with a steam-whistle the first used on the Missouri and no one knew about it except Warner, who was a wag and a lover of a joke. The night after leaving St. Louis the passengers were collected together playing cards in the cabin, when the talk turned upon steamboat explosions, then very common. " I feel perfectly safe on this boat," said Warner, as he dealt the cards. " Why?" inquired Yocum, the planter. Bourne on the screw propeller, j- See page 144. 188 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION " Why ?" echoed the rest of the company. " I will tell you why," said the wag, carefully studying his cards ; " this boat is provided with a new patent safety-valve, which notifies the passengers on board when it is about to blow up. It is a concern which makes a most unearthly noise, and when you hear it, it is time to get back aft or jump overboard." Notwithstanding that Warner told his story with the most solemn and earnest countenance, some were skeptical. Not so, however, the planter. Next morning, when the "Lexington" was steaming up the straight stretch of river below Washington, Mo., the passengers were at breakfast, and busily engaged in doing justice to the meal. Suddenly the whistle commenced to blow for the first time on the trip. The pas- sengers looked at each other a moment, and horror and dismay spread itself over their faces. The first man to realize the situation was Yocum, the planter, who, with hair erect and blanched face, jumped up, crying : "Run, run for your lives; the denied thing's going to bust. Follow me, and let's save ourselves." Of course, there was a stampede for the rear of the boat, and it was only by the exertions of some of the crew that the more excited were restrained from jumping into the river. 1844. THE FIRST ENGLISH STEAM COLLIER was built in 1844. She was bark-rigged. The " King Coal," as she is appropriately called, one of the latest, was contracted for in 1870, _ and cost com- plete for sea fifteen thousand pounds. She carries nine hundred tons coal cargo, with burden space for one hundred tons more, and has extra water- ballast when she has no cargo on board ; against strong winds her speed is eight and a half knots an hour loaded, and from nine and a half to ten knots in fine weather when light; her power, ninety horse-power, nominal. She has a saloon-cabin on deck for the captain, with four berths aft, and accommodation for chief mate and steward forward. Her crew, all told, is seventeen. Her voyages from New Castle to London and back usually occupy six to eight days. Hoisting sails, lifting the anchor, and other heavy work is done by steam winches. The crew have a roomy and well- ventilated forecastle level with the main-deck ; the seamen occupy one side, the stokers the other, with a bulkhead between. The engineers have cabins on deck in the bridge-house. The wheel-house is amidship, and the helmsman is protected from the weather. The ordinary sailing collier delivered in the course of the year under the most favorable circumstances three thousand five hundred tons of coal. The screw collier, with a complement, all told, of seventeen men, conveys annually, on the same round, fifty thousand tons. Steam colliers have been generally adopted in the United States, and the Reading Company has quite a fleet of them. 1844. Steam propellers, carrying principally freight, but some passengers, HIS1 OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 189 commenced navigating Long Island Sound in 1844. The first was called the " Quinebaug." 1844. THE " MIDAS." The propeller schooner " Midas," Captain William Poor, owned by R. B. Forbes, of Boston, left New York for China, Novem- ber 18, 1844. She was the first American steam vessel that passed beyond the Cape of Good Hope, and was the first American screw steamer to ply in the waters of China. She was disabled by neglect to her boilers, and came home via Rio Janeiro under sail, and ran for a Jong time after be- tween Savannah and Rio Janeiro as a sailing-vessel. 1845.-^THE " EDITH." The propeller bark "Edith," Captain George W. Lewis, owned by R. B. Forbes, left New York for Bombay and China, January 18, 1845. She proceeded from Bombay to China in twent}'-one and one-half days, beating all competitors.J She was the first American steamer that visited British India, and the first square-rigged propeller that went to China under the American flag. She was purchased by the United States government during the war with Mexico, and after running in the Gulf of Mexico for a year went around Cape Horn, and was lost near St. Barbara, on the coast of California. THE " IRON WITCH." In April, 1845, R. B. Forbes contracted with Erics- son to build an iron paddle-wheel steamer of great speed, called the " Iron Witch." She was about three hundred feet long, and was the first iron pas- senger steamer that plied on the North River. She had side propellers in place of paddles, but was not fast enough to compete with the Albany boats. Her engines were, therefore, taken out and put into a wooden vessel called "The Falcon," which was bought by George Law, and was the first steamer under the American flag that plied to Chagres, in connection with the California route.* 1845. AUXILIARY STEAMSHIPS FOR THE ROYAL NAVY ORDERED. The Commissioners appointed to inquire into the state of the National defenses of Great Britain, recommended that several ships of the line should be fitted with steam machinery and screw propellers, and the Board of Admiralty in 1845 issued an order to prepare the "Blenheim," " Ajax," " Edinburgh," and " Hague," 72-gun ships, for adaptation to screw steamers. Four 42-gun frigates were ordered to be similarly prepared. The " Blenheim" was lengthened and altered at an outlay of above 43,000 on her hull, and 25,000 for machinery before she was completed as a guard ship. The expense of altering and adapting the other vessels was much less. The term " auxiliary," which has been found a most convenient applica- tion when a steam vessel does not come up to the anticipated speed, came from England, and in the British Navy was never designed for new vessels, but only for those sailing vessels already built, which could not be driven be- yond a moderate speed. The screw was added to save condemnation. * See account of George Law's line in succeeding pages. 190 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 1845. THE " EREBUS " AND " TERROR." The two vessels of Captain Franklin's ill-fated expedition in search of the North-west passage, which sailed from England on the Queen's birthday, May 24, 1845, were provided with a small steam engine and screw, intended for use in calms. 1845. Early in 1841 Thomas Butler King, of Georgia, for many years chairman of the Committee of the United States House of Representatives on Naval Affairs, introduced a resolution direct ng the Secretary of the Navy to advertise for proposals for mail steamships to run to European ports, and for a coastwise line between the North and South. Persevering in his efforts from session to session, he succeeded in having a bill passed in 1845 placing the arrangement for the transportation of the mails to foreign countries under the direction of the Postmaster-General, and authorizing him to solicit proposals for several routes. This led to the formation of the Ocean Steam Navigation Company of New York, which in 1847 built and placed the " Washington " and the " Hermann " on the route to Southampton and Bremen. They were the first American ocean steamships alter the " Savan- nah," and at the time of their construction the best specimens of sea steamers our constructors and engineers had produced. Their average passages from Cowes to New York was thirteen days fourteen hours and fifty-three minutes ; from New York to Cowes, fourteen days seven hours and seventeen minutes. The contract between this " Ocean Steam Navigation Company " and the United States was for them to carry the United States mails between New York and Bremen twice a month, touching at Cowes, the compensation to be two hundred thousand dollars per annum. The two steamships were two hundred and twenty-four ftet long, thirty-nine feet broad, and twenty-nine feet deep, and measured seventeen hundred tons. At the expiration of the contract the line was discontinued, the steamers were sold and transferred to the Pacific, where in 1863 the " Hermann" was broken up, and a few years later the " Washington" was wrecked. 1845. THE UNITED STATES STEAMER "WATER WITCH." The first iron steamer built for the United States Navy was the " Water Witch." She was intended as a water tank to supply the vessels of the Portsmouth, Va., Navy Yard with water, and was originally fitted with Hunter's horizontal submerged wheels. She proved too large for the purpose intended, and was then fitted for a harbor vessel and tug. Her per- formance not being satisfactory, she was taken to Philadelphia, cut in two and lengthened thirty feet at the centre, the width being also increased six inches. The whole machinery was taken out and she was fitted with a Losser propeller. In 1849 she was again fitted with entirely new machinery, without alteration of hull, and fitted with ordinary paddle-wheels at the sides. In 1852 the iron hull, as originally constructed, proving too narrow for an efficient and safe war steamer, it was used as a target for experiment gun practice at Washington, and a new one of wood of enlarged proportions and greater strength was ordered by the Department. Thus like the boy's HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 191 jackknife, that by repairs was changed, both blades and handle, until it was questionable whether he could call it the old knife or a new one, the iron submerged wheel, water tank, propeller, and paddle-wheel steamer "Water Witch" became at last a wooden paddle-wheel boat of increased dimensions, having both a new hull and new engines. She was finally surprised and captured by the rebels during our civil war and destroyed by them. 1845. THE MASSACHUSETTS. Captain R. B. Forbes says, " In 1845 I built the auxiliary steam propeller ' Massachusetts' for myself and others, and sailed in her on the 15th of September, or thereabouts, from New York for Liverpool, and arrived on the 2d of October, having used steam nearly eleven days out of seventeen and a half. This was the first packet-ship under steam that started and performed more than one complete voyage between the United States and England under the American flag, and was the first propeller that was put into the trade." The propeller "Marmora" went to England before the " Massachusetts," on her way to the Mediterranean, and the steamer "Bangor" (paddle) which had b en a packet between Boston and Portland, Maine, went to Gibraltar ; but the " Massachusetts" was the first regular steam packet-ship between the United States and England under our flag. The propeller of the " Massachusetts"* was of composition metal, nine feet in diameter. She had two cylinders of 17,640 cubic inches each, set at right angles. The propeller was contrived to take out of the water at pleasure, and when out of water the ship was a perfect sailing-ship of about seven hundred tons. She made two voyages from New York to Liverpool and back, and was then chartered, and afterwards sold to the War Department. General Scott had his flag on board the "Massachusetts" at the taking of Vera Cruz. She was transferred to the Navy Department and went through the Straits of Magellan to California. During the civil war her engines, which were designed by Ericsson, were* taken out and she was refitted as a storeship and renamed the " Farralones." After the war she was sold in San Francisco and renamed the "Alaska," and was engaged in carrying wheat from that port to Liverpool, and for aught I know, " still lives." 1846. STEAMBOATS ON THE THAMES. In 1846 there were eleven steam- boats running between London and Westminster Bridges on the Thames at one penny the trip, making thirty-two trips in the hour, or three hundred and twenty trips per diem. Assuming forty as the average number of pas- sengers for each trip, the daily total would be fifteen thousand, and the return trip being the same, one hundred and twenty-five pounds was about the daily receipts of these boats. The time of each trip varied from one-quarter to one-half hour. * Portraits of the Massachusetts and Edith are preserve/d in the Naval Library and Insti- tute at the Boston Navy Yard. 192 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 1846. THE " OREGON." The Hudson Kiver steamer " Oregon," the most magnificent steamer afloat in 1846, it is said maintained a speed against a west-northwest gale and head sea of twenty miles per hour. In calm weather she made an average speed of twenty-five miles per hour. Her length was three hundred and thirty feet, by thirty-five feet width of beam, and her measurement one thousand tons, with berth accommodations for six hundred passengers. . Her engine was of eleven hundred horse-power, and had a seventy-two-inch cylinder with eleven feet stroke. On the main deck, the inclosed space from the ladies' cabin forward formed a promenade two hundred feet long. The massive engine in the centre, and four or five side parlors, fitted up with ten or twelve berths each, opened out over the guards, as also a smoking-room, denominated the "Exchange," and the wash-room and barber's shop, the latter fitted up with marble slab, Croton water, wash-bowls, etc. In the main cabin a continuous line of berths extended oyer three hundred feet from end to end of the boat, numbering some two hundred. This in- cluded the after-cabin, which was connected by an ample passage-way with the forward one. Five hundred yards of carpeting covered the floors in these cabins. Each berth was fitted with Mackinaw blankets and Marseilles quilts, having the name of the steamer worked in them. A thirty-pound mattress, and also bolsters nd pillows, with linen of the finest qnality, com- pleted the equipment of the berths. The curtains were of satin de laine of rich tints, with embroidered inner curtains. " A portion of the after-cabin was set aside for ladies, and distinguished by extra trimmings, blue and gold curtains, etc. The dining-saloon accom- modated two hundred and fifty persons. The table service was of the richest French china, every article marked with the name of the steamer ; the glass- ware was heavy star-cut. The silver-plated ware was of Prince Albert pattern, very heavy and costly. But the transition from this show-room to the ladies' upper cabin was as great as from that of a common ferry-boat cabin. There the magnificent fittings dazzled the eye. Nothing was want- ing which could add richness, splendor, or luxury. There were seven tiers of berths and three state-rooms upon each side, the cabin being seventy feet long. At the extreme stern was the wash-room, fitted with even more com- fort than that for gentlemen. Each side of the entrance were full-length mirrors that at first glance were often mistaken for [doors opening into another cabin. The state-room doors were of enameled white, richly gilt, and their interior embellishments, like the cabin, splendid and beautiful. The front of the ladies' cabin from the main- deck was splendid. The archi- tecture was plain, with an enameled white ground profusely gilt, with raised flowers upon the gilt pillars. A time-piece was placed over the door and stained glass around it." The "state-room hall" on the upper deck was two hundred and twenty feet long by sixteen wide, except the space occupied by the engine in the HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 193 centre. Out of it opened sixty state-rooms, furnished in sumptuous style ; three were double ones, and a fourth was fitted up as a. " bridal-room" with good taste, and with a wide French bedstead, etc. Forward of this hall was a lounge, from which there was an unobstructed view ahead of the progress of the boat and passing objects. Astern was a promenade-deck. State-room hall and the main cabin were adorned with superb mirrors set in rich frames. The cost of the furniture and fittings was thirty thousand dollars, and of the boat itself about one hundred and thirty thousand dollars. She was built under the superintendence of her t commander, Captain St. John, and her symmetry, the beauty of her model, and the arrangement of her engines, which gave her unrivaled speed, were the result of his long and practical experience. 1846. FIRST AMERICAN MAIL STEAMSHIPS. The first regular American ocean mail steamship was the " Southerner." She was built in 1846 and put on the route between New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She was followed by the "Falcon" and others in the trade to Southern ports. 1847. The first French Atlantic steamer arrived at New York from Cherbourg on the 8th of July, 1847. 1847. THE "UNITED STATES." \V. H. Webb in 1847 built for Messrs. C. H. Marshall & Co., the owners of the celebrated Black Ball line of packet- ships, for the New York and Liverpool trade, the steamer " United States," of two thousand tons burden, which in April, 1848, sailed on her first voy- age to Liverpool. She was the first American steamer built for the Atlantic Ocean freight and passenger trade, made several voyages, did not pay, was withdrawn and sold to parties in Bremen, and was added to the navy of the new German Confederation. She had a flat bottom with a concave floor. In several respects she differed from any vessel previously constructed. She was also the first commercial steamship constructed to be of use to the "Government Naval Service. She could be armed with two tiers of guns, had plenty of room in which to work them, and could carry coal enough for a voyage to Europe. Her first trip to Liverpool occupied thirteen days and consumed forty tons of coal daily five hundred and twenty tons. She was two hundred and fifty-six feet long, fifty feet broad, and thirty and a half feet deep. 1849. THE LAW LINE. This at one time highly successful line of mail steamers was established by Law, Roberts & Co., under a Government con- tract with A. G. Sloo, made in conformity with the law of Congress of March 2, 1847, for carrying the United States mails between New York and Cali- fornia and Oregon. The line owed its origin to the enterprise, intelligent policy and business capacity of George Law of New York, who at an early day in the history of California did much to hasten the introduction of civilization and comfort upon the shores of the Pacific, and to convey the countless thousands of immigrants to their new homes "and bring back in- telligence of their arrival. 13 194 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. The " OHIO " was the first vessel built for this line under the law of Con- gress in 1849. Her hull was strongly built and had a diagonal bracing of three-inch round iron extending the whole length of the vessel between the keelson and main deck beams. The " Georgia," a sister vessel, was framed in the same manner, but was of different model. She exhibited in her model the first signal departure from the sail packets that had been so cele- brated. The general dimensions of these two steamers were " Ohio." " Georgia." Length on deck, 248 feet. 255 feet. Breadth of beam, ...... 45/4" 49 " Depth of hold, 24^ " 25^ " Tonnage, ......... 2,397 tons. 2,695 tons- Average draft, . . . . . . . 15/4 feet. 17 feet. Diameter of paddle-wheels, .... 36 " 36 " Their engines were of the side lever variety and had double-balanced valves, the steam valve being worked by one eccentric so adjusted as to cut off the steam at any part of the stroke, while the exhaust valve, being worked by a separate eccentric, could be set to give any desired lead. Each steamer had two engines. Diameter of the cylinders", 90 inches ; stroke of piston, 3 -feet. There were four iron boilers in each, two iorward and two abaft the engines. Each boiler was 21 feet long, 15 feet wideband 14 feet high, with five rows of flues and four furnaces with grates 8 feet in length. The arrangement of the flues was different from any previously built. The average speed of these vessels in good weather was 12 knots. The " ILLINOIS," the next vessel built for the line, was constructed under the immediate direction of George Law. Her length on deck was 267 feet 9 inches; length of keel, 255 feet; breadth of beam, 40 feet 3 inches; depth of hold to spar deck, 31 feet She was fitted with two oscillating engines. The diameter of the cylinder was 85 inches ; stroke of piston, 9 feet ; diameter of paddle-wheels, 33 feet 6 inches ; breadth of paddle-wheels, 10 feet 6 inches. She had four return tubular iron boilers, with two smoke pipes, and was barquentine rigged. Her maximum speed was 13 miles per hour. On one occasion she ran from Chagres to New York, one thousand nine hundred and eighty miles, in six days and sixteen hours, being an average or nearly twelve and a half miles per hour the whole voyage. Besides these vessels the company chartered the "Falcon,"* which was chiefly employed in carrying the mail between Havana and New Orleans. Her length on deck was 206 feet; beam, 30? feet; depth of hold, 21 feet; average draft, 12 feet; tonnage, 875 tons; average speed, 9 knots. These steamers were all running on the line between Chagres and New York in 1853. 1847. THE BREMEN LINE. The first American transatlantic steamers * The " Falcon," it will be recollected, received the engines of the " Iron Witch," the first iron Hudson River boat. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 195 after the "Savannah" (1818) were the "Washington ".and the "Hermann," constructed in 1847 to form a monthly communication between New York and Bremen. The hulls of these sister ships were built by Westervelt & Mackay and the machinery by Stillman, Allen & Co., of New York. The following were their general dimensions : Length on main deck, . Length on spar deck, . Breadth of beam, Depth of hold, Average draft, Tonnage C. H. measurement, Kind of engines, Diameter of cylinders, Length of stroke, Diameter of paddle wheels, Average speed per hour, Washington." 230 feet. 236 39 " 31 Hermann." 235 feet. 241 " 40 " 31 " 1700 tons. two side lever. 6 feet. 10 " 1800 long. two side lever. 6 feet. 10 " 36 II knots. Several alterations were made in the boilers and paddle-wheels after their first construction. 1850. THE HAVRE LINE. The " Franklin," constructed in 1848, and the "Humboldt" in 1850, built to be added to the Bremen Line, were built and equipped by the same firms as those of the Bremen Line, but were placed by Messrs. Fox & Livingston to run between New York and Havre. Their average passages from New York to Cowes, from January 1st to December 1st, 1852, were 12 days, 17 hours, 9 minutes, and from Cowes to New York 12 days, 22 hours each. The general dimensions of these two steamships were : Length on deck, Breadth of beam, Depth of hold, Average draft, . . Breadth across the paddles, Diameter of paddle-wheels, Engines, . Diameter of cylinders, . Length of stroke, . Tonnage, " Franklin." ' Humboldt." 263 feet. 292 feet. 41 10 12 feet. 40 " 26 27 18 ig}4 " 32 72 3 2 X " 35 " two side lever. two side lever. 7 9-12 feet 95 inches. 8 9 feet. 2,400 tons. 2,850 tons. Each had four iron flue boilers, placed back to back. The New York and Havre Steam Navigation Company, to. which these steamships belonged, was established in 1848, to ply between Havre and New York, stopping at Southampton both going and returning, and obtained a contract for carrying the United States mails, for which they were to receive one hundred and fifty thousand dollars per annum for a 196 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. fortnightly service. The "Franklin" was launched in 1848, and made her first voyage in 1850. In July, 1854, she was wrecked and totally lost on Long Island. The "Humboldt" made her first voyage in 1851, and was wrecked entering Halifax, Nova Scotia, in October, 1853. To preserve the mail contract, the service was supplied by chartering un- suitable steamers at heavy cost until 1855-56, when the "Arago" and " Ful- ton" were built and placed on the line. On the breaking out of the Rebellion in 1861 the line was withdrawn. The "Arago" was sold to the Peruvian government, and the hull of the " Fulton" was broken up, dry rot rendering her useless as a sailing-ship. Her engines were utilized elsewhere. The " Fulton" (1856) was built by Smith & Denison under the superintend- ence of Captain Wm. Skiddy ; the engines by the Morgan Iron Works. Her dimensions were: Length on deck, 290 feet; breadth of beam, 42 feet 4 inches ; breadth over all, 65 feet 6 inches ; depth of hold, 31 feet 6 inches ; tonnage, custom house, 2,300 tons ; tonnage, cargo and measurement, 3,000 tons ; diameter of cylinder, 65 inches; length of stroke, 10 feet; diameter of paddle-wheels, 31 feet ; length of paddles, 9 feet ; number of paddles on each wheel, 28 feet; wi'dth of paddles, 18 inches; and shafts of wrought iron. She had two iron Martin boilers with vertical seamless brass tubes, 12 feet long, 30 feet wide, drawn from ingots by the American Tube Company, Boston, and a fire and heating surface of 9,100 square feet. The " Fulton" had three decks. On the berth deck she had accommodation for 150 first and second-class passengers and could accommodate 300, and she could carry 800 tons of coal and 700 tons of freight. Her draught of water was seventeen and a half feet. She was furnished with two inclined oscillating engines. Mr. Rainey, in his work on " Ocean Steam Navigation," says, " When one of our first American mail steamers sailed for Europe, no practical marine engineers could be found to work her engines. She took a first-class engineer , and corps of assistants from one of the North River packets ; but as soon as the chip got to sea and heavy breakers came on, all the engineers and fire- men were taken deadly seasick, and for three days it was constantly expected the ship would be lost." 1848. THE " CALIFORNIA." The steamer " California," which left New York on the 6th of October, 1848, was the first steamer. to bear the Ameri- can flag to the Pacific Ocean, and the first to salute with a new life the soli- tudes of that rich and untrodden territory. She was soon followed by the " Panama" and "Oregon," and in due time by the " Tennessee," the " Gol- den Gate," the " Columbia," the " John L. Stevens," the " Sonora," the "Republic," the "Northerner," the "Fremont," the "Tobago," the "St. Louis," and the " Golden Age." These steamers found nothing ready to re- ceive them in the Pacific. The company was compelled to construct large workshops and foundries for their repair, and had also to build their own dry-dock, that of the government at Mare Island not being ready until 1854. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 197 For a large portion of the early time the company had to pay thirty dollars per ton for coal, and once as high as fifty dollars per ton.* 1848. THE USE OF IRON FOR STEAMERS DISTRUSTED. In the re- port of a Parliamentary Committee on the state of the British Navy in 1848, it was said, " Contradictory evidence was given the Committee as to the applicability of iron to the construction of war steamers, and the Committee therefore offer no opinion on the matter. The present Board of Admiralty distrust the use of iron in the construction of war steamers ; and the Committee consider that while so important a question is in abeyance, the expenditure of a large sum for constructing such vessels must be regarded as an inconsiderate outlay of the public money." DUBLIN AND HOLYIIEAD PACKETS. In 1848 the "Banshee" and the " Llewellyn " commenced to run between Dublin and Holyhead as mail packets, and on their trial trips attained a speed of upwards of eighteen statute miles per hour. The public soon required faster and more commodious steamers, and in 1860 the " Connaught," " Ulster," " Munster," and " Leinster" iron steam- boats were built, of the following dimensions : Length between the perpen- diculars, 334 feet; beam, 35 feet; depth, 21 feet. They had a central keel-plate 3 feet deep, inch thick, with two bars 9 inches deep. They had nine iron watertight bulkheads. The " Leinster," on her trial, made twenty and a half statute miles. The " Connaught," twenty and three- quarter statute miles. Each of these vessels cost near 80,000 when com- plete in all respects for sea. 1849. THE "MiNT." R. B. Forbes, of Boston, Massachusetts, in 1849, sent to California, on the deck of the ship " Samoset," an iron steamer called the " Mint," about seventy-five feet long by fifteen beam. She was stowed on the starboard side of the ship, the deck-house being removed over to the port side to balance her, and ivas launched under steam. She was the first American steamer to ply on the Sacramento. In 1850 he sent an iron paddle-wheel steamer in two parts to China on the deck of the brig " Rolling Wave," on account of Captain J. B. Endicot. 1849. The " Sansom," the first screw steam tug in the United States was built by Messrs. Cramp & Sons in 1849. 1850. FIRST STEAMER ON LAKE TITICACA, PERU. A small iron steam- boat was built by Mr. George Birbeck, Jr., of New York, intended to ply on Lake Titicaca, Peru. She was 55 feet keel, 12 feet beam, and 5 feet hold, and was propelled by two high pressure engines of 10 horse power each, connected at right angles. Her wheels were of wrought-iron 10 feet in diameter. The boat was put together in New York, and each piece marked She was then taken apart to be shipped. No piece was to exceed 350 * See account of this company under head of Ocean Steamship Company. 198 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. pounds, as on its arrival at Lima it was to be transported on mule-back to Lake Titicaca, which is 140 miles long. 1850. THE TWIN STEAMER "GEMINI." In the autumn of 1850 Mr. Peter Borrie launched what he called a " safety iron twin steamer," which he appropriately named the " Gemini," adapted for carrying goods, passen- gers, cattle, and all sorts of vehicles, and for either ocean or river navigation. This vessel, was chiefly constructed of iron, having two separate hulls placed side by side (with a space between them in which the paddle- wheel worked) strongly connected together at the deck (which passed over all), and also by a plate-iron arch and stays between the hulls. The hulls thus joined afforded a great extent of deck-room with a very small amount of tonnage, or of resistance from the area passing through the fluid; and, as both ends were exactly similar, it was expected the vessel would steam with equal facility either way, without turning. The keels and stems were not placed in the centre of the hulls, but towards the inside of them, thus making the water-lines very fine on the inside, to diminish the tendency of the water to gorge up between the hulls, found to take place in twin steamers as usually constructed ; which gorging tends to sepa- rate the two hulls and increases their resistance in passing through the water. The inner bilges of the two hulls were fuller than the outer ones, to afford a greater degree of buoyancy on the inside, necessary to support the weight of the deck, etc., between the hulls/ The vessel was adapted for river navigation, at a high degree of velocity; but a vessel for sea purposes would require to be made broader in proportion to her length, according to the trade in which she was to be placed. The "Gemini" was one hundred and fifty-seven and a half feet long and twenty-six and a half feet broad on deck, each hull being eight and a half feet broad, with a space of nine and a half feet between them. -Her frames were of angle-iron and spaced, the outside plating being securely riveted to them. The keels were formed by curving the plates downwards, so as to form channels for the bilge-water inside of the hulls; but in seagoing and other vessels, where the draught of water would be greater, Mr. Borrie pro- posed keels of iron bars, and to rivet the garboard strakes upon them in the usual way. The plating was not carried to the top of the frames on the in- side of the hulls, except at the space in the middle for the paddle-wheel, but was carried up to the deck, so as to form an arch between the two hulls, which were also bound together with iron stays at the springing of the arch. The deck-beams were of T-shaped iron, securely fastened at the ends to the frames, and at the middle to the top of the arch. The deck-planks were fixed to the beams by screws passing through the flanges of the beams, and calked and made water-tight in the usual way. Each of the hulls was di- vided into compartments by water-tight bulkheads. There were also fenders of angle-iron, one at each end, to prevent boats, etc., from getting into the canal or space between the hulls. The deck was bounded by bulwarks, o HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 199 which had two large gangways on each side, hinged at the lower side to the decks, and lifted up or lowered by winches attached to the bulwarks. Orf each end of the paddle-box were a number of deck-houses, a cook-house, with apparatus in it for cooking by steam, a state-room, a dining-room, engi- neer's room, etc. On the top of the deck-houses and paddle-box was a plat- form, or hurricane-deck, upon which the steering-wheels were placed ; and being properly railed in, could be used as a promenade for passengers. The vessel having to steam with equal facility either way without turning, was fitted with a rudder at each end. The rudder was in the middle of the canal between the hulls, and was formed of an iron plate upon a shaft or spindle coming up to the deck, which shaft was not in the centre of the plate, but about one-third of its length from the one side, so that the pressure of the water against the rudder acted partly on both sides of its centre of mo- tion ; but when the rudder was left free it always accommodated itself to the direction of the vessel's motion, one end being longer than the other from the centre of motion. The steering-wheels were on the top of the paddle-box in the middle of the vessel ; thus the man at the wheel, from his elevated position, had a clear view. The clear area on deck for passengers, including the hurri- cane-deck, above the accommodations at each end of the paddle-box, was two thousand six hundred square feet, and the area of the cabin floors was six hundred square feet, so that there was ample accommodation to carry from eight hundred to one thousand passengers with ease and safety. 1851-52. AVERAGE PASSAGES OF THE CUNARD AND COLLINS STEAMERS. There was great rivalry in 1851-52 between the Cunard & Collins' lines of steamships between England and the United States, which resulted as follows: In 1851 the Collins' Line in fourteen trips from Liverpool to New York, averaged 11 days, 8 hours. The quickest trip was made by the " Baltic," in 9 days, 13 hours. The longest by the "Atlantic," in 13 days, 17 hours and 30 minutes. . In 14 trips from New York and Liverpool the average tims per trip was 10 days, 23 hours. Quickest trip by the "Baltic," 10 days, 4 hours, 45 m inutes. Longest by the " Baltic" 12 days, 9 hours. In 1851 the Cunard Line, in 14 trips from Liverpool to New York, averaged 11 days 23 hours 30 minutes. Quickest trip by the "Africa," 10 days, 16 hours, 50 minutes. Longest by " Europa," 17 days, 2 hours, 50 minutes. In 14 trips from New York to Liverpool the average time was 10 days, 13 hours. Quickest by "Africa," 10 days, 5 hours, 35 minutes. Longest by "Europa," 14 days, 3 hours. In 1852 the Collins' Line averaged in 13 trips from Liverpool to New York per trip, 11 days, 22 hours; the quickest trip was by the "Atlantic," 10 days, 3 hours. Longest trip by the "Pacific," 15 days, 4 hours, 30 minutes. In 13 trips, the same year from New York to Liverpool, the average was 11 days, 1 hour. Quickest trip by the "Arctic," 9 days, 13 hours, 30 min- utes. Longest by the " Baltic," 12 days, 21 hours. 200 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. In 1852 the average of 13 trips of the Cunard Line from Liverpool to- New York per trip was 13 days, 3 hours, 3 minutes. Quickest trip by the "Asia," 10 days, 19 hours. Longest by the "Niagara," 20 days, 19 hours. In 13 trips from New York to Liverpool the average was 11 days, 5 hours. Quickest trip by the "Asia," 10 days, 5 hours, 10 minutes. Longest by "Asia," 12 days, 21 hours, 30 minutes. In 1860 the Collins steamer " Baltic" made the trip from New York to Liverpool in 9 days 13 h. 30 min. 1851. THE HIMALAYA. The screw steamship "Himalaya," was launched on the anniversary of the Queen's birthday, May 24, 1851. The launch was witnessed by the Directors of the Peninsular and Oriental Company, for which the vessel was built, and a noble and fashionable -assembly. The naming was by Lady Matheson, wife of Sir James Matheson, chairman of the company. On a given signal, shortly before high tide, the vessel glided gently into the water amid the cheers of the spectators. The " Himalaya," designed and built under the inspection of F. Watt- man, Jr., at Blackwall, was commenced in November, 1850 ; her length be- tween perpendiculars was three hundred and forty feet ; breadth, forty-six feet two inches ; depth of hold, thirty-four feet nine inches ; and she was three thousand five hundred and fifty tons burden, and had engines of seven hundred horse-power. She was intended to have paddle-wheels, with en- gines of twelve hundred horse-power, but before she was too far advanced it was decided she should be fitted with a screw-propeller and engines of seven hundred horse-power on the most approved principle. She carried twelve hundred tons of fuel, with accommodation for four hundred cabin passen- gers, five hundred tons measurement goods, and had ample space for mail- rooms, etc. In strength of build and form for speed the " Himalaya" was at that day unrivaled, having six water-tight bulkheads, and she was fitted with every appliance for safety. She was provided with " Trotman's im- proved Porter's" anchors, the bower-anchors weighing respectively forty- eight and fifty hundredweight, in lieu of ordinary anchors of five tons each, The cabin arrangements with regard to ventilation were excellent, and com- bined elegance with simplicity. 1852. THE "FRANCIS SKIDDY." The magnificent side-wheel steamer "Francis Skiddy," which plied between New York and Albany in 1852, was built by George Colyer. She was 325 feet in length, thirty-eight and a half feet beam, eleven and a half feet depth of hold. Her engine was of one beam, seventy-inch cylinder and fourteen-feet stroke. Her water-wheel was forty feet in diameter, twelve-feet face, thirty-three-inch bucket. She had four low-pressure boilers, twenty-four feet long, nine feet face, capable of seventy pounds of steam, with a blowing-engine attached to each of twelve- inch cylinder and twelve-inch stroke. Her consumption of fuel was two thousand pounds per hour. Her draught of water, five and a half feet. As a provision against danger she had three fire-pumps, two to work by hand HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 201 and one by steam, with six hundred and fifty feet of hose attached, together with five buckets, a life-preserver for every passenger, and a supply of Francis' metallic life-boats, etc. Her appointments were magnificent. The main cabin, three hundred feet in length, was capable of seating five hun- dred people, and was arranged in the most commodious manner. There was also an immense saloon, opening upon sixty state-rooms. This was sur- mounted with a dome or arch, decorated with stained glass, which cost ten thousand dollars. 1852. THE "AUSTRALIAN," THE FIRST MAIL STEAMER TO AUSTRALIA. The "Australian" was the first to make the mail steam voyage from England to Australia. She was built at Dumbarton, for Messrs. Cunard & Co., for the Canadian trade. She steamed from Plymouth, England, on her first voyage to Australia June 5, 1852, and reached King George Sound, West Australia, August 20 ; Adelaide, August 29 ; Melbourne, September 2, and returned January 11, 1853, having completed the voyage in^two hundred and twenty-one days, one hundred and sixty-five of which were under steam and sails, and fifty-six in port, taking in mails, coal, and lading. The following account of her voyage out is extracted from Chambers' Journal for 1854: " The public mind was excited to a pitch of feverish anxiety concerning the gold discoveries in Australia, and in order to provide for the delivery of mails to and from the colony with greater speed and regularity, a company was formed, pledged to effect this by a line of great steamships. Even then, people who ought to have known better, confidently predicted that direct steam communication with Australia was impracticable. As in the case of crossing the Atlantic, nothing would convince them, or settle the question but actual performance. Now, as the distance to be run is little short of sixteen thousand miles, it is obvious that no ship, unless of enormous size, could carry sufficient fuel to perform the entire voyage under steam, with- out stopping to take in coal at stations on the way ; and this has caused hitherto considerable delay and great additional expense. The pioneer was the 'Australian,' a large new Clyde-built iron steamship, that first started from London, and after some accidents and delays, finally left Plymouth with the mails on the 5th of June, 1852, under command of Captain Hosea- son. She anchored at St. Vincent on the 16th to take in coal, which had previously been sent to the depot there from England. This occupied three days. The ship then proceeded on her voyage, and after coaling at St. Helena, reached the Cape of Good Hope on the 19th July, where she again coaled, sailing from Table Bay on the 22d, and anchored in King George's Sound, West Australia, on the 20th of August. There she received coal from a ship sent out with a cargo from England expressly for her, and a few days afterwards proceeded to Adelaide, which she reached on the 29th, and Melbourne on the 2d of September. This was the first voyage performed by a steamer from England to the antipodes. In some respects it was a badly- 202 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION managed voyage, much unplesantness occurring: among both passengers and crew, repeated accidents happening to the machinery, and the coal running short between the stations, so that at times the engines stopped, and the ves- sel had to lie to or proceed under canvas. Nevertheless, it effectually demon- strated the practicability of the enterprise. She was followed by the * Great Britain/ and steamships now perform with punctuality and dispatch the voyage to and from Australia, calling at the Cape, boch on the outward and homeward passage, to land and receive mails and passengers, equal to that which distinguishes the Atlantic and Mediterranean steamers. Taking into consideration the prodigious expanse of ocean to be traversed, this is a triumphant realization of the most sanguine hopes of those who have watched the progress of steam navigation." 1852. FASTEST STEAMERS IN THE ROYAL NAVY. The second edition of Murray's " Marine Engine," published in 1852, states that the " Ter- rible," " Sidon" and " Odin," are " probably the fastest war steamers properly so called in the Royal Navy. Of these, the ' Terrible,' with 226 feet length, 42 feet beam, 27 feet hold, and seventeen and a half feet load draft, attained a speed of ten knots per hour on trial with sea stores and guns on board. The ' Sidon' (Sir Charles Napier's ship) with 210! feet length, 36 feet beam, and 27 feet hold, and with two engines of 6 feet stroke, and 86 J inches di- ameter, has a speed on trial of ten knots, while the speed of the ' Oden' is superior to either, being eleven and one quarter knots, also on trial ; the average sea-speed of the three being not to exceed nine knots. The few steamers then in the navy of the United States equalled in speed these at that time exceptional fast steamers of the Royal Navy. 1852. Commodore M. O. Perry, in a letter to the Secretary of the Navy, Feb. 8, 1852, wrote, "An ocean steamer of 3,000 tons is of the maximum di- mensions for safety and efficiency, whether for war or commercial purposes." He did not forsee the immense iron-clads and passenger steamers that a quarter of a century would develop. 1852. THE PENINSULA AND ORIENTAL Co. was the first to adopt screw steamers for its regular service. In 1852 the " Chusan," of seven hundred and sixty-five tons, and the " Formosa," of six hundred and seventy-five tons, were placed upon the route between Hong-Kong and Shanghai. These were succeeded by the " Bengal," of two thousand one hundred and eighty- five tons, and the " Candia," of nineteen hundred and eighty-two tons, be- tween Suez and Calcutta. In 1852 the iron steamer "THISTLE," while proceeding along the coast, struck a rock on the north of Ireland, and steamed thence without assistance to Greenock, seventy nautical miles across the north channel, with the fore- deck under water, the fore and after compartments filled with water, and only the centre or engine compartment free. She returned to Greenock by the power of her own engines without assistance. The fact of a vessel of only six hundred and .seventy tons steaming across the Irish Channel safely, with HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 203 her holds and cabins full of water, the mid-compartment only free, afforded a strong testimony to the efficiency of water-tight bulkheads. 1853. THE ASPINWALL LINE, originally established by Messrs. Howland and Aspinwall of New York, by an arrangement with the Law Line per- formed mail service exclusively between Panama (on the Pacific coast), California and Oregon, under Government contract. The steamers of this line in the mail service in 1853 were the " Golden Gate," the " Tennessee," the " Columbia," the " Panama," the " California," the " Oregon," and the " John L. Stephens." The " Golden Gate " was com- pleted in 1851 and made a trial trip to Annapolis, where she was visited by the President of the United States, members of his Cabinet, and other distinguished persons. The following were the principal dimensions of these steamships : DIMENSIONS. Columbia. Tennessee. Panama. 1 California. 1 g O Golden Gate. J. L. Stephens. Length on deck.. 220 feet. 219 " 29 " 13 " 212 feet 200 feet 200 feet 200 feet 265 feet 280 feet 270 " 40 " 26 " 2,450 tons oscillating 85 inches 9 feet 32 " " " keel Breadth of beam Depth of hold 35 feet 22 " 32 " 21 " 1.087 tons side lever 70 inches 8 feet 26 " 33 feet 20 " 1,050 tons side lever 70 inches 8 feet 26 " 34 feet 20 " 1,100 tons side lever 70 inches 8 feet 26 ' 40 feet 22 " 2.030 tons oscillating 85 inches 9 feet 31 " Tonnage Engines side lever 57 inches 5 feet 22 " side lever 75 inches 8 feet 32 " Diameter of cylinders. Stroke of piston Dia. of paddle-wheels. 1853. THE "FORFORO," a small iron screw steamer of forty-three tons and forty horse-power, rigged as a three-masted schooner, sailed July 17, 1853, from Liverpool for the West coast of South America, and arrived at Valparaiso November 15. The passage occupied one hundred and twenty-one days, forty-six under steam a-nd sail, and twenty-eight under sail alone. She used in all one hundred and sixty tons of coal, and averaged six knots all the way. She was the smallest steamer that ever performed so long a voyage. 1854. THE FIRST STEAMER TO CIRCUMNAVIGATE THE GLOBE. In 1854 the English screw-steamship " Argo," eighteen "hundred and fifty tons register, returned to England from Australia via Cape Horn, and was the first steamer that had circumnavigated the globe. She made the passage out to Aus - tralia via Cape of Good Hope in sixty-four days, and returned via Cape Horn in the same time. Since the ancient days of Jason and'his "Golden Fleece" several celebrated ships have borne the renowned name of "Argo," and cer- tainly we consider the present steamer not the least worthy of the number to be chronicled in history. She has proved herself one of the most notable pioneer ships of the nineteenth century. 1853-54. THE" GOLDEN AGE." The American piddle-wheel steamer "Golden Age" arrived at Liverpool, in 1853, where she attracted much notice- 204 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. She was of great size and power, built with all the latest transatlantic fashions and improvements, one of which was she had no bowsprit ! something our English brothers then thought though they have learned to know better as indispensable as the nose on a man's face. Her owners resolved to send her to Australia, and she made the quickest passage out on record up to that time. But her subsequent voyage was far more memorable and important. On the llth of May, 1854, she left Sydney, and in thirteen days reached Tahiti, where she took in the enormous weight of twelve hundred tons of coal. This occupied her six days ; and on the 31st she sailed direct for the Isthmus of Panama, which she reached on the 19th of June, the passage from Sydney, including the long stoppage mentioned, thus being performed in about thirty-nine days ! This wonderful feat was rendered more remarkable from strong head-winds during the first part of the voyage and an estimated current against her course equal to an extra seven hundred and sixty-eight miles. From Tahiti, however, the sea was so smooth and the passage so mild that a canoe might have come the whole distance in safety. She arrived at Panama just in time .to transfer two hundred passengers, her mails, and a million sterling in gold to the West Indian steamer " Magdalena," at Chagres, and consequently letters from Sydney to the llth, and from Melbourne to the 5th of May only sixty-seven days from Sydney! were received in London on the 18th of July, 1854. " Thus to American skill and enterprise," says the Edinburgh Journal, " credit is due for first opening direct steam-communication across the vast Pacific, in that manner connecting Australia and Europe by the medium of Panama. We cannot read without regret that the spirited proprietors of the ' Golden Age' have incurred a dead loss of several thousand pounds by the experiment, solely owing to the cost of coal at Tahiti. But they have shown what can be done, and nothing can be more certain than that ere long arrangements will be made sufficiently economical to enable a regular line of noble steamships to traverse this novel route, and so bring us within two months' distance of Australia. To quote a newspaper paragraph, 'Ever since Columbus set out across the Atlantic in search of India it has been the dream -of commerce to reach the East by the West, and from the time that Balboa caught a glimpse of the great trans-American ocean from the heights of Darien the world has looked forward to the junction of the two oceans at one point or another as the commencement of a new era in the history of commerce. Nevertheless, the Pacific has hitherto been a field of adventure rather than of regular commerce. Till recently it has been cut off from all direct communication with the trade and civilization of JEurope and America. No maritime nations of importance have occupied any part of the extensive line of coast by which it is circumscribed, and within which it has lain in silent repose rather like a secluded lake than a mighty ocean. But a new destiny is beginning to dawn upon it. The " Golden Age " breaks in upon its isolation, and arouses it from its slumbers. She inaugurates an HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 205 ra in which its commerce \yill probably as far transcend that of the Atlan- tic as the latter eclipsed that of the Mediterranean.' " 1854-56. SIDE-PROPELLERS ON THE LAKES. Side-screw propellers were advocated in 1856 as a substitute for the paddle-wheel. In 1854 the lake steamer "Baltic" was thus altered at Buffalo. Her high pressure paddle- wheel engines were taken out and replaced with side-propeller engines. She carried double the weight and run with half the fuel at a higher rate of speed after the change, notwithstanding her new eogines rated 60 per cent, less power than her old ones. The " Baltic " was the first vessel to which this mode of propulsion was applied.* In 1848. Gardner Stow patented a screw propeller on each side of the vessel, so that the inclined vanes of sheet iron or wood should dip into the water. 1855. The steam frigate " Mississippi " (paddle) flagship of Commodore M. O. Perry on the Japan expedition sailed from Norfolk, Va., November 24, 1852, arrived at the Navy Yard, Brooklyn, N. Y., April 23, 1855, and was the first war steamship of the United States Navy to circumnavigate the globe. She went to Japan via the Cape of Good Hope and returned via Cape Horn, or rather through the Straits of Magellan, having been absent two years and five months. The " Mississippi " run aground in the attack upon Port Hudson in 186-, and was set fire to and abandoned to avoid her surrender. April, 1856 The steamer " Baltic," (Collins' Line), had bulk-heads put into her hold in New York after making her last trip from Liverpool. These bulkheads should have been of iron instead of wood, which was cheaper. Why is it that water-tanks for vessels are made of iron and the fire-tanks, or the encasement for boilers and engines, are made of wood, neither fire-proof nor water-proof? Iron bulkheads are lighter and less bulky, and cheaper if the safety of life is taken into account. 1856. STEAM VESSELS OF THE KOYAL NAVY. On the 1st of April, 1856, the steam vessels belonging to the Royal Navy were : f Guns. Horse-power. 43 line of-battle ships, .... 3797 22,940 24 frigates and mortar- vessels, . . 889 10,560 90 paddle-wheel vessels, . . . 500 24,640 76 corvettes and sloops, . . . 761 16,202 47 troop-ships, 37 7,300 155 gunboats, ..... 580 8,240 435 6,564 89,892 In 1857 the American steamship " Vanderbilt " made the run from New York to " the Needles," the western extremity of the Isle of Wight, in 9 days and 8 hours, and on her return trip in 9 days 9 hours 24 min. *The. Hudson River steamer " Iron Witch" had .mfr-propelleis in 1845. See tffcpage 189. f Lardner's " Museum of Science." CHAPTER V. 1858-1882. THE GREAT EASTERN, 1858; Description of the Vessel, &c.; Her First Voyage to New York and Arrival Described The Emperor, a Steam Yacht, Presented to the Japanese, 1859 The Scotland and England Purchased by the Prince of Satsuma, 1861. The MONITOR, First Turreted Steam War Vessel, 1861 The Faid Rabani Yacht of the Khedive, 1863 Number of British Inventions Patented in the Ten Years Preceding 1866 Steamers on Lake Memphremagog, 1867 The Kate Corser, the First Steamer on the Great Salt Lake, 1869 An Extraordinary Inland Voyage, 1869 Coal-Saving Discovery, 1872 The Cable Steamer Faraday. 1873 A Chinese Steamboat Enter- prise, 1874 The Bessimer Anti-Sea-Sick Steamboat, 1875 The Double-Hulled Castalia, 1875 The lona, 1876. Steamboats in Corea, 1878 The Solano, 1879 The Remarkable Voyage of a Wrecked Steamer, 1880 The Comet on Lake Bigler, 1880 A Mountain Steamer on Twin Lakes, 1880 The Three Brothers Transferred to the British Flag, 1880 A Canal Boat Propelled by Air, 1880 The Hochung, the First Chinese Steamer to cross the Pacific, 1880 The Chinese Steamer Meefoo Arrives at London with a Cargo of Tea, 1881 Taggart's Screws, 1880 The Anthracite, the Smallest Steamer that has Crossed the Atlantic, 1880 The Harriet Lane, 1881 The Dessoug, 1881 A Hydraulic Ship, 1881 A Novel Steam Yacht, 1881 The Kittatinny, 1881 Steamboat Dis- aster, 1881 The Fall River Line, 1882 A West India Steamship Enterprise, 1882 The Colussus, 182 RECENT NOVEL INVENTIONS AND EXPERIMENTS Morse's Unsinkable Ship Lundborg's Twin-ScrewsRoot's Side-Screw Steamship Coppin's Tripple Steamship Fryer's Buoyant Propeller Rosse's Catamaran Steam Tugs. 1858. THE " GREAT EASTERN." Experience had shown that a sea steamer of eighteen hundred tons, making the quickest passages to and from England and Australia, with a full cargo and complement of passengers, lost by the voyage from one thousand to ten thousand pounds. A great portion of the expense was from the necessity of supplying c >al depots at different points where the steamer could touch during her voyage. These deviations from the shortest route also protracted the passage so that clipper-ships made as quick passages as steamers, at less expense, so that they super- seded steamers. The problem then to be solved was : Supposing a steamer could be built to move eighteen miles an hour, what must be the size of a steamer to carry out and back fuel for a voyage from England to Australia, twenty-five thousand miles ? To work a steamer profitably, it was found that the tonnage must be nearly a ton to a mile. Mr. Brunei, therefore, conceived the idea of constructing a steamer of from twenty to twenty-five thousand tons burden, capable of carrying coals for full steaming on the longest voyage, to be built on the tubular plan, with both the screw and the paddle, and fitted also with sail for propelling power. The Eastern Steam Navigation Company was formed to carry out his idea, with a capital of one million two hundred thousand pounds, in shares of twenty pounds each, with power to increase the capital to two million pounds. The place where the great ship was to be built, on the bank of the Thames at Millwall, consisting of a layer of mud thirty feet 206 HIST OR Y QF STEAM JV^L VIGA TION. 207 thick on a bed of gravel, was prepared by driving over fourteen hundred piles in lines parallel to the river, as the vessel was to be launched side- ways. The first plate of the vessel was laid May 1, 1854. The ship was built with an inner and outer skin, two feet ten inches apart, with longitudinal webs at intervals of six feet running the whole length of the vessel ; and these were subdivided by transverse plates into water- tight spaces of about six feet square, so that should the outer skin be dam- aged the water could only get in between the webs and inner skin. The ship is divided by transverse bulkheads into twelve water-tight compartments below the lower deck, and nine above the lower deck, so that should both the outer and inner skin be fractured the water could only enter one of these compartments, two of which could be filled without danger to the safety of the vessel. Besides these transverse bulkheads there are two which extend from the bottom of the ship to the upper deck, and run longitudinally for a length of three hundred and fifty feet. There are also two tubular iron platforms extending from the gunwale to the longitudinal bulkheads, running fore and aft, thirty-six feet apart, and connected together about every sixty feet by iron platforms seven feet wide. The greatest care was taken to make the bow strong enough to withstand any impediment, and to enable the vessel to resist the constant vibration of the screw. The vessel has no keel, the bottom being flat. A keel-plate was first laid along a level platform prepared for it about five feet from the ground ; then the centre-web, which somewhat resembles the keel of an ordinary ship. The iron plates of which the skins of the vessel are composed are three- quarters of an inch thick, except the keel-plate, which is one inch thick. Their average size is about ten feet by two feet nine inches, and their weight eight hundred and twenty-five pounds. For the sternpost and keel some enormous plates were required. Two were twenty-seven feet long, three feet three inches wide, one and one-quarter inches thick, and weighed two tons each ; others were twenty-five feet long, four feet wide, and one and one- quarter inches thick, and weighed two and one-quarter tons each. About thirty thousand plates, of an average weight of six hundred pounds each, were used in the construction of the hull. Each plate, before being placed in its proper position, was a separate study to the engineer. For each a model in wood was made, and by steam-shears the plates were cut according to the pattern ; the proper curve was given to it, and the holes for the rivets were punched by machinery. They were riveted together by rivets, fastened at a white heat, some seven-eighths of an inch and some three-quarters of an inch in diameter, about two and a half inches apart where the plates were to be made water-tight, and from four to six inches apart in other places. The total number of rivets was not far from two million. About eight thousand tons of iron were used in her hull. The estimated weight of the whole vessel when voyaging with every article and person on board was twenty-five thousand tons. 208 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. For the purpose of launching the vessel two ways were constructed, with pile foundations, one at the fore part of the vessel and one at the after part, each three hundred feet long and one hundred and twenty feet wide, with about one hundred and twenty feet of space between them. The cradles, two in number, were of the same width as the ways. Their bottom was composed of iron plates seven inches wide and one inch thick, placed at intervals of one foot apart,' with their edges carefully rounded off so as to offer the least resistance to the railway metals of the ways down which they would pass. The first attempt to launch the vessel was made November 3, 1857, and the vessel was moved six feet down in her ways. Several unsuccessful attempts were made on different days, until January 31, 1858, when she was afloat. The cost of building and launching the vessel in round numbers was seven hundred ^and thirty thousand pounds, exceeding the original estimate by two hundred and thirty thousand pounds. In November, 1858, the Eastern Steam Navigation Company, finding it impossible to go .on, was dissolved, and a new corporation, called "The Great Ship Company," was formed, with a capital of three hundred and thirty thousand pounds. Of this capital one hundred and sixty thousand pounds was to be paid to share- holders of the former corporation ; the fitting and finishing would cost about one hundred and twenty thousand pounds, so that it was estimated fifty thousand pounds would be left for working expenses. The " Great Eastern" was christened by Miss Hope, now Duchess of Newcastle, daughter of the chairman of the Great Eastern Steam Navigation Company.* \V. S. Lindsay, in his " History of Merchant Shipping," says in the summer of 1857, accompanied by Robert Stephenson and Brunei he visited the "Great Eastern." Preparations for her launching had commenced. After his inspecting the vessel, Brunei asked him what he thought of her. He replied she was the strongest and best built ship he had ever seen and a marvellous piece of mechanism. "Oh," he said rather testily and abruptly, "I did not want your opinion about her build. I should think I know rather more how an iron ship should be built than you do. How will she pay ?" "Ah," replied Mr. L., " that's quite a different matter." Seeing Mr. L. did not care to answer his'question, he repeated it, adding, " If she be- longed to you, in what trade would you place her ?" " Turn her into a show," said Mr. L. with a laugh, " something attractive to the masses. She will never pay as a ship. Send her to Brighton, dig a hole in the beach, and bed her stern in it, and if well set she will make a substantial //?r, and her decks a splendid promen- ade. Her hold would make magnificent salt water baths, and her 'tween decks a grand hotel, with restaurant, smoking and dancing saloons, etc. She would be a marvellous at- traction for the cockneys, who would flock to her by thousands. Candidly, this is my opinion, for I really don't know of any other trade at present in which she will be likely to" pay so well." Stephenson laughed, but Brunei was offended. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 209 SUMMARY OF STATISTICS* OF THE "GREAT EASTERN." Length of upper deck, . 692 feet. Length between perpendiculars, 680 " Breadth across paddle-boxes, 118 " Breadth of hull, . 83 " Depth from deck to keel, 58 " Number of decks, ... 4 Number of masts, ... 6 f 2 ft. 9 in. to Diameter of masts, . . 1 5 Quantity of canvass under full sail, . . . 6,500 sq. yards. Number of anchors, . .10 Number of boats, . . 20 Tonnage (old measurement), 22,500 tons. Storage for cargo, . 6,000 " Capacity of coal-bunkers, 12,000 " Draught of water, unladen, 15 ft. 6 in. Draught of water, laden, . 30 feet. Number of water-tight compart- ments, . . . .12 Paddle- Wheels. Diameter of paddle-wheels, 56 feet. Weight of " .185 tons. Length of floats, . . . 13 feet. Width of" . . 3 " Number of floats to each wheel, 30 Length of paddle-shafts, . 38 feet. Weight of " -30 tons. Length of intermediate cranked . shaft, . . . . 21 % feet. Weight of " " 31 tons. Paddle- Engines. Nominal horse power, . 1,000 Number of cylinders, . . 4 Diameter of " . . 6 feet 2- in. Weight of cylinders, including piston and rod, . . 38 tons. Length of stroke, . . 14 feet. Strokes per minute, . 14 Paddle-Engine Boilers, Number of boilers, Furnaces to each, Length of boilers, Width of " Height of " 4 10 i 17 ft. 6 in. 17 " 9 " 13 " 9 " Weight of each, Weight of water, Area of heating surface, Number of tubes, Thickness of plates, . 50 tons. . 40 4,800 sq. feet. , 400 y & 7-16 in. Screw Propeller, -r-,. e Diameter of screw, Pitch of screw, Number of fans, 24 feet. 37 4 Length of propeller-shaft, , 1 60 feet. Screw Engines. Nominal horse-power, 1,600 Number of cylinders, . 4 Diameter of each cylinder, . 84 inches. Length of stroke, . . 4 feet. Number of revolutions per minute, . . 50 Screw Boilers. Number of boilers, . . 6 Funnels to each boiler, . .12 Length of boiler, . . 1 8 ft. 6 in. Width of " . . 17 6 " Height of " . .14 feet. Weight of " . 57 tons. Weight of water, . . 45 " Area of heating surface, 5,000 sq. feet. Number of tubes, . 420 Thickness of plates, . 7-16 &^< in. Number of auxiliary engines, 4 Number of donkey-engines, 10 Total horse-power, about 12,000 Number of passengers (first-class), 800 " (second-class), 2,000 " (third-class), 1,200 Aggregate length of saloons and berths, 350 ft. Number of saloons, . . . 10 Length of principal saloon, . . looft. Width, . . . . . 36" Height, 13 " Length of berths, . . . 14 " Width of " . . . 7 to 8 ft. Height of " . . 7 ft. 4 in. 210 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. Nothing can stand comparison with this great steamship except Noah's ark, and even Noah's ark could not match it. The length of the ark was three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. The Scripture " cubit," as stated by Sir Isaac Newton, is twenty inches and about sixty-two hundredths. Bishop Wilkins makes it somewhat more, namely, twenty-one inches and about sixty-eight hundredths. Ee- ducing these to English feet, and calculating the tonnage after the old law, we have approximately the following table: Noah's Ark according Noah's Ark according Great to Sir Isaac Newton. to Bishop Wilkins. Eastern. Length between perpendiculars, . 515.62 547-OO 680.00 Breadth, .... 85.94 91.16 83.00 Depth, . . ' . . 5I-56 54-70 58.00 Keel or length for tonnage, . 464.08 492.31 630.02 Tonnage according to old law, . 18,232 21,762 28,093 So Noah's ark is quite overshadowed. Magnitude is not, however, the only peculiarity which the "Great Eastern" possesses. No other vessel afloat has two sets of engines and two propellers, nor was the cellular con- struction to be found elsewhere in marine architecture. To comprehend the immense size of the ship one must go on the mail* deck. From that standpoint every foot of the deck is seen except the very shadow of the masts and chimneys. The wave of the hand can be seen by the steers- man or any officer on watch on any part of the deck. Go on to the bridge between the paddle-boxes and look toward the bow, and you see a space in extent equal to the entire length of a very large steamer, near two hundred and fifty feet, and then turn your eye toward the stern and you have double the distance in that direction, the entire length of the deck being a little short of seven hundred feet, and the width eighty-four feet.. This expanse of deck covers about an acre of surface, or one hundred and sixty square rods, stretched out into a long oval one eighth of a mile, or forty rods in length. The deck of the ship is double, or cellular, after the plan of the Britannia tubular bridge, and is formed of two half-inch plates at the bottom and two half-inch plates at the top, between which are webs which run the whole length of the ship. This deck is planned to be of such strength that were it taken up by its two extremities and the entire weight the vessel is to carry were hung upon its middle, it would sustain the whole unaided. The deck is six hundred and ninety-two feet in length, or more than as long again as that of the steamship " Great Britain." It is nearly three times as long as that of the British line-of-battle ship the " Duke of Wel- lington"; eighty-eight feet more would make it as long again as the " Persia," the longest vessel, previous to the launch of the " Great Eastern," afloat upon the ocean. "This ship," says a writer just after the launch, "is one of the wonders HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 211 of this fast age, but whether, like some of the monstrosities of past ages, she is to be a mere curiosity and a monument of the folly of her builders, or whether she is to introduce a new age of progress in steam navigation, yet remains to be demonstrated. The first step in the solution of the problem is her safe and rapid passage from England to America." " Granting, then," said the Liverpool Albion, just previous to her launch, " that the mammoth ship is merely an extended copy of all other iron steamers built on the wave-line principle, let us see what are the 'one or two exceptions' so modestly aljuded to by Mr. Russell last week before the British Association of Dublin. The most prominent in reality, though the feature which escapes unprofessional visitors, is the cellular construction of the upper deck and the lower part of the hull, up to the water-line, or about thirty feet from the bottom, which is as flat as the floor of the room. This system, while it gives greater buoyancy to the hull, increases her strength enormously, and thus enables her to resist almost any outward pressure. Two Avails of iron, about sixty feet high, divide her longitudinally into three parts, the inner containing the boileis, the engine-rooms and the saloons, rising one above the other, and the lateral divisions the coal-bunkers ; and above them the side-cabins and berths. The saloons are nearly sixty feet in length, the principal one nearly half the width of the vessel, and lighted by skylights from the upper deck. On either side are the cabins and berths, those of the first-class being commodious rooms large enough to contain every requirement of the most fastidious landsmen. The thickness of the lower deck will prevent any sound from the engine-rooms reaching the passengers, and the vibrations from being at all felt by them. Each side of the engine-rooms there is a tunnel through which the steam and water- pipes are carried, and also rails for economizing labor in conveyance of coal. The berths of the crew are forward, below the forecastle, which it is intended to appropriate to the officers. "Below the berths of the seamen are two enormous cavities for cargo, of which five thousand tons can be carried, besides coals enough for the voyage to Australia, making about as many tons more. " The weight of this huge ship being twelve thousand tons, and coal and cargo about eighteen thousand tons more, the motive-power to propel her twenty miles an hour must be proportionate. If the visitor walks aft and looks down a deep chasm near the stern, he will perceive an enormous metal shaft one hundred and sixty feet in length and weighing sixty tons ; this extends from the engine-room nearest the stern to the extremity of the ship, and is destined to move the screw, the four fans of which are of proportionate weight and dimensions. If next he walks forward and looks over the side, he will see a paddle-wheel considerably larger than the circle at Astley's ; and when he learns that this wheel and its fellow will be driven by four engines having a nominal power of one thousand horses, and the screw by a nominal power of sixteen hundred horses, he will have no difficulty in 212 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. conceiving a voyage to America in seven, and Australia in thirty-five days. " The screw-engines, designed and manufactured by Messrs. J. Watt & Co., are the largest ever constructed, and when making fifty revolutions per minute will exert an effective force of not less than eight thousand horses. It is difficult to realize the work which this gigantic force would perform if applied to the ordinary operations of commerce : it would raise one hundred and thirty-two thousand gallons of water to the top of the London Monument in one minute, or drive the machinery of forty of the largest cotton-mills in Manchester, giving employment to from thirty, to forty thousand operatives. " There are four cylinders, each of about twenty-five tons, and eighty-four inches in diameter. The crank-shaft, to which the connecting-rods are ap- plied, weighs about thirty tons. The boilers are six in number, having seventy-two furnaces, and an absorbent heating surface nearly, equal in ex- tent to an acre of ground. The total weight of the engines exceeds twelve hundred tons, yet they are. so contrived that they can be set in motion or stopped by a single hand. " Sails will not be much needed, for in careering over the Atlantic at twenty miles per hour, with a moderate wind, they would rather impede than aid ; but in the event of a strong wind arising, going twenty-five miles per hour in the course of the vessel, sails may be used with advantage. The 1 Great Eastern' is provided, accordingly, with seven masts, two square- rigged, the others carrying fore and aft sails only. The larger masts are iron tubes, the smaller of wood. The funnels, of which there will be five alternating with the masts, are constructed with double castings, and the space between the outer and inner casting will be filled with water, which will answer the double purpose of preventing the radiation of heat to the decks and economizing coal by causing the water to enter the boiler in a warm state. Her rigging will probably cause most disturbance of ideas to nautical observers, for, besides the unusual number of masts, she will want two most striking features of all other vessels, namely, bowsprit and figure- head. Another peculiarity is the absence of a poop. The captain's apart- ment is placed amidships, immediately below the bridge, whence the electric telegraph will flash the commander's orders to the engineer below, helms- man at the wheel,, and lookout man at the bows. In iron vessels, great pre- caution being necessary to prevent the compass from being influenced by the mass of metal in such attractive proximity, various experiments have been made with the view of discovering the best mode of overcoming this. It was originally intended to locate the compass upon a stage forty feet high, but this plan has been abandoned, and a standard compass will be affixed to the mizzen-mast at an elevation beyond the magnetic influence of the ship. " Whatever misgivings therejmay be as to the length and the weight she will carry amidships will be set at rest before she touches the water by the mode of her launching, as great a novelty as the ship herself. Hitherto the HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 213 plan has been to build the vessel on an inclined plane at right angles with the water ; but in the 'Great Eastern' this was impossible, on account of her great length, to say nothing of the expense of building a vessel of her di- mensions in a position which would elevate her forecastle nearly a hundred feet above the ground. These considerations led Mr. Brunei to launch her sideways, with which view she has been built parallel with the river. In constructing the foundation of the floor upon which it stands provision has been made at two points to insure sufficient strength to bear the whole weight when completed. On these two points she will rest when ready, and thus her strength will be tested in the severest and therefore most satisfac- tory manner. Two cradles will be introduced at these points, and she will then be moved by two hydraulic engines. Timber ways are laid down to low-water mark, with an incline of one foot in twelve, and iron rails of pe- culiar construction are to be laid upon these transversely. A tell-tale will indicate the rate at which the two ends are descending, and any difference that may occur will be immediately rectified by strong check-tackles. It is calculated that she will advance twelve feet per minute, at which speed her submersion will be effected in twenty minutes. The cradles will then be drawn from under her, and she will be towed over to the opposite side of the river, where she will lie until ready for sea." The London Times, after describing the ship, thus discourses : " With these principal figures gone through, let us imagine the 'Great Eastern' afloat and on her voyage to Bombay or Melbourne, with her ordi - nary complement of passengers on board. The first idea that strikes us is the multitude on board. It will, in fact, be a town afloat, and more than a town of four thousand population, because it will be a floating town of four thousand grown-up persons, with comparatively few exceptions, each of them being an ' individual,' by which we mean a human being of size to com- mand notice, and having, to appearance, a mind and will of his own, with a formed air, tone, and manner peculiar to himself. In this sense even young ladies are individuals. All this crowd of individuals will be collected within the dimensions of seven hundred feet by sixty. What a new shape of human society ! Take the eight hundred first-class passengers by them- selves, and what room does even this number afford for the formation of all kinds of different circles and sets, which will know nothing of each other, one man only knowing another by sight, and hardly that! How many im- measurable social charms will be collected within a few hundred feet! How many Mr. Smiths will there be who will not speak to Mr. Jones during the whole voyage because he is not in the same set ! How many Mr. Joneses will pay back Mr. Smith in the same coin ! Between how many 'nice' young ladies and ' proper' young gentlemen will there not be a great gulf fixed, because in the eyes of anxious mothers the said young gentlemen are not de- sirable persons, but mere penniless bipeds! What flirtations will there not be behind boats, what rivalries, and, if many Americans voyage by the 214 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 1 Great Eastern,' what duelings may we not expect on that ample deck ! In short, what an epitome or camera obscura of the world will the ' Great Eastern' present ! It will be worth any aspiring novelist's while to take his berth to Australia or India and back again, simply for the great convenience of having so much human nature brought before him within so small a com- pass. It will be the mountain brought to Mahomet, the world condensing itself before his eyes for the sake of being observed and examined ; the rapid succession of faces will bewilder him at first, but individuality will come out in time, though he must be sharp about his work, otherwise the ' Great Eastern' will have stopped her screw and paddles before he has got any results. If his material is enlarged his time 'is much curtailed on the new system. Farewell to long voyages with their appropriate quarrels and matches, their love-makings, reconciliations, and irrevocable unions ; voy- age-life has entered on another phase. For what is a month ? It is gone before we begin to think about its going. How will the old voyagers look back to the romantic days when a roomful of persons were their own com- pany for four months, gradually forming enmities or friendships, when at- tachments rose up among 'young people' unconsciously, and by the mere passive influence of the scene ! We are growing a busier nation every year,, and cannot afford time for more than one chapter of this sea romance." After hopes deferred, and delays almost innumerable, the mammoth steam- ship " Great Eastern" made a highly successful trip across the Atlantic, and moored at the dock prepared for her in New York. The event marks an era in the history of steam navigation. That a vessel so monstrous in its proportions by the side of which the first steamer of Fulton would be but a cock-boat should have been propelled across the ocean by the power of steam alone, shows what strides have been made since 1818, when the " Savannah" first ventured to cross the Atlantic, steaming when the wind was not fair, and sailing with favoring gales. The " Great Eastern" differs from all ships which have been built before it in three respects, the chief of which is her excessive magnitude. Nothing like it ever before floated. We have -given the figures of her huge dimen- sions, but these naked numerals convey only a vague idea. The steamships in the English and American navy hardly equal half her length or breadth, and yet the " Himalaya," the "Persia," the "Adriatic," and the " Niagara" were previously regarded as absolute prodigies in marine architecture. The " Great Eastern" had thirty-eight passengers and eight guests on her first voyage to the United States. Their names were : Miss Herburt, Mr. and Mrs. Gooch, Mr. and Mrs. Stainthorp, General Watkins, Lieutenant- Colonel Harrison, Captain Morris, R. N., Captain McKennan, R. N., Major Balfour, Captain Drummond, Captain Carnagee,* R. N., Rev. Mr. Southey, * Captain Carnagee and Mr. Gooch were Directors in the Great Ship Company, and Mr. Russell was a son of J. Scott Russell, architect of the ship. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 215 Mr. A. Woods, correspondent London Times, Mr. J. S. Oakford, London, agent Vanderbilt Line, Mr. Murphy, New York pilot, Mr. Russell, Zerah Colburn, Mr. Holly, correspondent New York Times, H. M. Wells, Mr. McKenzie, G. S. Roebuck, Mr. Skinner, D. Kinnedy, G. E. M. Taylor, G. D. Brooks, Mr. Taylor, T. Harnley, H. Marin, [Mr. Cave, A. Zuravelloff, Mr. Merrifield, Mr. Field, Mr. Barber, R. Marson, G. Hawkins, H. Cangtan, W. T. Stirapson, Mr. Beresford, Mr. Hubbard, George Wilkes. The following is the official report of the run of the " Great Eastern," on her first voyage to New York : June 18, lat. 4927 X , Ion. 845'; run since yesterday, 285 miles. " 19, " 484i / , " i6i2 / " " 296 " 20, 474Q / , " 27054' 276 " " 21, " 46i6 / , " 3003 / " " 304 " 11 22, " 445o / , " 5622 / ' " 280 " " 23, " 425o / , 4240 / " " 302 " " 24, " 4ioi / ', " 4S52 / " " 299 " " 25, " 4058 / , " 56io / " " 325 " 26, " 4058 / , " 634i / 333 " " 27, " 40i3 / , " 6856 / " " 254 " " 28, " 4028 / , " 74OD / " " 234 " Total ...... ' . 3,188 " The greatest speed attained during the passage was 14? knots an hour, and she consumed 2,877 tons of coal. The New York Herald gave an account of the trip, from which we ex- tract a few passages : " THE START. The ' Great Eastern' was advertised to sail on Saturday, the 16th of June. Workmen were engaged on her up to five o'clock in the afternoon of that day, and before they could be disembarked the weather, which had been stormy since noon, became thick and hazy, so that it was felt by the pilot it would be dangerous to take so large a vessel through the intricate channel of the Solent in the uncertain light of the evening. She lay, therefore, in Southampton water, till Sunday morning, when about seven A. M. orders were given to unshackle the mooring-chains. The ponderous character of these cables is such that it was forty-five minutes before this could be effected. " The morning was raw and gusty, with the wind blowing down the water. The tide had canted the vessel athwart the channel, which she appeared to half block up, but on hoisting the fore-staysail she slowly paid off and got her head pointed in the direction she was to go. Steam was admitted into the cylinders of the paddle-engines about ten minutes past eight, and shortly after the order was given, ' Easy ahead with the screw,' and the ' Great Eastern' steamed slowly out on her first voyage to sea. It has been a re- mark in all trials, that no motion is felt when this ship is under way. It 216 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. was not until objects on shore began to recede that one could realize the fact of this huge ship being fairly on her* journey. A few minutes' steam- ing brought us abreast of Calshot Castle, where the colors were dipped in acknowledgment of a similar courtesy from the fort. With this exception our departure was ungreeted. The men on board the few vessels we saw had seen so much of the big ship that she excited no emotion in their minds, and we passed without a single cheer. The ship rounded the bell-buoy and ran into the Solent with the handiness of a yacht. As we passed Yarmouth our presence was acknowledged by the lowering of the ensign of the Yacht Club-House, a civility returned by the ship. In two hours we were abreast of the Needles. At twenty minutes past ten o'clock we discharged our Southampton pilot. In a few minutes we were again under way, with the screw making twenty-seven and the paddles seven and a half revolutions per minute, and ran down channel. The ship on starting drew twenty-two feet of water forward and twenty-six aft. Her right trim is on an even keel, so that her condition was unfavorable to her best performance. She had five thousand five hundred tons of coal in the bunkers. Being stored prin- cipally aft, this had something to do with her being down by the stern. The object of the trip was not to get any great amount of speed out of the ship, but to get the machinery and men in working order. " The ' Great Eastern' so outrages all received notions of ship and of sea- life, that when strolling about one of her spacious unoccupied lower decks a party of English and American gentlemen are discovered in an odd corner engaged in a great international skittle-match, one accepts it as a matter of course, and is fully prepared to find a billiard-table in full blast in some other unexplored compartment of the vessel. It is certainly the first time skittles were played in crossing the Atlantic; but the idea is a good one, as enabling those fond of athletic sports to divert the tedium of a sea-passage by first-rate physical exercise. Several exciting foot-races have come off round our ample deck, and the distance to be run in making the complete circuit has been found quite sufficient to give the competitors a very decided 1 breathing.' "For those whose tastes do not lie in the direction of gymnastics there is a well-selected library of the English classics, which the accommodations of the saloons enable one to enjoy most luxuriously. Quite an interesting feature in our trip has been evening concerts in the ladies' saloons. Mr. Macfarlane, the conductor of the ship's band, and an able pianist, has added much to the general enjoyment by the excellent manner in which the baud has rendered a selection of musical duets for the piano-forte and the cornet- a-piston. Vocal amateurs among the officers and passengers have varied the performance, and Captain Hall has shown that to his other accomplishments must be added that of his being an excellent musician ; his proficiency on the flute being very seldom equalled by amateurs. " Thursday, June 28. Ran under easy steam all night, and at twenty-five HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 217 minutes past seven o'clock (ship's time) this morning reached the light-ship at Sandy Hook, thus making the run, in spite of the long route taken, the loss of time by encountering the Gulf Stream, and the delay from fogs, in eleven days two hours, including the difference of time. The distance run by the ship was three thousand two hundred and forty-two miles ; deduct- ing the loss of time by the fog, this gives a speed of about thirteen knots, proving that with a clear bottom and full pressure of steam she would over- run Brunei's estimate of fourteen and a half knots an hour for a long run. "The passage being, all things considered, decidedly fine, it was still suffi- ciently checkered to settle the important point of the 'Great Eastern' being the most comfortable passenger-ship in the world, her movements in a sea-way being so long, slight, and easy that no inconvenience is produced. Sea-sickness may be considered as annihilated, and the attendant discom- fort of a sea-passage reduced to a minimum." Mr. George Wilkes, editor of Wilkes' Spirit of the Times, a passenger on the " Great Eastern," has furnished a graphic account of his trip. The getting on board and the first day of the voyage he makes of but little account, but after a night on board he writes as follows : " Monday, June 18. I was awoke this morning by the sun shining brightly through my port-hole (I should rather use the plural, for my sumptuous apartment was lit by two), and I rose to enjoy the luxury of dressing in a carpeted space as large almost as a room in the St. Nicholas. Before I got up, however, I lay for a few minutes to observe the silence and quiet of the vessel. In fact, there seemed to be no motion to her at all, and had it not been for the barely perceptible buzz of her bow to which I was very near as it split the water and passed it humming along the vessel's beautiful wave-line, I should not have been able to decide with certainty whether she was going on or standing still. Vibration there was none, and as for the usual clatter of machinery, which is the distinguishing feature of a steam- ship, it could not be heard at all. Moreover, there was not any of the squeaking and squeal- ing of timbers and tortured wood work, which makes up a hideous serenade on all other vessels, for our party-walls, our state-room floors and ceilings, are of iron, and so ribbed and morticed, and joined stiffly with the hull, that the ship, while passing through still water* seems to be one solid tube or beam. Indeed, I could not make it certain to my senses that she had not stopped, until, looking out of my port-hole, I saw the ocean passing by, and our vast mass moving gradually through it like a floating castle. When I went on deck I found the air cool and bracing, but all there was of wind was caused by our own motion. At eight o'clock her paddle-engines gave ten revolutions, and those for the propeller twenty - nine, while the log, which was heaved a few minutes afterwards, credited her with a rate of ten knots. After timing the stroke of the engines I took a look at the rapidly-revolving paddles, and found that their original diameter of fifty-six feet, which had proved to be too large, had been reduced to fifty feet by reefing or drawing in the floats, or paddles, three feet on each arm. A large projection of useless iron consequently extends* beyond the actual wheels to make an unnecessary resistance to the water, and I am told that the wheel would 86 26 38 62 91 42 3,061 "'71 95 392 200 8 103 88 17 114 599 746 681 925 725 857 44,312 10,462 1,651,767 84,155 30,444 2,624,431 British Central American.. 275 481 739 827 408 423 282 729 458 486 766 808 1,024 424 826 473 855 592 12,085 39,405 212,976 105,131 3,267 36,358 7,321 13,126 28,422 34,498 72,753 316,765 204,894 3,390 85,045 41,602 14,536 67,522 Dutch Greek Italian Norwegian Russian * 148 83 '"49 202 143 9 109 212 195 29 492 224 "481 686 373 339 643 733 397 949 72,845 18,633 138,675 53,327 3,049 70,067 Turkish & Egypt'n.. 23,550 Totals 4,132 5,148 5,365 676 841 974 2,793,432 4,328,193 5,226,888 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 245 1872. From 1841 to 1872 forty-four steamships, employed on voyages between the United States, England, and the Continent, were lost. Four of these were wooden paddle-wheel steamers, the remainder were iron vessels. The " President," " City of Glasgow," " City of Boston," " Pacific," "Tem- pest," " United Kingdom," and " Mina Thomas" foundered at sea, and were never heard from. Between 1857 and 1864 nine iron steamers, running from the mouth of the -St. Lawrence to Portland, Maine, were lost. 1867. PETROLEUM AS FUEL ON BOARD STEAMERS. Under authority of an act approved April 27, 1866, appropriating five thousand dollars for testing the use of petroleum as a fuel under marine boilers, an elaborate series of experiments was made at the Boston Navy Yard on board the United States steamer " Palos," a first-class screw tug-boat of 350 tons, to ascertain the value of crude petroleum as a fuel for generating steam in marine boilers, the burning apparatus being the invention of Mr. Henry R. Foote. The steamer made a successful excursion down the harbor and back, and the experiments were' continued at the wharf for several months, but the general result was not considered satisfactory. About the same time other experiments were made at the Brooklyn Navy Yard with the same fuel and the boilers and apparatus invented by Clark Fisher, an en- gineer of the United States Navy. Also, among other systems of burning petroleum under the same boilers, was tried that of Mr. Simon Stevens,* The conclusion arrived at was that convenience, health, comfort and safety were against the use of petroleum in steam-vessels, and that the only advan- tage shown was a not very important reduction in the bulk and weight of fuel carried. 1867. Up to 1867 the largest and fastest merchant ocean steamer built on the American continent was the "Adriatic" of the Collins' Line. The hull was 343 10-12 feet long on the load-line, an^ her extreme breadth 343 10-12 feet. Her displacement was 5,233 tons. 1870. THE " PALOS." The first United States steamer to pass through the Suez Canal was the " Palos," fourth-rate, Commander L. A. Beardslee, which entered the canal at Port Said on the morning of August 9, 1870. Leaving it on the llth at 7 A.M. the steamer arrived at Ismaillia at 3 P.M., having been detained three hours in the "gares" waiting for steamers coming from the southward to pass, and after several other detentions at "gares" arrived at Suez at 1.30 P.M., August 13, 1870, having been under- way in the canal seventeen hours. Commander Beardslee reported that the canal for its entire length at that date had a nearly level floor, with from 24 to 28 feet of water, 72 feet wide, and that a vessel drawing 16 feet had a channel 116 feet in width. 1870. THE " HOTSPUR," the first iron-clad constructed chiefly as a ram for the Royal Navy, was launched in 1870. * See Report of Secretary of the Navy, Decembes 2, 1867. Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering. 246 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 1870. COMPOUND ENGINES IN THE ROYAL NAVY. The wooden screw corvette " Briton " was taken out of Sheerness harbor on the 10th of June, 1870, for a final trial of her engines and the newly invented plan of reheat- ing the steam on its passage from a small to a large cylinder. The London Times said : " The value of the invention was amply proved ; the trial having finally disposed of the long-vexed question as to the best means of economizing fuel in steamships." The "Briton" was'kept at full speed for four consecutive hours, the engines making seventy-seven revolutions, the speed being over twelve knots, and the consumption of coal only 1.3 pounds per horse-power per hour, the average consumption .of coal on Her Majesty's steamers having before ranged from 3 to 4 pounds per horse-power an hour. A previous trial of the "Briton" had not been as successful. 1871. COMPOUND ENGINES IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY. This year Chief Engineer J. "W. King, U. S. N., made a strong report in favor of com- pound engines, in which he stated that the Fairfield Works on the Clyde had completed one hundred and thirty pairs of compound engines, and had then, at the time of his visit, twenty-two pairs under construction, all for ocean steamers. That firm or company was then regarded as the pioneer of the compound system, and its productions accepted as the best types.* In consequence of this favorable report, the Honorable Secretary of the United States Navy ordered all new vessels and those requiring new engines to be fitted with those of the compound type.f In December, 1872, Chief Engineers Charles H. Loring and Charles H. Baker made a very strong report to the Secretary of the Navy in favor of compound engines. 1872. FUEL SAVINGS EXPERIMENT. In 1872 a discovery was made by which the cost of steam-power, it was claimed, was reduced sixty per cent. It was put into practical operation at the Atlantic Works in Boston. By a novel process the grea^; amount of heat that escapes into the air in the waste or exhaust steam from engines is utilized by conducting it through the tubes of a boiler filled with the bisulphide of carbon, "a fluid which boils at 110 Fah., and at the temperature of exhaust steam gives a pres- sure of sixty-five pounds to the inch in the boiler;" the vapor formed in this boiler is used to drive an engine, instead of steam, and after being used, ij condensed by cooling, pumped into the boiler again, and used continu- ously without loss. Careful experiments proved that the fuel required to produce one hundred horse-power with the best engines then in use would by this process produce two hundred and fifty horse-power, a gain of one hundred and fifty per cent, in the power obtained by the same consumption of fuel. For making a careful test of this process, two new engines of the same * Report of J. W. King, U. S. N., Chief of Bureau of Steam Engineering, to the Secre- tary of the Navy, October 30, 1871. f See Secretary of Navy Report, 1872. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 247 size and construction were put up at the Atlantic Works ; one was run by steam in the usual manner, while the heat that escaped in the exhaust from this engine was used to heat a boiler and drive the second engine. A care- ful measurement of the power produced by each of the engines showed that while the first engine, worked by steam in the usual way, produced 6.23 horse-power, the second engine, worked entirely by the waste heat escaping in the exhaust from the first, produced 9.12 horse-power, the two together producing 15.35 horse-power with the fuel required to drive the steam- engine alone. The coal required to run a steam-engine of one hundred horse-power, of the best class in use, is about four thousand pounds per day, or six hundred tons a year. It was claimed by this discovery the same engine could be run with sixteen hundred pounds of coal per day, or two hundred and forty tons per year, saving three hundred and sixty tons of coal a year for each hundred horse-power produced. For steam-vessels the advantages of this process would be greater than for stationary engines, as a large amount of room occupied by coal would be saved, and could be used for freight. The vessel could also carry fuel to last through a much longer voyage, enabling steam to compete with sailing-vessels on long voyages advantageously. 1873. THE CABLE STEAMER " FARADAY." This vessel was built in 1873 for laying Atlantic cables. She is 366 feet in length, had 52 feet beam, is 36 feet in depth and measures 5,000 tons gross, but can carry 6,000 ton^ dead weight. Her iron hull, in addition to the requirements of " Lloyds," was enormously strengthened to fit her for the service for which she was built. She 4 is fitted with three cable tanks constructed of plate-iron, which form a series of double arches supporting the sides of the vessel. These tanks are united together and to the general fabric of the hull by five iron decks. The vessel is double-bottomed, the space between the two bottoms being a network of iron girders for carrying the cable tanks, and at the same time giving lon- gitudinal strength to that portion of the hull. The space is further utilized for carrying water ballast, to trim the vessel as the cable is run out, and to enable her to make a voyage across the Atlantic without cargo or other weight beyond fuel. In outward appearance the " Faraday" is unlike other ocean steamers, her bow and stern being of the same form, and she is fitted with a rudder at both ends. She has two surface condensing engines, each working a separate screw. The object of this arrangement is to obtain increased steering or manoeuvring power, which is a very important condition in cable laying. 1875. THE DOUBLE-HULL " CASTALIA." To provide ample accommoda- tions for all classes of passengers under shelter as well as on deck, to reduce the motion of rolling and pitching to a minimum, and to keep the draft to six feet, so that the steamer could enter the channel ports on both sides at every state of tide, the " Castalia " was built at the Thames Iron Works. She may 248 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. be roughly described as the two halves of a longitudinally divided hull, 290 feet long, placed 26 feet apart, and strongly bound together. Under this deck worked a pair of paddle-wheels, side by side, on two separate shafts. so that each wheel could be worked independently by two pairs of engines, one pair on each half of the vessel. The division of the hull provided a deck sixty feet wide. Before and behind the engine were state saloons enclosed by the hurricane deck running the whole width of the vessel, There were also decks below running fore and aft to within a few feet of the double bow in the separate hulls. The "Castalia" had accommodation for one thousand passengers. A correspondent of the London Times says of this steamer : " Returning from our autumnal tour we determined to give the ' Castalia' a trial. The weather was unusually boisterous ; at Calais it was difficult to stand against the gust of wind which swept across the pier. Outside, the sea ran high, and the usual discomforts of the passage presented themselves to us. The ' Castalia,' when she left the pier, seemed to glide to the tur- bulent waters outside. For a moment it puzzled one to find the deck as firm and level as a dinner table, and yet waves breaking all around. We per- formed the passage to Dover in about two hours and a quarter ; the motion was very slight indeed, about as much as in the ordinary steamers after they get within the harbor of Dover or Calais every few minutes there was one single roll of about three degrees. There was no tremulous motion from the paddles. I explored the saloons for indications of straining, but found none ; the surface of the paint was without a shadow of a crack, and through- out the passage there was no creaking noise. When we arrived in Dover the decks before and aft of the funnels were as dry as when we left Calais. The sea was enough to try the regular steamers, but on board the 'Castalia' children were playing about, every one was perfectly comfortable, and I can safely state that it is the first time I ever crossed the Channel without seeing a sign of sickness." 1875. THE " BESSEMER." This vessel was constructed for the Channel service to combine great speed, a light draft, and the least possible roll- ing and pitching motions, and to afford passengers crossing the Channel the quickest transit with the greatest amount of ease, at an immersion so small that the vessel could enter the existing English and French harbors at all times of the tide. The "Bessemer" was designed by E. J. Reed, ex-con- structor to the Royal Navy, with the exception of her anti-seasick swinging saloon, which was the invention of Mr. Bessemer. The vessel was so novel in her construction as to be an object of great interest. She was three hun- dred and fifty feet long at the water-line, and forty-eight feet at each end; the deck was only four feet above the line of flotation, so that in rough weather the sea would wash over these low ends. The decks on this por- tion of the vessel had a considerable curve, and the sides of the ship were rounded off so that the water might escape. This form of end was selected HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 249 to obviate any tendency to pitching. Above these low decks was a breast- work eight feet high, two hundred and fifty-four feet long and all the width of the vessel. The whole of this breagtwork deck was for the use of the passengers, and portions fore and aft of the paddle-boxes were protected with stanchions. The vessel was propelled by four paddle-wheels, and ninety feet of the space between the paddles was occupied by the swinging saloon. Beyond this and at each end the space nearest the saloon was occupied by the engines and the boilers. At one end of the breastwork there was accom- modation for the crew and beneath their quarters stowage-room for passen- gers' luggage, etc. At the opposite end of the breastwork the space was fitted with cabins for the ladies, and below these cabins was a saloon fifty-two feet long, fitted with sofa seats all around. Along the sides of the breast- work deck, between the paddle-boxes, were other cabins, smoking and re- freshment-rooms. The " Bessemer" swinging saloon was about seventy feet long, thirty-five feet wide, and twenty feet high. The weight of the saloon was borne by four large bearings, one at each end and two near the centre. The end bearings were fixed on iron transverse bulkheads, which were well- stiffened by fore and aft ways to prevent their buckling. The saloon was a superbly-fitted apartment. The top of it formed a promenade deck, and was fitted all around with seats. The saloon was entirely under the con- trol of machinery invented by Mr. Bessemer, and it was expected the passengers would not feel any more unpleasant sensation than they would in going up or down the Thames. The swinging saloon was in the centre of the vessel, and was entered by two broad stair-cases leading to a landing connected with the saloon by a flexible flooring. The aftermost of the two central supports was hollow and served as a part of the hydraulic machinery for regulating th'e motion of the saloon. The nominal horse-power of the engines of the " Bessemer" was 750, but they could be worked up to an indicated power of 4,600, and were calculated to drive the vessel at a speed of from eighteen to twenty statute miles an hour. The paddle-wheels, one hundred and six feet apart and twenty-seven feet ten inches in diameter, were fitted with twelve feathering floats. May 8, 1875. The "Bessemer" crossed from Dover to Calais and back again, when her speed was about the same as the ordinary boats. THE " CALAIS-DOUVER." Another twin boat for crossing the Channel be- tween England and France, called the " Calais-Douver," in some respects an improvement on the " Bessemer," has been built and is in successful service. Her length is three hundred and two feet; breadth over all, sixty- one feet ; depth, thirteen feet nine inches; water space between th'e hulls, twenty-four and a half feet; draft, seven feet; speed, fourteen and a half to fifteen knots. The diameter of her cylinders is sixty-three inches ; stroke of piston, six feet; cut off, three-tenths of stroke ; revolutions of her paddle- wheel, thirty-five per minute; steam pressure, thirty pounds; diameter of 250 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. wheel, twenty-four feet; beam of each hull, eighteen feet three inches; horse- power, 3,600. She was built at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 1875 HIGH SPEED BOATS IN RUSSIA. In 1875 a high-speed boat was built at St. Petersburg on an improved plan, whose outer hull was made entirely of Muntz metal, it being cheaper than copper as a sheathing for wooden vessels. In a trial with one of the fastest boats she was victorious, and accomplished nineteen miles per hour, the engines making an average of nearly six hundred revolutions per minute, working with steam at one hundred pounds per square Inch. This vessel is described as forty-eight feet long at the load-line, having six and one-half feet beam, and three and one-half feet depth of hold, while her mean draft was one foot nine inches. She had compound engines of superior workmanship in every re- spect, which drove a screw two feet nine inches in diameter, having three feet four inches in pitch. 1876. THE "!ONA." The "lona," a paddle-wheel steamer employed in the passenger traffic between Glasgow and the Western Highlands, had cabin accommodations for twelve hundred passengers, and her long range of saloon houses, with plate-glass windows fore and aft, gave her a graceful ap- pearance. Her dimensions were : Length, 250 feet ; beam, 25 feet. She was propelled by a pair of oscillating engines with a continued nominal power of 180 horses. Her draft, when fully laden, did not exceed 6 feet, and her speed under favorable circumstances was from twenty to twenty-one miles per hour. She was the fastest steam-vessel in Great Britain, and one, or two steamers of the United States excepted in the world. 1878. THE" IRIS." There was in the British Navy in 1878 a man-of- war capable of steaming twenty-one miles an hour. She was a vessel named the " Iris," of nearly four thousand tons measurement, having a nominal speed of seven thousand horse-power. When fully equipped and armed she may not have been so fleet, but the surprising speed realized at Portsmouth was not considered the maximum that the ' Iris" was capable of making. A previous trial of the ship's engines had not been so satisfactory. At that time a huge, four-bladed screw was fitted, and the improvement in the fleet- ness of the vessel was due to reducing the surface of the screw, and employ- ing two blades instead of four. The engines, powerful as they were, had been overweighted by the screw. The " Iris" was the forerunner of a steel flotilla of six corvettes and two dispatch boats of a similar character. By employing steel in lieu of iron, it has been possible to construct much lighter craft, with finer lines to the vessels without sacrificing their strength and soliSity. The steel corvettes are to be fleet boats, but have the high speed of the " Iris" or " Mercury." They are intended for swift cruisers, and, though comparatively lightly armed, each of them have a pair of seven- inch, or armor piercing guns. They are named respectively the " Carys- fort," " Champion," " Cleopatra," " Comus," " Conquest," and " Curacoa." HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 251 The " Iris" and " Mercury" armament consists of sixty-four pounders ; but their speed is such they will always have the option of fighting or running away. 1878. STEAMBOATS IN COREA. A steamboat built by the Coreans is thus referred to in the North China Daily News of March 28, 1878 : B "Everything European, just because.it is so, is despised, but the Coreans try hard to originate wonderful undertakings. For about eight months they have been working at a steamboat, and some ten thousand taeh have been used up. There is the shell with three keels, which makes the thing rather flat. The bow is sharp, and there are port-holes for cannon ; a smoke-stack, which has been observed at work, but the wheels are wanting. Meanwhile, for fear the Japanese might benefit by the sight, this masterpiece was covered in with a wooden frame. Ten years ago they made an iron vessel, but it un- fortunately sank when launched." 1879. THE " DURBIN." The fastest long-distance voyage on record was made b^the steamer "Durbin" with telegrams from Zululand to England, in 1879. She left Table Bay a little before 8 P.M., and averaged 298 miles a day to Madeira, where she stopped on April 14 for four and a half hours. She made Plymouth at 6 P.M. on April 20. The entire distance, about 6,000 miles, was run at an average of 13.1 knots. Faster speed has been made across the Atlantic, but this is the best for so long a distance. 1879. STEAM vs. SAILS. At the end of the year 1879 there were reg- istered as belonging to the United Kingdom, including the Channel Islands, 20,538 sailing-vessels, of 4,068,742 tons, and 5,027 steam-vessels, of 2,511,- 733 tons, making in the whole 25,565 vessels, of 6,579,795 tons, being 24,- 811 tons more than at the end of the year 1878. The numbers for 1879 compared with those of 1866 show in the fourteen years a decline of 5,602 in the number of sailing-vessels, and of 834,910 tons in the tonnage ; and in steam-vessels an increase of 2,196 in the number, and of 1,635,548 tons in the tonnage. The shipping belonging to the United States on the 30th of June, 1879, was classified as follows : 17,042 sailing-vessels, of 2,422,813 tons ; 4,569 steam-vessels, of 1,176,172 tons ; 2,394 barges, of 466,878 tons ; and 1,206 canal-boats, etc., of 103,721 tons; total, 25,211 vessels of all kinds, and ton- nage, 4,169,584 tons. How rapidly steam has superseded wind as the motive-power of ships on the Atlantic is shown in the statement of exports of grain in bushels from New York, from January 1 to October 31, for five years, viz.: Year Steam. Sail. 1878 28,151,191 47,493,409 1879 33.847.95 2 5 2 >46,703 1880 43.955.o65 57,203,079 1881 . . . . . . 46,212,288 17,738,421 1882 34,500,000 5,200,000 252 mSTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 1879. THE " SOLANO.". The largest ferry-boat in the world was given a trial December 1, 1879, at San Francisco, and behaved satisfactorily in every respect. The " Solano" was built for the transportation of passenger and freight cars across the Straits of Carquinez from Port Costa to Benicia. Her dimensions are: Length over all, 424 feet ; length on bottom (she has no keel), 406 feet ; height of sides in centre, 18 feet 5 inches ; height of sides on each end, from bottom of boat, 15 feet 10 inches ; molded beam, 64 feet; extreme width over guards, 116 feet; width of guards at centre of boat, 25 feet 6 inches; reverse, sheer of deck, 2^ feet. She has two vertical- beam engines of 60-inch bore and 11-inch stroke, built at Wilmington, Del. The engines have a nominal power of 1,500 horses each, but are capable of b3ing worked up to 2,000 horse-power each. Upon the deck of the "Solano" are four railroad tracks extending her entire length, with a capacity of carrying forty-eight loaded freight cars, or twenty-four passenger coaches of the largest class. Her four rudders are worked by an hydraulic steering gear, operated by an independent steam pump. They are also connected with the ordinary steering.gear, so that, in case of any disarrangement of the hydraulic apparatus, the vessel may be guided by it. The advantage is that this immense craft can be handled by one man, whereas, if the ordinary wheel and system of steering were used, six men would be required at the wheel. 1880. CHINESE ENTERPRISE. In 1874 fifty British steamers were profit- ably engaged in the local trades in Chinese waters. That year the natives organized the China Merchants' Steam Navigation Company, with the im- perial consent and support. The fmst year the company had six steamers in operation. The next year four were added, and in 1877 the company's fleet numbered sixteen vessels. A fierce competition was waged with foreign companies, during which rates were cut from fifty to seventy per cent, of the former amounts. The result was that the foreign Shanghai Steam Naviga- tion Company" was killed, and its twenty-six vessels and wharf property were bought by the native company. The aggressive policy thus begun has been continued, until now the Chinese look to a general navigation of the high seas, and in August, 1880, the "Hongchoug," one of the original six ves- sels of the China Merchants' Company, entered the harbor of San Francisco. China enjoys the cheapest labor on the planet; has enormous coal-fields and large iron deposits ; and a firm of British builders have decided to transfer their capital to China, with a view to beginning the work of ship building, for which so abundant materials and advantageous conditions for labor exist. Japan is acting with like vigor, and has already several steam lines in opera- tion. 1880. A REMARKABLE VOYAGE OF A WRECKED STEAMER. On July 14, 1880, the Chilian transport " Rimac," an iron screw-steamer of twelve hundred and twenty-seven tons, carrying a regiment of cavalry and a valua- ble cargo, was captured by the Peruvian corvette "Unnn"and taken to HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 253 Callao. After the Peruvian defeat at Chorillos and Miraflores the " Rimac" was burned and sunk. The hulk was raised by the Chilians, and was found, although severely damaged, it could be rendered serviceable, and that the machinery was only slightly injured. Every particle of wood-work was burned out of her, and she presented more the appearance of an empty fire- worn stove than of a vessel with which the sea could be navigated. The deck-beams were cracked and twisted as if they had been thin iron wires ; some stanchions still stood upright, but more had assumed shapes which would have astonished any ship-builder, and the bulwarks were bulged in and out, and shrivelled as if they had been run through some powerful crimping-machine. Damaged as she was, it was the desire of the Chilian government, whose prize she had become, and of the South American Com- pany, who had become her purchasers, that she should be taken back to Chili, and Captain James Hart was called upon for an opinion as to the pos- sibilty of taking her to Chili. He reported favorably, although declaring there was much risk, and the voyage was agreed upon. Only the most ab- solute and trivial repairs were effected, and after the sides had been boarded up to prevent her filling, this damaged iron tank for it could scarcely be called a vessel took its departure from Callao. The machinery worked well. But as the engines were intended to drive a heavy vessel, and they were now employed in propelling a light and unladen hull, they were too powerful for their work. They drove it along at a good speed, it is true, but the vibration caused thereby was severe in the extrem& Very heavy weather was encountered, and as the vessel would dip into the sea so they would strike her abeam, the water would rush into the hold, threatening to swamp her, and keeping the pumps constantly at work. All hands were wet through the entire trip, no cabins having been put up. Several of the damaged deck-beams broke, through the severe straining of the sides, and one day the remains of the bridge tumbled into the hold, carrying with it the binnacle and the wheel, which had been temporarily fixed up. The compass was useless, it being impossible to place reliance in it owing to the vibration causing the needle to revolve the whole time. Steering was done by guess-work, the direction of the sea, which runs from the southward and the heavens, serving as a substitute. The voyage fortunately was performed in safety, and the wreck was finally moored in Valparaiso. The distance from Callao to Valparaiso is fifteen hundred and fifty-eight miles, head to wind all the time. The " Rimac" is now being repaired, and within a few months she will be again ready for sea. 1880. THE " COMET " ox LAKE BIGLER. A new pleasure-steamer, called the " Comet," was built for Lake Bigler in 1880. It was exclusively for the use of passengers and pleasure-parties, and made the trip around the lake in a day, and was fitted up in splendid style. 1880. THE "THREE BROTHERS." In 1880 the well-known American ship " Three Brothers," formerly the steamship " Vauderbilt," and the 254 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. largest sailing merchant- vessel afloat, was sold to merchants in Liverpool for eight thousand pounds, and she will hereafter sail under the British flag. 1880. A MOUNTAIN STEAMER. Steam navigation among the mountain ranges of Colorado is one of the peculiarities of that wonderful region. A Denver paper says : " A sail over the placid and translucent waters of Twin Lakes will convince the traveler that Colorado affords some of the most beautiful aquatic scenery in nature. Twin Lakes are located three miles from Twin Lake Station, Denver and South Park Division, Union Pacific Railway, or one hundred and fifty-seven miles southwest of Denver, at the eastern base of the Sawache Range, at an elevation of nine thousand three hundred and thirty-three feet above the level of the sea. The lower lake covers fifteen hundred and twenty-five, and the upper four hundred and seventy-five acres, and they are united by a small, swift, clear stream, about half a mile in length, which winds through grassy meadows studded with scattering shade-trees, affording delightful picnic or camp-grounds. On the north stands Mount Elbert, fourteen thousand three hundred and sixty feet above the sea, or five thousand and twenty-seven feet above the lakes. Di- rectly opposite (at the south side of the lakes) are the Twin Peaks, also giants of the Rocky chain. The sheets are, therefore, thoroughly mountain- locked." The paper above quoted says the little steamer plying on Twin Lakes " has the distinguished honor of being nearer to heaven than any other craft in the wide, wide world." SHIPS TH^H? WERE NEVER HEARD FROM. The following European steamers have never been heard from after leaving port : The " President," sailed from New York, March 11, 1841 : had among her passengers Tyrone Power, the famous Irish comedian, and a son of the Duke of Richmond. The " City of Glasgow," never heard from after leaving Glasgow in the spring of 1854 ; four hundred and eighty lives lost. The " Pacific," never heard from after Jan. 23, 1856, when she left Liverpool ; two hundred lives lost. The " Tempest," never heard from after she left New York, Feb. 26, 1857. The "City of Boston," left New York Jan. 25, 1860; about one hundred and sixty lives lost. The " Ismailia" left New York, Sept. 26, 1878, and was never heard from. 1880. A CANAL-BOAT PROPELLED BY AIR. A novelty in canal-boats in Charles River, Mass., attracted considerable attention in 1880. It was called a " pneumatic canal-boat, and was built at Wiscasset, Maine, as devised by the owner, R. H. Tucker, of Boston, who held patents for its design in Eng- land and the United States. The boat shown on Charles River, designed to be used on canals without injurying the banks, was a simple structure, sixty- two feet long, twenty wide, three feet in depth, and drew seventeen inches of water. It was driven entirely by air, Root's blower No. 4 being used, and was operated by an eight horse-power engine. The air was forced down a cen- tral shaft to the bottom, where it was deflected, and, being confined between the keels, passed backward and upward, escaping at the stern through an HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 255 orifice nineteen feet wide, so as to form an air wedge between the boat and the surface of the water. The force with which the air struck the water propelled the boat at a speed of four miles an hour, but required a thirty- five horse-power engine to develop its full capabilities. The patentee claimed a great advantage in dispensing with the heavy machinery of screws and side-wheels, and believed that his contrivance gave full results in propor- tion to the power employed. It was also contrived for backing and steer- iug by air propulsion. Owing to the slight disturbance it caused to the water, it was thought very well adapted for work on canals. 1880. THE FIRST CHINESE STEAMER TO CROSS THE PACIFIC. On the 31st of August, 1880, the Chinese steamer " Hochung" entered the Custom- house of San Francisco, California, paying the regular tonnage dues of thirty cents per ton, and one dollar per ton extra dues on alien ships, the latter under protest. Extra duties of 10 per cent, on the cargo were also paid under protest, and .the whole matter was referred to the decision of the Sec- retary of the Treasury. She was also the first Chinese steamer that ever visited the Hawaiian Islands in November, 1879, and carried to Honolulu 431 Chinese immigrants. A San Francisco paper said of this arrival, under the heading, " China's Debut Upon the Sea :" " The arrival at San Francisco on the 30th of August of the first Chinese steamer that has ever crossed the Pacific deserves commemoration. This steamer, the ' Hochung,' appeared at the Golden Gate, seeking admission to a foreign port, nearly forty years after the isolation in which for ages China was encased was broken and five of her ports were opened to the commerce of the civilized world. The treaty of 1842, by which this concession was secured to foreign trade, has borne fruit slowly ; but the tardiness of the Chinese to undertake maritime enterprises is due not so much to their love of seclusion as to the difficulty of acquiring the art of navigation. This art is, and ever has been, one of the later acquisitions of nations. . . . It is no wonder, therefore, that the Chinese have taken forty years to master the nautical skill requisite for the accomplishment of this feat. But the begin- ning of ocean traffic is now made ; and this field of commercial competition once fairly broken, there is reason to hope the Orientals will find it profit- able. ... In this maritime enterprise they are favored by the immense coal supply of the Middle Kingdom. Baron Richthofeu, who carefully examined the coal-fields of China, says it is ' among the most favored countries of the world as regards the distribution of mineral fuel.' This able geographer computes from his own inspection that the ' quantity of very superior coal available for cheap extraction is so large that, at the present rate of con- sumption, the world could be supplied from Shansi alone for several thou- sand years.' This vast coal-bed is reached by the Yang-tse-Kiang (river), China's great commercial highway, navigable for large vessels twelve hun- dred miles from its mouth, and easily ascended by ocean steamers as far as 256 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. Hankow, seven hundred miles from the sea. With such magnificent de- posits of mineral fuel suited for use on steam-vessels, the day is not distant when the Chinese, renowned for ages as dextrous mechanics, will be able with a little nautical training- to carve out a bright maritime ruture for their nation." A telegraphic dispatch, dated London, December 7,1881, announced that "the 'Meefoo/ the first of a regular line of steamers under the Chinese flag, arrived in the Thames with three thousand tons of tea." * 1880. TWIN GAIN SCREWS. Mr. John Taggart, of Boston, in 1880, in- vented a method of propelling steamers by two screws, differing in almost every particular from the ordinary propeller. These screws are described as long, hollow iron cylinders, with what are called "gain" screws with two threads. The threads are near together at the bow, and gradually diverge towards the stern, thus giving them the name of gain screw. It is claimed a great power is gained by this means at once at the bow, and the gradu- ally-increasing width between the threads diminishes to a great extent the friction and dead weight of the water. The cylinders, being hollow, are very buoyant. The journals of these cylinders run in strong yokes projecting from the iron heel at the bow and stern. These cylinders are run by an endless chain. The threads are large, and answer to the blades of a propel- ler, but, having a greater surface, give an increased power. It is claimed that with these screws a river-boat could be run at the rate of thirty-seven miles an hour; that a tug thus equipped could, with engines of the same power, pull ordinary tugs backwards, and that an ocean steamer could cross the Atlantic in four and a half days. A practical test of the invention is proposed by building a tug on this new plan. 1880. The tonnage and value_of the st:arners of the mercantile navy of Great Britain in 1880 was : Tons. Value. Under 500 tons . . . . 339>55 12 ^4,074,050 From 500 to 2,000 .... 1,913,445 20 38,268,929 From 2,000 upwards, . . . . 341,184 25 6,829,600 Total, 2,594,134 ^50,872,580 This was the value of the vessels completely fitted and provisioned for sea, with allowance for the average of the various ages in the different classes. 1880. THE " ANTHRACITE," the smallest steamer that ever crossed the Atlantic, arrived at New York in August, 1880, and went thence to Phila- delphia. She sailed from the latter port on the 23d of August, and arrived at Falmouth, England, September 14, after a voyage of twenty-two days and fourteen hours. She steamed three thousand three hundred and six- * Are not the Chinese now in advance, considering that we, who claim to hold the most advanced opinions of the age, exclude their emigrants under the recent shameful act of Congress ? f HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 257 teen miles, doing the entire distance with the consumption of less than twenty-five tons of coal, steaming thirteen hundred and fifty-three miles with only nine tons. The " Anthracite" had a new system of boilers, which, her inventor claimed, would revolutionize the utilization of steam for propelling vessels. The ''Anthracite" was built expressly for this Atlantic voyage, to show that the difficulty previously encountered in vessels with high-pressure engines of retaining steam could be overcome by substituting for ordinary piston-packing a metal peculiar to the Perkins' system. Economy in ex- penditure of heat and water was also claimed. Of the "Anthracite's" eighty-four feet of length, her engines, furnaces and boilers take up a space of twenty-two feet six inches, leaving a hatch- way, kitchen, and forecastle-cabin in the forepart of the boat, and a water- tight bulkhead. Abaft the engines are three cabins, with sleeping-bunks, with a water-tight bulkhead in the stern. The screw is of the ordinary fish- tail pattern, with two blades. Her gross tonnage is 70.26 tons, and her registered tonnage is 27.91 tons. Her average consumption of coal on the voyage from England to Newfoundland and thence to New York was one ton of Welsh bituminous coal a day. The weather was very rough, con- sequently the sails could be little used. The counter registering the revolu- tions of her screw was set at before she left England, and on arrival at New York marked three million nine hundred and eighty thousand. In the voyage over the natural draught of the furnace was only used, but she has a fan-bolwer, which can be brought into use if increased consumption of fuel and a high pressure of steam are desired. The peculiarity of the machinery which effects the economy of fuel lies in the means employed for using steam at very high pressure safely, and with- out undue wear and strain. The average boiler pressure on the voyage over .was from three hundred and fifty to four hundred pounds to the square inch, but the boilers had been tested up to two thousand five hundred pounds per square inch by hydraulic pressure. The body of the boiler consists of a series of horizontal tubes, welded up at each end, and connected together by a verti- cal tube, and the several sections are connected by a vertical tube to the top ring of the fire-box, and by another to the steam collecting-tube. The fire-box is formed of tubes bent into a rectangular shape. The boiler is surrounded by a double casing of thin sheet-iron, filled between with non- conducting material to prevent loss of heat. The cylinders and valve-boxes are steam-jacketed, and further protected by jackets of non-conducting ma- terial, so that, although all the parts are kept at a high temperature, the heat given out in the engine and fire-room is much less than is usual in ordinary marine engines. The difficulty from friction and imperfect joints in practically working machinery at high pressures was one of the serious obstacles encountered in developing this system. After a series of experiments, the inventor adopted 17 258 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. f an anti-friction alloy, of which the packing-rings and internal rubbing sur- faces are made. No lubrication is required beyond that furnished by the steam. He states cylinders fitted with piston-rings made of this metal have been several years at work, showing no signs of wear, the only wear occur- ring on the rings, which can be easily and cheaply replaced. Not only is the cost of oil and grease saved, but the destructive action on the ma- chinery and boiler of the acids generated from lubricants is avoided. For the use of steam at these high pressures three different-sized cylinders are employed, all jacketed with spiral tubes cast in the metal, which are supplied with steam direct from the boilers, and keep up the temperature of the cylinders. The cylinders are arranged one above the other, and their pistons are connected to a common piston-rod. The operation is thus de- scribed by Mr. Loftus Perkins, the inventor, in a paper read before the In- stitution of Mechanical Engineers, London : "The high-pressure steam is introduced into the upper end of the first cylinder, where there is no gland, and where the piston is formed so as to require no lubricating material. The steam is cut off at half-stroke in this cylinder, and when admitted for the return-stroke into the bottom of the second cylinder, of four times the area, the temperature is so much reduced as to cause no difficulty when brought into contact with the piston-rod gland. From the bottom of the second cylinder the steam expands into the top of the same cylinder, which is of larger capacity than the bottom, and serves as a chamber, and is in direct communication with the valve-box of the third cylinder. This last is double-acting, and is arranged to cut off at about a quarter-stroke, and at the termination of the stroke exhausts into the condenser, with an expansion of about thirty-two times." It is some years since Mr. Perkins began to advocate the merits of this system, and he has taken out many patents connected therewith, but the difficulties attending its practical working, and the disposition to oppose ij, by those who had large sums invested in old style machinery, have, it is asserted, prevented its general adoption, although in several cases in Eng- land it has been successfully introduced. The boilers and engines of the " Anthracite" contain all the latest improvements of the inventor, and are thought to afford a practical demonstration of the entire success of the Per- kins system, and show how all stationary and marine engines can be run at an expense of less than one-half the present cost for fuel. Two and a half pounds of coal per horse-power per hour is considered very economical running, and some of our best-managed ocean steamers use one hundred tons of coal a day in their voyage. To demonstrate the prac- ticability of reducing this more than one-half, thereby not only saving the cost of fuel, but giving more space for freight, was the purpose of the visit of the " Anthracite" to Americans waters. 1880. FIRST STEAMBOAT ox THE UPPER DELAWARE. The steamboat "Kittatinny," the first that ever reached Port Jervis, New York, arrived HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 259 at Delaware Water Gap April 28, 1880, without accident, having, run the fifty miles in less than five hours. This steamboat was sixty feet long, four- teen feet wide, and carried seventy persons* the navigation of the Upper Delaware being thus proved feasible by steam. Great excitement prevailed throughout the region traversed, and hundreds of persons flocked to see the boat. 1881. THE "HARRIET LANE." The United States revenue steam-cutter " Harriet Lane," built in 1859 for that service, was placed at the disposal of the Prince of Wales during his visit to this country, and at the outbreak of the Eebellion was turned over to the Navy Department. On New Year's night, 1863, her decks were the scene of one of the most desperate hand-to- hand encounters of the war, when her captain and first lieutenant were killed. Transformed into a sailing bark, and named the " Elliott Ritchie," this famous craft was peacefully lying at Philadelphia awaiting a cargo, December 10, 1881. 1881. THE "DESSOUG." The steamer "Dessoug," which conveyed Cleo- patra's Needle from Egypt to New York, was built in England, and was for years used as a trader until the KKedive of Egypt bought and converted her into a yacht. Purchased for the purpose of bringing the obelisk to America, she was sold and altered and rebuilt as a freight steamer for the New York and Savannah cotton trade. 1881. AN HYDRAULIC SHIP, built in Germany in 1881, on her trial ac- complished nine knots an hour. Two hundred years before that the experi- ment was made of propelling vessels by expelling water from the stern, and failed, as sufficient speed was not attained. This new method is based on the assumption that the propelling force depends on the contact of surfaces, and not on the sectional area of the flowing mass, so a number of tubes with narrow outlets are used instead of one large tube. 1881. A NOVEL PROPELLING POWER. A steam-yacht with a novel propelling power was built in 1881. Instead of a screw, as in ordinary pro- pellers, there is a flat blade of iron under the rudder at right angles to the keel. This blade was hinged in the centre. The blade worked backward and forward on a hollow shaft, with a stroke of three feet forward and aft. As the blade moves forward under the overhang 'of the vessel, by means of an inside shaft, it shuts up, and makes no resistance to the water. When it goes back again it opens, and virtually pushes the water astern. As the engine can work the blade with a stroke of one hundred and twenty to the minute, it is calculated that extraordinary speed will be attained. The yacht is about thirty feet long over all, and is provided with a patent engine resembling a pump-engine, with a pump-cylinder. The propelling-blade or pusher is three feet in length and fifteen inches wide. 1881. THE "MONARCH." : The first freight steamer to engage in the inter-oceanic trade arrived at San Francisco in 1881. She left Barrow, England, on the 31st of August, 1881, and stopping to coal at the Cape 260 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. Verde Islands, and at Coronel, on the West Coast of South America, arrived at San Francisco on the 8th of September, having been sixty-nine days on the passage. She had as freight on her voyage 2,000 tons of steel rails, and it was the result of the desire of railroad builders on the Pacific slope to get the equipments needed as speedily as possible. The shipment might have been made by a sailing vessel at not over $5 per ton, but in this case it is understood $16.75 were paid, making the shipment cost, when landed, over $20,000 more than would have been the case under ordinary conditions. The " Monarch" was chartered before her arrival in San Francisco to carry a load of grain to Liverpool, at 3 17s. 6d. per ton, a trifle over that paid to sailing vessels when the contract was made. Premising that the steamer carries the same weight of grain she has of rails, her gross freight, money would amount to about $72,000 for the round voyage. Out of this, deduct- ing the money paid for coal, and assuming that she consumed twenty-five tons of fuel each day, which would cost, when on board, not less, on an average, than $10 per ton not a high valuation, considering that the coal was taken in large part at outlying stations and that she steamed on the round voyage one hundred and .twenty-eight days, this would amount to $32,000, leaving $40,000 for ordinary running expenses and profits. A sail- ing vessel, which carried an equal amount of cargo would, with freight-rates as they have been, obtain for making the same round trip $22 per ton, which would give a gross freight of $44,000, or ten per cent, more than the sum made by the steamer after deducting coal charges. The saving to the steamer would be that she could make five round voyages while a sailing vessel was making three. But it must -be remembered that steamers are not likely to have the same favorable outward freight offered to them. If they can only command 2s. 6d. more per ton than sailing vessels in carrying a perishable article like grain from San Francisco, it is safe to assume, that as a rule, they will not get more than the slower craft for carrying steel rails or other outward cargo. The conclusion to be drawn is, that for the present steamers cannot profitably compete with sailing vessels on such a long route as that between California and Europe. 1881. COST OF OCEAN STEAMSHIPS IN ENGLAND. The following were the prices per ton paid for screw steamers built, equipped and ready for sea in 1881 by builders on the Mersey, Clyde, and east coast of England, suited to the trade indicated;' and the enormous losses by wreck and foundering have resulted in a sober second thought ; and the lead pencil type model, long and narrow, says an English paper, is giving place to more beam. The length and contracted breadth, with a profusion of water ballast, is com- pelled to give place to more beam and greater stability: HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 261 Trade. CARGO STEAMERS: Adapted for general Atlantic trade, Especially fitted for cattle, Especially fitted for cattle, For general and cattle trade, Three-decked rule, Spar deck, . And passengers if required, . ' Also suitable for cattle, . But easily arranged for passengers, Awning deck especially built for cotton, .... Awning deck especially built for cotton, .... Spar deck for Atlantic trade, . Net Class. Tonnage. Consumption Knots of coal, Price per hour. 24 hours. II. S. Gold Tons. 100 A i 1,484 .10.5 28 $167,894 100 A i 2,000 y 2 36 214,126 100 A i II 24 223,859 20 years L 2,000 io# 25 243.3 2 5 100 A I ,500 10 27 170,327 20 years L ,370 10 16 175. 194 100 A i .349 9^ 20 160,594 100 A i 5 i3 9X 17 128,962 100 A i ,090 9 12 13^395 100 A i 910 9 10 107,063 100 A i 916 9X 12 105,603 iob A i 100 A i 160 A I & 20 yerrs. L 1,270 2,060 9% 13 ii 35 28 i45>995 291,990 184,927 1881. THE LARGEST TORPEDO BOAT afloat in 1881 was built in Eng- land for the Danish Government by Messrs. Thorny croft & Co. Her dis- placement was fifty-five tons, or forty per cent, more than that of the largest torpedo boats in the British service ; but her dimensions were still within the limit which would permit her to be conveyed by rail from one part of the coast to another. Her armament consisted of four of the largest White- head torpedoes, each of which carried a charge of eighty pounds of gun- cotton, and in addition she mounted a Hotchkiss revolving gun. She had a coal capacity often tons, estimated as equivalent to 1,200 miles, at a speed of eleven knots, and her full speed, as shown at the trial, as well as during a run of three hours at the measured miles, was twenty knots, which was two knots in excess of the stipulation. 1881. THE "DESTROYER." The first public exhibition of Captain Erics- sou's torpedo boat, " Destroyer," was made at Hoboken, November 14, 1881. Several prominent officers of the army and navy were present. The chief object of the exhibition was to demonstrate the practical working of the submerged gun, by which the torpedo missile is sent upon its deadly errand ; also to show the ability of the torpedo to penetrate protective network around a fleet or a single ironclad. A dummy projectile of wood was used without a torpedo charge. In the test the dummy was discharged from the cannon by the use of twelve pounds of giant powder at a target net of Manilla rope and wooden slats three hun- dred feet distant. The muzzle was six feet and six inches below the surface, and the projectile passed through the target five feet under water, appeared on the surface one hundred feet further in shore, and rode on the water at a considerable speed for two hundred feet more, making a distance of six hun- 262 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. dred feet traveled in all. The projectile, which was twenty-five feet six inches in length t traveled through the water to the point of appearance on the sur- face, four hundred feet, in three seconds, and this with a charge of but twelve pounds of powder. The gun is fired by electricity by the wheelsman, who, through his lookout, must aim and discharge the gun in accordance with his best judgment as to effectiveness. The experiment was under the direction of V. F. Lassoe. It was the fifty-second time the gun had fired the projectile, and at no trial since the boat has been put in working order has it failed with the same charge to throw the dummy torpedo three hun- dred feet in three seconds or less. The French officers were especially in- terested in the experiment, and though they at first pronounced it an impos- sibility to operate a gun constructed on such principles, and with submerged muzzle, successfully, they were obliged to acknowledge that the theory had proved correct. Astonishment was depicted in every line of their counten- ances when they saw the projectile rise to the surface beyond the target, after having traversed the distance from the muzzle of the gun and through the netting without making even the faintest ripple on the surface. In actual service the torpedo projectile is to carry three hundred and forty pounds of dynamite enough to destroy the largest ironclad. The gun will be discharged with a force sufficient to carry the projectile from three hun- dred to seven hundred feet through the water. 1881. THE FALL RIVER LINE. The "Bristol" and " Providence," of the Fall River Line of Sound steamers between Boston and New York, for size, proportions, and general magnificence of appointments, have attracted the attention and admiration of travelers from every portion of the world. They are 373 feet long, 83 feet beam, 3,000 tons register, and cost $1,250, 000 each. During the Centennial season, 1876, the passengers carried in safety and comfort by these mammoth steamships were numbered by hun- dreds of thousand 3 . Over one thousand persons frequently made the trip in one of these steamers without discomfort or crowding. The fresco-work and gilding of the interior is elegant and elaborate, the shading and color- ing having a most harmonious and beautiful effect. The main saloons, galleries, and cabins are carpeted richly and tastefully, and the furniture elegantly upholstered. All the state-rooms are connected with the main office by electric bells. Some idea of the size of their engines may be formed when it is stated that the Corliss engine, which attracted so much attention at the Centennial, was not one-half the size nor had one-half the capacity of the engines on either the " Bristol" or " Providence." In provisions for safety the arrangements are perfect. Every portion of the boats where fire is used is absolutely fire-proof, and each steamer is provided with all the im- proved life-saving appliances. The " Puritan," the new steamer launched August, 1882, from Roach's yard for this line has 300 state-rooms and accommodations for 1,000 pas- sengers, and is 15 feet longer and 4 feet wider than the " Bristol." She is- HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 263 384 feet long over all, 370 feet long at water-line, 87 feet wide over guards, and 17 feet 6 inches deep at sides. Her double hulls are divided into 96 water-tight compartments, bearing a pressure of 5 pounds per square inch. Steam is supplied from 4 Redfield boilers, and there is one immense beam-engine, having a cylinder 110 inches in diameter, with 14 feet stroke. This cylinder was cast at Mr. Roach's Morgan Iron Works, in New York, and is said to be the largest cylinder ever cast in this country. It required 45 tons of gun-metal, which it took three hours and ten minutes to melt. The 90,000 pounds were then transferred by the labor of 100 men to two huge tank-ladles, each with a capacity of about 15 tons, and having two large crane-handles. The tanks were connected with the mould by pipes, and the crane-handles were attached to huge cranes. The mould was filled, under Mr. Roach's personal supervision, in two and a half minutes, the molten metal roaring like a wild beast, and emitting showers of .twenty colors. It required about ten days for the metal to thoroughly cool, and for several days it remained red-hot. When perfectly solidified the upper part of the mould was demolished, and the cylinder dug from its resting-place in the ground. The two main shafts for this engine are 40 feet long and 27 inches in diameter, forged from wrought iron, and each weigh 85,000 pounds. 1881. STEAMSHIP DISASTERS. As the tonnage of the merchant steam marine increases, so do disasters of steam-vessels grow. The records of 1881 show the disasters to steam-vessels for the year to have been 198. A dozen of these were repaired and put into service, but nearly all were total wrecks. A few were also sunk at their piers through carelessness while loading or discharging cargoes, as in the case of the "Braunschweig," loading coal in the harbor at Bremen. Others were stranded and floated off without re- ceiving damage. Included in the record for 1881 is the loss of the Polar expedition steamer " Jeaunette," in the Arctic Ocean. The record for 1881 shows 141 of the disasters were to British steamships ; 15 were American ; 6 French ; 6 Danish ; 5 German ; 3 Dutch ; 4 Swedish ; 1 Brazilian ; 3 Belgian ; 4 Spanish ; 2 Chilian ; Mexican, Chinese, Austrian, Japanese, and Norwegian, 1 each ; of 3 the nationality could not be learned. Of these, 4 were of steel, 5 of wood, and the remainder iron vessels. The total tonnage lost in 1881 was 200,000 tons, 151,041 tons of which were British; 11,568 American; 4,390 Dutch; 2,488 Swedish; 1,000 Brazilian ; 6,486 French; 4,643 Belgian ; 3,274 Danish ; 4,562 German ; 4,177 Spanish ; 680 Mexican ; 1,233 Chinese; 808 Austrian ; 947 Japanese ; 697 Norwegian, and 1,750 Chilian. Of the disasters, 99 vessels were stranded ; 30 suak by collision ; 40 foundered; 7 burned ; 11 are missing; 6 were abandoned at sea ; 2 were sunk by ice ; 1 broken in two, and 1 was destroyed by explo- sion. Eleven of the vessels were laden with grain ; 23 with coal ; 11 with iron ; 2 with cotton, and 1 each with copper ore, petroleum, provisions, wool, and sugar. The greatest number of disasters were in October; the record^ for that 264 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. mouth are unprecedented, the total number lost being 32, of which. 18 were British ; France, Germany, and Norway lost' 2 each ; Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chili, Holland, Russia, Spain, and Sweden, 1 each. It is estimated that no less than 43,033 tons of produce were lost in the October gales. The steamship " Bath City" foundered off Newfoundland, December 3, 1881, and the sufferings of the crew were terrible. Sighted on November 30, two hundred and fifty miles from the port of St. Johns, Newfoundland, by a steamship which could have assisted her into port, sbe was left mast- less, rudderless, and leaking, to her fate, which came three days afterwards. The vessel went to the bottom, and the crew were launched on the stormy ocean in their life-boats. Four were drowned by the capsizing of one of the boats, and six, including the captain, perished from cold and exposure. The other castaways, having suffered three days and nights in these open boats, were rescued. 1881. BRITISH STEAMSHIP SUBSIDIES. The report of the British post office for the year ended March 31, 1881, states the sums paid to various steamship companies for the conveyance of the ocean mails, together with the receipts from ocean postages and the net payments under the several contracts during that year, was as follows : Countries. Contract Compen- sation. Receipts from postages. Net payment by the Government. East Indies, China and Japan East Coast of Africa , ,356,900* 30,000 ,60,000 t;oo ^"208,000 20, coo United States 6s 11 1 38 ooo 27 OOO Halifax, Bermuda and St. Thomas West Indies,. 17,500 84,782 1,000 ^q,ooo 16,500 5O,OOO West Coast of Africa 7 Q6o OJ 6 ooo I QOO ^562,462 Estimated ^"140.500 /33 2 .900 For the service in the English Channel, between Dover and Calais, the sum of 11,274 were paid for the same year; and for the service in the Irish Channel, between Holyhead and Kingstown, 85,000 were expended, a sum equal to more than one-quarter of the total net payment by the Government for its ocean postal service. The service to Brazil cost the Government nothing, iha postage earned having been sufficient for the compensation asked for. Neirly the whole of the expenditure specified was made for the maintenance. of postal communi- * Of this amount, /"8S,ooo were contributed by the Government of British India. HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI GA TION. 265 cation within the limits of the British Empire. Besides which several of the colonial governments are under contract with steamship companies for their own immediate ocean mail service. AUSTRIAN STEAMERS. The first Austrian Lloyd steamer for New York sailed from Trieste, January 25, 1881. She was to touch at Messina, Pal- ermo, Barcelona, Malaga, Cadiz, and Lisbon, and had on board a full cargo, 600 tons of it being for New York. 1882. "THE PEACE." A missionary steamer, whose hull and machinery weighed only six tons, was recently moored in the Thames, near London. The vessel was named "Peace" and was built for the Baptist Missionary So- ciety, who destined it for the service of the mission in the upper reaches of the Congo River. The boat could be taken to pieces rapidly for transport purposes, and the total number of pieces, none of which were too heavy for a man to carry, were eight hundred. The greatest possible use was made of all available space, and the two cabins were admirably fitted. A kitchen adapted for a stove and other cooking appliances formed part of the equip- ment. A substantial awning covered the deck, and between this and the sides of the vessel a wire awning was fitted to stop arrows and other mis- siles. It was intended to take the steamer to pieces and pack the sections in boxes, which would be sent to the mouth of the Congo. From thence they were to be borne by eight hundred men three hundred miles up to Stanley Pool, where the steamer would be reconstructed by the missionaries. 1882. THE " COLOSSUS." The latest addition to the British Royal Navy is the double-screw steel armor-plate turret-ship " Colossus," launched at Portsmouth, March 21, 1882. She is of 9,146 tons burden, and her engines are of 6,000 horse-power, a striking advance upon Fulton's " Clermont," the wonder of three-quarters of a century ago. The "Colossus" has been in the process of construction for some eight years past, but the work on her has been seriously pressed only since 1879. She is a twin-screw turret-ship, with a central armored citadel, her principal dimensions being : total length between the perpendiculars, 325 feet ; and extreme breadth, 68 feet, with a displacement of 9,146 tons. Considerable delay has been experienced with respect to the turrets, which cannot be pro- ceeded with until the nature of their armament is determined. It is prob- able that each turret will be armed with two of the new 46-ton breech-load- ing rifle-guns. A novel feature in the armament of the ship will be the mounting of four 6-inch guns on the top of the after-superstructure, and a couple of guns on the forward-superstructure, with rifle-proof covering- boards for the protection of the gunners. The vessel is to be fitted with a manganese bronze propeller, in place of the one of gun-metal originally ordered. This decision was arrived at after a series of comparative experiments made with the two metals, Bars of both metals, one inch square, were placed on supports twelve inches apart, and first subjected to a steady pressure applied in the middle of the bars, 266 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. and afterwards, to impact, by a weight of fifty pounds falling from a height of five feet. With a steady pressure the gun-metal bars slipped between the supports or broke with a strain of twenty-eight hundred-weight, while the manganese bronze bars required fifty-four hundred-weight to break them. Tested by impact, the gun-metal bars broke with from seven to eight blows, when it took from thirteen to seventeen blows to break the manganese bronze bars. The ultimate bend of the latter was also in both cases more than that of the gun-metal, thus showing fully double the strength, with superior toughness. The advantages claimed for. the manganese bronze over gun-metal are, first, a considerable saving of actual weight of machinery ; and, secondly, that it enables a thinner and consequently a better blade to be made, offering less resistance to the water, and equaling in strength the gun-metal blade of greater dimensions. Since the launch .of the "Colossus" another ironclad, to be called the " Rodney," has been laid down and commenced at the Chatham Dock- Yard. She is to be a barbette ship, and will carry ten heavy guns. Her length between the perpendiculars is 325 feet; extreme breadth, 68 feet; depth of hold, 28 feet 2? inches. She is to have engines of 7,000 horse-power, and will have a gross tonnage of 9,158 tons./ 1882. THE "DUNCAN" AND "CAMPERTOWN." The English Government, having determined to build two ironclads which will match the Italian iron- clad " Duilio," on the 26th of September, 1882, the admirality ordered the construction of two ships, to be named the " Duncan" and " Camper- town," of the following dimensions : Length, 330 feet; extreme breadth, 63 feet 6 inches; displacement, 10,000 tons on a mean draft of water of 26 feet 9 inches. These new ships are to have twin screws, with engines of 9,800 horse-power, estimated to give a speed of 16 knots an hour, being an excess of two knots over the Italian turret ship. The " Duilio" is 341 feet long. Her extreme beam, 64 feet 9 inches, and displacement, 10,434; her engines being of 7,500 indicated horse-power. The armor of the English ships will be carried to a depth of 5 feet below the water-line, with a protecting belt rising 2 feet 6 inches above the water-line, the armor comprising compound plates of the following thickness: side, 18 inches; bulkhead, 16 inches; barbette towers, 14 and 12 inches." They will have vertical ventilation by tubes from the flying to the lower decks. As at present determined upon, their armaments will each consist of four 63-ton breech-loading rifle guns, and six 6-inch breech-loading guns, with a number of Nordenfelts. and Catlings, and Whitehead torpedoes. They re to carry 900 tons of coal, and their compli- ments will consist of 450 officers and men. Their cost is estimated to be not less than 1,000,000 sterling each, or two-thirds of the amount which is appro- priated for the annual expenditure for the whole navy of the United States. 1882. NEW FRENCH IRONCLADS. As a result of a number of experi- ments lately carried out in France with armor plates of a variety of patterns, and obtained from various sources, both French and foreign, a contract has HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 267 been concluded between the Minister of Marine and the managers of the Creusot Works for the supply by the latter of the armor for the "Formid- able" and "Capitaine Baudin" two new ironclads of 11,441 tons each, or of almost exactly the same size of the English "Inflexible;" the displacement of the latter being 11,406 tons. The plates are to be 22 inches thick at the strongest, and 14 inches thick at the weakest part of the armor ; and con- sequently the new French vessels will be defensively stronger than any English ironclad at present either afloat or being built. The Creusot firm is also at the present time supplying the armor plates for the "Terrible" a vessel of 7,184 tons, and for the "Furieux" a ship of 5,695 tons ; the plates for both the vessels being nearly 20 inches thick. 1882. Among the costly steamers built at Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1882, none possess more points of interest than the " Chattahoochie." Her hull is the first constructed entirely of steel in this country. Steel hulls have been built in Pittsburgh, but in these the braces, angles, etc., were of iron. In the " Chattahoochie" steel is solely used. The steel plates used vary from a "light" three-sixteenth inch in thickness up to one-fourth inch, according to their locality in the hull. The contract for the boat was let to the Du quesne Engine Works, by the People's Line, of Columbus, Ga., for $47,000. The trade calls for a boat of light draft, strength and speed, and these seem all embodied in the "Chattahoochie." Her hull is 158 feet long, 31* wide, and 4% deep. She is a stern-wheeler, with engines of 15-inch cylinder and 5-foot stroke, fitted with the Rees "cut off" and other modern improvements. Her wheel is eighteen by twenty-four feet, with a steel shaft. There is more steel about the " Chattahoochie" than any boat of her size afloat. Five elec- tric lights make the " Chattahoochie" a thing of beauty by night. Her draft is only twenty-two inches.* At the steam-yacht race at Nice, France, on the 16th of March, 1882, nine yachts competed for the Prix de Monte Carlo, or $1,000 and a gold meclaL Eight were English, and the smallest, the " Few-Follet," of French nation- ality. The course was fifty miles long, and done in three hours, fifty-six minutes and ten seconds a speed about thirteen and seven-tenth knots per hour. The "Coudace," built in Leith and engined in Glasgow, Scotland, won the first prize ; "Black Swan," engined by the same firm, took the second ; the " Le Few-Follet," the third. Only two yachts contested in 1881, and the increase in 1882 indicates the future of steam-yacht racing. In 1882 the little steam tug "Game Cock," a craft only seventy-five feet long, - feet wide, and drawing eleven feet of water, steamed from London to Panama in thirty-one days. She indexes in a marked manner the won- derful improvements made lately in the efficiency of steam craft. The recent introduction of steel as a building material in the construction of *This steamer should not be confounded with one of the same name launched in 1882. by John Roach, at Chester, for the Ocean Steamship Company of Savannah. 268 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. these " lightning" steam craft torpedo boats, launches, etc. has made re- sults probable that a short time ago were thought impossible. 1882. CHAIN STEAMERS. The Leipsic Gartenlaube,Juue, 1882, contains an interesting article on chains used in the navigation on the Elbe River. The following are the main points of the article: On the waves of the Elbe, impatiently floating toward Hamburg, a steamer goes up the stream, pulling along a long row of heavily-laden boats. But it is not only the force of steam that conquers the stream. Below, on the bottom of the river, a heavy iron chain is resting, that gives the steamer a hold, and enables her to overcome the force of the water. From this chain such vessels are called chain-steamers, and the whole navigation going on in such a way is called chain navigation. In the middle of the channel, along the whole length of the navigable part of the river, a chain has been sunk, firmly anchored at its two ends. This chain, lifted out of the water, is received by an arm at the bow of the vessel, and thence by conducting rolllers moved to two steel drums in the middle of the deck. Around these/drums, provided with grooves, the chain winds three times in such a manner that it goes from the first groove of the first drum to the first groove of the second drum, thence to the second groove of the first drum, and then to the second groove of the second drum, etc. Finally the chain, in a conducting groove obliquely descending, is taken to the stern of the ship, where it goes down into the water again. The engine sets the two drums in motion, and all the parts of the drums encir- cled by the chain receive and dismiss an equal portion of it, moving the vessel forward a corresponding distance. The chain on the bottom of the river to which the steamer is attached by the two drums, so that she can go only forward or backward, is, according to the pulling force of the ship and the depth of the water, lifted a certain length in front of the vessel. The point where it remains unlifted is, as it were, the anchoring point of the vessel, the weight and friction of the chain supplying the anchor. The chain steamer, while the whole load of vessels attached to and towed by her, is thus, as it were, constantly at anchor on going up the stream, and she cannot, even by the most rapid current, be forced back one inch of the way made. Because the vessel by the chain firmly resists the water, the power of the engine can be used to its fullest extent. The chain, of course, does not rest tightly in the river bed. The raised portion of it permits the vessel, by means of the rudders, to go sufficiently far to the right or left, out of the way of other vessels. This is of particu- lar importance at the bends of the river. On account of the burden caused by the lifting of the chain, the depth of the water must not exceed a certain limit. In a river from thirty to fifty feet deep chain navigation would not be profitable, because the chain would become too heavy. As to the use of chain vessels, a depth of eight toetres HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 269 has proved a practical limit of the depth of the water. The essential advan- tage of chain navigation consists in the fact that it permits vessels to go'up a stream with a very rapid current, where other tow-boats cannot go along any further with the barges attached to them. It is self-evident that the strength of the chain must correspond to the depth and rapidity of the river. The links of the chain placed in the Elbe have the size of the palm of a hand, and are of two and one-half centi- metres thick, each link weighing a little over one kilogram. The weight of the chain placed in the Elbe River exceeds ten million kilograms. The chain steamers have the same shape at both ends, and are provided with two rudders, one at the bow and one at the stern. The engine usually has a strength of from one hundred to one hundred and fifty horse-power. To a chain steamer in the Elbe usually from ten to twelve freight vessels are attached, connected by ropes. She takes the train of boats up the river, until another chain steamer meets her and relieves her of her load. Such a place is made a station, and may be any point of the chain. The relieved motor returns until it meets another train of vessels coming up, which it re- ceives in turn in the mode described, towing it up the stream. In order to move independently of the chain, the majority of the steamars are provided with propellers. For detaching a steamer from the chain simply one of the locks of the chain is opened, with which it is regularly provided in intervals of half a kilometre. Or, if necessary, a link of the chain is broken by a chisel, and after the chain has been taken off from the drums, its two parts are united again by a lock. The first chain ^steamers were successfully used in France in 1830. E. Bellingrath, of Dresden, inventor of the hydrostatic truck, is the chief of the chain navigation in,the Elbe River, Germany. The Elbe River rises in Austria (Bohemia) and flows through the central part of Germany into the North Sea. In the latter country 630 kilometres and in the former about 40 kilometres of chain have been placed in the river, while the number of chain steamers is about thirty. The chain does not always occupy the same place in the river, but its position is constantly changed by the .steamers. For this reason only one can be used in the river. Two or more chains or ropes made of metal wires would become entangled.* * Experiments have been recently made on the canal from Antwerp to Liege with a system of mechanical traction of boats by means of a moving cable (the invention of M. Rigcrii). An endless cable made of Bessemer steel is set in continuous motion by fixed engines on the banks of the canal. It is supported along the bank by special pulleys, and directed by re- turn pulleys of large diameter lodged in chambers of masonry under the level of the tow- path. The length of the cable is eight kilometres, or five miles. Thus a canal is divided into as many sections, each worked by a fixed engine, as this length of five miles is contained in it. The steam-engine acts on the cable through a pinching-pulley, similar to the Fowler pulley. The attachment of the boats to the cable is by means of checkered nippers em- bracing the cable. On coming 'to a supporting pulley, or a pulley at a curve, the nippers 270 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 1882. THE HOPPER STEAM DREDGER. This new dredger, built at Ren- few for the Harbor Commissioners of Otago, New Zealand, was recently tried on the banks of the Clyde,* " and dredged at the rate of 400 tons per hour, which was plunged into its own hold, or hopper cavity, capable of containing 1,300 tons of spoil ; at the same time it loaded the new govern- ment steamer " Perseverance," which came alongside. Afterwards, by steam appliances, its bucket-girder was elevated, the moorings let go, and its twin- screws put in motion, and the vessel steamed away down the Clyde to the measured mile, where the loaded speed was tested at 7 knots per hour; it then steamed down the Firth of Clyde, where its large cargo was instantly deposited, through its bottom, in sixty fathoms water. The trial of dredg- ing, steering, speed, manoeuvring, and depositing was considered very satis- factory by the respecting gentlemen on board. This vessel dredges from 5 feet to 35 feet depth, has twin screws, and is propelled and worked by two independent sets of compound engines, of 700 horse-power, and besides load- ing its own cargo, it can, if required, fill a fleet of barges on the old system. It will steam out to New Zealand, and is the tenth and largest Hopper dredger constructed by Messrs. Simons & Co., who are the inventors nd originators of the system. It is also worthy of note, that owing to the enter- prise of the above small colony, they have now a dredger, the equal of which is neither in Europe nor America," 1882. THE RAILROAD IRON FERRY-BOAT " NEWBURGH," built for the West Shore Railroad Company, was launched in October, 1882, at New- burgh, the christening being by Miss Carrie Fry, daughter of the Super- intendent of Steam Motive Power of the railroad. The dimensions are: Length over all, 205 feet ; breadth of beam, 36 feet ; over the guards, 65 feet ; depth, 14J feet. Her hull is of the best quality of iron, and of great strength, as she will have to contend with heavy ice in the winter. The keel plate is f inch thick, the bottom and bilge plates inch, the water-line strake t inch, shear strake 7-16, and the gunwale plate inch by 24 inches wide. The frames are 3x4, spaced 21 inches apart, and the reverse iron is 8x3. There is a 10-inch belt frame on every eighth frame, and the floors are 16 inches deep. The stem posts are of the best hammered iron, 8x4 inches. Each end of the hull is fitted with a water-tight, wrought-iron bulkhead, extending for about 30 feet from the stem ; there are 4 keelsons, running from bulkhead to bulkhead, and the bottom of the hull inside is cemented with the best Portland cement. pass without releasing the cable. The principal advantages of the system are, first, a con- siderable increase of speed. At present the daily stretch covered in hauling with horses is about seventeen kilometres, and with men only about twelve kilometres. By the new method it is easy to make five kilometres an hour. Further, there is a considerable economy both in the capital required at first and in the cost of working over other systems. Boston Tran- script, November I, 1882. * London Engineering, October, 1882. HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 271 The motive power of the vessel is a vertical beam engine, of 50 inches bore by 10 feet stroke, fitted with Hayward's patent cut-off. The gallows frame of the engine is of iron and of great strength. The water wheels are 'wholly of iron, 21 feet in diameter and of 8J feet face. The shafts are 15 inches in diameter, each one, with its wheel, weighing, complete, about 26 tons. The boiler is of steel, 10'j feet in diameter, and 33 feet long, with two furnaces, and weighs about 30 tons. Everything about the engine and boiler departments is of the newest and best description. In short, the boat is all that experience and skill can make her, for safety, utility and comfort. The cabins on two sides of the boat are made very inviting. They have tile floors ; the wood work is in the Queen Anne style, of California red wood, cherry and mahogany, finished in oil and touched with gold. The seats are of perforated veneering, with " Austrian bentwood arms." The windows in the sides of the cabins are each one single light of plate glass, 6 feet high and 3 wide, with a transom of stained glass above. The doors to the cabins are of mahogany, with stained glass transoms overhead ; the wheel bulkheads are each provided with two large bevel-edged mirrors. She was to be completed about the 15th of December. RECENT NOVEL INVENTIONS AND EXPERIMENTS. 1882. MORSE'S UNSINKABLE STEAMSHIP. Mr. Joseph W. Morse, a veteran artist and engraver of Brooklyn, New York, has invented a safety ocean steamship, which he claims is unsinkable. He says he conceived the invention twenty-five years ago, and built a model of it nine years ago, which he kept in his office in Franklin Avenue, where many persons saw it. He thinks that Lorrillard and others who are -building the " Meteor" are infringing upon his invention, and that it probably suggested the idea of the dome steamer. Last July, describing his vessel to a visitor, he says : " One advantage I have over the proposed new line is that my vessel cannot be sunk. No matter how heavy a storm may be, she will ride it safely. If she should run into an iceberg, or collide with another vessel, it would be impossible to sink her. "Her safety will not consist in numerous air-tight compartments, but why it will be impossible to sink her is my secret. You can look at the model," he added, pointing to it standing on a table in the corner of the office. The model boat is that of a low, rakish-looking vessel. The principal fea- ture is that she has no deck, being rounded on top after the manner of the lower part of the hull. The bow tapers gradually from the centre after the fashion of a steam yacht. There is also a gradual tapering from the centre to the stern, which overhangs the rudder to some extent, but the stern is as sharp as the bow. The vessel is a long, narrow cylinder, sharpened at both ends, the lines being neatly and artistically drawn. She has two tall smoke- stacks, leaning fore and aft. 272 HIST OR Y OF STEA M NA VIGA TION. "You see," continued the inventor, "she is built for speed as well as for safety. Having no rigging, and with her shape, she will meet with little re- sistance of either wind or water. She is modeled so that she will glide through the water with scarely a ripple. The water will run along her bot- tom with as much ease as though running down hill. Her upper part is built on the same principle, so that the speed will not be impeded by the wind. There will be no projections from the upper part, save the pilot-house and smoke-stack. They will be built of iron and strongly braced, and modeled in the same manner as the vessel. You will notice that I have studied the wind as well as the water, and speed as well as safety. A steamship built after my model will make a voyage to Europe in one-quarter le^s time than the fastest steamship afloat at the present day. " That apparent forward smoke-stack is the pilot-house. The vessel has but one smoke-stack. The pilot-house being on a level with the smoke-stack, the pilot will have a longer range of vision, and be beyond the reach of the 'sea in case of storm. The pilot-house and smoke-stack will be forty feet above the surface of the water, about the usual height of a lookout on a vessel. Below the pilot house there will be an opening for the purpose of pumping air into the ship. This pure air will be continually passing through the ship, and out again through the smoke-stack. Aft of the pilot room, in the stack, will be an elevator for the transportation of the men up and down." The pilot-house and smoke-stack are not circular tube-shaped, but are flattened on the sides, and sharp fore and aft, on the same principle as the bow and stern of the ship. " People may object to being sealed up in your cylinder-shaped vessel during an entire voyage to Europe," the visitor remarked. " In case of an accident there would be no opportunity to escape." " A great many people object to going to Europe on account of the dan- ger they are exposed to on board the present vessels," said the inventor. " Could they be convinced that there was no danger in making a voyage to Europe, there would be many more who would make the trip. On my vessel there would be no danger whatever; as I said, it is impossible to sink her. The only accident that could happen would be a breakdown in the ma- chinery. But each ship would carry duplicate machinery, so that an acci- dent could be repaired immediately. Then my ship would be fitted up as comfortably as a hotel. There will be heavy plate glass windows running along the sides of the ship, and [the ventilation will be perfect. I intend having a railing along the upper part of the vessel, so that in pleasant weather the passengers may take a promenade if they wish. In bad weather they don't want to be outside. In a heavy storm, when the sea is pitching over a vessel seas that would wrench and disable an ordinary ship my boat will ride it as safely as though she was steaming up the Eaot River. The passengers will feel as safe as though they were sitting in their own parlors. The water when rushing v -over the deck of an ordinary ship, car- HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 273 rying away the bulwarks and rigging, will run off my vessel like the water off a. whale's back. The boat is so modeled that if she should turn over which will be impossible as the centre of gravity will be below the water- line but if she should turn over she would float as well one way as the other. All that the passengers would have to do would be to stand on their heads. To be sure, that might inconvenience them some, but then there is no danger. There is a picture that will illustrate how she will weather a storm," and the inventor, artist and engraver pointed to a picture hanging on the wall. The painting is of his patent safety steamship in a terrible storm, exe- cuted by the inventor himself. The hurricane is blowing due east, and heavy black clouds hover about in close proximity to the smoke-stack. The sea is running " mountain high" and breaking over the ship from a repre- sented height of forty feet. Part of the ship is obscured, from her being sub- merged amidships. The bow is about plunging into a great sea, while the stern projects from another. Away up in the pilot-house the captain is seen with his face glued to the glass, his hands firmly grasping the wheel, while tjie sea is breaking about him in a white, foamy mass. In through the plate glass windows the passengers are forming a set for a quadrille, as un- concerned as though they were sailing up the Hudson on an excursion barge. " Here is another," said the inventor shortly afterward, pointing to a pic- ture on the other wall, " which presents the ship in another light." The painting represented the ship in smoother water, under sunshine, evi- dently steaming along at a rapid pace. A little astern is a sea gull. The reporter interpreted it as a race between the patent safety steamship and the gull, in which the bird is beaten. " What will be the dimensions of your ship ?" the reporter inquired. " My figures," replied the inventor, " are 360 feet in length, 25 feet beam, and 35 feet deep. She can be built larger if necessary.* 1882. CAPTAIN LUNDBORG'S TWIN-SCREW STEAMSHIP. His design, which he has patented in the United States and Europe, is based en a novel form of vessel, which renders high speed possible, while adding greatly to the carrying capacity and stability of the vessel. ^ The design, while affording ample space for passengers and valuable cargo, has the primary object of attaining a velocity of twenty to twenty-one knots an hour, with a comparatively moderate expenditure of power. The prominent idea is that of making the main body of the ship divide the water horizontally instead of vertically. By adopting this system of construction he says it becomes possible to build a ship of the greatest capacity for a given draft an advantage which speaks for itself. But besides this it is stated that this ship of shallow draft and great capacity can have admirable lines, and her resistance may be reduced to a minimum. The principle, he claims, ad- * Brooklyn Eagle, July 17, 1882. 18 274 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. mits of the naval architect imparting to his ship a splendid clean run aft, and the screws can be carried far astern and yet be well supported. The advan- tages to be derived from thus placing the screws far astern have been insisted on by the late Mr. Froude. No scheme has been put forward which is so perfectly adapted to the use of twin screws. If desired, the stern of the ship can be carried further aft, to protect the screws. There is ample room provided for engine power, notwithstanding the fine run of the hull aft. The principle dimensions, etc., of Captain Lundborg's proposed ship are : Length of hull below water on the plane of greatest beam, .... 450 feet. Greatest breadth, 66 " Length on load water-line, .......... 444 " Breadth on lead water-line, . . . . . . . . . 58 " Draught of water on lead water-line, . . . . . . . . ' 23 " Length over all on upper deck, 475 " Breadth on upper deck at greatest transverse section (outside of frames), . 62 " Depth from top of upper deck beams to bottom plating, . . . . 41 " Height between the upper and second decks, . . . . . . . 9 " Height between second and third decks, ........ 9 " Height between third and orlop decks, ........ 8 " Area of greatest immersed transverse section, ...... 1,412 sq. " Coefficient of greatest immersed transverse section, ..... o 09303 Area of load water-plane, . . . . . . . . . 15,255 sq. feet. Displacement to load water-line, ....... 380,836 cubic " " 10,881 tons. Horizontal distance of center of buoyancy from the submerged stern, . . 225 "feet. Vertical distance of centre of buoyancy below load water-line, . . . 11,456 " Height of metacenter above center of buoyancy, . . . . 7*469 " Height of metacenter above center of gravity of the ship when fully equipped and loaded, * . 3,458 " Height of metacenter above center of gravity of the ship at 14 feet draft of water, with no cargo, coal, stores, water, or ballast, and no water in boilers, but otherwise completely fitted and fully rigged, ...... 5,060 " Height of metacenter above center of gravity of the ship at 9.6 feet draft of water, the hull being complete, with masts in and rigged, but empty, without en- gines or boilers, . . . . . 11,389 " Wet surface when immersed to load water-line, . . . . . 38,040 " Angleof obliquity of load water-line at the bow ...... 5 50' Angle of obliquity at the stern, ...'...... 6 30' Mean angle of obliquity at entrance, "... 7 The ship is to have two propellers of 16 feet diameter and 28 feet pitch ; the propelling power to consist of four compound engines, two on each pro- peller shaft, developing each, when making 90 revolutions per minute, 4,500 indicated horse-power, or for all four engines together 18,000 indicated horse-power. With this power the speed, according to Professor Rankine's formula, would be 20.7 knots per hour; but that speed would in all probability be HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 275 exceeded, as little power will be lost by wave-making, the water having a clean run astern, being divided horizontally by the lower part of the hull. The ship would have room to accommodate about 600 first-class and 1,000 second and third-class passengers, and carry 3,000 tons of cargo, 23 feet -draft of water, besides 2,700 tons of coal. The ship is designed to be built of iron or steel, with a double bottom, and with a great number of water-tight compartments, transverse and longi- tudinal. The peculiar form of the hull makes it possible to unite great carrying capacity with the finest lines for high speeds. The submerged stern, which divides the water horizontally, admits of the finest possible run aft, and- affords a perfect support and protection to the propeller shafts. With this construction the propellers act constantly in solid water, unaffected by stern post, rudder, and the overhanging part of the stern, as in ships of the usual form. This feature secures an economy of power, or what is the same thing, an increase of speed. A vessel of this form will not roll and pitch as much as other vessels, as the body of water above the projecting part of the hull offers considerable resistance to such motions. .The rudders may be nearly balanced, and will require but little power to work them, and on account of the peculiar form of the stern, the rudders may have considerably less area than those of the common model, as it re- quires less power to move the stern laterally. The form of the hull, while permitting very sharp entrance and run, affords ample room for the application of the greatest engine power com- patible with carrying capacity.* 1882. ROOT'S SIDE-SCREW STEAMSHIP. A vessel of this kind is being built at Greenpoint, Long Island, by Samuel Pine, for Senor Diaz, for lighter- age service in Cuba. This vessel embodies in the arrangement of her pro- pelling wheels the ideas set forth by Mr. Root before the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The hull is one hundred feet long, thirty-two wide, and with one hundred tons of cargo draws only three feet of water. She is decked over and has a flat bottom, with vertical sides, longitudinal strength being obtained by three fore and aft bulkheads, and she is the first example of what is thought by experts will be a revolution in the science of screw propulsion. A high rate of speed is not expected, but her performance will exemplify the economy which Mr. Root claims for his novel application of screw pro- pelling wheels. These wheels are set on the ends of an athwartship shaft, the plane of their faces being fore and aft, and not as the common type of screw propeller is, at right angles to the line of motion of the vessel. They * The Scientific American, October 21, 1882, has a view of the ship complete, and also of her stern. She is represented as having three funnels and four masts, three of which are square rigged. 276 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. are driven by a vertical direct acting engine. The boiler has a vertical tubular, which will drive the wheels from one hundred and fifty t9 two hundred revo- lutions per minute. The " true screw" type of wheel is used, six feet in. diameter. In his experimental workshop Mr. Root has a trough of \rater, in which he exhibits the speed of different models moved by clock-spring machinery,, turning various types of propelling wheels. It is interesting and instructive to see one model in particular, spinning down the trough, propelled by a screw-wheel revolving horizontally under- the bottom, the propelling force being generated by a current of water sucked in by the revolutions of the screw, between it and the incline of the bottom of the boat. There seems- no limit to the power that could be exerted by this oblique acting current excepting in the size and speed of the. screw-wheel, and the illustration of Mr. Root's theory b$ the action of this model is conclusive as to its theo- retical correctness. It presented an amusing and instructive paradox in, the propelling effect produced by a vertical screw-shaft, its thrust being at right angles to the line of motion the propeller blades working horizon- tally and parallel with the keel instead of at right angles to it, as all propellers do that are now used. " In the present method of applying the screw-propeller wheel," says Mr. Root, " the maximum propelling effect has without doubt been obtained, for it is well known that an increase of engine power gives nothing like a proportionate effect in speed. Sixty per cent, of all the power is wasted somewhere, Mr. Froihde calculates, and accounts for this great loss of power in the present method of stern screw-wheel propul- sion in the fact that a screw-wheel at the stern of a vessel draws the water iway from the after body, creates a suctkin, as it were, and of course r increases thereby the head resistance, such increase varying with the size of the column of water acted upon by the wheel. " It is a fact in practice that all craft propelled by a stern screw-wheel, when they reach a certain velocity, settle down by the stern ; and pile on the power as you may, beyond that point no more speed can be obtained. They can and do settle, however, which fact shows clearly that a vacuum is formed when a high rate of speed is obtained, and that the screw-wheel, operating in the vacuum, becomes, more or less, a retarding instead of a propelling force, as such 'minus-pressure' adds directly to the head resistance. It has lately been found in England that at high speeds the power does not follow the speed produced in a uniform ratio, as in some speeds it may vary as the cube ; beyond them it drops down as low as the square of the velocity. Fluid action around a vessel is something of an enigma, and the columns of water acted upon by a screw-wheel at the stern, in its reactionary thrust, is more so. The fact of the enormous waste of power in the best examples of steam screw-wheel propulsion is incontrovertible." Mr. Root proposes to change the position of the wheel, and make the currents generated by their revolutions force the vessel through the water HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 277 by their oblique action on the sides of the after-body or " run" of the vessel. His system has been patented in the United States and abroad, and is analagous in its application to the action of fishes when swimming, the power being applied laterally. At a poipt in the " run" of his craft, where the water begins to close in laterally, he places his wheels. The shaft is at right angles to the keel and the wheels some sixteen feet apart. The proper pitch, etc., of these wheels has to be determined by experiment, but they will drive a current inboard along the sides of the run (which will be made concave, vertically), that in its impigniug force upon the converging sides of the hull, will propel it forward. It is like the snapping of a bean between your fingers, and the larger the wheels and the greater their velocity the more power they will exert, as they work always in solid water. 1882. COPPEN'S TRIPLE STEAMSHIP. Captain William Coppen is an old -and well-known constructor and inventor. As early as 1842 he built the " Londonderry," a screw steamship of 1,500 tons, the largest screw steamer that had up to that time been built.* She was sometimes called the " Great Northern," and antedated the " Great Britain," which was laid down as a paddle-wheel, but before launching altered to a screw. Captain Coppen's U. S. patent is dated March 28, 1882, and his idea, which has yet to be put to a practical test has been approved and endorsed by several distinguished officers, both line and staff, of the United States Navy, and William Pearce, of the well-known firm of William Elder & Co., who under date September llth, 1880, says, "I am satisfied that twenty knots an hour will be very readily attained with this (your) form of vessel, and of the power, displacement and dimensions contained in your estimates." The invention consists of a compound ship, consisting of three ship hulls united as one vessel, the two outer hulls being of equal length and longer than the central hull, and the whole being decked over. The three hulls are rigidly connected by iron or steel bulkheads, box-girders, and iron or steel decks, or frames, so as to form complete platforms or decks and leave con- siderable extra space between the ships. The centre ship is to carry the -engines, and is provided with a propeller at each end. This arrangement brings the screws well towards the centre of the outside hulls and prevents a possibility of the pitching motion lifting the propeller out of the water. The three hulls are tapered from the centre, both longitudinally and verti- cally, and come to a rounded point at both end?, so as" to enter the wave and reduce the pitching motion to a minimum, the rolling being done -away with by the extent of the water-space between the ships. The decks extend in the centre three-fifths (more or less) of the length of the outside ship. The remaining portion of the ends are covered over for passing through the waves. For smooth water ferry-boats and the like, the decks are proposed to be the entire length of the outside hulls. See page 170. 278 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. Captain Coppen claims that his improvements are " specially applicable to war ships, and enable a large amount of armor plating to be carried, and give an extended battery platform to carry guns of the largest calibre, and that turrets of increased thickness of armor plate can be employed with safety. Complete protection is also given to the engines, screw propellers and steering apparatus, increased accommodation for a large number of troops and horses, with a speed at least one-third faster than the present class of transports, and the construction is such that one of the three ships might be completely riddled with shot or damaged by a ram, and yet be supported by the other two." There can be no question that a vessel of this description will have great stability, and can be armor-clad, and that the outer hulls will have to be penetrated before the central hull, containing the engine, can be reached, and that the broad platform of her deck would be admirably adapted for carrying guns of heavy calibre. As a ferry-boat she seems also to unite many advantages, and her broad decks and stability seem to adapt her particularly for, a railroad ferry barge. Her ability to turn rapidly in a [seaway, and to withstand Atlantic gales, and also the sp8ed she might attain, has yet to be put to a practical test. 1882. THE FRYER BUOYANT PROPELLER, " ALICE" A VELOCIPEDE OR LOCOMOTIVE. A working model of this queer craft stands in a brick yard at Hastings-on-the-Hudson, where it is an object of great curiosity. The model consists of a triangular frame-work resting on three wheels, which are in the same relation to each other as the wheels of a tricycle. These wheels are spheroidal in shape, about six feet in diameter, and are housed above with dome-shaped covers. Each sphere is a propeller, having flanges or buckets at the sides at right angles to the vertical diameter, and acting upon the water like a paddle-wheel. These spheroids are driven by steam. At the same time they serve as floats, and are submerged about one-sixth of their capacity. Another feature of the propellers is that they have an iron tire or keel, by means of which they may be made to serve as wheels, and carry the vessel along a track on dry land. An engine rests on the frame- work between the two propellers that are opposite each other. The frame- work forming the deck is supported on the axes of the wheels, so that it is- several feet above the surface of the water. Robert Fryer, the inventor, conceived the idea of his water-car about twelve years ago, and has been engaged in making experiments ever since, His first model was made on a small scale. It consisted of three hollow copper globes connected by axles to a frame superstructure, and of the same form as the larger model. The spheres were twelve inches in diameter, and were made to revolve by springs placed inside, and wound up by keys. After repeated experiments in a tank, it was rigged with a small sail and launched on the Harlem River, with good results. Daily experiments were subse- quently made with the steam model on the Harlem, much to the astonish- ment of those who caught sight of it. It was found that it could be turned! HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 279 in its own length, that there was no appreciable slipping, and that it was little affected by the action of the wind or tide. When the " Alice" was taken to Hastings it made part of the distance on dry land, steaming along the road like a great lumbering wagon. The plan proposes a huge hollow semi-cylinder for the superstructure, containing saloons and state-rooms, with masts and rigging above for carry- ing sails. One claim made for the buoyant propeller is that it cannot be overturned in the roughest sea, on account of its triangular shape, and that its oscillation in a violent sea will be less than that of an ordinary vessel on comparatively smooth water. The advantage from this is that passengers would have no fear of sea-sickness. The inventor believes that his ship will excel the steam vessels now in use in point of convenience and comfort, and be a safer means of transit, as the ship proper would stand thirty feet above the water, and out ot reach of the waves even in a stormy sea. He also designs to apply the same principle to the construction of dispatch and life boats. If this water-car comes up to the expectations of its inventor it will make the passage of the Atlantic between Sundays.* 1882. KOSSE'S CATAMARAN STEAM-TUG. This novel steam-vessel, which was built at Brown's Ship Yard, in Tarrytown, is now in the harbor of New York, waiting trial. Its inventor, Captain J. Rosse, will claim the reward offered by the government for a steamboat that can run in canals without washing or otherwise injuring the banks. The practical utility of the craft has not yet been proved, but it is believed that it will prove very powerful in towing canal-boats without making a destructive washing against the * Two correspondents of the Manchester Times, in October, 1882, referring to Fryer's Marine Velocipede, say : " In June, 1866, a patent was granted in America to A. Blomquist and C. Cooke (patent No. 56,351) for a 'marine car' on three spheres, wi h paddles attached, on the same principle as that described by your correspondent 'Mechanic.' What made me notice his account is the fact that about five years ago I made a model of the vessel for Mr. Blomquist, of Brook- lyn, New York, one of the original patentees. ANOTHER MECHANIC, " Late of Brooklyn, New York." " 'Mechanic,' Carlisle, in describing the vessel invented by Robert Fryer, of New York, would almost make us believe there is something new under the sun. But though the re- markable vessel may be new, the idea is not. I once inquired of the Editor respecting a machine on which a. man walked on the river Tyne, and was told that my question was not sufficiently explicit. The machine described by ' Mechanic ' corresponds exactly with the invention to which my question referred. If I recollect rightly, the machine I saw was a marine velocipede, on three long, spider-like legs, stretching from what formed a seat for the rider. These legs were fixed in hollow tin spheres, sufficiently large to bear his weight, and wide enough apart to enable him to maintain his balance. The rider had flanges or flappers fitted on his feet, and was thus enabled to propel himself. Although the speed was not very. great, it was sufficient to enable him to keep pace with the boats around him namely, the procession of barges on the day when George IV. was crowned. " DRIFFIELD, South Shields." v 280 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. bank. The boat is built of two very narrow hulls fifty-three feet in- length, with the machinery and weight thoroughly balanced on them. She lies low, so as to pass under the canal bridges. A huge belt, which runs fore and aft over two drums at right angles with and between the two hulls, has buckets or paddles fixed across its outer surface. The power is applied to the drums, and the belt is moved around from forward to aft, taking the water easily, and leaving it without making a commotion. The novelty has so far made satisfactory speed.* 1882. A BOAT PROPELLED BY ELECTRICITY. The Scientific American for November 11, 1882, has a description and engraving of a small boat pro- pelled by electricity lately tried on the Thames River near London. It also gives transverse and longitudinal sections and a deck plan of the boat. The hull is of iron, 25 feet long, 5 feet beam, drawing 21 inches of water forward and 30 inches aft. She is a screw boat, the propeller being of the Collis-Browne type, 20 inches in diameter, andVith a 3 foot pitch. The screw is calculated to make 350 revolutions per minute. Twelve persons can be accommodated on board, though only four were actually carried on the trial trip. The electric engines are nothing else than a pair of Siemens' dynamos, of the size known as D3, and their motive power is furnished by Sellon-Volckmar accumulators. These accumulators are a modification of those of Plante and of Faure, but are made of specially compact design for the purpose of electric navigation. The cells each contain forty prepared plate?, and weigh about forty pounds. They are about 10 inches square and 8 inches high, and are charged while the boat is lying at anchor by wires which come across the wharf from the factory, bringing currents generated by dynamos fixed in the works. There is room for a battery of'fifty-four such cells to be stowed away, as will be seen upon the drawings, where the battery cells are marked B B. Only forty-five cells were used at the trial trip. They had a total electromotive force of ninety-six volts, and were capable of furnishing continuously for nine hours a current exceeding thirty amperes. When in action the counter-electromotive force of the motors reduces the apparent strength of the current according to Jacobi's well-known theory of electro-magnetic engines. The accumulators have a total weight of some- what less than a ton. The motors of electric engines are arranged so that either or both of them may be furnished with the current, there being a switch to each lead. There is also a commutator to switch into circuit any number of cells from forty upward. One of the motors can be thrown in or out of gear by means of an Addyman's friction clutch, which permits the pulley to be started and stopped with great facility without shocks. A re- versing gear for the two motors is contrived by the very simple device of * Engravings of this Catamaran, the Fryer Propeller, and the Domed Steamship "Meteor," can be found in Harper s Weekly, October 7, 1882. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 281 arranging two pairs of brushes for each collector or commutator, one pair having an angular lead forward, the other a lead backward. By a simple lever arrangement either pair of brushes can be pressed at will against the segments of the commutator. In practice this arrangement works well, the boat being very readily stopped by reversing the engines in this fashion. As will be seen from the drawings, the motors are connected by belts to pulleys on a countershaft, from which a belt passes down to a pulley on the propeller axis, whose speed is thus reduced in the proportion of 950 to 350 revolutions per minute. The steering is managed by the same person who operates the switches^ seated in the central cabin. A whistle being impos- sible in the absence of steam, this necessary feature is replaced by a large electric bell, also worked by the accumulators. The calculated average speed is nine miles per hour. This speed, says Engineering, was actually attained on the trial trip from Milwall to London Bridge and back. 1882. A STEAMSHIP BRAKE. The stopping of steamers suddenly, when under way, has long been a problem unsolved. But a near approach to an effective " brake," as it is called, is in operation on one of the small craft plying between City Point and Long Island, in Boston Harbor. A trial of the device, invented by Mr. John McAdams, on the steamer "City Point," was made in the harbor in November. The arrangement is simple, and is seen at once from a glance at the working model. The essential parts are two large metal fins on the after part of the hull, one on either side, which can by a simple movement be thrown at right angles to the body of the boat, presenting a broad surface to the water and effectually checking the boat's headway. The fins can be made of any size, those of the "City Point" being five feet by four. The fins are hinged securely on the stern post, and are sustained when open by three strong telescope braces and a chain, the last-named also serving to close the ap- paratus. When closed the appearance is of two closed port-holes. The ma- terial is steel. A strong spring opens the fins, just starting them a few inches, and the force of the water throws them open to the full extent. There are two levers for working the apparatus, one in the pilot-house and one on the forward deck. An additional and automatic arrangement has also been invented, consisting of a long lever to hang from the end of the bowsprit of large vessels, and serving to work the apparatus automatically in case of sudden collision. In case of necessity one fin can be worked alone, not only checking the speed, but also turning sharply aside. The " City Point" got under way, and, while at full speed, the signal was given and the fins thrown back. The motion of the boat was checked with a a sharp shock, and before ten feet of space were covered she lay perfectly still. The effect of forty square feet of steel braced sudden-ly at right angles to the vessel may be imagined. Several trials were made, both with steam on and with steam shut off at the moment the fins were opened, and in both cases the motion was quickly stopped. The patent has only been issued 282 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. a few weeks, and nothing has been done looking to the general introduction of the brake, but its success on trial certainly shows that steps have been taken in the right direction toward preventing the numerous collisions of steamers and the consequent loss of life and property. OCEAN MERCANTILE STEAMERS. The net tonnage of the maritime na- tions of the world, according to the French Bureau Reports in 1882, was : Countries. Net tonnage. Great Britain, . . . . 3,133,453 United States, ..... 408,496 Norway, -. . . . . . 53,34 Germany, . .... 234,680 Italy, ...... 75,646 France, ...... 302,432 Russia, . . . . . . 87,997 Sweden, ...... 66,204 Spain, . ... . . . 144,691 Holland, . . ... 81,048 Greece, . . . . . 11,019 Austria, ...... 66,352 1882. There are sixty-five steamers in the British merchant marine of considerable coal-bearing power that possess an ocean speed of upwards of thirteen knots, and the P. & O. Line possess forty-eight steamers with a speed of over twelve knots. 1882. THE LIMIT OF STEAM PRESSURE. In the time of Watt the or- dinary limit was seven pounds. Ten times this pressure is usual now, while ninety pounds is not uncommon. The rise within the past ten years has been twenty-five pounds, and with the constant study of boiler structure y and boiler capacity for work and strain, we may expect to see at least an equal rise during the coming ten years. Pressures of one hundred pounds and over are occasional now, but are yet far from being the rule. The in- creasing use of steel in boiler construction must lead to developments that will help the solvement of the problem. 1882. A NOVEL APPLICATION OF THE SCREW. The screw propeller at the stern has maintained its position unchanged, though often varied in its form and in the pitch, or number of its blades, since it was first brought into general use. It has been tried at the bow, where it worked well enough, until' it proved troublesome when brought in contact with drift-wood. It has been placed at the sides, where it operated only as an imperfect paddle- wheel. Recently it has been tried in an entirely new position. The vessel to which this new method of placing the screw has been applied is a lighter, designed for carrying heavy freight upon a crooked and shallow river. Her wood hull, is about ninety feet long and thirty-two feet wide, and draws about thirty-nine inches when loaded with one hundred tons of freight, In general appearance the boat does not differ from the ordinary steam-lighters HISTOE Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 283 used in American waters. Her hull is of the usual shape, except at the stern ; there the after-body turns abruptly inward at the water-line, making a double curve toward the stern-post. Below the water-line, the hull carries a lip or projection that follows the ordinary lines of a ship's stern. In the concave recess on each side of the stern is placed a single screw, facing out- ward. That is, the shaft carrying a screw at each end extends directly across the hull. This shaft is jtist at the water-line, and carries each screw half-submerged. The deck above each screw overhangs the hull, as in American river-boats. The engine is placed between the two screws and directly connected with the shaft. On turning the two screws placed in this- position, it would appear that they would act as paddle-wheels. They do so, but the amount of work performed in moving the boat is thought to be very small. Experiments seem to prove that the movement of the boat is caused by the streams of water turned by the screws against the wedge-shaped hull. The water thrown into the concave part of the stern cannot easily escape,, and the result is the hull is thrust forward by the action of the water against it. The actual trials of the boat show that she can be moved with a full load, in rather rough water, at a speed of from four to five knots an hour. This is considered good speed for such a boat, with her small engine power. On the second trial trip careful measurements were made of the power utilized by the screws. The boat was towed at her usual speed, and the amount of strain on the tow-line found by the aid of a dynamometer. The power needed to move the boat, compared with the actual working power of the engine, was found to be over fifty per cent. In other words, one-half the actual power of the engine seems to be realized in moving the boat. This is considered a favorable showing for the position of the screws. The trial trips of the new boat are regarded as interesting contributions to the question of screw propulsion. The positions of the screws give a good economy for the power employed, and in new and faster boats, that are to be built upon the same pattern, more interesting results may be expected.* 1882. THE DOME STEAM- YACHT " METEOR." There is now building at Nyack-on-the-Hudson a steamboat of naval construction which is rapidly approaching completion. This craft is the design, model and invention,, both in hull and machinery, of Captain A. Perry Bliven. She will be launched on the first of August. Her dimensions are: Length over all, 153 feet; water-line, 136 feet; on keel, 128 feet; extreme beam, 21 feet (> inches; beam at water-line, 17 feet; extreme depth of hold, 17 feet; draught forward, 6 feet ; draught aft, 11 feet ; tonnage, old measurement, 512 30-100. This vessel is an entire new departure from the principles and designs of the steamers now afloat, and is the pioneer vessel of the American Quick Transit Company of Boston. The " Meteor" will be followed by large steel steamers of the same model, and with the most powerful machinery ever yet placed The Century for November, 1882. 284 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. in ocean steamships. The " Herald," to be built in Boston, on the " Me- teor's" model, will be of the following dimensions : 425 feet long ; 56 feet beam ; 48 feet hold ; draught forward, 17 feet ; draught aft, 26 feet ; capacity, 7,500 tons, old measurement. She will have four steel boilers, new pattern ; three double compounded steel engines, twelve cylinders ; actual horse- power, 18,000 ; capable of making a speed of 28 to 30 miles per hour. It appears that the inventor's aim is to make a self-righting boat by carry- ing the sides over the deck in the form of a dome. The side frames' are made continuous, and meet over the centre of the hull, or, in other words, the frames begin at one side of the keel, rise directly at an angle of about forty-five degrees to the water-line, and then curve inward over the deck and back on the same lines to the keel. A section of the hull taken in the centre is thus of a wedge shape, with a sharp edge below and rounded top above. This wedge form is preserved through the entire length of the hull. There are no hollow lines in the boat, and the sharp, overhanging bow is intended to part the water near the surface, and to form a long, tapering wedge. The widest part of the hull is exactly at the middle, both ends being precisely alike. This is quite different from the flat bottom and straight sides, with comparatively bluff or rounded bows, of the ordinary ocean steamship. The boat is intended to be much deeper aft than forward, and the deck will be much higher above water at the bows than at the stern. There will be no houses or raised constructions of any kind on deck, except the dome- shaped pilot house, the ventilators, and the smoke-stacks. There will be an open railing around the centre of the deck, so that it can be used as a prom- enade in pleasant weather, or whenever the seas do not break over the boat. The object of this unbroken dome-shaped deck is to enable the boat to throw off all waves that break over the bows or sides in rough weather. It is thought that, instead of shipping tons of water and retaining it on deck till it can be drained off, the boat will shed or throw off the water from the long sharp bows and open deck, and will at once relieve herself of the weight of the water. Waves striking the rounded deck will have no hold on the boat, and their force will thus be spent harmlessly. The sharp wedge-shape and rounded top of the hull, and the fact that even when fully loaded the centre of gravity will be below the water-line, makes the model self-righting. From experiments with a small model, this claim of the inventor seems to be clearly proved. In laying out the boat only the spar deck will be used for passengers, the main deck and all below being intended for cargo, coal, and engines. The state-rooms will be arranged along the outside, each room having a port in the side of the boat, while the ceiling will be formed of the curved deck above. The saloons will be the whole width of the ship, and on the spar deck. For lighting the saloons there will be skylights in the centre, and as these in rough weather may be covered by the seas that sweep over the deck, they will be very strong, and will be air-tight. To HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 285 secure ventilation there will be steam-fans, kept in motion at all times, and maintaining a good circulation of air through every part of the boat. For this purpose the fresh air will be taken through wind-sails on the deck, and the exhaust air from the rooms will be turned into the blast used in forcing the boiler fires. No boats are to be carried on deck ; the life-rafts and boats- will be kept in an apartment under the domed deck at the stern, and when they are to be launched doors will be opened in the deck, and the boats launched in the usual way from davits through these doors. The pilot- house will be at the bows, and will be entirely inclosed. It will not rise much above the deck, and will be entered from below. There will be no masts or sails, as it is intended to depend wholly on the engines for propulsion. In constructing the hull, to secure great strength, three heavy trusses, or " hog frames," are to be placed on the keel, each one rising to the spar deck, and securely fastened to the side-frames of the boat. The ceiling will be double, and placed diagonally on the frames. In the larger steamships the absence of sailing power will be compensated for by two extra engines and two supplementary screws, that can be employed in case the larger screw is lost, or the main engines break down. 1882. HERR BECK'S GUNPOWDER ENGINE. A patent has been taken out in Germany for a gunpowder engine. Years ago, before Savery and Newcomen introduced their rude attempts at steam-engines, Huyghens and others, notably Papin, endeavored to utilize the force of exploding gun- powder as a means of obtaining motive-power, and engines were constructed which demonstrated at least the possibility of the idea. A tall cylinder, having a touch-hole, at the bottom, was fitted with a heavy piston, to which ropes were attached passing over pulleys. A sufficient quantity of gun- powder was placed inside the cylinder to drive the piston nearly to the top when the powder was fired, and then the gases escaping through the touch- hole, and being also condensed, the atmospheric pressure forced the piston down, and men who were holding on to the ropes were hauled up. Of late the idea has been utilized in the construction of a pile-driver, the " monkey" being driven down by the force of exploding gunpowder. Herr Beck has recently devised an engine, the piston of which is driven backwards and forwards by small charges of gunpowder supplied at each end by an auto- matic arrangement. The ignition is effected by the motion of the piston, which draws in a flame of gas or spirit, the access being regulated by slide valves, which also opens outlets for the escape of the gases of combustion. 1882. A NEW MOTOR. A new motor has been discovered which, it is claimed, will supersede steam. The material from which the energy is gen- erated is bisulphide of carbon, which is utilized as a motor agent in the form of vapor, and the advantage claimed for it over steam is that, while water expands in the ratio of 1 cubic inch to 1,700, bisulphide of carbon has an expansive property of 1 to 8,000. When the vapor is generated it passes into the steam-chest of the engine and moves the piston rods. A pipe at- 286 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. tached to the engine conveys the exhaust vapor directly through a condenser back to the tank in its original liquefied form to be regenerated. The sys- tem of generation and condensation is similar to the heart-action ; and with machinery perfectly constructed it is claimed that a single supply of the bisulphide of carbon can be used with reinforcement for an indefinite period. The cost of fuel is trifling, it being claimed that from the peculiar properties of the bisulphide an ordinary house fire can develop a power sufficient to run an ocean steamer. Water boils at 212 degrees, and it takes 320 degrees of heat to make steam available, while the new agent takes the form of vapor at 180 degrees. The invention is owned by J. R. Blumenburg, a German, who has been exhibiting it to Philadelphia capitalists with such success that they are likely to try it on a large scale. CHAPTER VI. THE GREAT OCEAN STEAMSHIP COMPANIES, GENERAL REMARKS, OCEAN TRAMPS, ETC. The Cunard, 1840. The Peninsular and Oriental, 1840. Pacific Steam Navigation, 1840. Royal West India Mail, 1841 Collins' Line, 1847. Pacific Mail Steamship Company, 1848. Warren Line, 1850. In- man Line, 1850. The Messageries Maritimes, 1851. Allan Line, 1854, Hamburg American Packet Company, 1855. Anchor Line, 1856. North German Lloyds, 1857. Leland Line, I860. Company Generale .Transatlantique, 1862. National Steamship Company, 1863. Williams & Guion Line, 1866. Old Dominion Line, 1867. White Star Line, 1870. American or Keystone Line, 1871 City Line State Line, 1872. Red Star Line, 1873 The Monarch Line, 1874 Harrison Line Ocean Steamship^Company of Savannah. The Mitser-Bistic Steam Navigation Company, 1875. The Atlas Steamship Company. Roach's United States and Brazil Steamhhip Line, 1S75. The Mallory Line. The Red " D " Line, 1879. New York, Havana and Mexican Mail Line. Boston and Sa- vannah Steamship Companny,1882. Thingvalla Line, 1882. West India Steamship " Enterprise.' ' I am indebted to the courtesy of the managers, agents, and owners of the several ocean steamship lines for the major'part of the information contained in this chapter, but I have also drawn from printed histories and circulars and communications which I have found in magazines and newspapers since these sketches of Ocean Steamship Lines were written, and in part printed in the United Service. The Century, in its September number, has published an interesting article on Ocean Steamships, by S. W. G. Benjamin, which has been supplemented by an anonymous communication entitled " More about Ocean Steamships," published in the Boston Transcript. The writer seemed to be well posted up in his subject, better even than Mr. Benjamin, and as his communication contains some interesting facts which I have not given, I take the liberty to quote from him a few paragraphs to supply the deficiency : " The steamships of the world," he says, " may be roughly divided into three classes. These are First, those belonging to mail lines, carrying pas- sengers and mails, and leaving and arriving at certain ports at an advertised time, and with the greatest regularity possible under the circumstances. The second class consists of steamers not carrying the mails, and sometimes but a few passengers, chiefly devoted to the carrying trade cattle, grain, miscellaneous cargoes of ore and general products but plying with a cer- tain regularity between stated ports. The third class comprises all steamers which, having no fixed route, go to any port which offers the best terms for freight, wandering around the globe, and hardly touching at the same place twice. These latter are the " ocean tramp" class of steamships, on which in ma"ny cases opprobrium has been unjustly heaped." Of the first class of steamers, the two largest lines in the world are the British India Steam Navigation Company and the Austro-Hungarian 287 288 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. Lloyds. It is hard to say exactly which is the larger ?> but at present the steamers owned by each number about seventy-seven and seventy-nine re- spectively. The British India company does its chief business, as its name indicates, with India and its dependencies, and the map which represents its different routes is a network of bewildering lines. Every port in India is in communication with Calcutta, Bombay and Madras by this company's steamships, and communication with London is kept up by fortnightly steamers. This company runs steamers every fortnight also from London to the Persian Gulf and Bagdad, calling at Algiers ; and it has lately started a line to Brisbane in Queensland via Batavia. Its steamers have until lately been of medium size, but it is now building larger ships. Its vessels are named after Indian towns, etc., and the names are mostly very pretty, as the " Merkara," " Dorunda, " Ellora/'.and others. " The chief lines from London to the Cape direct are the Union Steam- ship Company (thirteen steamers), and Donald Currie & Co.'s Castle line (twenty steamers), mostly large and fine ships, while the trading stations on the West Coast of Africa are supplied by the African Steamship Company and the British and African Steam Navigation Company, with smaller steamers, more or less devoted to freight, although carrying the mails. " Lamport & Holt also run a line from London to Brazil and the river Platte, some of the steamers returning to Liverpool via New York. This line has some thirty steamers of moderate size, named after scientific men, painters and poets. " The City Line (City of London, of Venice, of Khios, etc.) is owned by George Smith & Sons of Glasgow, who also own a large fleet of sailing ships. There are ten steamers in this line, all fine ships of 3,000 tons. The Hall Line (Werneth Hall, [4,100], Breton Hall, etc.) owned by the Sun Shipping Company, and the Star Line ("Vega," "Orion," etc.) are favorite lines for India, as is also the Ducal Line (Duke of Lancaster, etc.), which has some very fine ships, seven in all. These last named lines all come more or less under the second heading of combined passenger and freight steamers. " Hamburg sends out lines to Panama (Hamburg-American Steamship Company), to Brazil (Hamburg-South American Steamship Company), to Valparaiso (Kosmos Steamship Company). It is not generally known, how- ever, that the French Transatlantic Company by no means confines its op- erations in America to its New York business, but has some fine steamers running to Aspinwall, Vera Cruz and the West Indies. " Turning to the Pacific Ocean, we find only one English Line connecting America with Asia the Oriental and Occidental Steamship Company, which is really a part of the White Star Line. The fine steamers "Arabic" and "Coptic," of 4,300 tons each, which were built last year, and ran a short time on the Atlantic, have now their place in the O. & O. Company's fleet. " Turning, then, to the second class of steamers, the organized lines of " freighters," we find in this category many lines of fine ships, so many, in HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 289 fact, it will be impossible to mention more than a few. At the head of this class stand the firm of Thomas Wilson, Sons & Co., of Hull. They own fifty ships, averaging fully 1,500 tons each, their names all ending in " o." Besides the lines of steamers running from Hull to Boston and New York only a tithe of their immense business Wilson & Co. despatch ships to all ports of the Baltic, to Germany, Holland, and France, and even Constanti- nople. Their business is rapidly increasing, and they have built within a few years a number of large ships, chiefly for their Atlantic trade. " JVftGregor, Gow & Co., of Glasgow, own the Glen Line of steamers (not to be confounded with another line of Glen steamers owned by Lindsay, Gracie & Co., of Leith), fifteen in all, employed in the China and Japan trade, noted as tea ships. They are of moderate size, and of a good model. The ' Stirling Castle/ of 4,423 tons, which has earned the name of being the fastest steamer in the world, belongs to another ' tea' line of nine steamers, owned by Thomas Skinner, of Glasgow, named after Scottish castles. Another China line is the Ocean Steamship Company, owned by Alfred Holt, Liver- pool, twenty-four steamers of about 2,000 tons, named from Homeric char- acters. Warren & Co., of Liverpool, although they own only three steamers (the ships not named after States being, according to the registers, chartered), have in those three the ' Missouri' (5,146), * Kansas' (5,276), and ' Iowa' (4,329), the largest freighters on one line in the world. The ' Hooper' (4,935) has been taken off the Boston Line for some time, and now, with her name changed to the * Silvertown,' is running in her old capacity of a telegraph ship. Another line of ' freighters' of large tonnage is that owned by Nott & Hill, of London the 'Netting Hill," Tower Hill' and 'Ludgate Hill' all over 4,000 tons. In fact, large freight steamers are fast becoming common, and lines which have hitherto built ships of 2,000 tons are now building vessels of 4,000 tons and over. A line of steamers which has recently sprung into prominence, and which illustrates the rapidity with which steamers are built nowadays, is the ' Clan Line,' owned by Messrs. Cayzer, Ir- vine & Co., of Liverpool. In 1878 this company had about five steamers, but such has been the wonderful growth of the line that at present there are twenty-one steamers, either now running or in course of construction ; most of them are 2,200 tons. They are all named after Scottish clans, as the * Clan Cameron,' etc. They run from Liverpool to Calcutta, the Cape and Mauritius. " The Marquis de Campo, of Cadiz, has lately become prominent as a ship owner, employing steamers in the Manila and the Havana and the Mexican trade. Nearly all his ships have been bought of other lines, and we may discover among them some old friends. Every one who has crossed the Atlantic in the famous old 'China' will be glad to know of her present situation. She is now the 'Magellanes' of De Campo's Line, while the 'Siberia' figures as the 'Manila,' and the Warren steamer 'Minnesota' assumes her place as the ' Cristobal Colon.' 19 290 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. " Passing over many important regular freight lines, we come to the third class, the general freighter, the vagabond class of steamer, the ' OCEAN TRAMP,' which may be in Boston one month, Odessa the next, and Archan- gel the third. This is a much-abused class. Popular opinion is decidedly against them. They are all supposed to be worthless, rotten, poorly manned and liable to founder in any sea heavier than that of a mill pond. That there are a great many to which this description will apply is too true. They founder, like the ' Escambia,' almost within the harbor, or more fre- quently are simply reported ' missing.' These unfortunate vessels mostly belong to individual owners or small lines. But there are large fleets of newly built, staunch steamers employed in this useful trade, and at the head of the list stand Messrs. Watts, Ward & Milburn, of London, with about forty steamers, most of them comparatively new. Their steamers are found everywhere. Messrs. Appleby, Ropner & Co., London, is another large firm. The number of new companies started within the last few years for this business is surprising. At present they usually number some half a dozen vessels each, generally named as a distinct system. To enumerate them would be tedious ; but we may single out Messrs. Rankin, Gilmour & Co., for their splendid steamer St. Ronans, of 4,484 tons, a magnificent ves- sel, equal in every way in appearance to a transatlantic passenger steamer. " The few persons who pursue the shipping news have undoubtedly no- ticed the numbers of freighters arriving at Philadelphia and Baltimore from Benisaf and Rio Marina. These two places, which maps completely ignore, are situated in Algeria, near Bona, and in the island of Elba, respectively. The freighters go there for ballast of iron ore, which they take to our South- ern ports, receiving a full cargo for Europe in the place of the ore. " Of all these thousands of steamers so few are totally lost every year that, when we think of the powers of Nature and the carelessness of man in sending unseaworthy ships to sea, we cannot help being surprised at the smallness of the number of casualties." THE CUNARD LINE, 1840. Mr. Samuel Cunard was one of the first to foresee the great results that might be achieved by the establishment of steamer communication between the United States and England, and as far back as the year 1830, in his quiet home in Nova Scotia, was thinking over the best means of carrying out this project. In 1838 Mr. Cunard went to England, bent upon putting his idea into operation, and, introduced by Sir James Melville, of the India House, he presented himself to Robert Napier, the eminent marine engineer, and the result of their deliberations was that Mr. Cunard gave Mr. Napier an order to build four steamships for the At- lantic service. The four vessels were to be of 900 tons each, and 300 horse- power. Mr. Napier advised the building of larger vessels, and ultimately it was arranged that the four vessels should each be of 1,200 tons burthen and 440 horse power. The project now assumed a proportion beyond the resources of a private HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 291 individual, and Messrs. Cuuard and Kapler, taking counsel together, hit upon the idea of forming a company. Messrs. Burns, of Glasgow, and Messrs. Maclver, of Liverpool, after having run coasting steamers in keen rivalry for several years, in 1830 amalgamated their undertakings, and this firm of Burns & Maclver was, at the time that Mr. Cunard came to Eng- land, one of the most prosperous shipping companies in Great Britain. The proposal to form an Atlantic steamship company was mooted to Messrs. Burns & Maclver by Mr. Napier, and the outcome was the establishment, in 1839, of the " British and North American Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company." This official title being rather lengthy for hurried utterance, a convenient substitute was found in the simple phrase, " Cunard Line." This phrase has now become familiar as a nautical term from Sandy Hook to the Suez Canal, and from Scotland to the West Indies. Samuel Cunard may be justly regarded as the father of the line, and his enterprising partners, the Maclvers and Burnses, have shown themselves to be quite adequate to the grave responsibilities which they then assumed. About this time the government decided, on grounds of public convenience, as well as with the view of promoting the extension of steam navigation, to abandon the curious old brigs which had been used for so many years for the conveyance of the mails across the Atlantic and to substitute steam mail-boats. The admiralty accordingly advertised for tenders for this service, and the Great Western Steam Shipping Company and the newly formed company of Messrs. Cunard, Burns & Maclver were the only competitors. The tender of the latter firm was accepted, and a seven years' contract was entered into between the Lords of the Admiralty on the one part, and Samuel Cunard, George Burns, and David Maclver on the other part, for the conveyance of mails fort- nightly between Liverpool and Halifax, Boston, and Quebec, in considera- tion of the annual sum of 60,000. One of the conditions of the bargain was that the ships engaged in this service should be of sufficient strength and capacity to be used as troop-ships in case of necessity. The first four ships built under Mr. Napier's direction for the Cunard Company were the " Britannia," the " Acadia," the " Caledonia," and the " Columbia." The " Unicorn" was dispatched from Liverpool on the 16th of May, 1840, to be placed on the branch route to Newfoundland, and made the passage to Boston in nineteen days. There was considerable excitement in Boston on the afternoon of Tues- day, June 2, 1840, when it was announced that Mr. Cunard's steamship " Unicorn," Captain- Douglas, was entering the harbor. The arrival of the first regular steam-packet from Europe had been looked forward to with interest, as marking a most important epoch in the commercial relations of the New World and the Olcl. The people, young and old, men, women, and children, assembled as the " Unicorn" approached Long Wharf, and the scene on water and land was inspiring and enthusiastic. Cheers rent the air, handkerchiefs and hats were waved, as the " Unicorn" approached. 292 H1STOR Y OF STEAM A/A VIGA TION. The United States ship-of-the-line " Columbus," moored in the channel, hoisted the English ensign at the fore, and her band played the national tunes of England and the United States, and the revenue cutter " Hamil- ton," which made a gallant appearance dressed in flags and bunting, fired a salute. For a short time the " Unicorn" "lay to" off the wharf, and as Captain Sturgis, commanding the " Hamilton," stepped on board and ten- dered a welcome to Captain Douglas, a round of cheers went up from the crowd. Then the " Unicorn" steamed along the water-front and wharves to the vicinity of the navy -yard, and proceeded to the Cunard wharf at East Boston, which had been recently built, and at that time was considered elegant and spacious in every respect. As she passed the revenue cutter she was again saluted, and returned the salute. Salutes were also fired from the wharf. On two lofty flag-staffs erected on the extremity of the wharf British and American ensigns were hoisted. When moored at the wharf many peo- ple hastened on board to exchange congratulations with the captain, officers, and passengers. The "Unicorn" encountered a good deal of rough weather on her voyage, but proved a good and staunch boat. Her machinery worked well, and the passengers were well pleased with their accommodations. She brought out twenty-seven cabin passengers to Halifax, and twenty-four to Boston, and files of London papers to the 15th of May, of Liverpool papers to the 16th and of Paris papers to the 13th. The day following her arrival the Boston newspapers were full of copious extracts from the foreign ^papers which the " Unicorn" brought, and which were appended to the short notice of the important event. Regret was ex- pressed that the political and commercial intelligence by the arrival was not more important, but the heading, " SIXTEEN DAYS LATER FROM EUROPE !" clearly indicated that one of the most important advantages that was anticipated by the opening of steamship communication between Boston and Liverpool was the quicker exchange of news with the Old World. The arrival of the <; Unicorn " was the talk of the city, and the city felt called upon to take proper recognition of so significant an occurrence, and three days later, on Friday, June 5th, the city authorities extended a wel- come to Samuel Cunard, Jr., a son of Samuel Cunard, and Captain Douglas, commander of the " Unicorn," at Faneuil Hall. The cradle of liberty was beautifully festooned with the flags of the United States and Great Britain, and was otherwise decorated in a very tasteful manner. The city officials and invited guests marched in procession to the hall from the old City Hall, where a banquet had been prepared for about four hundred and fifty per- sons. Hon. Jonathan Chapman, the Mayor of Boston, acted as the presid- ing officer and master of ceremonies. In his address of welcome he en- larged upon the vasj importance to Boston of steam navigation with Europe in connection with the western railroad. The sentiment which he offered in conclusion was : " Commercial enterprise it waked up the dark ages ; it HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 293 launched mankind upon the sea of improvement; it guided the bark and spread the sail until a sail is no longer needed to join the two continents together." Mr. Cuuard, Jr., was then called up, and made a pleasant response, and the band played "God Save the Queen." Commander Douglas gave a brief account of the voyage, and said the steamers that were being built for the line were to be much larger, and he had reason to believe that the passage would be made in fifteen days. To a toast in honor of England and America, Hon. Mr. Grattan, her Britannic Majesty's Consul, responded, and then, the Mayor calling for volunteer toasts, there followed the most sparkling wit and sentiment. Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, then Speaker of the House, made an eloquent speech, and, referring to the dictum of Dr. Dionysitis Lardner, that steam navigation across the ocean was physi- cally impossible, said that, to all appearances, it was quite as improbable as the scientific doctor's late elopement to France with Mrs* Heaviside. The poet Longfellow offered this beautiful sentiment: " Steamships the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day, which guide the wanderer over the sea." The Chevalier de Friederichsthal, attached to the Austrian embassy at Washington, M. Gourand, from Paris, and other distinguished foreigners, John P. Bigelow, John C. Park, Hon. George S. Hillard, Nathaniel Greene, then Postmaster of Boston, and others, offered appropriate sentiments, and Governor Everett, who was not present, sent a letter. The celebration was creditable to the city, and the event it commemorated, but nevertheless evoked the criticism of censorious individuals, who evi- dently did not understand or agree with the old proverb, that the way to a people's heart is through their stomach. In comparison with steamships which now enter Boston and New York, the " Unicorn " was small and in- significant, and yet the arrival of no craft was ever looked forward to with greater anticipation or more genuine pleasure. With the arrival of the "Unicorn " began the steam traffic between Bos- ton and London and Liverpool, which has since assumed such large pro- portions. Its coming marked a new era in civilization, and was the har- binger of an immense commercial traffic, and a wonderful rapidity of com- munication between the New World and the Old. Over forty years have elapsed, and ocean steamers daily arrive, but they excite little interest now. The " Unicorn" was followed by a coincidence which was entirely unin- tentional by the departure on the 4th of July from Liverpool of the "Bri- tannia," under command of Lieutenant Woodruff, R. N., for Halifax and Boston, the first regular vessel of the Cunard Line. Liverpool was in a condition of great excitement on the day of the vessel's departure ; thou- sands of people crowded the quays to watch her out, and it was felt that a new era of oceanic intercourse had been begun by this memorable event. The " Britannia" entered Boston harbor after a run of fourteen days and eight hours. The ship came to -Jier moorings on a Saturday evening, but the inhabitants of Boston thronged the wharves to welcome her, and salvos 294 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. of artillery were fired in honor of the occasion. Mr. Cunard, Sr., accom- panied the vessel, and so great was the enthusiasm created by his enterprise that he received eighteen hundred invitations to dinner within twenty-four hours after his arrival. On the 17th of August the "Acadia" arrived at Boston, after a passage of twelve days and eighteen hours ; the shortest pas- sage between the two continents which had been made. Three days later a public banquet was given in honor of the event, t which Hon. Josiah Quincy presided. For seven years these four steamers, reinforced by two- others, carried out the contract with the government. At the end of that time the British government called upon the company to double the number of its sailings, and every new steamer was, in some respects, an improvement upon its predecessors. Charles Dickens crossed in the "Britannia," and one of the most amusing chapters of his " American Notes" is devoted to the voyage. Some readers may recall how comically he contrasts his actual experiences with his anticipations of what the ship would be like, his imagination hav- ing been fed previous to his going on board by the lithographic pictures of the line what "an utterly impracticable, thoroughly hopeless and pro- foundly preposterous box" he found his state-room to be ; and how he de- scribes the saloon as " a long, narrow apartment, not unlike a gigantic hearse with windows in the sides ; having at the upper end a melancholy stone, while on either side, extending down its whole dreary length, was a long, long table, over each of which a rack, fixed to the low roof and stuck full of drinking glasses and cruet-stands, hinted dismally at rolling seas and heavy weather." A notable event in the history of the " Britannia," the pioneer ship of the Cuuard Line, which became a great favorite in Boston, was the cutting a channel for ten miles in length, in Boston Harbor, in 1844, through the ice, in order that she might sail at the appointed time. "Those who remember the month of February, 1844, will recall one of the most astonishingly cold periods of the last fifty years. The first of the month was agreeable enough for winter, but three or four days of intense cold came upon us about the middle of it. Ice rapidly formed in the harbor, and soon the whole dis- tance from the wharves to Fort Warren was frozen over. Men, women, and children enjoyed the novel experience of walking all over the harbor. Skaters went to the outermost edge of the ice. Horses and sleighs entered on the ice-field from South Boston. Booths were established for the supply of creature comforts, bonfires lighted to warm the hands and feet of pedes- trians, the earliest ice-craft with extended sail was seen skimming over the smooth surface, and the days and nights in the harbor partook of a carnival* But it was a serious matter to the agent of the Canard Line, who had the steamer * Britannia' in port, and she was under contract to carry the mails and must somehow get out to sea. Bostonians had some interest in the matter, too, for the line had but recently been established, and here was a HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. 295 fulfilment of the prophecy of the jealous New Yorkers, who had said it was an ice-locked harbor in winter. With characteristic energy and public spirit the merchants met at the Exchange one day, as the time for the sail- ing of the steamer neared, and no south wind had come to loosen the frost's hold on the waters, and resolved upon the undertaking of cutting a channel for the steamer from her dock to the open bay, a pathway of over ten miles. Mr. John Hill, with some experience in ice-cutting, was selected for the job, but it proved too much for him. At this juncture Mr. Jacob Hittinger, of Gage, Hittinger & Co., large ice-cutters upon Spy Pond, in West Cam- bridge, contracted with the merchants to liberate the steamer. The task was accomplished, and the ' Britannia/ on her appointed sailing-day, moved majestically through the canal, a hundred feet wide, to the open ocean, amid firing of cannon and the cheering of thousands, the multitudes not only lining all the wharves, but flocking upon the solid ice in countless num- bers. Probably never again will we witness the spectacle of an ocean steamer moving down the harbor accompanied by thousands of people run- ning or skating by her side. The tug-boats which have come into service by scores have rendered the freezing of the harbor practically impossible, as on the slightest indication of ice they are abroad to break it up. Gage, Hittinger & Co. received ten thousand dollars for this immense job, which actually cost them twenty thousand dollars, but they enjoyed the satisfac- tion of being recognized as enterprising and successful men in the venture.*" The Cunard steamers in the trasatlantic trade, 1850, were : Tons H. P. Caledonia, .... 1,250 500 Hibernia, . ... . 1,400 550 Cambria, . . . . 1,400 550 America, .... 1,800 700 Canada, 1,800 700 Tons H. P . Niagara, . . . 1,800 700 Europa, . . . . . 1,800 700 Asia, ..... 2,250 800 Africa, ..... 2,250 800 All these were paddle-wheel steamships, and the general length of the six largest was 275 to 300 feet, and beam from 40 to 42 feet. Their cylinders were 90 inches in diameter, and the length of stroke of the piston of the 700 H. P. engines was 8 feet, and of the 800 H. P. engines 9 feet. The diameter of the paddle-wheels being 32 and 36 feet. In 1852 the Cunard Company established steam communication between Liverpool and the Mediterranean ports. Their steamers have also per- formed the mail service between Glasgow, Greenock and Belfast. They have had lines of steamers plying between Liverpool and Glasgow and Glasgow and Londonderry, and they likewise have had steamers carrying the mails between Halifax, Bermuda and St. Thomas Prior to 1852 the fleet of the Cunard Company consisted entirely of paddle-wheel wooden steamships. In that year the " Andes " and " Alps," both iron vessels with screws, were added to the long " catalogue of the " :: " Coimnomvealth ne\v>pnp 296 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. ships." These were afterwards taken by the British government for trans- port service in the Crimea, and were followed in 1854 and 1855 by the "Jura" and the " J^tna," iron screws, and both for the Atlantic trade. In 1855, with the " Persia," the experiment was tried of building an iron paddle steamer. 1855. On the 3d of March the steamship " Persia," the first iron paddle- wheel ship built for the Cunard Company, was launched from the building- yard of Messrs. Robert Napier & Sons, at Go van. She was the largest steamship then afloat in the world, exceeding in length, strength, tonnage, and steam-power the " Great Britain " or the " Himalaya," and by twelve hundred tons the internal capacity of the largest of the Cunard liners of that time. Her chief proportions were as follows : Length from figure-head to taffrail, ...... 390 feet. Length in the water, . . . . . . . . . 360 " > Breadth of the hull, 45 " Breadth all over, 71 " Depth, The lines of beauty had been so well worked out in the " Persia " that her appearance was singularly graceful and light. Yet the mighty fabric, so beautiful as a whole, was made up of innumerable pieces of metal, welded, jointed, and riveted into each other with exceeding deftness. The keel con- s?sted of several bars of iron about thirty-five feet in length, each joined by long scarfs, and as a whole thirteen inches deep by four and a half inches thick The framing was constructed in a peculiar manner to secure the greatest amount of strength. Tine iron stern-post was thirteen inches in breadth by five inches in thickness, carrying the rudder, the stack of which was eight, inches in diameter. The framing of the ship was very heavy. The space between each frame was only ten inches, and the powerful frames or ribs were themselves ten inches deep, with double angle-irons at the outer and inner edges. The plates, or outer planking of the ship, were laid alternately, so that one added strength to the other, forming a whole of wonderful compactness and solidity. The keel-plates were eleven-sixteenths of an inch in thick- ness; at the bottom of the ship the plates were fifteen-sixteenths of an inch in thickness ; from that section to the load water-line they were three- fourths of an inch ; and above that they were eleven-sixteenths of an inch in thickness. The plates round the gunwales were seven-eighths of an inch in thickness. She had seven water-tight compartments. The goods were to be stowed in two of the divisions. The goods store-rooms or tanks were placed in the centre line of the ship, with the coal-bunkers on each side of them. The vessel was constructed with a double bottom under the goods chambers, so that if .the outer were beat in, the inner would protect the cargo dry and HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 297 intact. The chambers were water-tight, and in the event of accident to the hull the tanks would of themselves float the ship. She was followed in 1862 by the " Scotia," also built of iron, and of still larger dimensions.* It soon became apparent that iron was the best mate- rial for ocean steamers, and that the screw furnished the best means of pro- pelling them, and in all subsequent additions to the fleet these truths have been recognized and acted upon. Between 1840 (when the Cunard Company, strictly so-called, came into existence) and 1876, it had built one hundred and twenty-two steamers, and owned in that year a navy of forty-nine vessels, viz. : twenty-four in the Atlantic mail service, twelve in the Mediterranean and Havre line, five plying between Glasgow and Belfast, three between Liverpool and Glasgow, three between Halifax and Bermuda, and two between Glasgow and Derry. The money value of the Atlantic mail boats alone was estimated at between fifteen million and twenty million dollars, and it would not be an exaggeration to state that the value of the entire fleet was double the amount. According to an official statement made by the company about this, time a Cimard transatlantic steamer had sailed at first once a week, subsequently twice a week, and latterly three times a week from Liverpool, and another from New York or Boston, making over four thousand voyages across the Atlantic, an aggregate distance of over twelve million miles, carrying more than two million of passengers without the loss of a life or even of a single letter. Few people suspect that at least three of the old favorites are still run- ning from New York to Europe ; for how could they recognize the " Kus- * In the summer of 1879, the " Scotia" was bought by the British Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company. Her paddles were removed and new engines and twin screws placed in her, and she sailed from the Mersey for Singapore. The " Scotia " was the last and grandest of the paddle-wheel vessels added to the Cunard fleet ; a strong ship, of great engine power, and in her day the most magnificent vessel engaged in the Transatlantic trade between Liverpool and New York. But times changed with the " Scotia," as they do with all other things mundane. Her engines, though still of unrivaled power, consumed an enormous amount of coal, and coal was not only costly, but its storage filled an undue proportion of the available space. Science had introduced a new order of things in marine engines. The cumbrous paddles were superseded by the more compact screw, and the com- pound system of engines allowed of an equal power being realized at a far less expenditure of fuel. These improvements decided the fate of the " Scotia'" We may well suppose that it was not without a severe qualrn that the Cunard Company came to the resolution that their splendid " Scotia," while almost a new ship, must give way to the new order of things. Screw steamers like the " Russia " and the " Scythia " were doing as good work under more favorable conditions, and the " Scotia " was withdrawn from the service. She was sold, and for a long time lay at Birkenhead, superannuated and almost neglected. And it should be borne in mind by those who criticise the deterioration of our navy, that the ^ Scotia" was built after the commencement of our Civil War as a specimen of the finest steamship afloat, and that three years ago, only seventeen years after her construction, she was sold, having been for some time superannuated. 298 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. sia," enlarged to nearly twice her former size, in the " Waeslaud," the " Java " in the " Zealand," or the " Algeria," which disappeared so quietly as hardly to be missed, in the " Pennland?" It was said that the steamship "Russia," the last vessel built by the Cunard Company under a subsidy contract, cost more by 30,000 than she would have cost if built for an independent service. For ten years in the early history of the Cunard Company each vessel carried a naval officer as a representative of the Admiralty (in those days the mail contracts were made by the Lords of the Admiralty, instead of by the Postmaster-General, as no*?), who was clothed with power to act in certain emergencies, and who had control of the royal mails. The com- pany, after a time, paid a round sum to be relieved of the presence of these officials. At a later period, representatives of the post-office were placed on board, who sorted and made up the mails on the voyage. THE FLEET OF THE CUNARD LINE, 1882. Name. Built. Tonnage, j Name. Tonnage. Built ! Name. ' Tonnage. Built Gross. Net. | i Gross. Net. 'Gross. Net. Aleppo 1865 Atlasf 1860 2,050 2,393 2,553 4,536 1,904 1,398 ; 1,552 ; 1,627 i 2,923 : 'l,23l" Malta* 1865 1 132 1,149 1,552 1,193 1.585 1.382 2,033 1,694 1,429 Scythia* Servia* SidonJ 1874 ! 4 557 -~> 903 Marathonf... Morocco Olympus Palmyra Parth'ia* Samariat Saragossa 1860 ; 2,403 1861 i 1,855 1860 i 2,415 1866 j 2,043 1870 3,166 1870 2,605 1874 i 2,262 1881 ' 8.500 6,500 ISiil I L853 1,193 1865 i 2.U58 1,399 1872 i 1>J9 1,228 bldg 1882 5,000 , 4,350 1882 Batavia ! 1870 Bothnia* 1870 Catalonia* Demerarat 1872 Gallia* Tarilal Trinidad Aurania Cessatorlag. .. Pavoniaf Kedarj : 1860 1,875 1,215 Between New York and Liverpool . Mediterranean service. f Between Boston and Liverpool. I Arrived at Boston on first trip, September 4. 1882. The transatlantic steamers of this line sail every Wednesday and Satur- day from New York and from Boston for Liverpool, and as often from Liverpool for each of those ports. The report of the directors of the lately formed Cunard Stock Company shows the net profits of the year 1880 amounted to one hundred and ninety- three thousand eight hundred and eleven pounds. The three steamers recently built are of steel. The " Aurania " is seven thousand tons, and has engines of eight thousand five hundred horse-power; and the " Pavonia," and her sister ship, the " Cephalonia," are five thousand six hundred tons. The " Servia," one of the latest additions to the Cuuard Line, arrived at New York at 11 A.M , December 8, 1881. She left Queens- town at 10 A.M., November 28, and, taking into consideration the bois- terous weather she encountered, the passage was a remarkably quick one. Her purser, Mr. William Field, said that he never experienced such a rough time, though he has held his present position for twenty-five years, having served in every ship on the line, and made over four hundred pas- sages. No damage whatever occurred to the big craft. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 299 The " Servia" brought one hundred and seventy-one cabin passengers and one hundred and fifty-five in the steerage. In point of size the " Servia " is only exceeded by the " Great Eastern," while, as regards engine-power, it is claimed that she surpasses anything afloat. Mr. John Burns, of the Cunard Company, in a communication to the London Times when the " Servia " was on the stocks, said concerning her : " This vessel has been designed, after lengthened consideration, to meet the requirements of our traditional service, and we have adopted in every detail of the ship and engines the most advanced scientific improvements compatible with the safe working of so great a vessel. Among the im- portant matters into which we have crucially inquired has been that of the employment of steel instead of iron, and after a practical and thorough examination into the merits of both materials we have adopted steel for the- hull and boilers, but under a provision so stringent that every plate, before acceptance, will undergo a severe and rigid test by a qualified surveyor appointed and stationed at the steel manufactory for that special purpose, and that the manipulation of the steel by the builders shall be subject to an equally careful supervision by qualified engineers of our own appointment- The steel is to be made on the Siemens-Martin process, and all rivets as well as plates throughout the ship are to be of steel." The substitution of steel for iron has not only improved the steamship,, steel being more ductile *and stronger than iron, but it has a great advan- tage economically. The " Servia " weighs six hundred and twenty tons less than she would have done if she had been built equally strong with iron ; and of course she has so much greater carrying capacity. The " Servia's " dimensions are : Length, 533 feet ; breadth, 52 feet ; depth, 44 feet 9 inches ; gross tonnage, 8,500 tons. A better idea, perhaps, of the vast size of the vessel may be gathered from the following facts : Her cargo capacity is 6,500 tons, with 1,800 tons of coal and 1,000 tons of water ballast, the vessel having a double bottom, on the longitudinal bracket sys- tem. The anchor davits are 8 inches and the chain-cable pipe 22 inches in diameter. The propeller-shaft weighs 26 2 tons, and the propeller, boss, and blades are 38 tons in weight. The . machinery consists of 3 cylinder com- pound surface condensing engines, one cylinder being 72 inches and two 10ft inches in diameter, with a stroke of piston of 6 feet 6 inches. It is antici- pated that the indicated horse-power will amount to 10,500. There are in all 7 boilers, 6 of which are double- and one single-ended, and all are made of steel, with corrugated furnaces, the total number_ of furnaces being "39. Practically, the " Servia" is a five-decker, as she is built with four decks- and a promenade. The promenade, which is reserved for the passengers, is- very large and spacious. On the, fore part of it are the steam steering-gear and house, the captain's room, and flying bridge. On the upper deck for- ward is the forecastle, with accommodations for the crew, and lavatories- and bath-rooms for steerage passengers, while aft are the light-towers- 300 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. for signaling the admiralty lights, with the lookout bridge on the top. Near the midship-house are the captain's and officers' sleeping-cabins. Next to the engine skylight is the smoking-room, which can be entered from the deck or from the cabins below. It is unusually large for a smoking- room, being 30 feet long by 22 feet wide., Near the after-deck house is the ladies' drawing-room, to which access can be obtained either from the music- room or from the deck. Abaft of this, and in the upper end of the upper deck, is the music-room, which is 50 feet by 22 feet in dimensions, and which is fitted up in a handsome tnanner, with polished wood panelings. Imme- diately abaft of the music-room is the grand staircase leading to the main saloon and the cabins below ou the main and lower decks. At the foot of the stair leading to the saloon, and also in the cabins, the panelings are of Hungarian ash and maple wood. The saloon is very large, being 74 feet long by 49 feet wide, with sitting accommodation for 350 persons, while the clear height under the beams is 8 feet 6 inches. The sides are all in fancy wood, with beautifully polished inlaid panels. All the upholstery of the saloon is of morocco leather. Eight forward of the after-deck are the baths, lavatories, and state-rooms. The total number of state-rooms is 168, and the vessel has accommodation for 450 first-class and 600 steerage pas- sengers, besides a crew of 200 officers and men. For two-thirds of its entire length the lower deck is fitted up with first-class state-rooms. The ship is divided into nine water-tight bulkheads. There ^are in all twelve boats ^quipped as life-boats. The arrangement of the water-tight doors in the engine- and boiler-spaces is admirable, as in case of accident they can be shut from the upper deck in two seconds or so. The keel is built in five layers, having a total thickness of six and three-quarter inches. The upper deck, which is of steel, has a covering of yellow pine ; the main deck, which is also of steel, is covered with teak, and the lower deck, again of steel, is shielded with teak above the engine- and boiler-spaces. The deck-houses and deck-fittings, which in unusually heavy weather might otherwise be liable to be carried away, are made- of iron and steel, and are rivete'd to the decks underneath. The " Servia" is built with a double bottom, so that in the event of her running on the rocks and having a hole knocked in her hull, she would still be per- fectly safe as long as the inner skin remained intact. She has three masts of the special Cunard rig, and they carry a good spread of canvas to assist in propelling her. She is fitted with steam steering-gear, steam winches, ^ud a second steering-gear, independent of the steam apparatus. The latest scientific improvements have been adopted in all parts of the vessel ; steam is used for warming the cabins and saloons, and every passage has its own series of ventilators. On her trial trip she repeatedly attained a speed of 20 miles an hour. This is equivalent to about 18 knots. During the trial she carried 2,500 tons of dead weight aboard. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 301 In former days it was held that the ratio of indicated horse-power in the engines to the tons burden of the vessel should be as one to four. . In the " Great Eastern," with her propeller and paddle-wheels, the ratio was as one to fourteen. But in the " Servia" and other new boats the number of indi- cated horse-power is greater than the number of tons burden. The engines are exceedingly powerful, even when the size of the vessel is considered ; and hence the framework of the hull has to be made with great rigidity and with the utmost care. The increase in speed attained by these changes can only be demonstrated by experience; but it seems to be the opinion of many nautical men that, with such heavy engines, the jar given to the hull will make the " Servia" and vessels of her class less comfortable as passenger crafts than some of the older and smaller transatlantic steamers. In 1859, in recognition of the great service he had rendered to the United Kingdom, the Queen, upon the recommendation of Lord Palmerston, con- ferred a baronetcy upon Mr. Samuel Cunard. He was succeeded, on his death, both in his business and his title, by his son Edward, who continued his connection with the company up to the time of his decease, in 1869, when the title devolved upon the present baronet, Sir Bache Edward Cunard. Sir Bache, who is a great polo player and intimate of the Prince of Wales, was born in 1851, and has not been connected with the undertaking origin- ated by his distinguished grandfather. The only member of the Cunard family now associated with the Cunard steamship enterprise is Mr. William Cunard, the second son of Sir Samuel, and uncle of the present baronet. Mr. David Maclver died a few years after the formation of the line. Sir Samuel and his son, Sir Edward, died later. George and James Burns re- tired from business in favor of two sons of the former, John and James Cleland. Until the year 1868 the management of the Cunard Company was carried on, as it were, in three divisions. There were the Messrs. Maclver at Liver- pool, the Messrs. Burns at Glasgow, and the Messrs. Cunard in America. Together they constituted the Cunard Company, but they conducted the business as three distinct undertakings. In 1863 a fresh deed of partner- ship was executed, by which Messrs. Cunard, Burns and Maclver became the sole partners, as well as joint managers. This arrangement continued in force until May, 1878, when the concern was merged into a limited lia- bility company, with a capital of $2,000,000. Of this $1,200,000 was taken by Messrs. Cunard, Burns and Maclver as part payment for the property and business which they transferred to the new company. No shares were offered to the public. By a rule of the London Stock Exchange, however, two-thirds of the capital of any undertaking quoted in their official list must be allotted to the public. To meet this requirement, Messrs. Cunard, Burns and Maclver consented to relinquish 533,340 of their capital for the benefit of the public. This was done in March, 1880, and the demand for shares thrown open was enormously in excess of what was available. 302 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. Mr. William Cunard, one of the managing directors of the company in 1881, is the second son of Sir Samuel, who founded the company, and was created a baronet by the Queen for his enterprise in transatlantic steam navigation. For many years the Cunard Company received a subsidy of 176,340 per annum under its mail contracts, but for some years past the only compensation the line has received for carrying the mails has been one- third of the actual postage paid. The steamships of the company are, how- -ever, as formerly, inspected on the day before sailing from England by officers of the Board of Trade. When first established they carried an officer of the Koyal Navy as mail agent, but that practice has been dis- continued. It is remarkable to note the extraordinary progress achieved since the " Britannia" made her first voyage in 1840. Measuring 1,139 tons, she had capacity for but 225 tons of cargo, whereas the " Bothnia," of 4,335 tons, built in 4874, takes 3,000 tons of cargo, or nearly fourteen times as much, though only four times larger. The " Britannia" carried' 90 passengers, whereas the " Bothnia" can carry 349, or close upon four times as many. The former steamed 8J knots, the latter steams 13 knots an hour, or more than half as quick again, with less than half the coal per indicated horse- power per hour, and at about the same quantity of fuel for the actual num- ber of miles run. The " Persia," the finest vessel afloat in her day, took six tons of coal to carry a ton of freight across the Atlantic. The " Arizona," double the size of the " Persia," takes only a fifth of a ton. The "Cephalonia" was launched in the Mersey May, 1882, and is the largest steamer ever built on that river. Her dimensions are as follows : Length on upper deck, 440 feet ; length between perpendiculars, 430 feet ; beam, 46 feet ; depth in hold, 34 feet 6 inches ; tonnage, B. M., 4,350 tons ; gross reg- ister, about 5,600 tons. The " Cephalonia" is constructed of iron, and is fitted to carry upward of one hundred first-class passengers, and 1,500 steer- age. She has four decks, three of which are of iron, covered with wood- planking. Her rig is that of a barque. The masts are of steel, the fore and main being in one piece up to the top-mast head, and mizzen in one piece its whole length. The engines are 2,500 horse-power, and have two cylinders, the ' high pressure one being 52 inches diameter, and the low pressure 93 inches diameter, with a stroke piston of 5 feet 6 inches. The propeller is four-flanged, and of the best steel. The boilers are six in number. The appliances for discharging cargo include five very powerful steam winches. The capstans and the steering apparatus are also worked by steam. The " Cephalonia" has several unique features, distinguishing her from other large ocean steamers. One is that of Sir George Thompson's sounding machinery, by which soundings can be made to a depth of 60 fathoms while the vessel is going at the rate of 15 miles an hour. She has also appli- ances for steering, both by steam and by hand, there being two for the former and three for the latter. She carries six officers, eight engineers, and HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. 303 two electricians. The " Cephalonia" excels in the completeness of the elec- tric light system, which, in some respects, is in advance of anything yet used on the Atlantic. There are 340 of the Swan incandescent lamps on board, ready for use in the day as well as night. They are so contrived that the light falls within the chimney of a regular oil lamp, which can be used in case of accident to the former. A pair of powerful engines and one of Dr. Sieman's electric machines are steadily employed under the management of an electrician for the production of the light. She left Liverpool on her first trip August 24, 1882, at 3 P.M., and arrived at Boston, September 4th, bringing 141 cabin and 406 steerage passengers. No fair wind was had during the whole trip, and in consequence the "Cepha-" Ionia" was not able to utilize her square sails, but with the exceptions of one or two stoppages to attend to the requirements of the machinery, no de- lay was encountered. The speed attained during the trip was fourteen knots. The new Cunard steamship " Pavonia," Captain McKay, arrived at Bos- ton, October 30, 1882, from Liverpool. The " Pavonia" is a sister ship to the " Cephalonia." Her length is 430 feet, breadth 46 feet, and depth 47 feet. There are accommodations for over 200 cabin and 1,000 steerage passengers. The saloon extends across the vessel, and the smoking-room is situated on the promenade deck. The ladies' cabin, which is a marvel of beauty, is situated on the main deck. The vessel has eleven water-tight compartments, with three. solid iron decks. A special feature in the con- struction of this steamer is the strength and number of her transverse water- tight bulkheads, the eleven compartments being divided into smaller ones. Besides the steam steering-gear, which is located aft, but is worked from the bridge, there is a powerful screw-gear and an arrangement for working the vessel with ropes in the event of any accident^ The forecastle, which is 92 feet long, contains storage room for the passengers and accommodation for the seamen. Back of the forecastle, in the after deck, there is a pleasant promenade to the turtle back, the deck being clear on both sides. The first- class state-rooms are on the main deck, and their average size is about 11x6 feet. Each state-room is provided with an electric light, which can be regulated by the occupant. The engines are of the two-cylinder, inverted, vertical type, being 53 and 92 inches in diameter, and having 5 feet 6 inches stroke. The "Pavonia" was built by Messrs. J. & G. Thomson, of Glasgow, and is intended to go at the rate of 14 knots per hour at sea. The " Gallia's" model received a first-prize gold medal at the Paris Ex- hibition. She was barque-rigged, and built after the general design of the " Scythia" and " Bothnia," but she is longer and wider than either. Her length is 450 feet over all, her moulded width 44 feet, and her depth of hold 36 feet, with a measurement capacity of 4,809 tons. Her machinery includes the latest improvements. She has three compound direct-acting cylinder engines, two of them being 84 inches in diameter, and the third 304 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 61 inches; the piston-stroke being 60 inches, affording a nominal force of 700 horse-power, which, however, can be increased, should necessity demand, to over 3,000 horse-power. She has state-room accommodations for 480 first-class passengers, and has equally large accommodation for steerage passengers. The cabin fittings and arrangements, and the state-rooms, are unusually fine. The principal dining-saloon is on the spar deck, and is lighted by a series of top and side lights. It is floored with oak parquetry of Belgian manufacture, and the walls are inlaid with Japanese paneling upon a ground of red jasper, with gold tracery. There are sideboards and mirrors, a piano, and a large library. The second dining-saloon (on the 'main deck) is furnished with taste, and both have revolving sofa chairs at the tables. On the upper deck there is a " ladies' boudoir," and a " ladies' cabin" on the spar deck, the latter being paneled with Brazilian onyx, and richly upholstered in blue. A commodious and beautifully-fitted smoking- room for gentlemen is on the main deck. The state-rooms and berths are large, well ventilated, and fitted with many improvements, including station- ary wash-basins and steam-heaters of new pattern. They all communicate by means of pneumatic bells in the steward's department. The vessel carries a crew of one hundred and thirty men With a history extending over forty busy years, with a fleet that has com- prised from the beginning one hundred and twenty-six large steamers, with a constant floating population of many thousands to protect, and with all the dangers of wind and wave to battle against, it might naturally be sup- posed that the Cunard Company would have a long list of disastrous acci- dents, shipwrecks, and losses to recount ; but it is the boast of the pro- prietors of the Cunard Line that from 1840 down to the present time not one of their passengers has lost his life by accident in any of the thousands of voyages that have been made across the Atlantic in their ships, and the few accidents which have happened to the machinery or otherwise have only resulted in temporary delays, without endangering the safety of the passengers. Many things have combined to secure to the Cunard ships this astonishing immunity from disaster. In the first place, the company have always insisted on having their vessels built of the best possible materials ; they have enjoined the most thorough workmanship ; they have kept their vessels under such careful supervision as to insure the discovery of the slightest defect in strength or seaworthiness, and they have never allowed a steamer to start on a voyage unless they have been satisfied of its being com- plete, perfect, and efficient. . In the next place, they have chalked out sepa- rate routes for outward bound and homeward bound steamers, somewhat apart from the direct course; and although by adopting this plan they may have lengthened their voyages by a few hours, this has been more than atoned for by the increased sense of security which has been induced. The care and skill exercised by the navigation of the Cunard Line of steamers have been am- ply rewarded by the prosperity and success which have attended them. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. . 305 From the year 1840 down to the present time (November, 1882), the com- pany have built 126 steamers, and their entire fleet now comprises 31 steam- ships, having an aggregate tonnage of 87,604 tons, and 55,445 effective horse- power. The company employ, one way and another, from 10,000 to 12,000 men. Upward of 1,500 are constantly engaged in the work of loading and unloading, and nearly that number in fitting and repairing vessels. They have always from 7,000 to 8,000 sailors employed, and these men may be regarded as among the finest men to be found in the whole merchant service. 1840. THE PENINSULAR AND ORIENTAL STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY. The career of this company, the first to undertake to convey the mails overland to the East, is interesting. During the earlier part of its career, by agreeing to carry the Peninsular mails for a sum considerably less than the Admiralty packets, with a speed and regularity hitherto unknown, it conferred an undoubted boon upon the public. In 1815 Mr. Brodie McGhee AVilcox, a young man without influence and but limited pecuniary means, commenced business in London as a ship broker and commission merchant. He soon after engaged a youth from the Orkney Islands, Arthur Anderson, as his clerk, who became his partner in 1825, under the title of Wilcox & Anderson. In 1834 the Dublin and Lon- don Steam Packet Company chartered the steamer " Royal Tar " to Dom Pedro through the agency of the firm. Soon afterwards the Spanish min- ister in London induced Messrs. Bourne, of Dublin, to put on a line of steamers between London and the Peninsula, for which Wilcox & Anderson were appointed agents. A small company was formed to carry out this undertaking. Previously to September, 1837, the Peninsular mails were conveyed by sailing-packets, which left Falmouth, England, for Lisbon every week, " wind and weather permitting." The Peninsular Company of Steam- packets, some little time established, on the 29th of August, 1837, con- tracted to convey the Peninsular mails for 29,600 per annum, subsequently reduced to 20,500 per annum. This .service may be considered the nucleus of the great company which now conveys the mails to all parts of the Eastern world. The " Iberia," the first steamer dispatched with the Penin- sular mails, sailed in September, 1837. The mails were conveyed to and from India up to September, 1840, by steamers plying monthly between Bombay and Suez, and thence by British government steamers from Alexandria to Gibraltar, where they received the mails brought out by the Peninsular Company from England. In 1839 the British government entered into a convention with the French government for sending letters to and from India through France by way of Marseilles. The irregularities that ensued caused the British government to apply to the managers of the Peninsular Company to run a line of superior steamers direct from England to Alexandria, and vice versa, touching only at Gibraltar and Malta. The vessels approved by the Admiralty were the " Oriental," of 1,600 tons and 450 horse-power, and the " Great Liverpool," 20 306 . HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. of 1,540 tons and 464 horse-power, which was originally intended for the transatlantic service. These were now dispatched with the mails from England to Alexandria, Egypt, thus combining the two mail services and constituting the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Compan} r . In 1842 the East India Company contracted with the Peninsular Company to establish a line of steamers between Calcutta and Suez, and September 24, 1842, its new ship, " Hindoostau," of 1,800 tons and 520 horse-power, was sent from Southampton to open a line between Calcutta, Madras, Ceylon, and Suez. The government went into another contract with the company for a monthly service from Ceylon to Penang, Singapore, and Hong Kong, and in 1854 the company undertook another line between Bombay and Suez. They next extended a line between India and the Australian colo- nies. All these lines were heavily subsidized. The urgent requirements of government for conveying troops to the Black Sea and the Baltic on the outbreak of the Crimean war obliged the company, towards the close of 1854, to discontinue the line to Australia and to reduce the Bombay and' China service from a fortnightly to a monthly line. During the Crimean war this company had eleven of their steamers, measuring 18,000 tons, in the transport service, which conveyed during the continuance of hostilities 1,800 officers, 60,000 men, and 15,000 horses. The " Himalaya," the largest vessel of the line at this time, was 340 feet in length, 44i feet width of beam, and her engines were 2,050 indicated horse-power. She was 3,540 tons, old measurement, and cost 132,000 when complete for sea, Thus, step by step, the company advanced, until we learn from its annual report ending September 30, 1874, its paid-up capital at that time amounted to 2,700,000 and 800,000 debenture stock, and that it was the intention during the year to increase it up to 4,300,000, of which 600,000 would re- main unpaid. Of this capital, 3,757,000 consisted of stock in ships; 221,- 000 of freehold and leasehold property and docks and premises in England, Calcutta, Bombay, Singapore, Hong Kong, and other stations ; and 413,000 in coal and naval victualing stores. Its fleet at the same time consisted of 50 sea-going steamers, measuring 122,000 tons, and of 22,000 horse-power, thirty-four being employed in the Mediterranean, Adriatic, India, and China services ; four in the Australian service between Ceylon, Melbourne, and Sydney ; five in the China and Japan local services ; two used as cargo ves- sels ; five undergoing repairs and in reserve. The company also possesses twelve steam-tugs and three cargo- and coal-hulks, and gave permanent em- ployment to 12,600 persons, exclusive of coal laborers and coolies on shore; about 90,000 tons of coal are usually kept constantly in stock at its coaling- stations. This was a navy which many governments might' be proud to own . The iron screw steamship " Khedive," of this line, built in 1873, is of the following dimensions : Length, 380 feet; breadth, 42 feet ; depth, 36 feet. Her builders' measurement is 3,329 tons ; her gross register, 3,742 tons ; and her net register, 2,092 tons. She is fitted to accommodate with the space HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 307 and style now required for Eastern travel 164 first-class and 53 second-class passengers. Has store-rooms to hold 380 tons ; rooms for mails and baggage, to contain 142 tons ; bunkers to hold 846 tons of coal ; and holds which can receive 2,003 tons of cargo, of 50 feet to the ton. The contract price for the ship fitted complete for sea was 110,000. Her engines are compound, vertical, direct-acting, of 600 nominal horse-power, with 4 feet 6 inches length of stroke. The diameter of her cylinders, 69 and 96 inches res- pectively ; and of her four-bladed screw, 17 feet 6 inches ; its pitch being 22 feet 6 inches and 24 feet. She has 4 boilers and 16 furnaces. The fire-bar surface is 320 square feet, and the heating and condensing surface 11,720 and 6,059 square feet respectively. The loaded pressure is 55 pounds on her boilers. We have nothing in ancient times to compare with this model modern steamship, with her long, low hull, unless it be the rowing-galley, and to propel a vessel of the size and weight of the " Khedive " at the rate of four miles an hour through the smoothest water would require at least two thou- sand rowers, while the average speed of the " Khedive" on a voyage from Alexandria to Southampton, a distance of 2,982 miles, was ten knots, and on the return voyage 11 knots or nautical miles per hour. A new contract has been made with the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company for the conveyance of the mails to India and China, for a period of eight years from the 1st of February, 1880, at the reduced subsidy of 370,000, being 60,000 per annum less than the sum paid under the then expiring contract. This payment may be further reduced at the option of the post-office authorities by 10,000 per annum, in consideration of the penalties not being made absolute. In this case, also, simultaneously* with a reduction of cost, an increase of speed has been secured. The com- pany is liable to a penalty of 100 for every twelve hours in excess of the contract time between Brindisi and Bombay on its outward voyages, and of 200 for every twelve hours in such excess on its homeward voyages. In the service to and from the Cape of Good Hope, the two contracting companies, when their voyages go beyond three days in excess of the time allowed by their contracts (heavy penalties being incurred for one or more of these three days), are liable to a penalty of 6 5s an hour for each com- plete hour in addition consumed on the voyage out or home. 1840. THE PACIFIC STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY. The Pacific Steam Navigation Company sends out its ships from London eastward to Mel- bourne, westward to Valparaiso, and does a large coasting business on the west coast of South America. Its ships run to Australia under the name of the Orient Line, and are splendid specimens of steamers. To this line be- long the " Orient," 5,386 tons, and the lately finished steamer " Austral,"* * A telegram from Sydney states that the belief which was first entertained that the foun- dering of the Orient steamer "Austral," Nov., 1882, entailed no loss of life proves to have been 308 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. whose tonnage is 5,588 tons gross. The Orient steamers go to Australia both via the Cape of Good Hope and via the Canal. The first steamer on the Pacific coast was a small craft named the " Telica," commanded and owned by a Spaniard named Mitrovitch, but his career and that of his vessel was a short and melancholy one. In a fit of despair at his- want of success he fired his pistol into a barrel of gunpowder, blowing up his vessel in the harbor of Guayaquil, and destroying himself and all on board except one man. This lamentable occurrence retarded the intro- duction of steam on the Pacific coast. But Mr. William Wheelright, a native of Newburyport, Massachusetts, then United States Consul at Guaya- quil, saw the great advantages of steam communication along the coast and between the several South American republics, and spent six of the best years of his life in arranging for such communication. Failing to obtain the needed aid and encouragement for his plans in the United States, he proceeded to England, and on the 17th of February, 1840, just about the time that transatlantic steam navigation was an assured success, he obtained,, "under letters patent," a charter for the establishment of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company, with a small subsidy for the conveyance of the British mails. The capital of the company was at first limited to two hundred and fifty thousand pounds, in five thousand shares of fifty pounds each. The whole capital was subscribed for, but only an amount was called up sufficient at the time to enable the directors to provide two boats, the " Chili " and " Peru," which were dispatched to commence operations towards the close of 1840. These vessels were wooden paddle-wheel steamers, sister-ships of about seven hundred tons gross register, though with a capacity of not half that tonnage, with engines of about one hundred and fiAy horse-power, their extreme length being one hundred and ninety-eight feet and extreme breadth fifty feet.* They were at that time considered fine vessels, and on their arrival at Valparaiso they were received with great rejoicings and with sal- vos of artillery, everybody wishing to visit them, "the President of the Republic, accompanied by his ministers, being among the first to welcome the steamships to the shores of the Pacific." The company in its early days had many difficulties to overcome, the scarcity of fuel being one of the greatest, and during the first five years sustained a loss of no less than seventy-two thousand pounds upon a paid- up capital of ninety-four thousand pounds. In face of this heavy loss the shareholders resolved to persevere, and in December, 1847, the directors mistaken. The purser and four of the crew were drowned. Further telegrams received at Lloyd's state that the Austral, while coaling, keeled over and sank at her moorings. She had 1, 500 tons of coal on board and a cargo of only 200 tons of iron. The Penny Illus. Paper y November 18, 1882. * Lindsay's Merchant Shipping, vol. iv.,has an illustration of the pioneer steamer "Peru." HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 309 were enabled to give to the shareholders for the first time a dividend, though only two and one-half per cent., on their paid-up capital. In 1850, four new steamers, viz., the " Lima," " Santiago," " Quito," and " Bogota," of one thousand tons and two hundred horse-power each, in pur- suance with a contract with the Admiralty, and costing one hundred and forty thousand pounds, were added to the line, to be employed in a bi-monthly service between Valparaiso and Panama. From 1860 the trade of the Pacific rapidly developed. Steam here, as elsewhere, opened up new and hitherto unthought-of branches of commerce, and from that date the progress of the company has been of unexampled success. In 1865 the chartered powers of the company were extended to the estab- lishment of lines " between the west coast of South America and the river Plata, including the Falkland Islands and such other ports or places in North and South America and other foreign ports as the said company shall deem expedient." The directors by degrees applied the compound engine after 1856 to all their steamships, and it is worthy of record that they were not only among the first, if not the first, to adopt the compound engine for ocean-going steamers, but were almost singular in this respect for upwards of fourteen years. During these years the profits of the undertaking had been steadily in- creasing, and at a special meeting of the shareholders, held December, 1867, it was determined to add to the operations of the company a monthly line from Liverpool to the west coast of South America ma the Straits of Magellan. This entirely new and important though hazardous branch of the service necessitated an increase of the capital of the company to two million pounds. In furtherance of their views the " Pacific," of two thousand tons register and four hundred and fifty horse-power, was sent from Valparaiso in May, 1868, as the pioneer of the new mail line. The project was successful, and in 1869 the profits of the four new steamers, which had made nine voyages from Liverpool to Valparaiso, were so satisfactory that in 1870 it was determined to extend the voyage from Valparaiso to Callao. Seventeen voyages made in the course of that year with still greater success induced the directors to recommend that the de- partures thenceforward should be three a month ; and in December, 1871, the capital was authorized to be increased to three million pounds, so that the company might be enabled to dispatch every week one of their steamers on this distant voyage. In July, 1872, the capital was increased to four million pounds. In 1877, when in command of the United States squadron in the South Pacific, I wrote a letter to the Navy Department, in which I gave the fol- lowing information in regard to the then condition of this line : " I forward herewith an advertisement exhibiting the names and tonnage 310 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. of the forty-eight vessels* which now compose the steam fleet of the Eng- lish ' Pacific Steam Navigation Company ' on this coast. A few of these vessels have paddle-wheels, but nearly all are iron screw-steamers of power, speed, and good model. Relieved of their light passenger decks and armed, they would in the event of war prove an efficient and formidable auxiliary to the British naval force in these seas as cruisers and 'commerce des- troyers.' The schedule and average speed of the coasting steamers of this company, ten knots, is considered their economical rate of steaming. " The eighteen steamers of the ' Straits ' Line are barque-rigged, have an average tonnage greater than the five ' first-rates ' of our navy, are superior to them in speed, are capable of being as heavily armed. In addition to a profitable freight, they carry coal for forty days, steaming at the rate of eleven knots per hour under all conditions of wind and weather, the latter a good desideratum for a country, like the United States, having no colonies, and its ships dependent upon home ports for a supply of coal, which are now classed as ' contraband of war.' " The following memorandum of the performance of the ' Aconcagua/ one of the steamships of the Straits Line, I took from her abstract log by permission of her commander: "The Pacific Steam Navigation Company's steamship 'Aconcagua,' 4,106 tons, left Liverpool June 13, 1877, at 8 P.M., and arrived at Callao, Peru, August 9, 1877, at 7 A.M., stopping in the voyage at Fauillac, Lisbon, St. Vincent, Rio Janeiro, Montevideo, Sandy Point, Valparaiso, Arica, and Mollendo, the time occupied on the voyage being 56 days, 5 hours, 50 min- utes ; the actual steaming time, 40 days, 11 hours, 35 minutes. The distance run was 11,033 nautical miles. Coal consumed, 1,900 tons. She also ex- pended 656 gallons of oil, 132 pounds of tallow, and 74 pounds of waste. She received on board at Liverpool 1,746 tons of coal, and at St. Vincent, 750 tons. " The following was her expenditure of coal between the several ports stopped at: Liverpool to Pauillac, . . 139 tons. , Sandy Point to Valparaiso, . . 295 tons- Pauillac to Lisbon, . . . 148 " , Valparaiso to Arica, . . . 147 " Lisbon to St. Vincent, . . 256 " : Arica to Mollendo, . . 22 " St. Vincent to Rio Janeiro, . 461 " Mollendo to Callao, . . 66 " Rio Janeiro to Montevideo, . 155 " Montevideo to Sandy Point . 211 " Total, . . . .1,900 "The average of her voyage, speed, 11.36 knots; revolutions, 50.75 per minute ; pressure, 63 ; coal, 46.91 tons per day. The least average speed made in any twenty-four hours during the voyage was 9.6 knots. "On her previous voyage the 'Aconcagua' touched at one less port, ran * Mr. Lindsay, in his Merchant Shipping, says the company owned in 1876 fifty-four steamships, aggregating 119,870 tons and 20,395 horse-power. HISTOR Y OF STEAM XA VIGA TIOX. 311 11,003 nautical miles, and consumed 1,776 tons of coal. The 'Aconcagua' has but one smoke-stack, others of the line have two. The Straits steamers with steam- cutters, and all the ships of the company are furnished with steam-capstans." Two of the ships of this company, viz., the " Iberia" and " Liguria," built in 1873, are each 4,671 tons gross register, with a capacity of 4,000 tons of cargo, space for 916 tons of coal additional, and accommodation for 800 third-class passengers. On their trial trips these steamers attained a speed of 15 knots per hour. Their length is 425 feet between perpendiculars,, and 449 feet over all. Their breadth is 44J feet; depth of hold, 35 feet. .The engines, which are compound, have each three cylinders, one of 4 feet 8 inches diameter, and two of 6 feet 6 inches diameter, with 5 feat length of stroke. When we consider that the tonnage of the navy of the United States in 1881, distributed in 22 sailing-vessels, 83 screw-steamers, 26 iron-clads, and 7 side-wheel steamers, in all 138 vessels of every class and type, amounts to only 143,338 tons, it may be profitable to compare it with the 120,000 tons of this private company, invested in steam-vessels combining the latest im- provements in machinery for economy and speed. The services of the steamers of this company on the west coast of South America have of late been subjected to the depressing influences of the war between Chili and Peru, but the steam trade of the Pacific has steadily and marvelously increased since first opened out by the energy of our country- man, Wheelright. The people of Chili, sensible of their indebtedness, have erected a bronze statue to his honor in one \>f the principal plazas of Valparaiso. The commanders, officers, and engineers of this company are all Britons. The company owns an island in the Bay of Panama, where they have a grid- iron for hauling up their vessels for cleaning or repair. They have also erected shops at Callao, Peru, fitted with the requisite apparatus, imple- ments, and took, and maintain there a staff of well-trained workmen. Connected with the establishments at Callao, Panama, and Valparaiso, the company contributes liberally to the support of schools, and for the maintenance of clergymen of the Established Church ; and it is also inter- ested in the iron floating-docks at Valparaiso and Callao. The splendid, we may say, stupendous results of this company are the outgrowth of the project of William Wheelright, a native of Newburyport, Mass., who, after pre?enting his plans to the capitalists of New York, and their being rejected by them, presented them in Liverpool, where they met with better success. Thus through the far-seeing of our English brethren the sceptre of the commerce of the Pacific has passed into their hands, and it will require on our part, notwithstanding the predilection our South American cousins have for us, a long pull, a strong pull, and a pull altogether before we can regain it or any portion of it. 312 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. The "Austral," built oil the Clyde by Elder & Co., is 474 feet long over &11, has a breadth of beam of 48 feet 3 inches, and her moulded depth is 37 feet. Her displacement on the load line is about 9,500 tons. She is 10 feet longer, 2 feet broader, and 2 inches deeper than the " Orient," but as her lines are finer, her tonnage will not much exceed that of the " Orient." She is built throughout of Mild steel, and has 3 steel decks. Between the inner skin and the double bottom she is divided into 19 water-tight compartments. The hull proper is divided by 13 water-tight bulkheads, 10 of which are carried up to the main deck. Above the main deck the ship is divided into 7 fire-proof compartments, and there is ample arrangements for flooding any of the compartments or for extracting water from them, the pumps having a capacity for throwing 2,928 tons of water per hour. She has four masts, two of which are square rigged. The cabins are all placed within the area of the ship, \vith a gangway four feet wide, running along the vessel outside the state-rooms and at frequent intervals across the ship. This permits each state-room to have windows instead of air-ports, and the air-port in the side of the ship maybe kept open even' in rough weather without any fear of the water entering the cabin. This arrangement of the cabins and state rooms coincides exactly with one proposed by R. B. Forbes, Esq., of Boston, in a pamphlet published by him in 186.6. It seems an arrangement that must be universally adopted, as it not only allows the passenger to obtain an abundant supply of fresh air, but prevents his inhaling the foul air which comes up from the hold through the skin of the ship into his state-room when the state-room is built against the sides. The " Austral" belongs to what is known as the Orient Line of this com- pany, and, as well as the "Orient," is specially designed for the importation of frozen meats from Australia. She is fitted with refrigerating machinery of the capacity of about seven hundred tons, the largest refrigerator room fitted on any ship. At the trials at sea of the machinery it produced a continuous stream of cold, dry air for the meat chamber, the temperature of the air flowing from the machine being 85 Fahrenheit below zero, and the large chamber kept steadily at zero, or 32 below the freezing point. As the weight of an Australian sheep is about eighty pounds, this enor- mous freezing machine will keep twenty thousand sheep frozen in a per- fectly fresh state for any length of time necessary before shipment. The public rooms, engine-room, pantries and passageways are lighted by the electric light fitted up by Messrs. Siemens with nine arc lamps and one hun- dred and seventy Swan lamps. THE ROYAL WEST INDIA MAIL STEAM PACKET COMPANY. 1841. Soon after the Atlantic Ocean began to be regularly navigated by steam-vessels, the importance of a rapid and more frequent means of intercommunication with the West Indies led to the formation of this company, which contracted with the Board of Admiralty in March, 1841, for the conveyance of the mails between England, the West Indies, *aud the Gulf of Mexico. It com- HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 313 menced operations on a much more comprehensive and grander scale than either the Cunard Company or Peninsular and Oriental. Fourteen large steamships were at once ordered to be built for the service ; they were to be of such strength as would enable them to carry guns of the largest calibre then in use on board Her Majesty's war steamers, with engines of not less than four hundred cohesive horse-power. The contract required one of these vessels to be ready to take the mails on board twice in each calendar month, and to proceed via Corunna and Madeira to the island of Barbadoes, and after staying not more than six hours, thence via St. Vincent to the island of Grenada, where the stoppage was limited to twelve hours ; thence in succession to Santa Cruz and St. Thomas, Tricola Mole, in Hayti, Santiago de Cuba, and Port Royal, in Jamaica. After a stay of not exceeding twenty- four hours at Port Royal, the steamer was to proceed to Savana la Mar, and thence to Havana ; returning, she was to call at Savana la Mar, Port Royal, Santiago de Cuba, Tricola Mole, and Samana, in Hayti, delivering mails at each place, " care being taken that the said steam-vessel shall always arrive at Samaua aforesaid (after performing the said voyage from Barbadoes under ordinary circumstances of wind and weather) on the twenty-second day after the arrival from England of the mails at Barbadoes ;" and after delivering and receiving the mails at Samana, " the steam-vessel shall make the best of her way back from Samana to such port in the British Channel as the said Commissioners of the Admiralty shall from time to time direct." In consideration of this service the company was to receive at the rate of two hundred and forty thousand pounds per annum in quarterly payments. Notwithstanding this large subsidy, the close of the first year's operations showed a loss of seventy-nine thousand seven hundred and ninety pounds, sixteen shillings, ei^ht pence to the company. By the original arrangements the annual mileage traversed would have been six hundred and eighty-four thousand eight hundred and sixteen miles. Government, however, in answer to the company's appeal, reduced the dis- tance to be performed to three hundred and ninety-two thousand nine hun- dred and seventy-six miles, without reducing the subsidy. Though these liberal concessions had been made, they were more than counterbalanced by the loss of two valuable ships during the second year. Yet the trade in- creased so rapidly as to leave in 1843 a surplus of receipts over expenditures of ninety-four thousand two hundred and ten pounds, and in 1844 of one hundred and forty-seven thousand seven hundred and forty-nine pounds. From this time the prospects of the Company have steadily improved. In 1850 the mail contract was renewed for ten years from -1st January, 1852, the annual subsidy being increased to two hundred and seventy thousand pounds, the company agreeing to a monthly service to Brazil, and an in- crease of the mileage to five hundred and forty-seven thousand two hundred and ninety-six mile^. The company was also required to increase the speed of the West Indian line from eight knots to ten knots per hour, and to add 314 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. to their fleet five new steamers of two thousand two hundred and fifty tons and eight hundred horse-power each. In 1864 a third contract was entered into whereby the annual subsidy was reduced to one hundred and seventy- two thousand nine hundred and fourteen pounds, and the speed increased to ten and a half knots per hour in the West India Transatlantic service. In 1866 it was agreed each alternate fortnightly packet should proceed from St. Thomas direct to Colon (Aspinwall), instead of first touching at Jamaica, thus shortening the route between England and Panama. In 1874 the annual subsidy for the conveyance of the West India mails was reduced to eighty-four thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds, not much more than one-third per cent, of what the company originally re- ceived. In 1875 a contract was entered into with Her Majesty's government to carry on the Brazilian and River Plata mail service for a payment accord- ing to the weight of letters, etc., conveyed. The early ships of this line were the finest class of paddle-wheel ste'amers built of wood then afloat, or that had been sent to sea either for naval or mercantile purposes. Thus the "Forth," one of the original fleet, was some- where about nineteen hundred tons gross or builder's measurement, eleven hundred and forty-seven tons register, and four hundred and fifty nominal horse-power. She was built at Leith in 1841. As government reserved the right of purchasing any of these ships at a valuation, she was, like the others, constructed in accordance with a specification from the Admiralty, under the survey and immediate control of officers appointed for the pur- pose. Ill luck, however, attended the early days of the company, for though the course of the vessels was a comparatively safe one, they lost six of their ships in the first eight years. The " Isis" sunk off Bermuda, October 8, 1842, having previously struck on a reef. The " Galway " was lost April 15, 1843, twenty miles west of Corunna, when her captain, surgeon, various passengers, and a portion of her crew, consisting in all of sixty persons, perished. The "Medina" was wrecked on a coral reef near Turk's Island, May 12, 1844. The "Tweed," of 1,800 tons and 450 horse-power, was lost February 12, 1847, on the Alicraues, a reef off the coast of Yucatan, by which accident seventy-two of the one hundred and fifty-one persons which composed her crew and passengers were drowned. February 1, 1849, the " Forth" was lost on the same rocks which had caused the destruction of the " Tweed," while the following year the " Actseon" was wrecked while rounding the point near Carthagena. Some of these disasters no doubt arose from the intricate character of the navigation among the West India islands, and others, as it was alleged, " by those sudden changes of weather hurricanes, squalls, ' northers,' etc. with which the West India Islands, Spanish Main, and Gulf of Mexico are so frequently visited." But as the company has met with much fewer disasters of late years, incompetency probably had something to do with these almost periodical losses. In November, 1852, HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. , 315 the " Demerara," which had been launched the preceding September from the banks of the Severn, was stranded across the river, and so injured that she had to be broken up, and her engines utilized on the " Atrato," an iron paddle-wheel steamer. The "Demerara" was, at the time of her launch,* the largest steamship save the "Great Britain" afloat. She was 316 feet long over all, 282 feet between the perpendiculars, and 276 feet keel, and was 2,318 tons by the old, and upwards of 3,000 tons by the new measure- ment. The "Atrato" was launched by Messrs. Caird & Co. from their yard at Cartsdyke, in May, 1853. Early in 1852 the "Demerara," built on the Severn, was stranded across the river soon after her launch, as stated above, and so much injured that she had to be broken up. For this ship Messrs. Caird & Co. had the engines ready, and the Directors immediately gave orders to construct an iron vessel to be fitted with them. That ship was the " Atrato." To suit the machinery it was requisite to maintain the same width as the "Demerara" had been, but the length was considerably in- creased. The " Great Britain " was of about thirty tons greater capacity, but the " Atrato " was longer by forty feet. Her dimensions were : Length over all, .......... 350 feet. Length of keel and forerake, . . . . . . . 315 " Extreme breadth, including wings . . . . . 72 " Breadth of beam, . . . . . . . . 42 " Depth of hold, ........... 34 " The dimensions of the great war-steamer " Duke of Wellington," three- * The launch of the " Demerara" took place at Bristol. The morning being a fine one, large numbers oi persons assembled to witness the floating out ; and the vessels in the float- ing harbor were dressed gaily. Owing, however, to delays, and the water having fallen some eighteen inches or two feet, the spectators were doomed to disappointment, as she could not be got out until the evening's tide, when she floated gracefully upon the water, having been christened by the wife of Lieutenant Hast, R. N., Commodore of the West India squad- ron, and future commander of the " Demerara." With the exception of the " Great Britain," the " Demerara" was the largest steamship afloat. Her length of keel was 276 feet; length between the perpendiculars, 282 feet; length over all, 316 feet, or 6 feet shorter than the " Great Britain." Her breadth of beam was 41 feet, and the extreme width, from the outside of the paddle-boxes, 75^ feet; depth to the main deck, 26 feet 8 inches; depth of spar deck, 7 feet. Tonnage by old measurement, 2,318 tons; by new measurement, upwards of 3,000 tons. She was built of sound British oak, teak, and pine, is diagonally trussed with iron, has copper fastenings throughout to the 21 feet mark, and iron fastenings above that. She was propelled by two engines made by Messrs. Caird & Co., of Greenock, which were constructed on the side-lever principle, of the combined power of 750 horses, or 24,500,000- pounds, 96-inch cylinders, and 9 feet stroke, and they were attached to a pair of Morgan's patent feathering float-paddles. An elegant dejeuner was afterwards given at the White Lion Hotel, at which between forty and fifty gentlemen sat down. 316 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. decker, the largest ship then belonging to the Royal Navy, may be stated, by way of comparison : Extreme length, .......... 278 feet. Length of keel and forerake, ....... 240 " Breadth, ...... ..... 59 " Depth, . . ' . . ....... The "Puke " was thus less than the " Atrato" by about seventy feet in length and ten feet in depth ; the width of the latter being, from the cause we have mentioned, less by seventeen feet. The height of the " Atrato" from the keel to top of bulwark-rail was forty-three feet. Her bow was sur- mounted by a spirited representation of an Indian deity, the work of Mr. Peter Christie, of Greenock. The " Atrato " had four decks, seven and eight feet respectively in height. The spar-deck was flush from stem to stern, affording a promenade the length and breadth of a good street, three hundred and thirty.feet by thirty- eight. She had two funnels and three masts. The standing rigging was light and graceful, being formed of galvanized iron. The masts were fitted with Sir Snow Harris' lightning conductors. The main and foremasts were "great sticks" of Quebec pine, the former measuring ninety feet long by seven in circumference. The keel of the ship was formed of nine enormous pieces of iron, and the stem and stern-posts were each one piece, and both carried besides some dis- tance along horizontally. In the framing and fitting of the paddle-boxes, the beams and stringers, all of patent iron, presented an extraordinary con- trast to the great logs used for the purpose in the other ships. The paddle- spaces were forty feet by twelve and a half wide, the wheels of thirty-seven feet diameter, patent feathering principle. The ship was divided into seven water-tight compartments by iron bulkheads. Thirteen hundred tons of iron were used in the construction of the hull. She was propelled by two beam-engines of the collective power of eight hundred horses, and she had accommodations for two hundred and twenty-four first-class passengers. But by far the greatest disaster which befell any of this company's ships was the destruction of the " Amazon" by fire ; nothing could be more terri- ble than the loss of this ship and the sufferings of those who perished with her. The " Amazon " was launched at Blackwell on the 28th of June, 1851. She was the largest wooden merchant steamship which up to that time had been constructed. She was 310 feet in length, 42 feet in width, 72 feet over the paddle-boxes, and 32 feet in depth ; she was about 3,000 tons burden, or 2,256 tons register, and was fitted with engines of 800 horse-power, the diameter of the cylinders being 96 inches each, and the stroke 9 feet. The engines made 14 revolutions of her wheels, which were 41 feet in diameter, per minute, giving her a speed by log of 11 knots. Her cost was upwards of 80,000, and when ready for sea somewhat over 100,000. When sur- HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 317 - veyed by the Admiralty before her departure from Southampton she was reported capable of carrying fourteen 32-pounders and two 10-inch pivot guus of eighty-five hundred-weight each, and her coal-bunkers were con- structed to carry 1,000 tons of coal, sufficient for sixteen and one-half days' full steaming. On the 2d of January, 1852, the " Amazon" sailed from Southampton on her first outward voyage. On the 4th of January, when about 110 miles W. S ."W. of the Sicily Islands, the watch on deck discovered that a fire had broken out suddenly on the starboard side forward, between the steam-chest and the galley, the flames at once rushing up the gangway in front of the foremost funnel. All efforts to check the progress of the fire proved futile, and the most terrible consternation and confusion^ prevailed, the gale which howled overhead and around t them increasing the terror of the awful calamity. The boats were burnt where stowed or swamped when lowered, save two of the life-boats and a small dingy, in which sixty-five of the one hundred and sixty-one souls on board managed to escape from the burning wreck, ninety-six, including the captain, perished in the ship. These losses left the company only the "Orinoco," "Magdalene," and " Parana" for the direct service between Southampton and Colon ; but, stimu- lated rather than depressed by misfortune, they chartered other vessels, and entered into the construction of steamers of a still finer description. When the government relieved them from the condition of building wooden ves- sels adapted for purposes of war, and the directors discovered that iron was preferable to wood, and the screw a better mode of propulsion than the paddle, they produced vessels equal to most of those engaged in transat- lantic navigation. There are not now many finer vessels afloat than the " Tagus" and " Moselle," launched in 1871, and the later ships of this line. The " Moselle," of about 3,200 tons gross register, and engines of 600 horse-power, made 14.929 knots per hour as the average per four runs over the measured mile; and the "Tasmanian," an iron screw-vessel, also fitted in 1871 with com- pound engines, accomplished her first voyage to St. Thomas in fourteen days and two hours, on a consumption of only 466 tons of coal, though before the alteration in her engines she had consumed 1,088 tons in making the same voyage. Tbe fleet is now a fine one, consisting of twenty-four steamships of from 3,472 tons registered tonnage down to 1,000, and nearly all iron screw-vessels? 1847. THE COLLINS' LINE. In 1847 Mr. Edward K. Collins,* with * Edward K. Collins, founder of the first American line of steamships between New York and Liverpool, was buried June 26, 1878, from his former residence, at Madison avenue. The remains were taken to Woodlawn Cemetery. Representatives from all the large steam- ship lines in the vicinity attended. He was born at Truro, Mass., in 1802. He entered upon mercantile pursuits in early life, and on settling in New York City soon acquired a reputation for great activity and enterprise in commercial affairs. He organized a line of sailing packets between that city and New Orleans and Vera Cruz, Mexico, which were so 318 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. others, emulous of the success which had attended the Cunard .Line, con- tracted with the government of the United States to convey the United States mails between New York and Liverpool, agreeing to make twenty voyages in each year, and to employ five first-class vessels in doing so. For the fulfillment of this agreement the Collins' Company was to receive $19,- 250 per voyage? The company was unable to get the vessels ready within . the stipulated time, and the time for their completion was extended. It was also favored with an advance of $25,000 a month on each vessel from the date of its launch until the sum should amount to $885,000. It was also agreed on the part of the government that the Company should not be com- pelled to complete its fifth vessel. Then, in consideration of the Company's making twenty-six instead of twenty annual voyages, the subsidy *was in- creased from $19,250 to $33,000 per voyage, or to '$878,000 yearly. For these pecuniary considerations the company was urged by the United States Government, and endeavored, as well as agreed, to make the fastest passages between England and America. This endeavor was made with great spirit, and statements submitted to Congress show that it cost nearly half a million of dollars annually to effect the saving of a single day or a day and a half on the passage to Liverpool. Notwithstanding its large subsidy, the Col- lins' enterprise, after sustaining the loss of two out of four of the Company's ships, completely failed. The history of the Collins' fleet, the ships of which were in their day the finest afloat, both as to accommodations and speed, is soon told. The "Arctic" was run into by the French steamship "Vesta" in mid-ocean, Sep- tember 27, 1854, and sunk; the "Pacific," with 240 souls on board, includ- ing the wife of Mr. Collins, was never heard from after sailing from Liver- pool. The "Atlantic" was the pioneer steamship of the line. She sailed from New York April 27, 1849, and arrived in the Mersey May 10, thtfs making the passage in about thirteen days, two of which were lost in repair- ing the machinery ; the speed was reduced in order to prevent the floats from being torn from the paddle-wheels. The average time of the forty- two westward trips in the early days of the line was 11 days, 10 hours and 26 minutes, against the average of the then so-called fastest line of steamers, 12 days, 19 hours and 26 minutes. The "Atlantic" was broken up in New successful as to induce him to turn his attention to the passenger traffic between New York and Liverpool. He accordingly established the Dramatic Line of sailing packets, compris- ing the fine ships " Shakspeare," " Garrick," " Siddons," and " Roscius." He had them constructed with full poops, with a view of affording increased accommodations for cabin passengers, which was considered quite an improvement over the " old liners" then in use, and as a consequence he soon distanced his competitors in gaining the patronage and favor of the public. The g Dramatic Line became famous and was a successful pecuniary enterprise. The great success attending his efforts in this direction finally led him to entertain the idea of establishing a steam line of packets. In nautical circles the project at once excited con- siderable interest, and also secured the sympathies of the people. A subsidy from Congress was granted for carrying the mails. HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 319 York in 1879. On her arrival at Liverpool, in 1850, she was found to be too large for any of the docks, so of necessity lay out in the river. The " Adriatic," the queen of the fleet, the only screw ship of the line, was purchased by an English company, and is now used as a coal hulk. To such base uses do we come at last. This leaves only the " Baltic," a vessel which cost $700,000, to be accounted for. It is claimed that she made the quickest trip under steam alone that had ever been made in crossing the Atlantic. The White Star steamships, which later have made such rapid passages, spread nearly an acre of canvas, while the " Baltic" had comparatively no canvas. After the failure of the Collins' Line, the " Baltic" was in Government service during the civil war, and afterwards, altered into a sailing-ship, made several trips from San Francisco to Europe with wheat, her freight some- times amounting to more than $70,000. She was sold to a German company, who hoped to sell her to Russia during the Turkish war, but the war ceasing, she was sold to private owners, and on her passage from Bremen to Boston met with a terrific gale, which strained her so badly that it was determined to break her up for the material in her. Soon, said a Boston paper of Octo- ber, 1880, all that will be left of the "Baltic" will be a collection of old junk and a smoking hulk at Apple Island, the graveyard of many a fine vessel. So ended the last of the Collins' Line, all of which were paddle- wheel steamships, excepting the " Adriatic," which never made a trip on the line. The "Adriatic" was, launched April 8, 1856. Her length was 345 feet ; beam, 50 feet; depth of hold, 33* feet; registered tonnage, 4,144.75. The " Adriatic" was purchased by the Galway Company in 1861. The transfer of this ship to the English flag does not seem to have reduced her speed or detracted from her sea-going qualities, for she made the run from Galway to St. Johns in six days, the specified time, and having completed this pas- sage to New York in one day fifteen hours, and three-quarters less than the contract time, returned from St. Johns to Galway in five days, nineteen hours and three-quarters, perhaps the quickest passage on record from port to port across the Atlantic.* The principal dimensions of the " Atlantic" and of the " Pacific," a sister vessel, were: Length between the perpendiculars, 276 feet; beam, 45 feet; across the paddles, 75 feet ; depth of hold, 31 feet 7 inches ; diameter of wheel, 36 feet ; tons burden, 2,860, and she was said to be the largest steam- ship that had been built. The "Arctic," the fastest steamer of the line, was modeled by George Steers, who designed the yacht "America;" her tonnage was 2,856 tons;- length of deck, 282 feet; breadth, 45 feet; and depth below main deck, 24 * Appendix No. 6 to the Report of the Committee of the- House of Commons. For a his- tory of the Galway Line, which was unsuccessful, see Lindsay's Merchant Shipping, vol. 3. 320 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. feet. Her cylinders were 95 inches diameter, stroke 10 feet. On her eighth passage from New York to Liverpool she made the then extraordinary time of 5 days, 17 hours and 12 minutes. Her paddle-wheels were 35 feet 6 inches diameter, and contained each thirty-six floats. She burned about 87 tons of coal a day.* From the start the Collins' Company suffered from want of capital. Al- though the four vessels of this company cost $2,944,142 its paid-in capital only amounted to $1,200,000. It began, therefore, with a debt of $1,744,122, which was a continual drain for interest and commissions. With careful management this difficulty might have been overcome, for its receipts from the government for the transportation of mails during the first five years amounted to more than the cost of the vessels. Its receipts from other sources were large, and when the "Arctic" and "Pacific" were lost they were in- sured for their value at the time. Mr. Collins submitted to Congress the following statement, dated February 17, 1855 : Total receipts for passengers and freight, . . . ' ( . . $4,460,867 " " mail service, ....... 3,413,966 17,874,833 Total disbursement, . . - . 7,207,291 Leaving a nominal surplus of, ....... $667,542 which was more than disposed of, as follows : Loss of the "Arctic," . . .''... . . . . $255,000 Depreciation of investment, ....... 258,000 7 per cent, interest on capital, ....... 408,000 $921,000 * Sir Edmund Cunard testified, in 1860, that the Collins' Line got at first for twenty-four voyages $401,040 from the United States Government, and that afterwards it received $893,- 750 for twenty-six voyages, or double his own subsidy, considering that he made two voyages to one. The capital of the .Collins' Line, $3,500,000, he said, would have been entirely sunk but for the loss of two ships, by which they got $1,250,000 from the English underwriters. He said if his contract was withdrawn he had better sink] his ships than try to keep them, for they were not adapted for mercantile uses. The " Scotia" cost him $900,000. Cunard's original subsidy, for twenty-four voyages a year, was $300,000 per annum for seven years. In 1852 he agreed to make a weekly service for $865,000 a year, to last ten years; five years afterward he demanded a larger extension of the contract, so he could borrow money to build faster steamers than Collins. Collins' original four steamers cost $2,994,000, and his last ex- periment, the "Adriatic," ruined him. The average cost ,of each of his early voyages was $65,215, and the corresponding receipts $48,287, yet he carried more passengers from the be- ginning to the end than the Cunarders. Mr. Collins' first proposition to the government of the United States was in 1845, but no contract was concluded with him until 1847. The " Atlantic " was the first to take her depar- ture for Europe in April, 1850, the " Pacific" followed in a lew weeks, then the "Arctic," and the " Baltic" soon after These vessels were alike in model and in dimensions. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 321 The all-controlling desire which seemed to outweigh every consideration of prudence was principally in relation to speed. Mr. Olds, of Ohio, in the United States House of Representatives, expressed the feeling of multitudes in the country when he said, " We have the fastest horses, the prettiest women, and the best shooting-guns in the world, and we must also have the fastest steamers. The Collins' Line must beat the British steamers. Our people expected this of Mr. Collins, and he has not disappointed them." The Collins' Line are as substantially and economically built vessels as any of their time After running six years cost for repairs more than the previous cost of the ships, or eighteen per cent, per annum.* PACIFIC MAIL STEAMSHIP COMPANY, 1848. This company was com- pelled at the outset to form an establishment of the most effective character four or five thousand miles away from home, and it was at that time thirteen thousand miles distant. The country was wholly new, so much so that it was, in most parts of the field which it had to occupy, extremely difficult to procure ordinary food for their operations. Their ships had to make a voyage more than half of that around the world before they arrived at their points of service, and they found themselves without a home when there. The steamer " California," 1,086 tons, which left New York on the 6th of October, 1848, was the first of the line to' bear the American flag to the Pacific Ocean, and the first to salute with a new life the solitudes of that rich and untrodden territory. She was soon followed by the " Panama," 1,088 tons, and " Oregon," 1,099 tons, and in due course by the " Tennessee," the "Golden Gate," 2,068 tons, the "Columbia," 778 tons, the "John L. Stephens," 2,189 tons, the " Sonora," 1,614 tons, the " Republic," 850 tons, the "Northerner," 1,010 tons, the "Fremont," 576 tons, the "Tobago," 189 tons, the "St. Louis," 1,621 tons, and the " Golden Age," 2,280 tons. These steamers found nothing ready to receive them in the Pacific. The company was compelled to construct large work-shops and foundries for their repair, and now have at Benicia a large and excellent establishment, where they can easily construct a marine engine. They had also to build their own dry-dock. They had also to make shore establishments at Panama, San Francisco, and Astoria, which, with coal depots, etc., were extremely costly, owing to materials having to be transported so far and labor at the time being so high owing to the rush to the gold-diggings. For a portion of the time the company had to pay thirty dollars a ton for coal, and in one in- stance fifty dollars. The success of building up this large establishment in the Pacific was simply an accident, and that accident the discovery of gold. It is impossible in these notes to give even a brief sketch of all the for- tunes and misfortunes of this great steamship company, but it is sufficient to say it still lives. All the early steamers were wooden paddle-wheelers, but, as in the case of all the ocean steamship companies, the fleet is now com- * Ranie's Ocean Post. 21 322 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. posed of iron screw ships. In 1876 it had a fleet of thirty-three steamers of an aggregate capacity of 74,000 tons of cargo, exclusive of the large space assigned to passengers ; but that fleet has since been very much reduced. It had then thirty-five chief agencies, and its steamers called at forty-seven ports in the Pacific and those in the Atlantic. The China and Japan Line was not started until the 1st of January, 1867, when the first of its fleet passed out of the Golden Gate of" California bound across the Pacific to those ancient nations. The " Great Republic," " China," "" Japan," and "America," all of them wooden vessels with paddle-wheels and walking-beam engines, soon followed. These vessels, of about 4,000 tons each, made the voyage from San Francisco to Yokohama in twenty-two days, thence to Hong Kong in seven days, the whole distance, including the stoppage at Yokohama, occupying thirty days. In 1874 the company added to the line the " City of Tokio" and " City of Peking," two magnificent iron screw steamships of 5,560 tons burden, 423 feet in length, 48 feet wide, and 38 feet deep, being the largest steamships that had ever carried the American flag. They have since started a line of steamers to Australia and the Hawaian Islands. The voyage of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company's steamer " City of New York," from New York to San Francisco in 1876, was remarkable. The total distance, 13,552 miles, was performed in 59 days, the actual steaming time being 54 days, 14 hours. The entire passage was made on the coal shipped at New York, none having been taken on board en route. The runs._. were as follows : New York to Cape Virgin, west entrance of the Straits of Magellan . . 7,074 miles. Through the Straits, 340 " Cape Pillar, east entrance of Straits of Magellan, to San Francisco, . . 6,138 " The total revolutions of the engines during the voyage was, . . . 3,338,105 " distance, by observation, run was, . . . . . . 13,552 miles. " distance by screw, 14,235 m " " amount of coal consumed (dock to dock), .... 1,485 tons. Total amount of coal consumed at anchor (port consumption), . . 45 " " " " " for steaming, ...... 1,440 '* Average consumption of coal per day, ....... 26.4 " " " mile, 239 Ibs. " revolutions per day, running time, ...... 61,250 *' " minute, . . . . . . . 4 2 -53 *' speed per day, running time, . . . . . . 248^/3 miles. The following are the dimensions of the " City of New York :" Length, 353 feet; beam, 40} feet; tonnage, 3,019. Engines, 1,000 horse-power. The following table gives the name, class, tonnage, and passenger capacity of the present fleet of the company, but does not give the foreign connecting lines in the Atlantic and South Pacific : HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. 323 FLEET OF THE PACIFIC MAIL STEAMSHIP COMPANY, OCTOBER, 1882. VESSELS. Tonnage. Length. Beam. Passengers. Cabin. Steerage. ATLANTIC LINE. Acapulco 2,572 3,532 2,686 2,075 2,906 2,572 2,081 2,076 1,490 2,017 i,457 1,816 2,099 ^,080 5,o8o 3,548 3> OI 9 3,oi7 2,737 2,730 300. 345- 280. 300. 312. 280. 300. 300. 248. 263. 227. 261 4 257-1 423- 425- 344- 339- 353- 376.9 377- ' 43- 38.6 40. 36. 40. 40. 36- 36. 36.1 37- 38*8 35- 48. 48. 38. 40.2 40. 37-4 37-1 190 300 City of Para Colon 190 300 San Bias PANAMA AND SAN FRANCISCO THROUGH LINES. Colima 190 190 300 300 Gran ada San Jose Sin Juan. CENTRAL AMERICA AND MEXICAN LINE. City of Panama 55 IOO 1 20 60 80 - 150 150 150 200 600 250 200 1,500 1,500 Clyde Costa R.ica ... * Honduras . South Carolina, CHINA LINE. City of Peking City of Tokio City of Rio de Janeiro . . AUSTRALIAN LINE. City of New York 150 150 600 500 City of Sydney Calandia (chartered) These vessels are all iron screw steamships. The " City of Para" and " City of Rio de Janeiro," formerly of the Bra- zilian Line, now belonging to the P. M. S. S. Co., are sister ships. Each measures 368 feet 6 inches over all; beam, 38 feet 8 inches; hold, 28 feet 7 inches, with compound engines 42 and 74 inches in diameter; stroke, 5 feet. Each ship has six boilers, 10 feet 6 inches long and 13 feet in diam- eter. The register is 2,548 tons ; gross tonnage, 3,500. Steamships of the line sail from New York on the 10th, 20th, and 30th of each month, and from San Francisco on the 4th and 19th of each month via the Isthmus of Panama. The voyage between New York and San Franciso occupies twenty-five days : nine days between New York and Aspinwall ; one day in crossing the Isthmus, including the transfer by steam-tug to or from steamers in the Bay of Panar^a ; and fifteen days on the Pacific Ocean. Steamers call at no California port except San Francisco, and at no port between New York and Aspinwall. Connections are made at Aspinwall with Royal Mail, West 324 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. India and Pacific, Transatlantique, and Hamburg-American steamers for ports on the Atlantic coast of Central, South, and North America, and the West India Islands. At Panama, with Pacific Steam Navigation Company, for all Pacific ports- of South America and Australia. At Yokohama, with Mitsu Bishi Mail Line, for Japanese ports and Shanghai. At Hong-Kong, with Peninsular and Oriental, Messageries Maritimes, Jardine, Matheson & Co., and Douglas, Lapraik & Co.'s steamship lines for all China, India, and Eastern ports, and via Suez Canal for all European ports. Also with steamers for Manilla and Batavia. At Auckland, with Union Steamship Company, for all New Zealand ports. At Sydney, with Australian Steam Navigation Company, for Australian ports; with Union Steamship Company, for all New Zealand ports; with Eastern and Australian Steamship Company, for Keppel Bay, Bowen,. Townsville, Somerset, and via Torres Straits for Batavia, Singapore, and Calcutta; with Peninsular and Oriental steamers, for Melbourne, Adelaide, King George's Sound, Ceylon, etc., also with steamers for New Caledonia and Hobart Town ; with Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company, for Hobart Town and Launceton. THE WARREN LINE OF STEAMSHIPS, BOSTON AND LIVERPOOL, 1850. The nucleus of this line was the once celebrated sailing-packets of Enoch Train & Co., viz. : the " Plymouth Hock," " Washington Irving," " Daniel Webster," "Anglo-American," "Anglo-Saxon," etc., ships of from one thou- sand to fifteen hundred tons; supplemented as the requirements of speed were called for by the clippers " Star of Empire," " Chatsworth," " Stafford- shire," " Cathedral," and the " Chariot of Fame," of from fifteen hundred to two thousand tons. This line is a Boston enterprise for carrying freight and passengers be- tween Boston and Liverpool. At times each ship has brought from four hundred to eight hundred emigrant passengers, and the pressure has been so great other ships have been chartered. Between 1850 and 1860 steam worked its way into the Atlantic carrying trade, and the Warren Company was among the first to substitute steam for sailing ships. Its first vessels were the "Propontis," "Bosphorus," "Dela- ware," " Meletia," " Peruvian," etc., bringing large cargoes, and an average of seven hundred emigrant passengers. Keturn cargoes were sought for in other ports. In 1872 the trade had increased enough to warrant the placing of such large steamships on the line as the "Minnesota," " Victoria," and " Pales- tine," carrying from 2,200 to 2,800 tons of merchandise. The "Iowa," has the capacity of carrying 3,300 tons of merchandise, exclusive of coal, and makes an average passage of ten and one-half days between Boston and Liverpool. Other ships of this line are the "Canopus," "Milanese," HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 325 41 Pharos," "Glamorgan," and "Pembroke," to which have been recently added the " Missouri," of 4,300 tons, and " Kansas," of 4,500 tons dead- weight capacity. In 1880 this line dispatched from Boston in eighty-four steamers 20,031 tons of merchandise, 28,176 oxen, 11,323 swine, and 18,053 sheep. The " Missouri," Captain A. H. Burwell, arrived at Boston Friday, June 10, 1880, having sailed from Liverpool on the 29th of May, making her first ocean voyage in about twelve days.* She was built on the Clyde, and is pronounced one of the finest of the Atlantic steamers. Her dimensions are: Length, 425 feet ; breadth, 43 feet 6 inches ; depth, 35 feet 6 inches, and the tonnage under deck 5,000. Her engines are 300 horse-power, constructed on the compound principle, which are supplied with steam from four steel boilers at a working pressure of eighty pounds to the square inch. The steamer is fitted with four decks; three are iron, throughout the entire length, and sheathed with wood planking. She is divided into eight water- tight compartments, and has water-ballast capacity to the extent of 700 tons, and her dead-weight cargo and coal capacity will be 5,000 tons. The steam eteering-gear can be worked from aft, or in the pilot-house or on the bridge amidships. Tnfe INMAN LINE, 1650. The history of the Inman Line owes its incep- tion to William Inman (who died in 1881) and his co-partners, is the his- tory of all the great institutions in England a good basis, sure founda- tions, and the gradual growth of a legitimate plan. It was the first regular line of steamers across the Atlantic, consisting entirely of iron ships, pro- pelled by the screw." December 10, 1850, the " City of Glasgo\v*' of 1,600 tons and 350 horse-power, the first steamship of what was then called the Liverpool, New York, and Philadelphia Steamship Company, sailed from Liverpool for Philadelphia, having previously made several successive and successful voyages to New York,f under other owners. In June, 1851, the " City of Manchester" was added to the line. It was not until February, 1875, that the line was converted, in honor of its founder, into the "Inman Steamship Company," limited. * Captain Burwell died on his passage to Boston in command of one of the company's steamers, September, 1882. f The " City of Glasgow" left Liverpool last for Philadelphia, March I, 1854, and is sup- posed to have foundered at sea, as she was never heard from. The vessel and cargo were valued at #850,000. Mr. Inman, having watched the performances of the " City of Glasgow" on her first trip to America, was convinced of the advantages she possessed over not merely sailing-ships, but over paddle-steamers, and therefore recommended her purchase to his partners. Acting on his advice, they bought and dispatched her with four hundred steerage passengers in the winter of 1850 across the Atlantic, and thus inaugurated what is now known as the " Inman Line." The " City of Glasgow" did her work well, and falsified the prophecies of disaster. The " City of Manchester" left a profit of forty per cent, the first year of her movement. 326 HIST OR Y OF STEAM %A VIGATION. New York having just become the port of the Cunard fleet, the pew line did not wish to enter into direct competition with the older company, but in 1857 the " Inman" went also to New York, and having decided to name their ships for the leading cities of the world, had already added to its line the "City of Philadelphia,"* "City of Baltimore," "City of Washington," and "Kangaroo," and in 1860 they added the " City of New York," when the company's service became a weekly one. In 1863 the "City of London," "City of Cork," "City of Limerick," and "City of Dublin" were added to the line, and the number of the trips in- creased to three times a fortnight, and afterwards to twice a week. The fleet in 1880 consisted of eleven vessels, varying "in gross tonnage from 2,536 to 5,490 tons, and in nominal horse-power from 350 to 1,000. Five ships have been built within the last seven years, four being among the largest and finest merchant steamships afloat, viz. : the " City of Chester," " City of Richmond," " City of Berlin," and the " City of Borne." The "City of Berlin" was launched October 27, 1874. She has a gross tonnage of 5,491, is 4,634 tons, builder's measurement, and has a net register tonnage of 3,139 tons. Her engines are 1,000 nominal horse-power, but capable of being worked up to five times that amount of power. She is 513 feet in length over all, has four decks, and a moulded width of 45 feet. These dimensions give her accommodations for 200 saloon, or first-class, and 1,500 intermediate, or steerage, passengers, and a crew of 150 men. The contract with her builders was that she should indicate 5,000 horse-power and steam about 16 knots. On her trial trip, at the measured ferile, her engines indicated 5,200 horse-powe'r. She is propelled by a pair of inverted, direct-acting, compound high- and low-pressure engines. The low-pressure cylinder of these engines is 120 inches, and the high-pressure cylinder 72 inches in diameter, with a piston-stroke of 5 feet 6 inches. She has 12 boilers, heated by 36 furnaces, and they are so- arranged that any number of them can be cut off. Her saloon is, amidships, and is 44 feet in length by 43 in width, longi- tudinally divided by two rows of walnut columns surmounted by gilded Corinthian capitals. It is lighted in the daytime by an elegant cupola skylight. The Allowing description of this vessel by a passenger may well be com- pared with that of " The Thalmamegus," described by Atheneus, and built by Philopater, king of Egypt, which was 420 feet long, 57 feet broad, and 72 feet high from the keel. The element of steam was of course wanting. "There is certainly no finer steamer afloat, none more comfortable. Seated at dinner in her saloon, lounging in her smoking-room, or chatting with the * The " City of Philadelphia," on-her passage from Liverpool to Philadelphia, struck on Cape Race, September 17, 1854, and was lost; the vessel and cargo being valued at $600,000, passengers and crew saved. In 1870 the " City of Boston" sailed for Europe and has never since been heard of. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 327 ladies in their divan, you may easily forget you are at sea. The ' City of Berlin' has two decks, both of them superior to anything I have ever seen. You can have a promenade of nearly five hundred feet straight ahead, and the clean sweep of the lower deck from one end to the other is something superb. The lower deck looks like a little town, and it is a great deal pleasanter than most little towns. There is a row of handsome-looking houses, with a street open to the sea on either side. These houses, bright and neat, with their descriptions engraved on each in English, French, and German, are the officers' rooms, ladies' room, smoking-room, etc., all open- ing upon the deck on both sides, so that their ventilation and comfort are perfect. The smoking-room has electric bells and other conveniences. The ladies' public room is spacious, and filled with sofas and seats, so that the occupants can sit and chat with their male friends outside, or draw a curtain- and shut themselves from all observation, or retire to a private room below (which opens upon lavatories and bath-rooms), and is one of the snuggest apartments in the ship, furnished in excellent taste, and provided with luxu- ries and comforts undreamed of in private houses. In the companion-way hangs a list of the crew, and the boats to which they belong. The call is made every day ; each man has his number, and in case of danger he knows exactly what to do. ... The state-rooms are lighted from the deck by pro- tected windows. In the best rooms, in addition to the usual berths, is a sofa made so that it can be converted into a berth large enough for two. The washing conveniences are such that you turn the taps in your state- room to wash with more confidence than if you had a London reservoir to draw from, there being between three and four miles of lead piping in the ship. The bath-tubs are all of white marble. You arrange the business of getting a bath with the steward. At the entrance of each bath is a slate, on which is inscribed the passenger's name and the time at which the bath is devoted to him. Should he fail to appear, the others go on in rotation. " The saloon is furnished in Spanish mahogany and purple velvet. There are four rows of tables, and the menu and wine-card is something to be re- membered. The captain presides at one, the purser at another, the surgeon, at a third, and some favored passengers at the fourth. The ship comprises within its vast domain a barber-shop, a butcher-shop, vegetable-store, kitchen, with lifts and shoots for the convenience of cooks and waiters, a bakery, a laundry, a surgery, hospital and infirmaries, and ice-houses. Indeed, nothing is wanting: even a light-house is provided. The sleeping accommodations are so arranged that by writing early, families or parties of eight, sixteen, and twenty-four can be berthed in private rooms." The " City of Paris" in 1869 conveyed his Royal Highness Prince Arthur (now Duke of Connaught) to America in six days, twenty-one hours, the quickest passage ever made to any part of the New World from Cork. The prince attended divine service at Queenstown on Sunday, embarked at 4 P.M. that day, and was landed at Halifax, Nova Scotia, at half-past 10 AM. 328 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. on the following Sunday in time for morning service at that place, which, to his credit, he also attended. In 1874 the average time made by the fifty-one sailings of the Inman steamers between Queenstown and Sandy Hook, New York, 2,775 miles, was 10 days, 22 hours, 1 minute. The same year the "City of Chester" and " City of Richmond," the newest and swiftest of the line, made seven pas- sages each, none of which exceeded 9 days, the longest being the " Rich- mond's," in 8, days, 21 hours, 41 minutes, and the shortest the " Chester's," in 8 days, 1 hour, 38 minutes. The passages covered the whole of 1874, the vessels being subject to all 'the phases of the variable Atlantic. In Decem- ber, 1875, the " City of Brussels" made the passage from New York to Queenstown in 7 days, 20 hours, 33 minutes, the " City of Richmond" in 7 days, 18 hours, 50 minutes,*and in September and October the " City of Berlin" made passages both ivays in 7 days, 18 hours, 2 minutes, 7 days, 15 hours, 48 minutes, and 7 days, 14 hours, 12 minutes. The Inman was the first line to make special provisions for emigrant pas- sengers, and during the ten years ending in 1863 had carried a yearly average of 30,000 passengers, or 300,000. The next ten years exhibited even better results, the number of passengers carried exceeding 787,000, or an annual average of 78,700. From 1850 to 1860 no mails were carried, Mr. Inman holding that " ocean postage" was the proper way of paying for mail services rather than by monopolies and subsidies. When the Collins' Line of American steamers was withdrawn the Inman came into the gap and carried the American mails, receiving for the service eight pence per half-ounce for letters, the postage being one shilling per half-ounce. The Inman Company has never had a subsidy, and has never been paid but for work done. When they came to agreement in 1867 with the Cunard Company to run a tri-weekly service to New York, they were paid 35,000 per annum for one sailing a week, which was less than one-half the remuneration they would have been paid under the ocean postage system. Thus the company carried the royal mail from 1868 until December, 1876, in conjunction with the Cunard. In 1877 the British Government entered into arrangements with the Inman, Cunard, and White Star Lines (exclusively) to run the mails tri-weekly viz. : Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday to New York. On the 30th of December, 1881, the " City of Brussels" took from Liver- pool to New York seven hundred and sixty sacks of mail matter, the largest shipment of that kind ever sent to New York. The " City of Rome," launched on the 14th of June, 1881, at Barrow-in- Furness, by the Barrow Ship-Building Company, was regarded as the most appropriate name which could be given to the latest addition to the Inman fleet. Not many years ago Barrow was a handful of houses ; it is now a town with thousands of inhabitants, whose prosperity depends upon the enterprise and ability which have led to the construction of the " City of HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 329 Rome." The builders and owners of the vessel united to make the occasion memorable. A conspicuous proof of the friendly rivalry between the trans- atlantic companies was shown by the presence at the launch of representa- tives of the Cunard, White Star, National, and Allan Lines. The launch was successfully accomplished ; the ceremony of christening being performed by Lady Constance Stanley. The vessel arrived in the Mersey from her trial trip on the 14th of September following.* The decoration of ocean steamers is generally of a hybrid sort, and not always in the best of taste. In the " City of Rome" a consistent design has been harmoniously executed, and finds expression in richness of material rather than emphasis of color. An inspection of her saloons and cabins carries away a recollection of noiseless carpets, neutral hues, the flashings of beveled mirrors, gold and ebony panelings, embroidered curtains, silver lamps, stained glass, yielding cushions of green velvet, and faint designs of tapestries. The decorations belong to the modern aesthetic, and have been chosen for their utility, appropriateness and beauty. The figure-head, about three times life-size, represents a Roman emperor, Hadrian, modeled from the statue in the British Museum in strict conformity with its model. The stern is enriched by festoons on either side, the centre being marked by a carving of the arms and crest of the city of Rome. As a compliment, the municipality of the ancient metropolis sent a copy on vellum of the arms and crest of the city, which are hung up in one of the principal apartments of the vessel. The dimensions of the " City of Rome" are : Length, 586 feet ; extreme breadth, 52 feet 3 inches; depth- of hold, 37 feet; tonnage, 8,826 tons; horse-power, indicated, 10,000. The weight of this great steamer is 8,000 tons, and her displacement, at 26 feet mean draught, is 13,500 tons ; so that [she has a dead-weight carrying power of 5,500 tons. The cubical contents of her hold give her a measurement capacity of 7,720 tons, at 50 cubic feet to the ton. She has 4 masts, 3 funnels, and has 11 compartments formed by water-tight bulkheads, each extending to the main deck. The largest of these compartments is 60 feet long ; and supposing one filled with water, the trim of the vessel would not be materially affected. The stern frame is the largest forging ever made for such a purpose, the finished weight being 33 tons. The framing of the vessel is of the ordinary type: the floors are 34 inches deep at the centre line. The frames are in one length from centre * The " City of Rome" sailed from Liverpool for New York April 6, 1882, on her first trip. She made her last trip as one of the Inman Line to New York in September. Has since been transferred to the Anchor Line, and is advertised by that line to sail from New York in October. She was returned to her builders by the Inman Company, because she failed to come up to the contract in many important respects, notably in speed, carrying capacity and draught of water. The Barrow Ship Building Company agreed to take her back and pay every expense the Inman Company had gone to with her rather than stand a suit for ; 1 25,000 sterling damages which the Inman Company had commenced. 330 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. line to gunwale, and are of angle iron 7 inches by 4 inches, and 60 feet' in length. The reverse frames are in one length of 4 inches by 4 inches angle- iron. The beams are of the Butterley bulb sections, each rolled in one length. The vessel has cwo complete iron decks above, while the lower deck is complete for half the length, and has wide plating on each side of the remainder. The " City of Rome" has nine keelsons. The five central ones are of uniform height, and are carried unbroken through the engine- and boiler-seatings. The shell plating is on the principle that has been ap- plied to all the large transatlantic steamers built in Barrow. The inside plates form a complete skin, fitted edge to edge and butt to butt, with cover- ing plates half the width of the inside strakes fitted outside. The hold stanchions are arranged in two tiers, one on each side, the better to support and strengthen the long beams. The question of propelling the ship at so high a speed as 18 knots per hour demanded careful consideration, and it was ultimately decided that it would be best to adhere to the single-screw arrangement, and adopt a propeller 24 feet in diameter, driven by three sets of inverted "tandem" engines, working on three cranks disposed at an angle of 120 degrees with one another. The " tandem" engine has the high -pressure cylinder placed in a line behind or above the low-pressure cylinder. The crank-shaft is a built shaft, and, with the screw shafting, was made by Sir Joseph Whitworth & Co. of their fluid compressed steel. The leading par- ticulars of the engines are: there are three high-pressure cylinders 43 inches diameter, and three low-pressure cylinders 86 inches diameter, and 6-feet stroke. The diameter of the crank-shaft is 25 inches, and of the crank-pins 26 inches. The length of the main bearings is 33 inches, and of the crank- pins 28 inches. The crank-shaft weighs 64 tons; had it been made of iron, and solid, the weight would have been 73 tons. The propeller shafting is 24 inches diameter, and the hole through it 14 inches diameter. The thrust- shaft has thirteen collars 39 J inches diameter, giving a surface of 6,000 square inches. This piece of shafting weighs 17 tons. The propeller-shaft is 25 inches diameter and 30 } feet long, and weighs 18 tons. The bed-plate weighs 1.00 tons. The cooling surface of the condensers is 17,000 square feet, equal to nearly 17 miles 360 yards of tubing. There. are two air- pumps, 39 inches diameter, and 3 feet stroke, worked by levers attached to the aft and forward engines. There is a pumping-engine, which can be used for pumping heavy leaks, or can also discharge through the condenser* There are also three auxiliary pumping-engines, for feeding the boilers, for bilge-pumping, and for deck purposes. Steam is supplied by eight cylin- drical tubular boilers, fired from both ends. Each boiler is 14 feet mean diameter and 19 feet long, with a steam-receiver 13 feet long and 4 feet diameter; and has 6 furnaces 3 feet 9 inches diameter, 3 at each end: 48 furnaces io all. The fire-bars are 6 feet long, giving a grate surface of 1,080 square feet. The shell p!ates of the boilers are 24 feet 8 inches long, 4 feet 41 inches wide, and 11 inches thick, and weigh nearly 2'- tons each; HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 331 all the holes are drilled. Each furnace has its separate combustion-chamber. These boilers are constructed for a working pressure of 90 pounds per square inch. The engines are intended to work constantly at 8,000 indicated horse- power, but are capable of developing 10,000 horse-power, indicated. It is difficult to convey in words an adequate idea of the engine-room. Four Serrin lamps render it as bright as day. These lamps have no glas& shades, and give no trouble. It may help a little to realize what her engines are when we state the engine-room is 50 feet wide and of the same length. The engines are 47 feet 8 inches high from the bottom of the frames to the tops of the high-pressure cylinders; that is to say, as high as an ordinary four-story house. Access to the engine-rodm platforms is by iron stair-cases,, which will take 3 persons abreast. Entering from the upper deck, nothing is to be seen but the 3 high-pressure cylinders and the lids of the low- pressure cylinders, a close grating concealing all the rest of the machinery below. Descending the first flight of stairs, which runs fore and aft, we are on the second platform surrounding the low-pressure cylinders, which is the only hot place in the engine-room. Passing between the cylinders and the steps we have descended, we come to a second flight, aft of the engines, and running athwartships, and descend to the third platform, from which access is got to the two stuffing-boxes in the lower lid of each low-pressure cylinder. Standing here, and looking forward between the frames, we have a sight unique. We see the three mighty cross-heads, with their guides, and the jaws of the great connecting-rods moving up and down in rhythmical sequence in the vivid glare of the electric lamps, which cast strong shadows on the white bulkheads. Passing to the lower floor again, we have before us the like of which can nowhere else be seen. Here is ample room to walk about; there is no steam to indicate the presence of an engine, for the cylinders are high over our heads. We look up and- see the black covers looming far above ; straight before us is the crank-shaft. As we look at it we realize that it is the largest crank-shaft in the world ; it weighs 66 tons. Each of 3 cranks, with its shafting, occupies a length of 14 feet, and weighs 22 tons. A tall man, standing beside one of the cranks, is dwarfed. Each crank-pit is a chasm. The rush of water from the pipes over the bearings is caught, and the crank, which has given so much trouble, scatters a light spray, the drops gleaming like jewels in the electric light. The noise is monotonous, but not wearisome. The great connecting-rod brasses are just a little slack, and the want of lead in the slides makes the pistons slow in getting away from the cylinder-covers ; and we have, as the cranks revolve, not a blow or a knock, but a soft, all-pervading thud, as each centre is turned. Away aft runs the main screw-shaft, 24 inches in diameter; The thrust-shaft has 12 collars 4 feet in diameter, and weighs 17 tons. Following it down the long tunnel we lose by degrees all the sights and sounds of the ship. Then a noise, as of a village water-wheel, a pattering and murmuring of water,, reaches us. Standing on an angle-iron brace we look through a hole in the 332 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGATION. last bulkhead in the ship, and see by the light of an engine-room lamp a small pool of water under the end of the stern-tube, and in this pool dips the last coupling, 4 feet in diameter, like its fellows; and the nuts and the heads of the bolts of the coupling patter in the water, and make the sounds which have different associations. It may be well to explain, with reference to the engines, that the bald figures of horse-power do not express the true significance of the progress which has been made in that department of naval science. The engines now in use are not only infinitely more powerful, but they are relatively more economical. The engines, with which earlier vessels were equipped, have been superseded by compound condensing- engines, which accumulate force and utilize the steam more fully, so that with a reduced consumption of fuel there is an increased power of propul- sion. Without this progress in engineering skill the development of steam navigation would have been impossible. Either the vessels could not have carried a sufficiency of fuel, or the storage of it would have engrossed so large a proportion of the cargo space, that they could not have been worked profitably.* An example of the revolution in the engine-room may be cited from one of the Inman steamers. The " City of Brussels" was placed on the line in 1869, when she was regarded as a model of nautical excellence the " crack" ship of her day. But within seven years of her launch, while her hull and sailing appointments were in undiminished efficiency, her machinery had become antiquated, and she was furnished with entirely new engines. This costly renovation was made with the result that by the new compound engines equal power was attained on a much smaller consumption of coal. It is needless to explain that to save 40 to 50 tons of coal per day was a direct economy of fuel, and a gain of space for the stowage of freight- earning cargo. In fact, by the change of engines the consumption of fuel was reduced from about 110 tons per day to less than 65 tons, and the cargo space augmented by about 800 tons, with an increase of propelling power. Compound engines have introduced a revolution almost as complete as did first the paddle-wheels and next the screw, and are now universal in ocean-going steamers, one of the largest sets ever constructed being fitted on board the " City of Rome." On the trial trip of the "City of Rome," working at three-quarters speed, with 45 revolutions per minute, the measured mile was performed at the rate of 15! knots per hour; but as the engines at full speed make 58 or 60 revolutions per minute, the ship will, it is expected, in practice attain a s^peed of 17 or 18 knots per hour. In the series of tests the engines worked with great smoothness, and it was demonstrated that they could be brought to a dead stop in two seconds by the turning of a single lever, and that from going full speed ahead they could be reversed to full speed astern in the space of five seconds. *This fulfils Dr. Lardners's famous opinion or prediction. HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 333 The internal arrangements of the " City of Rome" are of the most complete nature. The promenade-deck carries at the fore end the saloon skylight. In the hurricane deck-house the captain's and chief officer's cabins are placed close to the steering-house and lookout bridge, so that they are always near in case of necessity. Abaft this is the upper saloon, and abaft this the upper smoking-rooms is a novel feature, it being thought advisable, in view of the large number of passengers, to fit two smoking-rooms, with separate stairs to the cabin-deck. In the after deck-house is a saloon or lounge for ladies, fitted up in the most elegant manner, to prevent the going below in showery weather. Abaft is a companion leading to the sleeping-cabins. At the sides of the hurricane-deck are twelve life-boats, one fitted up as a steam-launch. On this deck are placed capstans, and at each of the cargo hatchways steam-winches for working the cargo. On the upper deck is the drawing-room, one hundred feet long, for the use of pas- sengers. This apartment, which is fitted very handsomely with lounges, is in the form of a wide gallery, with a rectangular opening into the dining- saloon below, thus giving height and light to the latter apartment. Above is a large skylight, richly ornamented ; at the fore end is a grand piano, and at the after end the grand staircase to the dining-room below. Here, also, is the lower smoking-room, which is fitted similarly to the upper; the panel- ing of these rooms is in wainscot oak, the floor is laid in Mosaic pavement, and the upholstery in morocco leather. Abaft this are the rooms for the officers and engineers. The height in the 'tween decks is 9 feet. The grand dining-saloon is 72 feet long, 52 feet wide, and 9 feet high, or 17 feet in the opening to the drawing-room above. This opening, surmounted by the sky- light, forms an effective and elegant relief to the flat and heavy ceiling. The paneling and decorations are artistic and unique. The apartment accommodates two hundred and fifty first-class passengers. The chairs are of polished teak-wood, neatly fluted, with the Inman monogram carved in open work. They revolve on pivots, and are numbered to correspond with the state-rooms. At night the saloon is lit by thirty-two Swan incan- descent electric lamps, pendent from the ceiling, giving the whole a brilliant appearance. A paneled dado, of quaint design, three feet high, is carried entirely round the saloon, and from the dado cornice to the line of the ceiling the wall is treated with rich panels of figured mahogany, bordered with a margin of satin-wood, alternating with the side-light casings. These side-lights are more architectural than is usually found on board steamships. An architrave is carried in a square form round the side-lights, inclosing a secondary sill, and runs down to the top of the dado. From the centres of each of the intermediate panels the corbels (elaborate pieces of moulded and carved oak) spring, making the lines of the ceiling construction, and carrying them down on the walls. At the level of the corbel capitals the ceiling rises upon elliptic arches between the beams, suggesting the fan vaunting, which is so beautiful in Gothic architecture. The music-room is 334 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. immediately above the saloon, and is rather more severe in its style, being finished in black and gold. The room is surmounted by a handsome circular skylight, twenty feet long by ten feet wide, which throws down a flood of light to the dining and music-rooms. A special feature in this skylight is the introduction of oval lights, enlarged to double the area where they pass into the ceiling of the dining-saloon. An organ is in the dining-saloon, and a grand piano in the music-room. The ladies' boudoir, on the main deck, is fitted in a very handsome manner, the walls being paneled in figured brocaded silk, and the ceiling in Japanese leather paper. The couch is upholstered in blue velvet, with tapestry curtains. Alongside are baths, etc., for the lady passengers. On the hurricane-deck is another boudoir, treated in a contrast, with black and gold. The furniture and upholstery of this boudoir is of amber-colored plush velvet, and the window-hangings and door portiere are of Roman cloth of the same tone, banded with stripes of plush. The smoking-rooms are beautifully fitted, that on the saloon- deck having a novel treatment of wall paneling of original Japanese water- color sketches of birds and flowers. The seats are covered with pig-skin leather. The wood-work of the walls, etc., in the upper smoking-room is of pencil cedar-wood ; in the lower of mahogany, oak and walnut. The floors of those apartments are laid with parquetry. Abaft the music-saloon are the repositories for the plate and dishes for the service of the table, and abaft of these the cook's and steward's portion of the ship. The breadth and general style of the kitchen may surprise many, but when the number of passengers is taken into account wonder at the gigantic proportions for feeding them will cease. Four hundred cabin passengers and 1,800 steerage, with about 240 of a crew, may have to be provided for on a voyage, and in that aspect the rooms for cooks and stewards are none too many. Going aft beyond the regions where the cook presides, we come on the engine-room. Nearer the stern we come to the quarters of the steerage passengers, and these, though of course not rich like the c^bin, are roomy and clean to a degree that would surprise old Atlantic stagers. Still aft there is an engine for the service of the electric light, with which the whole ship is to be fitted. An ominous notice warns all who come near that instantaneous death may result from the incautious handling of the wires. At the stern there is a ponderous steering apparatus, although the place from which the steering is to be done is far off on the captain's bridge, where there is the now familiar little wheel which is used in steering by steam. The crew numbers, when the full complement is aboard, 240. There are berths for 54 firemen and 50 seamen, while over 100 are in the cook and steward's department, and 12 directly connected with the engine-room. Opening through double spring-doors at the foot of the grand staircase, and under, is^an American luncheon- bar, with the usual fittings. On each side, from the saloon to the after end of the engine-room, are state-rooms, providing for 300 passengers. Amidships are retiring-rooms, baths and HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 335 lavatories, barber's shop, etc. Accomodation is provided on the main deck for 500 emigrants, and on the lower deck for 1,000 more, making a grand total of 1,500. The berths are arranged in single tiers of half-rooms, each separated by a passage, and having a large side-light, adding greatly to the light, ventilation and comfort of the passengers, besides the advantage of a lesser number of persons in each room. Comfortable and properly equipped wash-rooms are provided for both sexes. In proportions and design the "City of Rome" presents a remarkable contrast to the " Great Eastern," to which she stands next in magnitude in the mercantile marine. Brunei's vessel suggests a stately ark, with towering walls and ponderous hull, massive, stupendous, rather than elegant. The conditions are reversed in this vessel. The " City of Rome" is of great length, tapering form, symmetrical lines, and graceful mould, so that the inexperienced observer is unable to realize her enormous dimensions. The difference of proportions between the two vessels shows how scientific the- ory is modified by practical experiment. In designing the " Great Eastern," Brunei had no other guide than his scientific knowledge ; there were no gradations between the puny vessels of five-and-twenty years ago, and the leviathan he constructed ; and he reckoned the length, beam and depth on bases which the practice of later ship-building has not confirmed. The tendency of naval construction in the merchant navy is to lengthen the hulls, without, in any appreciable degree, increasing the beam or depth of the hold. This is apparent by comparing the dimensions of these typical vessels, the " Great Eastern" and the " City f Rome." The length of the former is 680 feet ; her breadth of beam, 83 feet ; depth, 60 feet. The measurements of the " City of Rome" are : Length, 586 feet ; breadth of beam, 52 feet 3 inches ; and depth of hold, 37 feet ; while in length she closely approximates to her rival ; in breadth and depth she is little more than half the magnitude. It is in these differences of proportion that the disparity of tonnage is to be found. The " Great Eastern" is of enormously greater cubical capacity from her breadth and depth ; though less tall and bulky of hull, the " City of Rome" is of great cargo capacity. Her length and beautiful lines suggest an impression of buoyant grace rather than of vast magnitude ; yet her carrying power, notwithstanding her clipper bow and rounded stern, is greater than any other vessel afloat, except the " Great Eastern." The Fleet of the Inman Line is now (1882) composed of the following steamships: "City of Berlin," 5,491 tons; "City of Richmond," 4,607 tons ; " City of Chester," 4,566 tons ; " City of Paris," 3,500 tons ; " City of Montreal," 4,490 tons; "City of Brussels," 3,775 tons; "City of New York," 3,500, which leave New York for Liverpool, Thursdays or Saturdays, and Liverpool for New York, Tuesdays or Thursdays. With the latest vessels added to the fleets of the Cunard, the Inman, the Guion, and the Anchor Companies, it is possible to gain an idea of the ocean 336 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. ships of the future. So far as size, speed and comfort are concerned, these are as much in advance of the Atlantic liners of which we were so proud a quarter of a century ago as those were improvements on the earliest speci- mens of river passenger steamers. A great point was thought to be reached when the Cunard Company built the " Scotia" and the " Persia," or when the Inman Company became possessed of the "City of Glasgow ;" but the finest of these steamers was not much above half the size of the " Servia" or the " City of Rome," whilst its engine-power was comparatively infinitesimal. No better illustration of the changes that have taken place in our ocean fleet could be given than a reference to the statistics bearing on the size of some of the early and some of the latest Atlantic liners. The Cunarder " Scotia," which was launched on the Clyde in 1862, and was then consid- ered the best specimen of her type, measured 379 fe*t in length, and had a breadth of 47 feet 8 inches, and a depth of 30 feet 5 inches. Her tonnage was 3,871, and she was fitted with side-lever engines indicating 1,000 horse- power. The " City of Glasgow," belonging to the Inman Company some years earlier, measured 277 feet long by 32 feet 7 inches broad, and 24 feet 7 inches deep. She was 1,600 tons burden, and her engines were 380 horse- power. According to popular theory, the limits of practicable ship-building were reached when the " City of Berlin," five years ago, was introduced into the Inman fleet, she being then the largest vessel afloat (excepting the " Great Eastern"), and it being assumed finality had been reached in the magnitude of ocean-going steamers. Her measurements, in contrast with the pioneer of the service, testify to the progress which twenty-five years have witnessed in the development of steam navigation. Her length is 520 feet ; breadth, 44 feet, depth to spar deck, 37 feet, and her gross measurement 5,481 tons. Her engine-power being 900 horse-power nominal, but capable of working up to 4,800 horse-power indicated. Compare these figures with the dimensions of the " Servia" or the " City of Rome." The " Servia" has a length of 530 feet, a beam of 52 feet, a depth of 41 feet, a carrying capacity of at least 8,500 tons, and is fitted with engines calculated to develop an indicated horse-power of 10,500 tons. The " City of Rome" is : Length, 586 feet ; breadth, 52 feet 3 inches ; depth, 37 feet ; tonnage upwards of 8,000 : and engine-power, 10,000. These facts are striking, but they fail to exhaust the comparisons which might be drawn between the vessels formerly engaged in the ocean traffic and the ships which are taking their place. Those who inspect the "Servia" or the "City of Rome" will become aware of an untold number of ingenious contrivances by which the comfort and the safety of the passengers are now assured. The vessel of the future is not only a model of speed and of large cargo capacity; it also is a model of luxury. Where, it may be asked, is this peaceful rivalry in the production of big ships to stop ? Are ship-builders and ship-owners to go on increasing the size of the ocean-liners until they rival the " Great Eastern ?" It is impos- HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 337 sible to place any limit on such an enterprise ; but it may safely be taken for granted that if ships of the dimensions of the " Great Eastern" become necessary, the errors which have made her failure conspicuous will be avoided. It is evident if Mr. Brunei, in building that vessel, could have adopted the principle of the compound engine, her fate might have been different. Instead of being under the necessity of putting the great ship up to auction after a by no means brilliant career, the shareholders might be enjoying the profits which are to be reaped in ocean transport. The danger is that in the race for the possession of huge floating palaces the steamship companies ' may outrun the wants of travelers. If the ocean fleets of the future are to be composed of such vessels, an enormous increase of the travel- ing public will be essential to the continued prosperity of the industry, Any improvement in the facilities with which a transatlantic voyage can be made is sure to bring its own reward. The time when ocean travel was attended with misgivings, or was a luxury reserved for men of wealth and leisure, has passed. With the appearance of ships that will traverse the Atlantic in less than a week, a holiday trip to Europe may be as cheap as restorative. The president of the Scotch Engineers' and Ship-Builders' So- ciety recently declared that in a few years "we shall have steamships start- ing from each side of the Atlantic every morning, noon, and night, and arriving on the opposite shores with as much regularity as our present ex- press railway trains arrive at the termination of a journey of four or five hundred miles." In passenger accommodations the ships of the Inman Line are superior to most Clyde-built ships, and their design shows an inclination to break from the restrictive and "uninventive habit which is said to hamper the British ship-builder. " Give an English carpenter a certain space in an unfinished ship, ancl tell him to fit it up as, for instance, a chart-room," a gentleman connected with one [of the lines recently said, " and he will repeat exactly what he did in fitting up the previous ships, without stopping a moment to consider if some change is not desirable and possible. An American car- penter, on the contrary," this critic, who was an Englishman, continued, " will rack his brains for improvements, and the ship he fits up to-day is sure to be more comfortable than the one he fitted up yesterday." The following vessels have been bought and built or have passed through the Inman Company's hands since its establishment in 1850 : 338 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. NAME. "B M "tc 1 Breadth. Tonnage. Gross. Net. NAME. 1 t 3 Breadth. ~~ Depth. Tonn Gross. age. Net. City of Rome* 1881 1874 Ib73 1873 1872 1869 1865 1866 1863 1869 1853 1860 1867 1863 1865 1854 600 -US'.) ;><) Ml 11!' 390 875 :.!iis :i7i :;:>4 :;;>s ;:(< ;;:;_! :;:',! :>2(> :,,; 52 45 11 14 4-1 11 -10 n .11. 4:5 .10 :-,s :',!) :u 40 :a 37 :;<; :;.-) :>"> 34 :!5 ',}'.} 26 2(5 11 2i> 21 2(> 30 2s * 8415 5491' 4607 4566 4489 3775 3499 3081 2765 2911 2870 2655 2391 2536 2360 2472 City of Boston 1864 818 :',<) :-ns 300 21)4 2(52 270 2(32 257 227 :;:.:', 2(5r. -01 201 174 122 108 39 37 ;;ii 40 ;;<) 36 35 ;;i; :;ii :;:; 42 ;;:; :-;o 2!> 24 -:'- 21! 2(5 27 2(5 '2- ' 2(1 25 25 25 27 *") 28 26 is 17 15 10 2213 2190 1999 2197 2168 1962 1953 1906 1719 1609 2717 1547 770 697 448 211 163 1649 1564 1548 1494 1648 1152 1250 1296 1169 1087 1587 1082 523 538 333 174 133 City of Berlin 2957 2824 2713 2939 2434 2380 1975 1880 1980 1951 1805 1626 1724 1679 1774 T'tual City of Richmond Citv of Chester City of Dublin|| City of Montreal City of Philadelphia^.. 1854 City of Brussels City of New York (en- larged) Vigo** City of Manchestertf.... 1852 City of Paris City of London City of Glasgow^ 1850 City of Brooklyn City of Washington City of Bristol City of Corkff City of Halifax || . City of Antwerp City of Limerick City of New York City of Baltimore! . City of Durham 1865 1856 1856 1856 Bosphorus ... .... Hercules .* Ajax * Returned to the builders as not fulfilling the contract, and since transferred to the Anchor Line, October, 1882. f Sold March, 1874, and now running between Liverpool and Bombay. I Purchased from Cunard Company. ' || Sold 1872. Sold 169. *![ Lost 1854. ** Sold 1861. ft Sold 1871. The present fleet of the transatlantic steamers of the Inman Line are : NAME. Built. Gross Tons. NAME. Built. Gross Tons. City of Berlin City of Richmond .... City of Chester 1874 1873 I87I 5491 4607 4^66 City of Montreal.... City of Brussels 1872 1869 1861; 4490 3775 3 COO City of Paris . 1861; JOQI 1882 8ii< "^t 1 j THE MESSAGERIES MARITIMES, 1851. Much the largest maritime undertaking engaged in the trade of the Mediterranean and elsewhere is that of the Messageries Maritimes, formerly the Messageries Imperiales, monopolizing, as it does, nearly the whole of the steam tonnage of France. Indeed, apart from the vessels owned by this company, and one or two highly subsidized, the French may be said to have no steamers. In 1873 the whole steam tonnage of France amounted to one hundred and eighty- five thousand one hundred and sixty-five tons net register, and in 1875 the gross tonnage of the fleet of Messageries Maritimes was one hundred and twenty-four thousand nine hundred and seventy-six tons. The Messageries Maritimes is a pure creation of the government, raised with the greatest care from its infancy, and maintained by large grants from the public purse. Previously to 1851 the company had been chiefly engaged as carriers by land, and was under contract for the conveyance of the mails throughout a considerable portion of France. In July, 1851, the company entered upon its first over-sea contract for the conveyance of the French mails to Italy, HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 339 the Levant, Greece, Egypt, and Syria, and in 1852 added to their service the principal ports of Greece and Salouica. In 1854 the managers contracted for the transport of all troops and mili- tary stores between France and Algeria, besides the conveyance of the mails, and having increased their fleet to meet the requirements of the Crimean campaign, were in 1855 enabled to open between Marseilles, Civita Vecchia and Naples a direct weekly line of steamers, independently of the postal service. After the close of the Crimean war, in 1856, the directors employed their disposable vessels in increasing the frequency of services to Algeria, and in establishing a postal service between Marseilles and the ports of the Danube and along the east coast of the Black Sea. In 1857 they entered into arrangements for the conveyance of the French mails between Bordeaux; the Brazils, and the La Plata. At that time the fleet of the company had reached fifty-four ships of eighty thousand eight hun- dred and seventy-five tons and fifteen thousand two hundred and forty horse-power, and they obtained from their government in 1861 a contract for the conveyance of the French mails to India and China. In 1871 their fleet, measuring one hundred and thirty-seven thousand three hundred and thirty-four tons, of twenty thousand eight hundred and eighty-five horse- power, performed service on the India and China routes of two hundred and thirty thousand one hundred and thirty-five French leagues; on the Medi- terranean and Black Sea, one hundred and fifty-three thousand four hun- dred aijd seventy-eight; and on the Brazilian, fifty thousand and four. In all, four hundred and twenty-three thousand six hundred and seven leagues annually, independently of various extra services. Since then their Bra- zilian and La Plata lines have been doubled. At the first their vessels were built in England, but the company now possesses large establishments of its own, where they construct screw steamers of iron of the largest size. The ships of the Messageries Maritirnes, like those of their great- competitors for the trade of the East, the Peninsular and Oriental Company, now pass through the Suez Canal.* THE HAMBURG-AMERICAN PACKET COMPANY, 1855. The Hamburg- American Packet Company, which has now a weekly service between New York and Hamburg, touching at Havre on the western trips and at Ply- mouth and Cherbourg on the eastern, was established in 1847 at Hamburg, its first vessels being first-class sailing ships. Mr. Adolph Godeifroy, of Hamburg, elected the President of the company at its formation, still retains that responsible position. Its ships, which were built expressly for its ser- vice, had excellent cabin accommodations, and quarters in the steerage for emigrants even superior to anything that had previously been offered to that *The English Peninsular and Oriental Company, in 1875, f r a service of 1,171,092 miles, received ,430,000, while the Messageries Maritimes, for a service of 631,514, or little more than half as much, ^399,838. It will be perceived both were pretty heavily subsidized. 340 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. class, and the new line met a want that had for some time existed, supply- ing direct and first-class accommodation for travelers between Germany and the United States. The first two vessels were the " Deutschland" and " Nordamerica," which came to New York first in 1848, and were followed in succession by the "Elbe," "Rhein," "Oder," "Donau," "Alair," "Weser," and " Neckar ;" and while sailing ships were the best means of transport be- tween the two countries, the vessels of this line were not surpassed by any others until by the famous American lines of sailing ships between New York and Liverpool. The introduction of lines of screw steamers, however, between Liverpool and New York, and their keen competition for the German and French emigrants, convinced the directors that if this line desired to retain its- supremacy it must avail itself of the most approved method of transport, and foreseeing that steam must inevitably supersede canvas as a method of propulsion for sea-going vessels, measures were taken to increase the capital of the company, and Caird & Co., of Greenock, Scotland, were ordered ta build two screw steamships. The result of this order was the launching in 1855 of the " Hammonia" and " Borussia." Just then, however, there wa& an active demand for transports sailing under a neutral flag, and the com- pany chartered its two new steamers to the allied French and English Gov- ernments, and they were sent to the Crimea. Their charters expired in the spring of 1856, and on the 1st of June in that year the "Borussia" left Hamburg for New York, arriving here on the 16th of June, she being really the pioneer of the present line, for the old sailing packets were soon all re- placed by steamers. The " Hammonia" left Hamburg on the 1st of July r and from that time a monthly steam service was maintained. The new ships were fine vessels, ably commanded and officered. Close attention was given by the company's agents on either side of the water to the proper working of the "steward's department, and the line became a favorite from the start. The management of the company was already popular in connec- tion with the sailing vessels, and their adoption of a steam line in its stead was the cause of much gratification to those who had friends in Germany desiring to come to this country. The Hamburg Company met with sufficient encouragement to induce them to double their steamers and increase the service from a monthly to a semi-monthly one, and in 1856 the " Bavaria" and the " Teutonia" were added to the fleet. They were built at Greenock, and were 2,273 and 2,034 tons measurement respectively. Next year was a year of panic and great commercial depression, and the new enterprise of the Hamburg Company had to bear its share of the general disaster ; nevertheless, in this year another new steamer was added, the " Saxonia," of 2,404 tons. All the old sailing ships were now sold off as fast as practicable, and the line became a steam line solely. Although their steamers were as fast as any afloat and were noted for HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 341 their excellence as sea-boats, the aim of the management was to secure regularity of passage and perfect safety rather than great speed. No racing passages were, therefore, ever allowed. In 1861 the service was again increased, a steamer being despatched from New York every Saturday. This change had been contemplated for some time, but was hastened by the charter of the Vanderbilt steamers to the United States Government, and the United States mails were given to the Hamburg Company in addition to the direct German mail, which it had carried from the first. This extra service necessitated the addition of more steamers, and in 1863 the " Germania" was built by the Messrs. Caird & Co. at Greenock, followed the next year by the "Allemania," built by Messrs. Day & Co. at Southampton. In 1867 the first steamer " Hammonia" was sold, and her name changed to the "Belgian," and the Hamburg Company built a new steamer "Ham- monia" at Greenock. This steamer was 300 feet long, 40 feet beam, and 33 feet deep, and registered 2,967 tons. The " Cimbria," of about the same size, was also built in 1867. Next year the "Holsatia" and "Westphalia" were built, being larger vessels than either of the previous steamers," the " Hol- satia" being 3,134 and the " Westphalia" 3,500 tons. In 1869 the "Silesia," of 3,156 tons, was added, and in 1870 the " Thuringia" was launched at Greenock. The older steamers were now withdrawn from the New York Line, and a new line was established by this company between Hamburg and New Orleans, and an attempt made to maintain a service from Hamburg to the West Indies and Aspinwall. Here it came into keen competition with the North German Lloyd, and as there was not sufficient business for both, the two companies finally agreed that the North German Lloyd should have the New Orleans Line ; and the Hamburg Line kept the West India service, with Aspinwall as the final port of destination. The Franco-German war, in 1870, caused an interruption of the Ham- burg Company's service for three months, after which the weekly service to New York was resumed. In 1872 the "Frisia" was built at Greenock. In 1873 the "Pommerania" was added from the same builders, and in 1874 the " Suevia." This, the last steamer built by the Hamburg Line, is the largest. She is 360 feet long, 41 feet beam, and 26 feet deep, and registers 3,624 tons. Like all the other boats she is brig-rigged and is propelled by two compound inverted direct-acting engines fitted with surface condensers. Her cylinders are 48 and 80 inches respectively in diameter, with 5 feet stroke of piston. She is divided into compartments by seven water-tight bulkheads, and is a first-class vessel, having no superior in the ocean service. Below, her arrangements for passengers are on the most liberal scale, her rooms for cabin passengers being of extra size and well ventilated, while the quarters for steerage passengers are convenient and commodious. Her great power and fine model insured a regularity and rapidity of passage which has never been interrupted. 342 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. The years which immediately followed the building of this steamer were years of reverse to the Hamburg Company. The panic of 1873 in this country had checked emigration, and in addition to this the establishment of the Eagle Line between New York and Hamburg caused a competition which was ruinous. With the decrease in the number of passengers came, of course, a surplus of freight-room, and freights" from all European ports fell greatly in consequence. All these causes were felt so severely by the Hamburg-American Packet Company that in 1875, for. its own salvation, it was obliged to buy up the floating property of the Eagle Line, which forth- with went into liquidation'. By this operation the steamers " Herder," "Lessing," " Gellert," and " Wieland" were added to the New York Line. These were all very fine steamers, built at Glasgow expressly for the Eagle Line, and would have been a great acquisition to the Hamburg Line if they had not been too much in the nature of too much of a good thing. They were about 3,500 tons each, the " Herder," built in 1873 ;. the " Lessing" and " Wieland''' in 1874 ; and the " Gellert" in 1875. Still, although the com- pany was saddled with a surplus of steamers, the vexatious opposition was- removed, and the New York service again became profitable. The threat- ened war between Russia and England in 1878 enabled the Hamburg Com- pany to dispose of some of its surplus steamers, and the " Holsatia," "Ham- monia," and "Thuringia" were sold to the Russian Government. The fleet of the Hamburg-American Packet Company in 1882 consists of twenty-four ocean steamships, viz. : "Albingia," "Allemannia," " Bavaria," "Bohemia," " Borussia," " Cimbria," "Cyclop," " Frisia," "Gellert," "Ham- monia." "Herder," "Holsatia," "Lessing" "Lotharingia," " Rhenania," '.' Rugia," " Saxonia," " Silesia," " Suevia," "Teutonia," " Thuringia," " Van- dalia," "Westphalia," "Wieland," besides a number of smaller steamers employed as feeders for the West India Line and elsewhere, and a large number of river passenger steamers, tugboats, lighters, floating steam winches, steam-sloops, etc., which are necessary accessories to so large a service. THE ANCHOR LINE, 1856. Some fifty years ago four small Scotch beys started from the Clyde in little smacks, then served consecutively in schooners, brigs, barques, ships and steamers, until conversant with every detail connected with all these types of vessels ; with knowledge acquired and sterling integrity, and practicing economy, they grew up to manhood, and saw attempts made to establish steam traffic between Glasgow andthe Western Continent, and as often saw them fail. In due time they banded together, and these little Scotch boys became the well-known firm of " Handyside & Henderson," of Glasgow, the originators of the " Anchor Line." Their first efforts were in small sailing-vessels in the Mediterranean fruit trade, and they finally purchased the steamer " Inez de Castro " and another small craft. They then altered the ship " John Bell " into an auxiliary steamer, and another sailing-ship, " Tempest," in the same manner. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. and with these two vessels inaugurated the Anchor Line. The story of the " Tempest," the pioneer of this line, is soon told : " The good die young.'' She was lost on her second return trip. The Anchor Line came into existence, with these two converted vessels, in 1856, and as early as 1872 seventeen steamships had been constructed for its service between New York and Glasgow, besides thirty steamships for its service in the Mediterranean. At the present time (1882) steam- ships of the line, carrying the United States mail, sail from New York every Saturday, calling at Londonderry on the voyage to Glasgow, and from Glasgow every Thursday, also from London every Saturday, sailing the same day of the week from New York for London. There is also a branch of this line sailing between Barrow-in-Furness (touching at Dublin) and New York about once a fortnight. For several years the company applied its energies in developing the Peninsular and Mediterranean branch of their service. Steamships of this line sail from Glasgow every fourteen days for Lisbon, Gibraltar, Genoa, Leghorn, Naples, Messina and Palermo. In 1863 they determined to vigorously prosecute the Glasgow and New York trade, and built the " Caledonia " and " Britannia." In 1868-70 serious disasters befell the company, and in a few months they chronicled the losses of the " Hibernia," " United Kingdom," and " Cambria." On the arrival of the " Iowa " at New York, June 29, 1867, the dwarfs, Tom Thumb and wife and Commodore Nutt and wife, who were passengers, united in a letter of thanks for the care and attention they had received. The company flag, which gives name to the line, is a white burgee, on which is borne a red anchor horizontally. On the 14th of August, 1872, the owners and agents of the Anchor Line signalized the advent of their latest and at that time best steamer, the " California," an iron screw steamship of 3,208 gross tons, 361.5 feet length, 40.5 feet beam, and a working horse-power of 1,047, by an excursion to Long Branch. The company numbered four hundred, and after an absence of eight hours returned to New York City. The band of the Seventh Regi- ment and two bag-pipers in Highland costume entertained the company, and the whole four hundred guests were at one time seated at tables spread between decks, provided with every delicacy that the markets of the Old and New World afforded. A passenger describing the " California " says : " The grand saloon, forty- five feet long by forty wide, is finished in a scale of magnificence which is carried out in every part of the floating palace. The paneling is of polished oak, interlaid with rich dog and white-wood, adorned with rich carving and gold. The smoking saloon is luxuriously fitted, and painted in a tint of sea-green, and silver-plated chandeliers drop from the ceiling. Each state- room has its electric bell. Two large bath-rooms are on each side of the vessel. The ladies' boudoir is decorated in sea-green tints, dotted and striped in gold, with delicate birds perched in the centre of each broad 344 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. panel. She has accommodations for one hundred and fifty first-class and nine hundred steerage passengers." The present fleet of the Anchor Line is as follows; the names of the vessels are alphabetically arranged, and with two exceptions end in "t'a:" TRANSATLANTIC, PENINSULAR, MEDITERRANEAN AND ORIENTAL STEAMSHIPS OF THE ANCHOR LINE IN l882.* Name. Service. Built. Register' d Tonnage. Name. Service. Built. Register' d Tonnage. Acadia Med. and Or. 1866 1081 Ethiopia.. Transatlantic 1873 4004 Alexandria.... Alsatia 1870 1876 1629 7OOO Furnessia . Galatia .... Med. and Or. 1881 5496 3I2C Anchoria. . Transatlantic 1871; J 4176 Hesperia . T.12Z Armenia . . Med. and Or. 3380 Hispania . 3380 Assyria... 1871 ' 1623 India 1860 228Q Australia (i 1870 2243 3I2S Belgravia . (( 5000 Italia 1872 22415 Britannia . 1863 2 2OO 3121; Bolivia . Transatlantic 1873 40 ;o Macedonia . 2272 Caledonia California Med. and Or. 1872 1872 2125 3287 Olympia Roumania 1872 2050 3 COG Castalia 1873 220 ) Scandinavia 1865 ins Circassia Transatlantic 4200 Scotia. . 1866 1 101 City of Rome Sidonian 1870 I27C Columbia Devonia Med. and Or. Transatlantic 1867 2OOO 42OO Trinacria .... Tyrian 1871 1860 2107 ICn8 Dorion Med. and Or. 1868 1018 Utopia 1873 27^1 Elysia.. . 1873 2777 Victoria 1872 5242 To obviate the risk of collision, lessen the dangers of navigation and ensure fine weather, the owners of the Anchor Line have adopted Maury's system of separate steam lane routes for their Atlantic steamships, whereby the most southerly route practicable is regularly maintained throughout all seasons of the year. . The " Furnessia," the latest addition to the fleet, the City of Rome excepted, was built at Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, England, and was, when launched, the largest vessel ever built in England save the " Great Eastern." She has since been surpassed by the " City of Rome," " Servia," etc. Her dimensions are : length, 445 feet ; beam, 44 feet 6 inches ; depth of hold, 34 feet 6 inches ; her registered tonnage is 5,496 ; gross tonnage, 6,500 tons; and her displacement when drawing twenty-six feet of water, 9,900 tons. She is brig-rigged, and has two funnels. Her engines are 3 500 horse-power. The diameter of the propeller is 20 feet 6 inches. The engines, fitted with Rogers' patent exhauster, have special fire-engines and emergency pumps for pumping in case of collision or accident. She has steam steering-gear, winches, cranes, etc., and her hull is divided into nine water-tight compartments. 9 * The date of building is given when known. Those whose date of building is not given have been built since 1873. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 345 The promenade-deck, which stretches from nearly amidships to the stern of the steamer, is surmounted by a deck-house, of which one-half is utilized as a comfortable smoking-room. Opposite the entrance to the smoking- room is a staircase which descends to the music- or drawing-room on the spar- deck. The walls of this music-room are lined with panels of walnut and satin-wood. The seats around the apartment are upholstered in brown morocco, and around the staircase leading to the main-deck are ornamental boxes filled with exotic plants. It is also furnished with a Broadwood piano and a Mason & Hamliu organ, and a well-stocked library. A broad, airy cor- ridor, lighted and, ventilated by skylights at frequent intervals, leads from the music-room aft, on either side of which are state-rooms elegantly and comfortably fitted up, having two berths and a sofa in each. Descending from the music-room by a broad staircase the dining-saloon is reached. The port-holes of this saloon are hid by window-frames with stained glass, and the carpets, curtains, and other accessories display the taste and elegance which are everywhere evinced. The dining-saloon is heated by steam, furnished from two Baltimore heaters .fitted into white marble mantels. A corridor, similar to that on the spar-deck, stretches from the main saloon aft, giving access on both sides to state-rooms, which are each fitted for the accommodation of four persons. There are two state-cabins furnished with special magnificence, which, in place of the ordinary berths elsewhere provided, are supplied with Parisian electro-plated bedsteads. THE NORTH GERMAN LLOYD STEAMSHIP COMPANY, 1857, was founded by a number of enterprising business men of the ancient and wealthy city of Bremen, a city belonging to the so-called Hansa-Bund, or commercial con- federation of German free cities, whose merchants in the thirteenth century sent their ships out over the German Ocean and up the Baltic, and gave the first incentive to the trade of northern Europe, which they controlled for centuries. True to the traditions of their forefathers, the inaugurators of this new line of communication with the Western Hemisphere determined to offer to the public in place of the slow and uncertain sailing-vessels, by which all living and dead freight had been forwarded from the port of Bremen, a quick, safe, and commodious fleet of steamers. The founders of the line were sensible that, in order to succeed in the new undertaking, it would be necessary to conduct the management with a jealous regard for the comfort, safety, and well-being of the passengers. They had to contend with the prejudice of many who were unable to com- prehend the grand revolution in ocean transportation taking place, and who would not intrust their lives or goods on these new-fangled arrangements driven by steam and moved by complicated machinery, lia'ble, as they be- lieved, to continual derangement. Founded on the maxim that that com- pany serves its own interest best that serves the public best, the line, in spite of the opposition of early years and the eager competition of later days, 346 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. grew and prospered. Up to December, 1878, the steamers of this company had made two thousand five hundred and fourteen voyages across the At- lantic, and carried more than six hundred and eighty thpusand persons over the ocean. Of this number more than one hundred and eight thousand were cabin passengers, all of whom were conducted safely and well over its stormy sea. This is a record few steamship lines can equal, and that hardly any can excel. The transatlantic steamers of this line, thirty in number, except four built on the Humber, were all built on the Clyde. They are iron screw steamers with flush decks, built according to the English Lloyd rule. Their length on an average is 360 feet; breadth of beam, 40 feet; and depth, 32 feet, the length being about nine times the breadth. Tonnage, about 3,500 tons, They are provided with iron decks, and seven water-tight compartments. Their draught without cargo is 17 feet, and with cargo 21 feet. They are brig-rigged, spreading 14,000 square feet of sail, carry ten iron life-boats, 28 feet long, and the other usual appliances for saving life. The engines of nearly all of these ships are of the compound type. The screws are of iron, with four blades about 15 feet in diameter, and with a pitch of about 24 feet. The larger steamers have twelve main boilers, with two furnaces and one auxiliary, and the average speed of the mail steamers, viz. : "Neckar," "Oder," "Mosel," "Rhein," "Main," "Donau," "Freser," and "America," plying between Bremen and New York, is stated as fourteen and one-half knots per hour. A new steamer, called the " Elbe," has been built on the Clyde and placed on the line between Bremen, Southampton, and New York. ' The " Elbe" is of 5,000 tons measurement, and her dimensions are 420 feet in length by 45 feet breadth of beam, and 40 feet depth of hold. She is provided with seven water-tight compartments, and fitted with four masts, the fore and main-masts square-rigged, and the two mizzen-masts schooner- rigged. The upper-deck fore and aft is covered over. She has a hurricane- deck amidships 180 feet long, as a promenade-deck for first-cabin passengers, on which the ladies' cabin is placed near the mainmast. The " Elbe" has the most approved steam steering-gear, operated from the wheel-house, which is placed under the bridge and at the forward end of the hurricane-deck. Her engines are of 6,000 horse-power, indicated, and consist of three cyl- inders, the high-pressure of 60 inches diameter, and the two low-pressure of 85 inches diameter each, and guaranteed to obtain a speed of sixteen miles an hour. The crew is 160 all told. The "Mosel," from Southampton for New York, went on shore near the Lizard in a thick fog and calm, August 9, 1882, and became a total loss, breaking up about September 4. Her six or seven hundred passengers and the mails were landed by the steamer " Rosetta" of Falrnouth Her dimensions were: Length, 365 feet; beam, 40 feet; depth of hold, 35 feet. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 347 Her gross tonnage was 3,50.0, and her bunkers carried 1,000 tons of coal. She was full brig-rigged, had eight metallic life-boats and two gigs, and her decks were of East India teak. Her original machinery was powerful and fine, consisting of inverted direct-acting engines of 800 horse-power, nominal r with the capacity of working up to 2,500. She had two cylinder, 72 inches in diameter, with 5 feet stroke. The boilers were six in number, with four furnaces to each. The " Mosel" was finely furnished throughout, and could accommodate 90 first-class, 126 second-class, and 680 steerage passengers, and she cost a little over $500,000. She was valued at $425,000. In Sep- tember, 1881, she was repaired and refitted at an expense of $125,000. Her hurricane-decks and turtle-backs were renewed, and the second cabin was removed to the main-deck forward. New engines were placed in her, greatly exceeding in power her old ones. In 1875 a memorable crime was com- mitted by a passenger on the " Mosel" while she was lying in Bremerhaven. A case of dynamite was exploded on the wharf, sixty-eight persons being killed and thirty-three severely wounded. The vessel was but little injured. The author of the catastrophe, W. H. Thomassen, who had been a blockade runner during the American rebellion, but had latterly lived in Germany, was tried and legally put to death. THE LEYLAND LINE. This line has a large fleet, all of which, except the Boston steamships, run to Mediterranean ports, for which there are four departures a week. The steamers of this line bear names ending with the letter "n," and have the further peculiarity of being ranged -in classes ac- cording to the letters with which their names begin, the names of sister ships always beginning with the same letter. Thus, the steamers of the Boston service are always spoken of as the " B's" and the " I's," the " Ba- varian," " Batavian," "Bohemian," and the " Istrien," " Illyrien," and " Iberien." The "Flavian," repaired in Boston, replaced the "Bohemian," lost, in the Boston service of the company. The disaster which overtook her ob- liged the giving up temporarily of a projected line to Baltimore. She is different from the regular boats of the line running to Boston, being smaller and shorter than the large four-masters, of lighter draught, and of greater beam in proportion to her length, which is 335 feet. She has only two- masts. Her tonnage is about 1,400 by measurement. She is finely fitted, and has comfortable quarters for officers and crew. She was built at Jarrow-on-Tyne, a name hardly known this side of the Atlantic, but which has the greatest iron ship-building yard in the world. It employs seven- thousand men, and everything is done on the premises. The iron is taken from the company's mines three miles up the river, enters the yard as crude ore, and leaves it a complete steamship. The coal is mined in the yard. At Jarrow there are three monster steamers building specially for the Boston service of the Leyland Line, and they will propably begin running in the autumn of 1882. Two are called the "Virginian" and the " Valencian ;"" 348 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. the third will have a name beginning with V. The three " V's" will be steamers of 5,000 tons and about 500 feet long, much larger than any of the the present boats, but resembling them in build. The steamer "Bohemian" was wrecked in Dunlough Bay, February 6, 1881. She sailed from Boston on January 27, 1881, for Liverpool, and went ashore on the Irish coast during a dreadful storm. Thirty-two of those on board were drowned, and twenty-one of the crew, including the second officer, saved. Another survivor was seen on a rock, separated from the mainland, but all efforts to rescue him failed. Two life-boats were capsized in the attempt. The " Bohemian" was fifteen years old, and had been on the Leyland Line five years. THE COMPANY GENERALE TRANSATLANTIQUE, 1862. This company, established in 1862, maintains a regular line between Havre and New York. It receives a subsidy from the French government for its West India and New York and Havre lines; other independent services are not subsidized. In 1880 a contract was entered into between the company and the French Government for its line between Marseilles, Algerian, and Tunisian ports, and a small subsidy granted. The company has lately added to its lines a new weekly line from Mar- seilles to Genoa, Leghorn, Naples, Messina, Syracuse, Malta, etc. The following table shows the fleet of the company, 1881: FOR THE ATLANTIC. FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN. Tonnage. Horse-power. Tonnage. Horse-power. Amerique, 4,5 900 Moi'se, . ,800 45 France, . 4,5oo 900 Saint-Augustin, ,800 45 Labrador, 4,50 900 Isaac Pereire, . ,800 45 Canada, 4,500 900 Abd-el-Kader, ,800 450 Saint-Germain 3,650 850 Charles-Quint, ,800 45 Pereire, . 3,300 900 Ville de Madrid, . ,800 45 Saint-Laurent 3,4oo 900 Ville de Barcelona, ,800 450 Ville de Paris, 3,3oo 900 Kleber, . ,800 45 Lafayette, 3,400 800 Ville d'Oran . ,800 450 Washington, . 3,400 800 Ville de Bone, ,800 45 Olinde-Rodrigues, . 3,000 660 Afrique, 800 250 Saint-Simon, . . 3,000 660 Ajaccio, . 800 250 Ferdinand de Les- Bastia, . 800 250 seps, . 3,000 660 Corse, . 800 250 Ville de Marseille, 3,000 660 Immaculee - Concep - Ville de Bordeaux, 2,600 660 tion, . 800 250 Ville de Brest, 2,600 660 Lou-Cettori, . 800 250 Ville de Saint-Na- Marechal Canrobert, 800 250 zaire, . 2,600 660 Mohammed - el - Sa- Colombie, 2,800 660 deck, . 800 250. Caldera, 2,800 660 Malvina, 800 250 Salvador, 900 250 Manoubia, 600 200 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 349 FOR THE ATLANTIC. {Continued.} FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN. {Continued.} Tonnage. Horse-power. Tonnage. Horse-power. Saint-Domingue, 800 250 Ville de Tange'r 600 200 Venezuela, 800 250 Dragut, . 500 ISO Alice, . . 800 . IOO Mustapha-ben-Ismai'l, 500 150 Caravelle, . . 700 250 La Vallete, . 500 150 Colomba, 600 200 Insulaire, 400 'SO Carai'be, ' . 600 r5 TUG. "Belle Isle, . 150 IOO RESERVES. TRANSPORT STEAMERS. Guadeloupe, . 1, 600 400 Bixio, . . 2,280 250 Desirade, 1,400 400 Flachat, . 2,280 250 Le Chatelier, . 2,227 .250 Fournel, Clapeyron, . 2,OOO . IJ60 2 5 180 SHIPS BUILDING. Provincia, . 1,700 1 80 Ville de Rome, 1, 800 45 Martinique, . . 1, 600 200 Ville de Naples, . 1, 800 45 Picardie, . . . 1,500 200 Ville de New York. The " Ville de New York," now building at Barrow-in-Furness ' for the Company, is to be the largest steamship that has entered the port of Havre. According to the plans, her length between perpendiculars will be 460 feet ; depth of hold, from bottom of keel to spar-deck, 37 feet 6 inches. Her beam is to be proportioned with her draught, which cannot exceed 23 feet in depth on account of the bar or entrance on the river Seine, and its breadth is to be 50 feet. In her length she is to be divided into ten water- tight compartments, two of which will be occupied by the boilers, which can be separated in case of emergency. One-half of the boiler-power can be used without stopping the vessel, and will give a speed of almost eleven knots. A water-tight bottom, which is to extend her whole length, can also be used for ballasting the vessel and giving her uniform draught, and a system of pumps worked by steam will insure her speedy and adequate drainage. The " Ville de New York " will have four masts and two smoke- stacks. She will have all the latest improvements and most recently devised accommodations. There are to be four decks and a promenade-deck extending alongside on top of the main-deck, and supported forward by stanchions. - This one will be entirely reserved for the first and second-class passengers. No sailors will be permitted on it, as all their work will be done on the deck below, which is also to be used by the third-class passengers. Forward and aft on the promenade-deck there are to be two turrets, which will contain the signal-fire and the double foot-bridge for the officers on watch. The pilot- house, which is to be fitted with steam steering-gear, and the captain's house will be located here too. The arrangements for the crew will be such that 350 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. every department will do its work without interfering with the passengers. The officers' rooms will be situated forward under cover, so as to be con- venient to the bridge, where they have to be on watch, and the engineers' berths are to be arranged around the engine-room, so that they may not be obliged to go on deck. . The first-class passengers' saloon and cabins will be in the centre of the vessel, forward of the machinery, where the pitching is felt least. Twenty- four of the cabins will contain single berths, and have skylights for admit- ting air in all weathers. All will be lighted by means of electricity. The second-class passengers are to be located aft of the machinery, and third- class at the end of the first-class cabins, between decks. Splendidly fur- nished dining-rooms, saloons and reading-rooms will form one of the vessel's attractions, and there will be a system of baths and all arrangements likely to contribute to comfort. The machinery will be compound, with cylinders set one above the other. Each of the three compound engines will have its own crank-shaft and con- denser. The air and circulating pumps will be independent. The six cylinders will have a stroke of 5 feet 7 inches. The diameter of high- pressure cylinders will be 35? inches, and that of the low-pressure cylinders 75 inches. The whole condensing surface will be 10,300 feet, and every one of the circulating pumps will be able to supply at full speed 250 gallons of water per second. The boilers supplying the steam to the main engine will have in all 36 furnaces, with a fire surface of 21,600 square feet; besides, there will be a large donkey boiler, with two furnaces having 550 square feet of fire surface, for supplying steam to the hoisting engines, donkey-pumps, and other steam apparatus. The main boilers will carry a steam-pressure of 90 pounds per square inch, and the power of the engines, it is claimed, can be estimated at 7,000 horse-power on trial, giving a speed of 16i knots. THE NATIONAL STEAMSHIP COMPANY, 1863. The year in which this line, between Boston, New York and Liverpool, was started was a most un- promising one for the inauguration of such a commercial enterprise, as it was the year in which commercial men in the Northern States were distracted with apprehensions for the future of the Union, and when trade, except in war material, was practically at a stand-still. Such was the period, how- ever, chosen by a little knot of far-seeing commercial men in Liverpool for commencing the operations of the National Steamship Company. They have been more than justified by the result, and their success is at once a testimony to their pluck and commercial foresight. The National Steamship Company was the first and for some years the only steamship company trading across the Atlantic between Liverpool and the United States, established upon the principle of a limited activity, that is to maintain the reputation of its steamers for safety, and such expedi- tion on the voyage as is consistent with safe navigation. And as an additional HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 351 guarantee for safety, the company takes upon itself the entire insurance of each of its steamers, and a considerable sum per annum is distributed be- tween the captain and officers of each steamer, as a bonus, provided that their vessel is navigated free of accident. The efficacy of these regulations is proved by the fact that although the National Line has carried nearly 650,000 passengers, not a single passenger has been lost from accident of the seas, and though it was started with a capital of 700,000, in one of its recent years its gross earnings exceeded that amount, and it has not only paid good dividends during the years of its existence, but 'has accumu- lated an insurance fund of over 200,000, while its property in 1877 was valued at 1,200,000, and must now have increased to more than double the original capital. From the start the directors had to face the fact that it could expect no assistance from mail subsidies, and that it had to compete with formidable rivals. It was necessary, therefore, that it should strike out a line for itself, and it was decided that the line should consist of ships not built for great speed, but capable of carrying large cargoes without in- terfering with comfortable arrangements for passengers. This was the model adopted, and experience has shown that the policy of the company was a wise one. The result is that to-day the vessels of the National Com- pany are among the largest engaged in the transatlantic traffic. The company commenced its operations in 1863 with three of the largest vessels then afloat, viz., the iron screw steamships " Louisiana," "Virginia," and " Pennsylvania" respectively, of a gross tonnage, one of 3,000 and two of 3,500 tons each. The following year the fleet was increased to six vessels by the addition of the " Erin," " Queen," and " Helvetia," each of a larger tonnage than the pioneer vessels, with which number a weekly service was commenced. After two years' trading this fleet proved insufficient, and two other vessels the " England," of 4,900 tons and 600 horse-power, and the " Denmark," of 3,724 tons and 350 horse-power was added to the line in 1865. In 1868 the " Italy," of 4,169 tons and 500 horse-power, built and engined by Messrs. John Elder, of Glasgow, became one of the National liners. It should be mentioned that the " Italy" was the first Atlantic steam- ship in which engines upon the compound principle were used. In 1869 the " Holland," of 3,847 tons and 350 horse-power, was added to the line. The company signalized its increasing prosperity in the year 1871, by adding to the line two of the largest steamships then afloat (the " Great Eastern" ex- cepted) in the " Egypt," of 4,670 tons, and the " Spain," of 4,512 tons. The " Egypt" is 455 feeX long and 44 feet beam, and the "Spain," 440 feet long and 43 feet beam. Each of these vessels has frequently made the passage from Queenstown to Sandy Hook in nine days. In 1872 the " Canada," of 4,276 tons, and the "Greece," of 4,310, were added to the line. At the present time (1882) its fleet consists of the following vessels: 352 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. NAME. Built. H. P. Tons. 1 NAME. Built. H.P. Tons. Spain .. 1871 600 4,871 Canada 1872 45 4,276 Egypt . 1871 600 5,089 i Greece 1872 45 4>3 10 1865 600 4,900 ! 1866 4^f) 4,281 The Queen 1864 4^O 4,471 ; Holland 1869 3 r 3,847 1864 t;oo 4,^88 1865 T>o 7,724 Erin 1864 qoo 4,07 i Italy... 7 1868 500 4,341 Comprising twelve of the largest steamers (belonging to one company) in the Atlantic passenger service, capable of accommodating 1,200 cabin and 15,000 steerage passengers. With this fleet a weekly service is maintained, one vessel starting from Liverpool every Wednesday and another for New York every Saturday. In addition there is a special weekly service main- tained between London and New York, in which six vessels of the company are engaged. At the outbreak of the Abyssinian campaign the " England" and " Queen" were chartered by the government as transports, and continued in service until the close of the campaign. They made the shortest run of any of the transports between Liverpool and Bombay, and the " Queen" steamed home from Bombay to Liverpool, by way of the Cape of Good Hope, in forty-nine days, which was claimed as the shortest time ever made by that route. Four of the company's steamships the "Egypt," "Spain," "England," and " France" were engaged in the year 1879 to convey troops to South Africa, and the present year the "Holland," "France," "Italy," and " Greece" were employed to take troops to Egypt. The " Holland" sailed from London on the 1st of August with a portion of the Household cavalry, and by special request of Her Majesty passed inside the Isle of Wight, and she was visited by the Prince and Princess^of Wales and their daughters, who boarded her from the Royal yacht " Osborne." On the 9th the " Greece," commanded by Captain W. Pearce, sailed from Southampton, having had the honor of receiving four royal visits during the day. She had on board 246 horses and about 300 officers and men of the 5th Dragoon Guards, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Pope. The first distinguished visitor to arrive on board the steamer was Prince Edward of Saxe- Weimar, who, with his suite, made a careful inspection of the vessel and the arrangements for the accommodation of the troops, and expressed themselves highly satisfied. Shortly afterwards his Royal High- ness the Duke of Cambridge and suite paid a visit to the " Greece," and after a thoroughly official examination of the provision made for the officers, men and horses, expressed the greatest satisfaction. About three o'clock in the afternoon the Prince and Princess of Wales, accompanied by the three Princesses, Louise, Victoria, and Maud, and the two royal middies, Prince Albert Victor and Prince George of Wales (just returned from their HISTORY OF STEAM NA VI GAT I ON. 353 two years' cruise round the world), and Miss Kuollys, went on board the " Greece," inspecting with much interest every portion of the fine vessel, their examination even extending to the lower decks of the vessel, where the horses are carried. The Princess of Wales was most particular in examin- ing minutely all the fitting and accommodation for the men and horses, and was especially enthusiastic in her commendation of the arrangements of the vessel. Immediately after their departure the royal yacht " Alberta " was sighted, and Her Majesty the Queen, arriving from Osborne House, accom- panied by the Princess Beatrice, the Duchess of Con naught, and attended by several ladies, was received on board the "Greece" by Admiral Ryder and Captain Brookes. The Queen, who evinced the liveliest interest in the fitting out of the transport, was much pleased with her visit, and before Her Majesty left the steamer, several officers who were going on active service in the East were presented to her in the saloon. The steamships of this- line have been constructed by the most celebrated builders in Great Britain, and are of great strength and power and of beautiful model, enabling them to make regular passages in all kinds of weather. They are built entirely of iron and steel (except the merely decorative parts), and divided into water-tight and fire-proof compartments, with steam pumping, hoisting, and steering-gear, and provided with fire extinguishers, improved sounding apparatus, and generally found through- out in everything calculated to add to their safety, and to the comfort and convenience of passengers, heretofore unattained at sea. The saloons are some of them 150 feet in length, and are particularly well lighted and ventilated. The state-rooms, all on the main-deck, are exceptionally large, light, and airy, and are furnished throughout with every requisite to make the ocean passage a comfortable and easy one. Pianos, ladies' saloons, both on deck and below ; gentlemen's smoking-room, and ladies' and gentlemen's bath-rooms, are provided. The cuisine is of the very highest order. Special attention has been given in the construction of the steamers to provide for the comfort of steerage passengers, the accommodation being unsurpassed for airiness and room, light, good ventilation, and general arrangements. The steamers have covered-in decks over their whole length, allowing passengers in good weather an unobstructed length of promenade, and affording in bad weather a complete protection from wet and exposure, while allowing spacious room for exercise. The deck space is over 400 feet in length, and from 42 to 45 feet wide. The sleeping apartments are well 'lighted, warmed, and comfortable, the height between decks being greater than in most steamers. Married couples, with their young children, are berthed by themselves ; single men and women in separate rooms, apart from each other. During the day all can associate together and mess at the same table. Stewardesses are in 23 354 H1STOR Y OF STEAM A A VIOA TION. attendance on women and children. Medicine and medical attendance free to every passenger. From the beginning of its operations it has been the settled practice of the company to make the safety of the passengers its first consideration, and the speed of the passage the second. It is the uniform practice of the managers to require from each captain a sailing chart, showing his course out and home, the instructions being that he is never to go higher than a certain line of latitude with the idea of getting a shorter sailing line. These charts are regularly examined and filed. The articles in the Company's Book of Instructions on these matters are as follows : " During the ice months, that is to say, from the 1st of February until the 31st of August, inclusive^ the commanders will shape their courses so far south as wHl in their judgments avoid danger from field ice-bergs. Between the above dates they are not to cross the region of the banks higher than 43 North Latitude on the outward passages (easterly), and not higher than 42 North Latitude on the homeward (westerly) passages. From the 1st of September until the 31st of January, inclusive, the banks are to be crossed at a safe distance south of the Virgin rocks. " The commanders, while using every diligence to secure a speedy voyage, are prohibited from running any risk whatever that might result in acci- dent to their ships. They must ever bear in mind that the safety of the ships and the lives and property on board is to be the ruling principle that shall govern them in the navigation of their ships, and no supposed gain in expedition or saving of time on the voyage is to be purchased at the risk of accidents. The Company desires to establish and maintain the reputation of the steamers for safety, and expect such expedition on their voyage as is consistent with safe navigation." From the soundness of the positions it has taken and the policy it has pursued, it is not too much to prophesy from its past an equally prosperous future. THE WILLIAMS & GUION LINE, 1866. This line was established in Au- gust, 1866. It was originally the Black Star Line of packet-ships, which were run from Liverpool to New York for twenty-four years, carrying some sixty thousand passengers yearly, and never losing a ship or a life by acci- dent. From 1866, when the steamship line was established, to 1873 the line run six steamers, each making eight round trips per year, carrying, on an average, six hundred passengers to New York and one hundred from New York each trip, making seven hundred passengers per round trip, or a total per year of thirty-three thousand six hundred, and a grand total of pas- sengers, between 1866 and 1873, of fully two hundred and fifty thousand. In January, 1868, the " Chicago," of this line, ran ashore near Queenstown and became a total wreck, all hands being saved. Since then the " Col- orado" was run into in the Mersey, and six passengers jumped overboard and were drowned. All the others were saved. HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. 355 In August, 1866, the iron screw steamer "Manhattan" sailed from Liver- pool for New York, being the pioneer of the company's new fleet. The " Minnesota," "Nebraska," " Colorado," " Idaho," " Nevada," " Wisconsin," and " Wyoming," named for the States and Territories of the Union, each of about three thousand tons, and built of iron specially for the line, followed in rapid succession. In 1873 the " Montana," of three thousand five hun- dred tons, was added, and in 1874 the " Dakota," a sister ship. The incor- porate name of the company is the "Liverpool and Great Western Steam- ship Company," but it is best known as the " Guion Line." The "Alaska," the latest addition to the Guion Line, arrived in New York on her first trip, after a prolonged and stormy passage, on the afternoon of November , having left Queenstown Tuesday, November 1, during a severe storm, which during the night turned into a complete hurricane. The steam steering-gear gave way, as also did the hand-gear, which com- pelled a -stop for ten hours to repair the damage. The next day a small steam-pipe broke, which filled the engine-room with steam and obliged the engineers to leave their posts and put out the fires. It was only a water- pipe used to lessen the noise of escaping steam, but it caused great incon- venience and obliged them to work up to sixty-five pounds of steam only, when the vessel is capable of working under one hundred. An average of sixteen knots an hour was made, but it is expected the "Alaska" will make regularly eighteen and one-half knots an hour and record four hundred and forty miles a day. She made four hundred and two miles one day with only sixty-five pounds of steam. Mr. Guion, accompanied by a number of personal friends and members of the press, went down the bay in a special tender to meet the steamship. When the tender was off Staten Island the huge ship was sighted steaming through the Narrows decked gayly with flags, floating the national ensign at the fore and the flag of the royal naval reserve at the stern. When off quarantine the "Alaska" dropped her anchor, and the health-officer, with those who had gone down to inspect her, went on board. As the vessel lay at anchor in the stream she presented a fine appearance, but only when on board of her could one get an idea of her size. The prin- cipal dimensions of the "Alaska" are : Length, 526 feet ; breadth, 50 feet 6 inches ; depth, 40 feet 7 inches to upper-deck, or 48 feet 7 inches to prom- enade-deck. Her gross tonnage is 8,004) tons. The engines are of the com- pound inverted, direct-acting three-cylinder type. The high-pressure cyl iuder 68-inch diameter, and the two-ton pressure cylinders 100 inches diam- eter each, with a stroke of 6 feet. Steam is supplied by boilers of the usual cylindrical form at a pressure of 100 pounds. The indicated horse-power is about 1,000. The "Alaska" has two smoke-stacks and four masts, barque- rigged. There are altogether seven decks. The first, or promenade-deck, extends the whole length and breadth of the vessel, excepting the parts in the bow and stern* forming the "turtle." The second deck is an open one. 356 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIOA TION. Along the sides of the vessel, and along the middle are the quarters for the officers and engineers and a number of state-rooms for intermediate passen- gers. In the third or main-deck accommodations are provided for three hundred and forty first-class, sixty second-class, and one hundred and eigh- teen steerage passengers. This deck, amidships, is taken up entirely by the state-rooms and dining-saloons for first-class passengers. The entrance to the main saloon is by a spacious stairway from the second deck, and is handsomely arranged. The main saloon is 50 feet wide and 64 feet long, and has a seating capacity for 280 people. The ceiling is 9 feet high, but a cupola of stained glass, 23 feet long and 15 feet wide, makes the centre of the main saloon 20 feet high. The sides of the saloon are finished in hard woods, with panels of maple, teak, satin, and oak inlaid. The upholstery is in blue Utrecht velvet. Near the saloon is the ladies' cabin, upholstered with rich brocaded tapestry, with sofas well arranged for comfort and ease. Communicating with this room are the ladies' bath-rooms, which are com- plete in every particular. The main saloon and smoking-room is 28 feet wide and 24 four feet long. It is floored in parquetry. There are four bath-rooms on the main-deck, as well as lavatories at convenient places. The fourth deck is devoted to steerage passengers, and will accommodate one thousand persons. The fifth deck is used entirely for cargo. The "Alaska" is fitted with steam-windlass, steam steering-gear, steam-winches, and all the most improved appliances for navigation and for promoting the comfort of the passengers. There are electric bells communicating with the chief steward's office throughout the ship, and she is fitted with Swan's electric lights. THE OLD DOMINION STEAMSHIP COMPANY (1867) succeeded the N. Y. and Va. S. S. Co., which ran the route previous to the Civil War. The service of the Old Dominion Steamship Company now embraces the following lines of passenger travel : Main Line New York to Norfolk, .Portsmouth, Newport News, Petersburg and Richmond, Va.- Norfolk Division Norfolk to Old Point Comfort (Fortress Monroe), Hampton, Newport News, Smithfield, York-town, Matthews, Gloucester, and Cherr^r- stone, Va. North Carolina Division Elizabeth City to Washington, South Creek, Makeley's, Newberne, and Eiverdale, N. C. ; Washington, N. C., to Greenville and Tarboro, N. C., etc. Delaware Division New York to Lewes, Delaware ; Franklin City, Va., to Chiucoteague, Va., etc. West Point Division New York to West Point, Va. ; freight only. The line commenced with three steamers of less than 3,000 tons burthen combined. The following named are its present fleet : ' The " Roanoke," iron propeller, freight and passengers, 2,354 tons, New York. The " Guyandotte," iron propeller, of the same class and build as the " Roanoke." HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 357 The " Old Dominion," iron side-wheel steamship, freight and passengers, 2,222 tons. The " Wyanoke," iron side-wheel steamship, freight and passengers, 2,068 tons. The "Richmond," iron propeller, freight and passengers, 1,436 tons. The " Manhattan," iron propeller, freight and passengers, 1,400 tons. The " Breakwater," iron propeller, freight and passengers, 1,110 tons. The " Rapidan," wooden side-wheel, freight, 868 tons. Steamer " Widgeon," Swift, master. Steamer " Transfer." The " Northampton," wooden side-wheel, freight and passengers, 600 tons. The " Accomack," wooden side-wheel, freight and passengers, 434 tons. The " Shenandoah'," wooden side-wheel. The " Luray," wooden side-wheel. The " Newberne," iron propeller, freight and passengers, 400 tons. The " Pamlico," wooden propeller, 252 tons. And about 2,000 tons in barges, propellers, lighters, etc., or about 20,000 tons in all. The passenger accommodations of the Old Dominion steamships are of the most comfortable and superb character ; the saloons are substantially and elegantly furnished, the tables well supplied, and in fact they are want- ing in nothing calculated to make a trip upon them desirable and pleasant. During the Company's career of fifteen years not a single life entrusted to its care has been lost. Through the worst storms and series of marine disasters these steamships have always passed in perfect safety. The movement of freights northward by this line consists of the products of mine, field and forest ores, marble, granite, logs, lumber, and their products, cotton, tobacco, rice, peanuts, and every variety of produce, fish, oysters, etc. South-bound All kinds of merchandise. Beside points immediately reached by steamers, intimate rail connections exist with all parts of the South, South-west and West, and freights and passengers transferred to and from the same. An almost daily line is maintained. During Aftgust, 1882, forty-five arrivals of this Company's boats were entered in New York. They prob- ably handle, agents of the Company say, as great a volume of business in tons as any other Company, either foreign or domestic, in this country. The " Roanoke " and " Guyandotte," of 1,355 tons each, built at Roach's ship-yard, Chester, Pa., are two iron screw steamships of a very superior character. The dimensions are: Length, 270 feet; breadth of beam, 41 feet ; depth of hold from base line, 26 feet, 9 inches. The steamers were built under the special inspection and in accordance with the rules of the American Shipmasters' Association, and are classed for twenty years in the " Record of American Shipping." They are supplied with water-tight bulk- 358 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. heads, and have every appliance for the safety and comfort of passengers. There are three decks and a hurricane-deck. Excellent accommodations are supplied for 100 cabin passengers, state-rooms for which are of large size and 'elegantly upholstered and appointed, having all modern con- veniences. The saloons are finished in a choice variety of hard woods, and handsomely upholstered and furnished. Thorough ventilation is supplied, and everything done which experience can suggest to make these steamships among the best in the coasting trade. They have compound engines, the high-pressure cylinders being 38 inches in diameter, and the low-pressure 74 inches. The length of stroke of the piston is 4* feet. Four steel boilers, 13 feet in diameter, 12 feet long, and tested to carry 90 pounds of steam, insure a good rate of speed. THE WHITE STAR LINE, 1870. The White -Star Line was originally composed of a fleet of fast-sailing American clipper-ships, by the " Champion of the Seas," " Blue Jacket," " White Star," " l^haiimar," etc., sailing to Australia. To this line Messrs. Imray & Co. succeeded, and still carry it on with fast vessels, built of iron. In 1870 the establishment of the line of steamships taking this name was claimed as a new departure in ocean steamship management. The ships of the line differed in model, internal arrangements, and equipment from all their predecessors, They were designed to combine the highest speed with unprecedented comfort and convenience for passengers. Nautical critics are conservative, and look with great distrust upon marked innovations in naval construction, and these vessels were the subject of unfavorable comments. They might do for summer passages, but doubts were expressed whether they would endure the test of a North Atlantic winter. It was an innovation that the vessels of the line should be built at Belfast instead of upon the Clyde, the stipulation being that the ships were to be constructed of strength, size arid power to equal, if not surpass, any- thing upon the Mersey. The builders were not limited by contract, but left to fulfill the general instructions given. When the first vessels of the line were brought to Liverpool from Belfast they created a " sensation," and became the subject of comment and observation. Events have proved that the builders reaqhed a high degree of speed and safety, and that no steamships have been better able to cope with the winter storms of the Atlantic. For ten years, in winter as in summer, the steamships of the White Star Line have lived down adverse criticism. The best evidence of the value of the improvements introduced by the White Star Company is that they have been adopted by rival lines. The White Star steamers range from 3,700 to 5,000 tons, and are among the largest in the world. They are built with regard to strength no less than speed, and constructed on the floating-tube principle, with seven water-tight and fire-proof iron bulkheads. They are steered by steam, and have the principal saloon and state-rooms amidships. A complete inspection by the commanding officer is made HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 359 before every voyage, when the men are put through a boat-service drill and a drill in defense of fire, which is repeated once or twice at sea on each voyage. The discipline is as pronounced as on board ships of the royal navy. From February to July, when the ice is drifting with the Gulf Stream, the White Star vessels are navigated by a southerly track, and vice versa from August to January. When the ice has drifted, and the northern parallels are clear of ice and fog, the boats take the northern track. The average passages of the steamships of the White Star Line, both ways between Queenstowu and New York, have been under 9 days, and many passages have been under 8 days. In July, 1875, the "Germania" made the passage from Queenstown to New York in 7 days, 23 hours, 7 min- utes, and the return passage in August in 7 days, 22 hours, 8 minutes. The "Adriatic" and "Baltic" have made passages under 8 days, and in February, 1876, the "Germania" eclipsed herself and all other vessels of the line by steaming from Sandy Hook to Queenstown in 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes, having traversed 2,894 knots, equal to 158 knots per hour for the entire passage. In 1877 the " Germauia" made the passage in 7 days, 11 hours, 27 minutes. The "Britannia" made the passage in 7 days, 10 hours, 53 minutes. A passenger describing these vessels says of them : "In their internal arrangements' the White Star ships are even more strikingly a ' new departure' in steamship architecture than in their model. The main saloon, instead of being at the stern, and hemmed in by state- rooms, making a long, narrow, badly-lighted apartment, is placed in the very nrddle of the vessel, and extends from side to side, forming a grand hall, 75 feet long and 45 feet wide, lighted not only by the ample skylights, but by large windows at the sides. A broad staircase, well lighted by night and day, leads to the saloon, where there is ample room for dining two hundred persons, giving to each diner his or her own seat, not of undefined capacity on a settee, but u chair with revolving seat, which is kept at every meal for the passenger to whom it is alioted at the commencement of the voyage, and can be approached at any time during the progress of the meals without disturbing the others. There is nothing to indicate that you are on shipboard ; indeed, there is every appearance of hotel life of the most elegant and comfortable style, including even an open marble fire- place, which substitutes the customary stove, and gives an additional air of homeliness to the scene. "The state-rooms are also arranged amidships, at either cud of the saloon, and are large, well-lighted, and furnished with every convenience, including electric bells. Bath-rooms are within easy reach, and nothing that can pro- mote the comfort of the passenger is omitted. The smoking-roorn is not, as too often, a close little den, but a large and handsome apartment; and the ladies' saloon is on a more liberal scale than usual, and far more attractive in its appointments. From their situation and the. great length of the 360 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. ships, the main saloon, the state-rooms, and all the rooms for the general use of the passengers, are almost entirely free from motion, except in the worst of weather, thus reducing the risk of sea-sickness to a minimum. " Five water-tight bulkheads run from the top to the bottom of the ship. These are supplemented by self- closing doors, and other appliances designed to confine a leak or the effect of an accident to that part of the vessel to which the mishap may have occurred. These doors are perfectly self-acting and almost independent of human agency. In one compartment, contain- ing the after-set of boilers, the door which leads to the next compartment is arranged for prompt water-tight closing. Should the water find its way into the neighboring compartment, the engineer in charge has only to turn a lever and the ponderous door falls into its place, regulated in its descent by an air cylinder, which checks the door and causes it to fall in jerks. In another compartment you find that the iron way, upon which you walk, is automatic. Should the sea find its way beneath, the door (for the flooring upon which you have passed is, after aW, only a kind of iron bridge) rises by the action of the water, and confines the water to a section of the vessel. There is nothing more remarkable in the fittings of these steamers than these self-acting doors, which are always kept in perfect order, working with a simplicity only equaled by the importance of the work they can accom- plish. The managers of the line have adopted " ic" as a termination for the names of their vessels, as "Adriatic," " Celtic," " Baltic," " Britannic," " Ger- manic," " Republic," etc. At a meeting of the passengers assembled in the saloon of the steamer " Britannic," off Sandy Hook, on the evening of August 17, 1877, on the completion of the voyage from Queenstown in the unprecedented time of seven days, ten hours, and fifty-three minutes, it was "Resolved, To ask Captain Thompson to accept a souvenir, suitably inscribed, to commemorate this achievement." Thirty passengers and a number of invited guests were present. The souvenir consisted of a silver pitcher, with this inscription : "Presented to Captain Wm. H. Thompson, of S. S. 'Britannic,' by ^he pas- sengers, to commemorate the voyage from Queenstown to New York, Au- gust 10 to August 17, 1877." The presentation speech by D. W. James humorously contrasted the discomforts of ocean travel twenty years ago with the speed and conveniences which modern vessels afford. A silver cup, appropriately inscribed, was also presented to the Chief Engineer of the "Britannic," Thomas Sewell, as a mark of the passengers' appreciation of his skill and care during the voyage, September 29, 1877. The " Coptic," the latest addition to the White Star Line, arrived at New York, December 3, 1881, after an exceedingly rough passage of sixteen days. The "Coptic" is a sister ship to the "Arabic," of the same line, and was built at Belfast, Ireland. The material used in her construction is milled steel, which was chosen on account of its strength and toughness. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 361 Her dimensions are: Length, 430 feet; breadth, 42 feet; and depth of hold, 34 feet. Her registered tonnage is 4,368 tons, but she will carry about 6,000. She is propelled by two double-cylindered compound engines of 450 horse-power at 90 pounds pressure of steam. These were built by the Victoria Engine-Works, Liverpool. The main shaft is a built one. In the engine-room are the very large pumps. In the next room are two dynamos which furnish electricity for the S\Van electric lights used throughout the ship. There are three double elliptical boilers, which require twelve fires to heat them, and have been tested to 180 pounds. While the " Coptic" is intended to be used more for carrying freight than passengers, the accom- modation for passengers are very good. The state-rooms are large and sup- plied with all the conveniences known to modern ship-builders. The main saloon is handsomely upholstered in dark olive velvet, and is approached through an entrance hall from the main staircase. The saloon is paneled in wood made to simulate embossed leather. The chairs are cane-seated and revolving. The light all through .the ship is furnished by the Swan electric lamps, which consist of carbonized threads inclosed in hermetically sealed glass bulbs. The hull of the ""Coptic" is divided into eight compart- ments, either one of which might be stove in without endangering the vessel. The principle upon which the doors of these compartments are worked is comparatively new, and has been so highly approved by the English Ad- miralty Board that the government has adopted it in building vessels for the navy. The " Coptic" has four masts, three being square-rigged and the fourth being rigged fore-and-aft. There are three decks, braced in every direction, and turtle-backs forward and aft. The " Coptic" left Queenstown on her first trip on the 17th of November, 1881. Her captain said of her, "She behaved very well. We had about as heavy weather as I have seen, and nothing could be more satisfactory than the ' Coptic.' When we were in about forty degrees west we were struck by a hurricane. On the 28th she was struck aft by a sea which stove in the after turtle-back over the rudder, swept everything loose away, stove in two boats, and carried two sailors overboard. We could do nothing to save them, because no boat could live in such a sea. The iron plates over the wheel were broken in. The stout iron rods were bent and twisted by the water as though they had. been light wires in the hands of a strong man." The chief engineer said of the engines, "They work beautifully. One man can, by moving six little levers, work the whole engine with one-half the effort ordinarily required to manage a small stationary engine. It works rapidly too. On this side is the signal-plate which connects with the bridge. The engineer can in less than a minute after receiving the order to stop, go ahead at full or half speed, or back. They are as easily managed as any engines I have ever seen. The new lights make the engine-room as light as day." 362 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. The "Coptic" and her sister ship, the "Arabic," are intended for the carrying of freight and emigrants. The " Coptic" will probably be sent to the Pacific in two or three years, to run between San Francisco and Hong Kong. She will carry more freight, run faster on a given amount of coal, said her captain, than any vessel now running between New York and England. The "Coptic" on her first trip brought a few saloon passengers, three hundred emigrants, and a full cargo of freight. NAVIGAZIONE GENERALE ITALIANA. This great steamship company, whose headquarters are in Rome, with departments at Genoa and Palermo, is a union of Florios and Rubattinos companies, and have service extending all over the Mediterranean and up the Adriatic and Black Sea and to India, also to New York. The I. and V. Florio Company of Palermo began opera- tions about twenty-five or thirty years ago, and five years ago absorbed the Trinacria company of Palermo, making their fleet about forty-five steamers of various sizes. Six months they consolidated with the Rubattino Com- pany of Geneva, whose business was in a great part to the East through the Suez Canal, the combined fleet consisting now of ninety-two steam vessel?, exclusive of several very large ones which are being constructed. In the New York trade they now have employed three steamers reguJarly of large tonnage, viz., the "Archimedes," 4,500 tons ; "Washington," 4,000 tons, and " Vincenzo Florio," 4,000 tons, besides three other steamers of somewhat smaller tonnage, employed as trade requires. Three other steamers are being built for the New York Line, and it is anticipated six steamships will be running regularly on that line in the course of a year. A recent news- paper says, speaking of this company : "The Italian Government is rendering essential aid to the efforts of its citizens to extend the commerce of the country. Under the promise of large bounties from the Government, two great chipping firms at Genoa have united and have given orders to English builders for twenty steamers, all of them ranging between 4,000 and 5,000 tons register. For many years the traffic of the great Italian port has been stationary, Marseilles having out- run it under tfie changed conditions of modern commerce. An effort is now to be made to restore the prosperity of former days, and immense new docks have been constructed. The new steamers will not be confined to the Mediterranean trade, but lines will be established to both coasts of the American continent." The company's steam fleet consists of the following named steamship?, viz.: HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. BELONGING TO THE GENOA BRANCH. 863 NAME. Tons. NAME. Tons. Ahissinia . 7600 Italia 600 Adriatico.. 1 200 ceo Africa... 1 200 Lombardia 500 Alessandro Volta 600 Malabar 1900 Arabia 1400 Malta IOOO Asia 1300 Manilla 4800 Assiria g 1600 Messina I2OO Bengala 1600 Montcalier i 600 Birmania 3200 Palestine 900 Calabria 1400 Palmaria * IOOO IOOO Persia 1400 Caprera 600 Pertusola 800 China. cooo Pianosa. IOO Cipro I IOO Piemonte . 400 Christoforo Colombo coo Roma 22OO Conte Menabrea. 200 | Sardegna 4OO Corsica 200 Sicilia 800 E^itto I^OO Singapore... 45OO Elba . 200 Sumatra 22OO Giava 3600 Tortola 150 Gofgona 200 Torcana. 4OO India 1400 Umbria .. . ?oo Kaffaele Rubattino, 5,000 tons (building). BELONGING TO THE PALERMO BRANCH. NAME. Tons. NAME. Tons. Alfredo Cappellini , ICO Mediterraneo ,\ 1800 Amerigo Vespucci 400 Milano 400 Ancona 700 Moretto IOO Atchemede 4 COO Napoli 4CO I2OO Oreto 700 Barone Ricasoli 2OO Orlecna 22OO Campidolio COO Pachi-no .... I2OO Cariddi I2OO Palermo 480 Dripane . 2OOO Peloro 2 COO Epfadi 26OO Piincipe Amedeo , j I2OO Egida IOO Principe Oddone I2OO Flettrico 4. CO Scilla I2OO Enna 2OOO Sigesta 2 COO Etna COO Selmunte 1800 Euro I COO Sirneto *' 2300 Firenze 4CO Solunto 2500 Elavis Gioja 4OO Taormina I800 4OO Tigre 4OO Imera 1800 Tirreno 800 Jjnio I5OO' Venezia 9OO Leone .... ceo Vincenzio Elorio . .. " 4000 Liliteo I2OO Washington... 4OOO Marco Polo 4OO Marsala .. ^ 2^OO 364 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 1871. THE AMERICAN STEAMSHIP COMPANY OF PHILADELPHIA was organized in 1871 with a capital of $2,500,000, and a contract was given to Messrs. Cramp & Sons, of Philadelphia, for the construction of four first- class iron steamships of 3,000 tons burden, and to have an average speed of thirteen knots an hour. The steamers were intended to carry the mails and conduct a general freight and passenger business between Philadelphia and Liverpool, calling at Q.ueenstown. The "Pennsylvania," the pioneer steam- ship of the line, was launched in August, 1872, and made her first voyage in May, 1873. The "Ohio," "Indiana," and "Illinois" followed at regular intervals. They are 360 feet long, 42 feet beam, and 33 feet depth of hold. Their engines are nominally 500 horse-power, and capable of being worked up to 3,000. Their great breadth of beam, in proportion to their length, tends to increase their steadiness at sea. This line is now the only transat- lantic line sailing under the American flag, and the fleet in 1881 embraced the following nine first-class steamships: Tons. | Tons. -2 T O4 j Lord Gough, . 3 6^ Ohio,' **' ^.104 ! British Crown 3,487 Indiana, ..... O' T^ I ' 3, I0 4 ; British Queen, 3,558 Illinois, ..... 3> I0 4 i British King, . 3,558 Lord Clive, .... 3,386 i British Prince, . . 3,858 A steamer of the fleet sails every Wednesday and Saturday between Liver- pool and Philadelphia from each port,, calling at Queenstown. They are capable of carrying 100 first-class, 75 intermediate, and 800 steerage pas- seng^rs, with from 3,500 to 4,500 tons of freight. A portion of the main- deck is set apart for the special accommodation of "intermediate" passen- gers. Families can secure separate rooms, and have their meals served apart from the other passengers, at about half the price paid by holders of first- class tickets, and the bill of fare is ample and varied. The accommodations for steerage passengers are excellent, and great pains is taken to secure comfort and to provide wholesome and unstinted food for this class of voyagers. The largest vessel of the line, the " British Prince," is 419 feet long, has 42 feet beam and 28 feet depth of hold, and is 3,859 tons register. The shortest passage of any steamship of the line was made by the " Illi- nois," October, 1880, from Queenstown to Cape Henlopen, in eight days, ten hours, and thirty-four minutes, beating the " Pennsylvania's " shortest time of eight days, nineteen hours, and twelve minutes. The average passage is about ten days. The " Illinois " in her 59 round voyages, or 118 passages, has had six years, ten months, and thirteen days sea service. In 59 passages out to Queenstown she traveled 173,000 miles, and in 59 home to Henlopen, 171,092 miles, a distance of 344,092 miles, to which must be added 10,620 miles up and down the Delaware, and 27,966 miles from Queenstown to HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 365 Liverpool, making the total nautical miles 382,678, equal to 441,093 statute miles. Safeguards against loss of life at sea are a feature in the equipments of these steamers. In addition to the usual complement of life- boats of the ordinary construction, each carries a number of Hfe-rafts, provided with bread- and water-tanks, always kept supplied. These rafts can be thrown into the water -with scarcely a moment's delay ; and have appliances for the accommodation of passengers on both top and bottom, and are always right side up. They are more available in a storm than ordinary life-boats, which have to be lowered with caution, and are frequently stove against the side of the ship and rendered useless. General Grant, in one of these steamers, the " Indiana," on the 17th of May, 1877, took his -departure from Philadelphia on starting upon his trip around the world. This enterprise has achieved success without aid from the government, and has demonstrated the possibility of running a splendid line of European steamers without the assistance of a government subsidy. The five latest additions to the line were built in Great Britain, two being constructed by Harland & Wolff, of Belfast, and three by the Lairds, of Liverpool. Although of greater tonnage, they are not fitted to carry as m&ny first-class passengers as the American-built ships. CITY LINE OP OCEAN STEAMSHIPS. The steamships of this line sailing fortnightly ma the Suez Canal from Glasgow and Liverpool to Calcutta direct and back to London, are so called because they are named for the principal cities of the world. They are owned by Messrs. George Smith & Sons, of Glasgow, and comprise twelve steamships, varying in tonnage from 3,750 to 2,328 tons, viz. : Tons. City of Damascus, .... 3,750 City of Agra, . . . . -3.412 City of London, .... 3,212 City of Khios, .... 3,246 City of Venice, .... 3,206 City of Manchester, . . . 3,125 City of Cambridge, .... 2,329 Tons. City of Edinburgh, .... 3,212 City of Canterbury, . . . 3,212 City of Carthage, .... 2,650 City of Mecca, .... 2,290 City, of Oxford, .... 2,328 Total tonnage cf the fleet, . 35,972 THE STATE STEAMSHIP LINE was established in 1872 by a British com- pany, in Glasgow. The steamers comprising the fleet have all been built on the Clyde, by the Glasgow Engineering and Ship Building Company, espe- cially for the North Atlantic passenger traffic. Each steamer is constructed with an especial view to safety, which is invariably the first consideration in all deliberations regarding the operations of the company. It is due to the care and vigilance of the company's officers that the line has been so for- tunate in escaping accidents. 366 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. The officers of this company are supplied with and instructed to use care- fully and often in case of fogs, and on all occasions of uncertainty, the log, patent log, head line, and Sir William Thomson's sounding machine. Offi- cers are also instructed as to the necessary precautions in the avoidance of danger from, collision with fishermen off the Banks, and from ice-bergs. In- temperance is uncompromisingly dealt with, and no officer employed or re- tained who is addicted to the excessive use of spirituous liquors. The cabins are situated on the main deck, in the portion of the steamer where the least motion is felt, and consequently the less liability to sea-sick- ness. The state-rooms are arranged with two berths and sofa ; are large, light, and well-ventilated. For the convenience of ladies, there are private baths and dressing-rooms in the main saloon, and reception-rooms on deck. There is also provided for gentlemen, baths, smoking and reading-rooms, and everything necessary for their comfort and enjoyment during the voy- age. For the general use of passengers there are comprehensive libraries of selected books, pianos and other musical instruments, and most tastefully arranged concert halls. The main dining saloons, which are luxuriously furnished, extend entirely across the steamers, and are provided with revolv- ing chairs, and other improvements for convenience and comfort. The tables are always supplied with all seasonable delicacies, and an abundance of the best quality of the more substantial and necessary edibles, a la Carte. Attentive stewards are at the disposal of passengers. Experienced surgeons also accompany each steamer. The second cabins by this line are in the centre portion of the steamers on main-deck. The berths are similar to those in the first cabin, with plenty of clean linen and the floors carpeted, the only difference being that there are four in a room, and occasionally more. Second cabin passengers are not permitted in the saloon or smoking-rooms. There are separate dining tables, and well-prepared meals are served three times daily. During the busy season the sexes are separated ; but whenever it is practicable to book fami- lies together, it is invariably done. Steerage passengers receive special attention by the State Line Company, and this company has made special arrangements for the convenience of families, who are allotted to special rooms, wherever practicable. The proper separation of the sexes, and the provision for the privacy of single women has also been looked after in the State Line steamers. Good provi- sion is made for ventilation and other necessary comfort. There is always a liberal supply of well-cooked food on hand, which is served out unspar- ingly. The surgeon visits the steerage apartments three times regularly every day, and oftener when necessary. Special hospitals are also arranged on deck for the isolation of patients when necessary. During the year 1881 the company added to their fleet two new and large steamers the "State of Nebraska" and the "State of Florida." Both of HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 367 these are specimens of marine architecture of which the company may well be proud. They are about 400 feet long, 42 feet wide, and have a tonnage measurement of between 4,000 and 5,000. There are accommodations for about 100 first class saloon, 80 second cabin, and several hundred steerage passengers. The saloons, which are on the main -deck, extend entirely across the steamer, are provided with six long dining tables with revolving chairs, of the most approved pattern, securely fixed, so as to afford the greatest ease for passengers while enjoying their meals. The saloons are lighted by sky- lights from above, and the usual side port-holes. In the upper portion of the saloon is a circular balcony or gallery, at one end of which is a piano and at the other a pipe-organ, and around the sides are elegantly uphol- stered seats. This room is called the concert hall. The state-rooms are both forward and aft of the saloens, and they are unusually large, well-lighted, and ventilated. They are fitted with two berths each, and a sofa berth, which may be utilized by children or members o the same family, if they so desire. From the ladies' saloon a wide companionway leads up to the hurricane- decks, which extend the entire breadth of the vessels, and are 125 feet in length, affording a splendid promenade. The ladies' private dressing-rooms, gents' smoking-rooms, libraries, bath- rooms, etc., are all well arranged and provided with all necessary appoint- ments for convenience and luxury. The second cabins are situated forward of the saloons, and are provided ^ with a comfortable saloon and separate tables. The state-rooms are about the same as those in the saloon the floors carpeted, and plenty of bedding provided so that while passengers by this class are not allowed the extra privileges of the saloon passengers, yet they certainly have here most com- fortable quarters. The steerage berths are also situated on the main-deck, and are unusually convenient and comfortable. The berths are arranged and classified so as to afford more retirement and privacy to single women, and large rooms for families where they may remain intact. There are also provisions for good ventilation and cleanliness, and also hospitals for the sick in case such is required. ROUTE, LENGTH OF TRIP, ETC. The route of the State Line Steamers is from New York every Thursday, to Glasgow direct. From Glasgow steamers sail every Friday, calling at Belfast, from which port a steamer sails every Saturday. The average length of voyage is nine to ten days between New York and Glasgow, and vice versa. The steamgrs of this line take the direct course across the Atlantic, passing the north coast of Ireland, thus avoiding the unpleasant experience of a trip through St. George's Channel. The company's fleet is composed of the "State of Nebraska," about 4,500 368 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. tons; "State of Florida," about 4,000 tons; "State of Indiana," about 3,000 tons; "State of Nevada," about 3,000 tons; "State of Pennsylvania," about 3,000 tons ; " State of Georgia," about 3,000 tons ; " State of Alabama," about 3,000 tons ; " State of ," building. THE RED STAR LINE, 1873. The Red Star Line, of Belgian Royal Mail Steamers, between Antwerp and New York and Philadelphia, was inaugurated in 1873, under the auspices of the King of the Belgians, and now comprises seven large, full-powered steamers, forming a weekly line, sailing from' Europe and America every Saturday. The latest additions to the fleet, the " Belgenland," " Rhynland " and " Waesland," are built with all the modern appliances for comfort and safety, and are among the largest and fastest passenger steamships in the Atlantic trade. The fleet comprises the following first-class steamers: Steamers. | Built. Tons. Waesland Rhynland Belgenland Switzerland Nederland Vaderland Zeeland New Steamer (building). 1880 1879 1879 1874 1873 1872 1878 5000 4000 4000 3000 3000 3000 35 5000 Beam. 43 feet. 40 40 39 39 39 43 43 Length. 445 4i8 418 345 345 330 370 445 The " Belgenland " and " Rhynland " were added to the fleet in 1879, and were built by the celebrated Barrow Ship-building Company, of Barrow, England. Their engines are compounded, of about 2,200 indicated horse- power, and consume 45 to 50 tons of coal per day, producing an average speed of 14 knots per hour. They have accommodations for 150 cabin and 1,000 steerage passengers. The " Waesland," added in 1880, is from the shipyards, of Harland & Wolff, of Belfast. She is of 5,000 tons burthen, 445 feet long, 43 feet beam and 34 feet 8 inches depth of hold. She has 4 decks, 3 of them of iron, and 4 iron masts, 2 of which are square-rigged. She can accommodate 150 cabin and 1,500 steerage passengers. These vessels are of the highest class in every respect, having been built under the special survey of the Inspectors of British Lloyds and Bureau Veritas, the leading authorities on the classification of ships. The state-rooms and saloons are in the centre of the ship, where the least motion is felt, and are supplied with the latest improvements in ventilating apparatus, electric bells, commodious bath and smoking-rooms, etc. The second cabins and state-rooms are also situated above the main-deck (the same deck as the first cabin), in the after part of the* ship. They have the same perfect ventilation as the first cabins, and are unsurpassed in cleanliness and convenience, being adrriirably adapted for families and HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 369 passengers generally who may wish to exercise a moderate amount of economy in thek voyage to and from Europe. The American Line (running between Philadelphia and Liverpool) and .the Ked Star Line (running between New York and Antwerp) are under one management, and first-class round trip tickets issued for one line are good to return on the other. Holders of first cabin excursion tickets by the Red Star Line who may be in England, and not caring to recross the English Channel, can therefore return by the American Line direct from Liverpool to Philadelphia, by applying to the agents of the American Line at Liverpool. To those who wish to go direct to the Continent, the Red Star Line offers unusual inducements. The voyages to Antwerp are direct and uninter- rupted, and on landing at that port the passenger finds himself but a short distance from Paris, and within easy travel of the leading continental cities. THE MONARCH LINE, 1874. The legal and corporate name of this com- pany is "The Royal Exchange Shipping Company" (limited), but it is better known as the Monarch Line, from the nomenclature adopted by the company for the ships of its fleet. The ships are all well built of iron and steel, with a double hull and six water-tight compartments, the bulkheads running from the keelson to the upper-deck. They are 400 feet in length, 45 feet beam, 33 feet depth of hold, and are of a gross tonnage of 4,500 tons, with engines of 2,500 horse-power. They are built under the British Ad- miralty Survey, to comply with their stringent rules for government trans- port service. Their accommodations are similar and equal to those of the steamers of other transatlantic lines. Several of the ships of this line have been taken up as transports by the English Government in the several wars it has been engaged in since 1874. The "Grecian Monarch," the latest addition to the line, and which arrived from London at New York, September, 1882, on her first trip, is thus de- scribed in the Daily Graphic of the 16th : "Lying at her dock next the Pavonia Ferry in Jersey City, her huge sides exposed to view and her masts, which are of iron, 'glistening in the sunlight, the steamer looked a craft of rare beauty. She is not large as compared with some of the modern monsters in the shape of vessels that now ld have been opened to other coasts. The Buenos Ayres project was only one of many, in view. It seems a pity that the question of mail compensation to the Brazilian Line could never have been discussed on its merits. Mr. Roach's appeal to Congress was not by any means entirely defenceless. He carried the United States mails 140,000 miles in 1879 for $1,875, while three coasting lines carried them unitedly 123,400 miles and got $102,800 for the service. Mr a Roach was beaten, not by the impolicy of the subsidy system, but by an organized effort, both in the United States and in Brazil, to break him down. People went from city to city with subscription papers to raise money for use against him at Washington ; and the speeches made at Washington in opposition to his line were translated into Portuguese and sent to Brazil by thousands to create a coldness in official circles there against the American steamers. The two steamers, " City of Para " and " City of Rio Janeiro " (?) were- sold to' the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, and are now running on the west coast of America. The history of this line is that of an unfortunate enterprise, undertaken in advance of its time, there can be little or no doubt to be revived at no very distant day with a profitable result. THE MALLORY LINE OF STEAMSHIPS. I have been unable to obtain the historical information I hoped for concerning this important steamship enterprise. I learn from its circular that the Mallory Line to Texas com- prises the following steamships : HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 377 Tons. Guadaloupe, . . . . . 2840 Rio Grande, . . . . . 2566 San Marcos, 2840 State of Texas, . . . .1696 Tons. Colorado, ...... 2764- Carondelet, .... 1508- Western Texas, . . . .1210 These vessels stop at Key West, Florida, Galveston, Brazos, Brownsville, Corpus Christi,and Indianola, Texas. The line also has connection with Flor- ida, Nassau and New Providence. Steamers of the line leave New York every Friday for Florida, arriving at Fernandina on Tuesday, and from Florida there is a steamer placing them in Nassau every week. The iron steamer " Western Texas" performs the service for Florida ; and the iron steamship " City of San Antonio," 1,572 tons, is now running regularly on the Mallory Line between New York and Florida. She can -carry 7,000 boxes of oranges in well ventilated spaces, and has fine passenger accommodations, and is fast. THE RED " D" LINE OF STEAMSHIPS, 1879. This line of steamships,, running to Laguayra, Puerto Cabello, Caracas, and Maracaibo, was inaugu- rated in November, 1879, when the company commenced to substitute them for the line of sailing vessels that had been engaged in the trade for upwards of forty years. At first foreign chartered steamers were engaged in. the ser- vice. Later on it was decided to replace them with steamers built in the- United States specially for the trade. Accordingly contracts were entered into with the William Cramp & Son Ship-Engine Building Company of Philadelphia for the steamer " Caracas," and subsequently for the : steamer " Valencia." The " Caracas" left New York on her first voyage in June r 1881, and the " Valencia" in May, 1882. These two steamers, of about 1,200 tons, new measurement (act of Con- gress, 1882), are built in the most substantial manner, and have the highest classification. Th'ey are well appointed for passenger as well as freight and mail service. They connect at the Island of Caracas with the branch steamer " Maracaibo," running to the port of Maracaibo. The " Maracaibo"" was built under contract with Messrs. Neafie & Levy, of Philadelphia, and left there in August, 1880. She is built of wood, in the most substan- tial manner, has ample accommodations for passengers, and is about 500 tons, old measurement. Being intended exclusively for foreign service, she carries the British flag. The steamers of the main line, the " Caracas" and " Valencia," are officered and manned by citizens of the United States, and carry the American flag. A steamship of this line leaves New York twice a month for Laguayra Porto Cabello, and Caracas, the round trip from and back to New York occupying about twenty-six days. NEW YORK, HAVANA,- AND MEXICAN MAIL STEAMSHIP LINE. The company's fleet comprises the following first-class steamships : " City of Puebla," 3,100 tons; "City of Alexandria;" "City of Washington," 2,618- 378 HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. tons; "British Empire," 4,000 tons, chartered; "City of Merida," 2,000 tons ; " City of Mexico," 1,027 tons ; which are appointed to leave New York every Thursday and Havana every Saturday. Leaving New York direct for Havana, they proceed from there every Tuesday for Vera Cruz and intermediate ports. On the return trip they arrive at Havana Wednesday or Thursday, and leave direct for New York very Saturday. Steamers of this line also run every three weeks between New Orleans and Vera Cruz, connecting with the steamers for Havana and New York. With a view of preventing sea-sickness and of adding to the comforts of pas- sengers, there have been placed in a number of state-rooms of the steamships "" City of Washington" and " City of Alexandria" the new patent Huston self-leveling berths, which remain always and under all circumstances in a perfectly horizontal position, however great may be the rolling and pitching of the vessel. There has also been introduced in the dining saloons, instead of the in- convenient long tables and sofas of the old style, small tables that will accommodate from four to eight persons only, with single revolving chairs for each one, in order to avoid the usual confusion and noise incidental to the dining together of all the passengers. The " City of Alexandria" was built by John Roach in 1880, and is 338 feet over all, 38 feet 6 inches wide, and 33 feet deep from the hurricane-deck, being 10 feet longer, 6 inches wider, and 2 feet shallower than the " City of Washington," which in all other respects she resembles. Both steamers have excellent accommodations for 150 first-class passengers. The " City of Merida" ano^ " City of Mexico" are wooden ships, built at Oreenpoint, L. I. The " British Empire," chartered, was built for the New Zealand trade, and is 410 feet long, 40 feet beam, and 28 feet hold. BOSTON AND SAVANNAH STEAMSHIP COMPANY, 1882. Previous to the war of the rebellion the water transportation business between the port of Savannah, Ga., and Boston was by sailing vessels, regular lines of packets, for freighting purposes mainly, running between this and other principal southern ports and Boston. About the close of the war a line of small steamers were put on for the Savannah business, which marked the begin- ning of a revolution in that trade. These steamers were originally provided and sent out to take advantage of the call for cotton transportation between Savannah and Boston. Com- pared with the present facilities they were small affairs, 450 bales of cotton, without any other description of freight, being sufficient to load them com- pletely. When the cotton-carrying season was over (September to April is the season) their business was considered nearly at a standstill, until the autumn should again bring about the particular etate of things which they were designed to fit into. In 1869 the firm of F. W. Nickerson & Co., of Boston, established a HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 379 steamer line on this route. Their first vessel, the "Oriental," was an iron- screw steamer of 800 tons burthen. The "Oriental" made the round trip in twenty days. The u Alhambra," a steamer of 700 tons, was added. In time other steamers took place in the line, and regular trips were made, the sailing days being the 10th, 20th, and 30th of each month. Finally weekly trips were made, and the carrying capacity of the ships had increased to 1,800 bales of compressed cotton in a single cargo. Finally, on the 7th of September, 1882, the Boston and Savannah Steam- ship Company was organized to take the place previously filled by F. W. Nickerson & Co., that is, this firm and connections became the company with the title just named, and a new departure has been taken in the busi- ness by the purchase from the Ocean Steamship Company of the " Gate ity" and "City of Columbus," and placing them on the line in connection with the " Seminole." The first line of steamers established (at the close of the war) found avail- able as freights boots and shoes, bagging for cotton bales, furniture, fish, and the like commodities. The return cargo was exclusively cotton for the use of the New England mills. The changes which have occurred in the char- .acter of cargoes and their destination during the comparatively short time which has passed since are well worth consideration. The bagging forming an important feature in outward cargoes was East India gunny cloth, imported to Boston, and from thence shipped by these steamers to Savannah as covering for cotton bales. Thus it became an in- teresting factor in transportation both ways. The East India gunny cloth disappeared entirely from commerce, in this direction, at least, five years ago ; and in its place appeared a domestic bagging, manufactured in the neighborhood of Boston. In place of the gunny cloth once imported to Boston, now jute butts are imported, and of these butts the domestic bagging is made, which alone is now used in covering cotton bales. Another change in the character of the freight carried out is in the arti- 'de of fish. Formerly these were taken largely in bulk ; but now the product is mostly canned, even mackerel being sent South in this form of packing. It is not unusual for one of the present steamers to take out 5,000 packages of fish at a trip. Some articles of freight are so singular as to be almost unaccounted for ; as, for instance, from 300 to 500 bedsteads are taken out iit nearly every trip, and chairs and other cheap furniture something in proportion. In the present cargoes outward from Boston bacon forms an important element. The time is not long since all this supply went South from the West. Now, as many as 800 boxes of bacon are sent to Savannah per trip of these steamers. Immense quantities of potatoes and apples are also taken out, the first-named principally for planting in Georgia and Florida, and in the spring the new potatoes produced form an important element in the return cargoes. Great numbers of pianos, organs, carriages, etc., are also taken out. 380 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. The difference in quantity of freight 'carried now, compared with former times, is shown by the figures, the present steamers taking about 100,000 cubic feet, or 2,500 tons, of cargo, against 15,000 cubic feet, or about 400 tons each, in the early days. An ordinary freight car will carry 36 bales of compressed cotton at one time. A cotton cargo for one of these steamers is, therefore, equivalent to the loading of a freight train of 122 cars. A peculiarity of the composition of the return cargoes is the rapid growth of the naval stores business as an element in the transportation of this line. Eight years ago there was not perhaps a turpentine still in Georgia, at least not one of any size. Now Savannah rivals Wilmington, N. C., in the pro- duction of piney products, and the shipments to Boston from Savannah average 1,000 barrels of resin and 300 barrels of spirits of turpentine per week by these steamers. Lumber, once brought in sailing vessels by slow and laborious process, may now be telegraphed for at the mills in Georgia, and fine yellow pine cargoes be landed in Boston within six days thereafter. Cotton forwarded from the principal centres in Georgia reaches Boston by this means in an average of six days from starting. The preference in transportation is given to spinners' cotton that is, cotton to be used in the mills at this end of the route, but usually at least one-quarter of the cargo- is on through bills of lading, and goes directly across the ocean to foreign ports. The sea island cotton, for the various thread mills near Boston, is- largely brought by these steamers, and rice, hides, and wool are also brought largely. In the early period of the development of these transportation interests,, the ships were hauled off as soon as the cotton season was over, in the spring. Now, the business is more profitable when cotton is " off" than during its season. This quick transportation has developed and increased to an enorm- ous extent the truck farming business of Georgia and Florida, it being a matter of common practice to deliver produce in Boston four days after it is harvested in Florida. Immense quantities of early vegetables are thus shipped in excellent condition to Boston, the succession taking place regu- larly, and anticipating the northern crops often by many weeks. Later on, of melons alone there are often enough shipped by a single steamer to occupy the entire capacity of the upper between decks, or as many as 40,000 melons at one trip. Cotton forms a part of the cargo of every shipment, and through bills of lading for this article appear in every manifest. The orange season for the section of the South (Florida and Georgia) con- tinues from November to February. A few years ago only a small amount of this fruit came to Boston by water ; now these steamers bring from 200 to 600 boxes of oranges per trip during the season. And thus these two sections, North and South, minister to the wants of each other through the mediumship of this transportation line. Not alone this, but the system of through bills of lading, which is operated both ways,, makes these ministrations far-reaching, and is already indicative of grand HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 381 results in the future in the interests of Boston as a commercial centre. It will be noticed that the development already secured has touched import- antly upon her export interests, and the possibilities in this direction are not limited. At least' an element worth taking into account is revealed by these transactions. There is a large passenger business between New England and the far South during certain seasons of the year. While the heated term is on, the Southerners delight in visiting our mountains, and lakes, and seashores, in fact every part of thickly-settled and open-armed New England. From November to May the New Englander finds equal pleasure in sojourning in the mild climate of Georgia and Florida. Heretofore, transportation has been via New York city, involving changes of cars, hotel stoppages, and various annoying dependencies. The present steamers of the Boston and Savannah Steamship Company are fitted expressly for first-class passenger transportation, the cabins, saloons, and state-rooms being as fine as can be found anywhere afloat. Since the sea trip is direct and most delightful, and the expense of transportation less than one-half of that per rail, it is no wonder that the route is preferred.* THINGVALLA LINE, 1882. The passenger steamship " Geyser," Captain Thompson, of the new Thingvalla Line, sailed from Copenhagen in Decem- ber, 1881, on her first trip to New York. The Thingvalla Company is com- posed of Danish capitalists, foremost among whom is C. F. Tietgeu, the founder of the Great Northern Telegraph Company, whose lines extend from England through Asia to the Pacific. The steamship " Thingvalla" had for two years made irregular trips between Copenhagen and New York. The company put three new steamers on the stocks in Copenhagen and in Malmo, Sweden ; of these the " Geyser" and the " Hecla" have been finished, and the " Iceland" is about to be launched. The steamers are the largest ever built in Denmark. Their engines are of 2,000 tons indicated horse-power, and are designed to make twelve knots an hour. The vessels are 3,000 tons burden, 312 feet long, 39 feet wide, and calculated to carry 40 cabin and 700 steerage passengers, and a crew of 50 men. Their route will be from Copenhagen around the northeast coast of Scotland, Chris- tiansand, Norway, being their only stopping place. By going to the north of Scotland time will be saved, and it is expected that the steamers will make the trip to New York in thirteen or fourteen days. An eifort will be made to secure the carrying of the mail between the United States and the Scan- dinavian kingdoms as soon as all the four steamers are running. Until the summer of 1882 the steamers will make fortnightly trips; if desirable after that the company's fleet will be increased. The " Thingvalla" brought to New York as freight forty thousand heads of cabbage that arrived in fair condition. * The foregoing account of this company is derived from the Sunday Boston Herald of September 24, 382 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. The " Hecla," the second of the line, made the voyage in thirteen days from Christiansand. Previous to the establishment of this line passengers and fast freight from Copenhagen and ports of Denmark had to go to Bremen, Hamburg, Havre, Liverpool or London, to take steamer for New York. Now these vessels are full of emigrant passengers, and the cabin traffic is also large. The " Hecla" on her first trip carried 760 emigrants. She has cabin accommodations for thirty passengers. The " Hecla" was built at Malmo, Sweden ; is 315 feet in length, 40 feet beam, has 30 feet depth of hold, and is of 1,846 tons capacity. Her saloon and smoking-room are on the main-deck, the state-rooms and captain's room being immediately below. Electric bells communicate from the state-rooms to the steward's room, and between the bridge, whe^l-house and engine-room. 1882. A WEST INDIA STEAMSHIP ENTERPRISE. Senor Martinez de Campos, a lieutenant-general in the Spanish army, and a statesman of high reputation, has been elected president of a Cuban steamship company, which will confine its operations almost entirely to the West Indian island?. Of course this new enterprise will be liberally subsidized by the Spanish home government. Seven or eight iron steamships are to be purchased or constructed in Eng- land, each to have a carrying capacity of at least 2,500 tons. They will be fitted with all the modern conveniences necessary for capturing the large passenger traffic that has grown up between the islands. Senor Campos proposes to run his ships to all the principal ports in the West Indies, to Central America, and to the northern coast of South America. They will carry cargoes of assorted goods entered in bond at Havana, and from that port will distribute these goods among all the ports embraced in the sphere of operation marked out for the new line. The re- turn cargoes will be composed of the products of the various islands ^and countries at which the ships will touch ; and these cargoes will enter at Havana, to be distributed by other Spanish steam lines among the markets of the world. A marked feature of the new enterprise is the design to secure, as far as possible, the service of free Cuban negroes for firemen and coal-passers, and as sailors only those who have passed through the " vomito," or whose resi- dence in the tropics warrants the assumption of their thorough acclimation. If a sufficient number of free negroes cannot be obtained on the island, the captains of the vessels will be empowered to employ such persons of color residing on the other islands who will fill the requirements of the company in this sanitary respect. By the employment of none but acclimated officers and seamen the com- pany believes it will economize both time and money. There are instances on record when 'ships have lost a part of their crews in one short voyage among the fever-stricken islands, and have been laid up in some out-of-the- way port until hands could be procured to work them. Passengers, also, HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 383 would rather travel in vessels thus manned, for when sickness breaks out on board a ship it almost always makes its first appearance among the crew, who are more exposed to the heat of the sun than the passengers, who are protected from its rays by awnings. Mr. De Campo's new enterprise will receive government help the moment the first ship puts to sea. THE NEW YORK AND CUBA MAIL STEAMSHIP COMPANY, 1876. This company forms a direct weekly mail line of American steamers between New York and Havana ; it also sends a monthly steamer to Santiago de- Cuba and Cienfugos, leaving New York on Saturdays and Havana on Wed- nesdays. The New York and Havana Line comprises the steamships " Newport," <% Saratoga," and " Niagara*" The " Santiago" forms its con- nection between New York and Santiago, etc. The steamers of the line also connect at Havana with other lines, visiting West India and Florida ports and New Orlearfs. The " Newport," built in 1880, is an iron ship of 3,000 tons, 348 feet in length, 38 feet beam, and 23 feet from the spar-deck to the keelson. The " Newport" has made the fastest time on record between New York and Havana. Her engines are on the compound principle. The 'cylinders are 90 and 48 inches diameter respectively, with 4J feet stroke. The engines are capable of developing 3,000 horse-power, or about one horse-power for every ton of her tonnage, which is greater in proportion than that of the " Arizona," the most powerful steamship afloat in proportion to registered tonnage. The entire engine department is said to be more roomy and better ventilated than that on any steamship afloat. All the steam pumps are so- arranged that they may be connected with any part of the vessel in case of fire or leak, their united capacity being equal to 70,000 gallons, or about 1,750 barrels a minute. The " Saratoga" takes the place of the well-known steamer bearing the same name purchased by the Russian Government in 1878 and converted into a cruiser. She is 2,500 tons register, 320. feet long, 38.4 in beam, 23 feet deep to the main-deck, and 31 feet to the hurricane-deck. She has compound engines of 2,000 horse-power, calculated to give her a speed of 15 knots an hour. The "Niagara," built in 1877, is 2,300 tons, 294 feet long, and her cabin accommodations are the same as the " Niagara." The "Santiago" was built by John Roach & Son. She is of iron, 290 feet long, 39 feet beam, and measures 2,400 tons. She has the usual water- tight compartments and all the latest improvements. SOCIETE POSTALE FRANCAISE DE I/ATLANTIQUE, 1882. The Societe Postale Francaise de'l'Atlantique, established two years ago under subsidies from the governments of Canada and Brazil for carrying their mails, but sailing under the French flag, having determined to send the steamers of its line to Boston, has established two lines, one for the Brazil trade and the 384 HIST OR Y OF STEAM XA VIGA TION. other for the trade between Boston, Antwerp and Havre. The line will be a monthly one to and from each port. The line consists of the following steam- ships : the " Ville de Para," " Ville de Ceare," " Ville de Montreal," " Ville de Quebec," and " Ville de Halifax." The " Ville de Para," in October, left Montreal for Brazil, and on her return will reach Boston about November 30. The first steamer from Antwerp to Boston, the " Ville de Montreal," will leave the former city about the last of November or first of December. Mr. William D. Bentley, consul-general of the Emperor of Brazil, is gen- eral agent of the company, and his connection with the Brazilian Govern- ment is of great advantage to the company he represents in its relations with that country. The capital of the company is 10,000,000 francs, all paid in. The president is Monsieur Derriere, President of the Societe Generale of France, and director of the Bank of France. The company began run- ing between Canada and Brazil with chartered boats, but it now has five new steamers of 3,000 tons burthen. They are built in the most substantial manner, propelled by 1,200 horse-power engines, and are sumptuously fitted up, with ample accommodations for forty first-class passengers each, and are said to excel anything in the way of steamers ever run from Montreal. These vessels -will afford the best facilities for the direct importation of iron ware, wire goods, wines, liquor, coffee, sugar, rubber, and, in brief, all French and Brazilian goods, and lor exporting grain, meats and breadstuff's. STEAMERS ON LONG ISLAND, 1882. Each of the three lines running boats on the Sound to New York, viz., the Fall River Line, so-called, the Providence or Stonington Line, and the Norwich Line, have taken a new departure, as it were, within the last two years, adding a new boat to their lines. Some description of these floating palaces may not be out of place as showing, by comparison, the progress in size, construction, speed, etc., with the pioneer boats 09 those waters some fifty or sixty years ago. THE " PILGRIM" OF THE FALL RIVER LINE. The hull of this new float- ing palace is of iron, and both builders and owners have united to make her absolutely non-combustible and non-sinkable. The great increase in the size of the sound steamers during the last few years had generated an intrinsic weak'ness which demanded radical changes in material, methods, etc., of con- struction. To supply the lack of natural strength, so glaring in the ancient steamers, the hull of the " Pilgrim" is cellular, or, in other words, has a double skin, inside and outside, with a system of longitudinal framing be- tween. The system of longitudinal and transverse framing is continuous in its strength, and in a great degree is independent of the inside and outside platings, which, attached to the framework, form a hollow box or girder, the whole length of the vessel's side and bottom. This hollow box or tank is 24 inches deep or wide at the sides of the vessel, and* down to the turn of the bilge, whence it is increased in size (internal) to 36 inches at the centre of the hull, or across the keel. This double hull is divided into 96 water- tight compartments, formed by the water-tight athwartship floors and bracket HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. 385 frames, 27 feet apart, and the longitudinals keelsons running 340 feet fore and aft, and water-tight at all intersections. This tank, so to speak, was tested when building with a pressure of five pounds to the square inch, thus insuring its efficiency in practice. The outside plating being, of course, water-tight, and the inside, for a distance of 340 feet, water-tight also, it can readily be seen that a puncture or strain of the outside skin will have very little injurious effect on the vessel's buoyancy ; but, in addition to the safety provided by the construction of the double hull, the interior capacity is again divided into water-tight compartments by half a dozen athwartship water-tight bulkheads, a sub-division which makes the probability of sink- ing by collision or a rupture of the bottom almost impossible. These bulk- heads extend up to the main^deck, which is built of iron, and made water- tight to the outside of the guard-frame. The wheel batteries are of iron, and the enclosure of the engine, boilers, chimney, kitchen, smoke-pipes, and ventilators being also of iron, the probability of the vital parts of the steamer being destroyed by fire is reduced to a minimum. This non-combustible and non-sinkable hull is 384 feet long, 50 feet moulded beam about 87 feet wide over guards and 17 feet 6 inches deep at fehe lowest point on the sides. By reason of the peculiar type of model, together with its exceedingly large dimensions, it will be observed that enormous structural strains will be gen- erated when in service, to counteract which requires a careful and scientific adjustment of the resisting material. The longitudinal bracket plate sys- tem, which originated in the English Board of Admiralty, has been adopted, and the extent and degree of skill and care which has been exercised in proportioning the different parts of the hull to their respective strain is re- markable. The keel is double plate, the inner one 20 by 11 1-6 and the outer one 26 by 13 1-16. The main keelson is a single plate 3 feet deep, 10 1-6 inches thick, and in length not less than 28 feet; the butts are double- strapped, with heavy plates. The longitudinals are 6 in number, each side of the centre keelson, and extend continuously, fore and aft, as far as possi- ble, the outer ones forming breast-hooks at the ends about 4 feet apart. They are built of plates, 28 feet in length, with a width, according to location, of 24 to 36 inches. Two of these are secured to the outer and inner skins with single angle irons, and the other two, the heaviest ones, are secured to the outer and inner plating with double angle irons, and made water-tight. By the peculiar construction of this hull an endurance is obtained to which the staunchest craft that ever steamed through Long Island Sound is but a basket in comparison. There are half a dozen bulkheads one placed 26 feet abaft of stem, of 7 1-6 plate, stiffened with angle iron ; one forward of the boilers ; one between the boilers and engines ; one abaft the engines ; and one collision bulkhead aft. All the doors fit water-tight, and are so arranged as to open and close quickly. All of the internal supports of the boat are of the best of wrought iron, and no wood whatever is employed where metallic material could be substituted. 25 386 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. The plating of the outer hull is of the best flange iron, 12 1-6 inches thick, the plates not less than 14 feet long, with all butts planed and triple riveted. The bottom plating, in alternate strokes, is 11 1-6 inches thick, and the side and bilge plating extending aft from the stem anci forward of the stern port, is flush far enough to compare with the in and out plating of the bottom. The flush plating has seam straps in long lengths, and at and about the water-line the plating is doubled as a protection against ice. No plates are less than 14 feet long, while those of the sides, for a length of 280 feet midships, are at least 28 feet in length, and everything is heavily "strapped and double and triple riveted. The hull has a heavy inner as well as an outer plating ; the main-deck is also laid with stringer plates, and the saloon- deck strengthened by placing six-inch T iron carlings eight feet apart, all fore and aft. The steering apparatus has a steam steering-gear, and there is an auxiliary steering-gear, always ready for immediate use in case of acci- dent to the other. The fitting and furnishings are costly and elaborate, and every way in. keeping with the thoroughness and stability of the craft which they adorn, and all parts of the boat are illuminated by electric lights. THE NEW " RHODE ISLAND" OF THE STONINGTON LINE. In 1882 the Stonington line had its fleet strengthened by the restoration, in name at least, of the renowned steamer " Rhode Island," being the third to date of the line to bear that name, her immediate predecessor having been wrecked the year previous. The engines are about all comprised in the new craft which did service in the old boats which were so popular among the Sound line travelers between New York, Providence and Boston. The old " Rhode Island" was constructed in 1872-73, and went upon the line July 17, 1873. She was a staunch boat in every particular, and was capable of most arduous service. One season', at least, she ran day and night trips continuously. It will be remembered that on her last trip for the season of 1880 she ran ashore in a dense fog at the Bonnet, opposite Dutch Island, and in a short time went to pieces, the wreckers saving only her engine, some of her cargo, and part of her furniture. Immediately after the disaster the steamship company decided to build another steamer to take the place of the one de- stroyed, and on the 1st of January, or thereabouts, gave the order for its construction to Robert Palmer, ship-builder at Noank, Conn. The forests of Connecticut and Virginia were drawn upon for white oak. Long Island . and the North River furnished locust, and Jacksonville, Florida, the live oak ; Savannah and Cedar Keys the yellow pine. About the middle of February the keel was laid. The frame is of white oak, live oak and locust. It is secured by immense iron straps, \ inch or f inch by 4 inches, and 18 or 20 feet long, let in flush with the timbers, the ends butted together and fished with strong plates, hot riveted through and through. Her dimensions are as follows : Length of keel, 325 feet ; length of 10-feet water-line, 332 feet ; length over all, 344 feet ; width of hull, 46 feet ; width over guards, 83 feet ; depth of hold (clear), 15 feet ; diameter of wheels, 39 feet 4 inches ; HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 387 length] of buckets, 12 feet; capacity (carpenters' measurement), 2,800 tons. She is run by the engine that was in the old " Rhode Island," which has been entirely overhauled and put in order. As in the old " Rhode Island," she has steam steering apparatus, and, in addition, is provided with a steam windlass. 1881. The " City of Worcester," of the Norwich Line, was built by the Harlan & Hollingsworth Company, of Wilmington, Del. Her hull is of iron, the plating seven-sixteenths to three-quarters of an inch thickness, and the sheer streak 1^ inches. Her principal dimensions are: Admeasurement, 2,500 tons ; length on water line, 325 feet ; length over all, 340 feet ; beam moulded, 46 feet ; over all, 80 feet ; depth from base line to top of beams at dead flat, 16 feet 3 inches. She has six water-tight bulkheads fitted between double frames on the side. All these bulkheads are extended to the guard- deck, being thoroughly braced and stayed by both vertical and diagonal angle irons. Should two of these bulkheads be destroyed by collision, the other four would float the boat. The machinery and the steam chambers are enclosed in iron all the way up through the hurricane-deck, to afford perfect ventilation to the fire-room and give greater protection against fire. The two smoke-pipes are also enclosed in iron casings. Her machinery consists of a surface-condensing, working-beam engine, having a cylinder 90 inches in diameter by 12 feet stroke of piston, arranged with composition valves and seats, and Stevens cut-off. The wheels are 38 feet in diameter, with buckets of about 11 feet face. The steamer is fitted with iron gallows frame, iron guard logs, iron king posts and iron batteries and bulkheads for water-wheel houses. She has three main boilers, 37 feet 6 inches long, by 12 feet diameter and 13 feet face, containing about 9,300 feet of fire surface and 550 feet of grate surface. They will sustain a working pressure of 50 pounds to the square inch. She also has a 40-horse power donkey boiler, with steam pump, located on the guard-deck, and fitted with the necessary attachments and fixtures. The boat has 200 tons of boilers, and her main boilers are claimed to be the largest in the world. The* hull is extra-braced forward, where she is also extra-plated as a guard against ice, through which she can be easily propelled with the full power of her engine. The hold is ventilated by a well between the boilers and machinery space, and also through the two hollow iron masts. The bottom of the boat is covered inside with the best quality of Portland cement. The anchors, worked from the upper deck, weigh 4,100 and 3,000 pounds respectively. The chain cables are 11 and If inches in diameter, and are each 75 fathoms long. The windlass is worked by an independent engine. The " City of Worcester " has eight boats hung on the davits, six 22 feet long each, and two 24 feet in length. These boats are square-sterned, as it was found when the steamer "City of New York" rescued the passengers from the wrecked " Narragansett " that the double- ender boat was next to 388 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. useless for that work. In addition, the steamer has a small boat 16 feet long. The precautions against fire are : On the main deck 9 fire-plugs, 8 in the saloon, 4 in the hold, and 4 on the hurricane-deck. These plugs are sup- plied by 2 pumps, always in readiness for immediate action, the steam being supplied by the donkey boiler. 1,450 feet of hose are at all times attached to the plugs, and used for no other purpose. The freight capacity of the boat will easily accommodate 90 car-loads. There is a separate gangway for passengers, by which they can enter or leave the vessel, with no bales, barrels, boxes or baggage to molest them. The saloon on th,e main-deck is separated from the freight compartment by pilasters and elaborately ornamented ground glass. The joiner work is in mahogany, bird's-eye maple, French walnut and tulip woods, marquetry and gilt, and is tastefully relieved by the white ceiling and delicately tinted cornice. The cornice and pilasters in the main saloon above are a combi- nation of hard woods and veneer work, finished in the Eastlake or Queen Anne style. The forward saloon has an upper tier of state-rooms, with a mahogany overhanging balustrade all around, with mahogany stairways leading thereto. These stairways, and all on the boat, are covered with stamped gold-bronze brass. Each of the stairways has a design having an elegance distinctively its own. The dining-room is in the forward saloon of the upper-deck, away from the odors of machinery. There are 175 state-rooms in all, each having one of Jennings' closets, supplied from a tank amidships connected with a small engine, which keeps a continuous cleansing flow through them. The wash- rooms and large state-rooms are inodorous, the water coming from another tank. For two lengths abaft and forward of the wheel the state- rooms are three rows deep ; elsewhere there are two rows on each side. Besides the ordinary state-rooms, having two berths in each, there are twelve large bedstead state-rooms four aft, two amidships and six forward. All the rooms are ventilated by transoms over the doors, as well as by windows. Each room has an electric annunciator; the inside furnishings are in mahogany, French walnut, bird's-eye maple and other hard woods, and are fitted with the Peerless wire mattress. There are 150 open berths in the hold, divided into forward and after gentlemen's cabins, with the ladies' cabin in the stern. These berths are well ventilated, there being several feet of space between the cabin walls and the steamer's plating. The steamer is heated by steam ; marble-top radiators are in the saloons, and each state-room has its independent heating coil. The lighting is by Edison's incandescent electric light. There are 250 of these lamps, of 16 candle-power each, the electricity for which is generated by an independent 15 horse-power engine. The boat is also piped for gas, and chandeliers are fitted for burning mineral sperm oil. The doors are furnished with " Parliament" hinges, which allows of their HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 389 being unshipped and used as life-preservers. The pilot-house is finished in hard woods, with hard wood steering-wheel, chairs, sheaves and fixtures. The steering is by steam or hand, as desired. The kitchen has its inde- pendent steam boiler, the ice-room is near by, and in the forward hold is the officers' mess-room. There is ample room on the promenade-deck, and the roomy guards make moving about an easy and agreeable possibility. The steamer's lines are pleasing to the eye, and her exterior ornamenta- tion 1s tasteful. On each paddle-box is a seal of the City of Worcester, Mass., encircled with gilt work, from which diverge the sunset-colored rays of the lattice-work, between which one gets glimpses of the great red wheel inside. All modern improvements entering into the construction of a first- class steamer have been introduced into the " City of Worcester." She is faster than the "City of New York " of this line, that boat, the fastest on the Sound, having made the distance between docks, 120 miles, in 6 hours and 5 minutes a record that has never been beaten. The first impression on boarding the " Worcester " is the substantial character of her appointments and her capacity. Upon entering her saloons one is struck with their magnificence, and by the absence of all gaudiuess, or with so little of the throbbing so disagreeable to many people. Quiet as a well or dead house. The passenger, to the fullest sense, whichever way he turns, finds a repetition of the idea of bountiful provision or manifesta- tion of hospitable intention. The " City of Worcester " took her place on the Norwich Line, and began her trips in connection with the New England Kailroad from Boston to New York in September, 1881. 1880. THE "ORIENT." The steamship "Orient," belonging to the Orient Steam Navigation Company, launched at Glasgow in 1880, was de- signed to sail direct for Australia. Her measurement over all was 460 feet ; 455 feet 6 inches between perpendiculars ; beam, 46.35 feet ; depth of main- deck, 27.1 feet, and to the after-deck, 35.1 feet. She can carry 3,000 tons of coal and 3,600 tons of cargo of 40 feet measurement, has accommodations for 120 first-class, 130 second-class, and 300 steerage or third-class passen- gers. Her cost was about 150,000. Her displacement, 9,500 tons. The crank shaft is 20 inches in diameter; screw shaft, 18? inches in diameter; she is propelled by a four-bladed screw, 22 feet in diameter and having 30 feet pitch. She was expected to burn from 2,500 to 2,800 tons of coal on her voyage to Australia, and was steered by steam. 1882. A new steamship, called the " Austral," has been built by John Elder & Co. for the Australian trade. Her length over all is 474 feet ; her tonnage 9,500 tons. She has been built throughout of mild steel, and has three steel decks. The lightness of the material of which she is constructed causes her to draw comparatively little water, and it may be said that it will be hardly possible to sink or burn her. She is divided below the inner skin and the double bottom into nineteen separate water-tight compartments ; and in 390 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. the hull proper within the interior skin she is divided by thirteen water-tight bulkheads, ten of which run up to the level of the main-deck. If the whole of the lower compartments were filled with water, the effect would be an additional draught to the extent of eighteen inches, and if by accident or design the sea obtained free communication with any two of the holds, the stability and surplus buoyancy of the vessel would prevent her from being endangered. THE CASTLE LINE. The steamships of this line carry Her Majesty's mails between London and South Africa sailing from London every alternate Tuesday, and from Dartmouth every alternate Friday, for Cape Town, Mossel Bay, Algoa Bay, Port Alfred, East London, and Natal, calling regu- larly at Madeira, and touching at St. Helena and Ascension at stated intervals. The fleet of this company comprise the Armadele, Castle of, . Antonish Castle, Dunnotar Castle, Garth Castle, Drummond Castle, Kinfaurie Castle Grantuity Castle, Conway Castle, . Warwick Castle Dunrotin ^Castle THE ALLAN LINE, 1854 Previous to the inauguration of this line of steamships the trade between Great Britain and Canada had been carried on by a superior class of sailing ships, many of which during its early his- tory were commanded by their owners and their sons. Among these early merchant traders to Canada, Mr. Alexander Allan, the father of the family that gives its name to the present Allan Line of steamers, had a prominent place. He was a native of Saltcoats, North Britain, afterwards removed to Glasgow, and owned a numerous fleet of sailing ships, one of which, in early life, he himself commanded. His eldest son, James, and his third son, Bryce Allan, of Liverpool, followed his example, while Hugh and Andrew estab- lished themselves in Montreal, and in 1851 entered into partnership as the successors of Edmonstone & Allan, where they managed the shipping busi- ness of the family, and Jarnes, when he retired from the sea, formed with Bryce and their 3 r oungest brother Alexander the now important branch of their business in Liverpool. When the success of screw steamers upon the Atlantic had been assured, the members of the Allan family turned their attention to the advantages to be derived from their employment of such vessels, and established a line of them to run between Liverpool, Quebec, and Montreal during the period of open navigation, and between Liverpool and Portland, Maine, when the St. Lawrence was ice-bound. Tons, e of, . 4^o Northan Castle, Tons. . 2800 T^O J ' 4350 5, .... 4350 3705 tie, .... 3705 , 7CO7 Dunbar Castle, . Taymouth Castle, Duart Castle, . Lapland Dunkeld, . . 2800 . 1827 . 1827 . 1269 1558 !,.... 3489 2966 2957 ... . . 2857 Melrose . Florence . Venice 840 , . . 695 . 5ii HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 391 The first four steamers of this firm were builfc by William Denny, of Dum- barton, and the skill of this builder is evinced by the fact that one of these early steamers, the " Anglo-Saxon," of 1,637 tons burthen, although de- signed for economy of fuel and capacity for cargo and passengers rather than for speed, made the passage from Quebec to Rock Light, Liverpool, in the then altogether unprecedented short time of nine dtiys and five hours. Built in 1856, she was wrecked on Cape Race April 27, 1863, with a sacri- fice of 237 lives. Before, however, their vessels were finished, the Canadian Government, in June, 1852, advertised for the conveyance of the mails between Great Britain and Canada in summer and Portland in the winter. For this ser- vice a contract was concluded with Messrs. McKean, McCarty and Lament, of Liverpool, who formed a company, and opened the line in the spring of 1853 with a vessel of 500 tons register named the " Geneva." The line was continued for about eighteen months by means of the steamer " Cleopatra," of 1,467 tons, and two smaller vessels, the " Ottawa" and " Charity," and the "Canadian," built in 1854, of 1,764 tons, the first steamer built for the Messrs. Allan, who had chartered her to the company. But the service, which was conducted with varying regularity, proving uiTpr6fitable, was transferred to the Allans, who undertook, with the fleet they were building specially for this trade, to carry on a fortnightly service to Quebec in summer, and a monthly voyage to Portland, Maine, in winter, for the annual subsidy of 24,000. -The Crimean war, however, occurring in 1854, offered more remunerative employment to the steamers of the fleet of both contractors, and consequently the regular mail service by the Allan Line, which at first was designated as the " Montreal Ocean Steamship Company," was not commenced until April, 1856. Since then it has been maintained with unbroken regularity, with the exception of various serious losses, which might almost have been anticipated in the early history of the service, considering the dangerous character of the navigation.* From a fortnightly line in summer and a monthly line in winter the opera- tions of the company have expanded into a regular weekly service, supple- mented by an additional fortnightly mail service between Liverpool and Halifax, extending during the summer to St. Johns, Newfoundland, and continued monthly during the winter, by means of an ice-boat, between Halifax and St. Johns, when the latter port cannot be approached by ocean steamships. Steamers of the Allan fleet also trade between Liverpool and * The " Indian," built 1855, 1,764 tons, was lost February 19, 1860, on Cape Sable, with a sacrifice of 205 lives; the "Canadian," built in 1854, 1,764 tons, June I, 1857, near Quebec, all saved; "Canadian" No. 2, sunk by ice in the Straits of Belle Isle, June 4, 1861, 30 lives lost; " Anglo-Saxon," 1,673 tons, wrecked on Cape Race, April 27, 1863, 237 lives lost; "Norwegian," wrecked on St. Paul's Island, Cape Breton, June 14, 1863, all saved; " Bohemian," wrecked on Alden's Rock, off the entrance to Portland Harbor, February 22, 1864, 20 lives lost. 392 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. Baltimore, and a weekly line is maintained between Glasgow and Canada in the summer. There is also a line consisting often steamships, of between 3,300 and 2,500 tons each, and an aggregate tonnage of 30,100 tons, engaged in what is called the Calcutta or Indian service, and a fleet of twelve iron clipper sailing ships, with an aggregate tonnage pf 16,857 tons, also in the service of the company, trading to all parts of the world, but chiefly to the East Indies. The Messrs. Allan do not insure their vessels, a circumstance which of itself is the very best guarantee that great care will be exercised in the management and navigation of the ships. A rule of this company, care- fully observed by the captains, requires that in case of fog the speed must be reduced to dead slow, safety being the chief consideration. Their steamer, the "Hibernian," built in 1861, was the first in the Atlantic trade where deck-houses were covered in by a promenade-deck, stretching from stem to stern, which prevents a sea, when it breaks on board, from filling tire passages between the deck-houses and bulwarks. So highly was the plan ap- proved by the British Government that the unproductive spaces under this deck were made, by order of the Board of Trade, the subject of a special exemption from tonnage measure by the deck shelter clause of the Merchant , Shipping Act of 1854. Other Atlantic lines adopting this protection ob- tained like privileges, but difficulties arising in connection with ships of somewhat different construction, which, however, claimed the same exemp- tion, this immunity was abolished. Some of the vessels of this line are remarkable for their speed. For in- stance, in October, 1872, the " Polynesian," on her first voyage made the passage between Quebec and Londonderry in seven days, eighteen hours and fifty-five minutes; while her sister ship, the "Sarmatian," was engaged by the government to convey the 42d Highlanders to the Gold Coast in the Ashantee war. The " Sarmatian" is, by the way, the favorite ship of the Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lome, and in her she has made all her pas- sages between England and Canada. The " Hungarian," one the earliest of these steamers, made the passage from Quebec to Rock Light in nine days, six hours and thirty-five minutes, or from land to land in six days. Another, the " Peruvian," completed one of the fastest round voyages on record on any Atlantic line. On the 16th of December, 1864, she left Moville, the port of call, near Londonderry, at 6.24 P.M., discharged her cargo at Portland, took in her homeward cargo, and sailing, arrived back at Moville on the 10th of January, 1865, at 9.15 A.M., thus making the passage out and home, including detentions at Port- land while discharging and loading her cargoes, in twenty-four days, fifteen hours. As a representative ship of the Allan Line we will take the "Sardinian," which was built and had her engines constructed by Messrs. Robert Steele & Co., of Greenock. She measures 400 feet in length between perpendiculars, is 42 feet 3 inches in width of beam, and is 35 feet. 8 inches in moulded depth. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 393 Her register is 2,577 tons measurement, with a gross tonnage of 4,376 tons. She is impelled by a pair of inverted, direct-acting, compound high and low pressure engines. These engines are supplied with all the most recent im- provements for combining power with economy of fuel, and securing smooth and equable working. They are furnished with superheating and surface- condensing apparatus of the most improved construction ; and everything which experience could dictate or science suggest, to ensure efficiency of working has been sedulously applied without stint or regard to first cost. Her high-pressure cylinder measures 60 inches, and her low-pressure cylin- der 104 inches in diameter, and the pistons have 4 feet 6 inches of a stroke. The steam for working these powerful engines is generated in ten oblong boilers, which are heated by twenty furnaces, fired athwartship. When working, at about full spejed the engines make about sixty revolutions, and at that number of revolutions the ship has a regulated and sustained speed of 14 knots per hour, the indicated horse-power being calculated at 2,800. The " Sardinian" was built under special survey, to take the highest classification for iron steamships. She is divided into seven water-tight compartments by six water-tight iron bulkheads. Her awning and spar- decks are both iron from stem to stern and from side to side of the ship, and firmly riveted to every deck-beam ; her main-deck, also, is of iron from the after hold to the main hold, and from side to side of the ship, except that portion which is occupied by the engine space. In addition to these pre- cautions for ensuring extra strength to the hull of the ship, heavy iron stanchions have been introduced on every deck, and at every beam where they could be introduced with advantage. While thus carefully and thoughtfully providing for the general strength of the structure, and the proportionately important power by which the stately ship is to be impelled on her ocean path, other and subsidiary, although in the aggregate scarcely less important, means for guiding, regu- lating, and assisting her in the management of her voyaging, in aiding her into and out of dock, and in the no less important operations of load- ing and stowing and unloading of cargo, together with those numerous ap- pliances for securing comfort to all on board, which are indispensable in some degree, are provided for on the most liberal scale. The " Sardinian" carries ten large boats, all of which are of the best life- boat construction, and as regards her passenger accommodation she neces- sarily stands very high, having provision for 180 saloon, 60 intermediate, and 1,000 steerage. The cabin passengers of the "Sardinian" are carried in the saloon and the state-rooms immediately connected with it. The saloon is 80 feet in length by 41 feet in breadth, and is lofty in the ceiling. It is situ- ated on the awning-deck, and is lighted by a lantern cupola in the centra of the ceiling,- augmented by an abundance of side lights, the combination produc- ing an effulgence which, united to the gorgeous furnishings, produces an -effect at once gratifying and dazzling. The ceiling is delicately panelled in 394 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. French white, enriched with gold mouldings. The wainscoting of the saloon is richly panelled in highly-polished walnut wood, relieved by a delicate stringing o bright rosewood, the panel framing, rails, and mounters being of polished teakwood. This is surrounded by a rich gold carved cornice, the interspace between the panels being filled by handsome fluted columns of ebony, with rich gold capitals. The settees are upholstered in crimson velvet. As in the other steamers belonging to this line, the " Sardin- ian" is furnished with a hot-plate table, from which the passengers are supplied with viands served a la Russe as per carte menu. The saloon is furnished with a piano-forte, and a well-selected library of books for the use of the passengers. In short, everything which can conduce to comfort has been abundantly provided, and, as a whole, the saloon, with its rich furni- ture and graceful surroundings, presents a coup daeil of rare beauty and magnificence. In connection with the saloon, in two houses on deck, are situated additional accommodation for the saloon passengers. Those consist of a ladies' sitting-room or boudoir, which is furnished in a style of quiet yet luxurious beauty, and a charming snuggery fitted up as a smoke-room. The dormitories or state-rooms for the saloon passengers are on the main and upper passenger-decks. They are roomy, capacious, and well-lighted, as well as fully-supplied with regulated ventilation. They are elegantly fur- nished with bed and toilette appliances, and every means has been adopted to secure comfort and safety to all the inmates. This vessel, like others of the fleet, is supplied with electric bells in the cabin department of the ship. The intermediate passenger berths are placed on the upper passenger- deck, the steerage passengers being located on the upper and second pas" senger-decks. Both these classes of passengers last referred to are supplied with cooked victuals of the best quality by the ship's stewards in unlimited quantity. The sanitary arrangements throughout the ship are of the most perfect kind. A peculiarity as to carrying steerage passengers by the ships of this line is that the company supplies passengers with the use of a suitable and ample outfit for the voyage, whereby passengers are saved the trouble, inconvenience, and loss consequent on having to supply their own outfit pre- vious to embarking. The outfit consists of patent life-preserving pillows, mattress, pannikin to hold a pint and a half, plate, knife, nick-el-plated fork, and nickel-plated spoon. The charge for the use of these articles for the voyage is only a very few shillings. Each berth in the cabin is fitted with a pair of life-saving pillows, specially adapted for fastening to the person in case of emergency. In 1874 the head of the firm, Hugh Allan, was knighted by the Queen- in London for his efforts in establishing steam communication between Canada and the mother country. During the visits of the Prince of Wales, Prince Arthur and other members of the royal family to Canada, he enter- tained them in princely fashion. He had the finest residence in the city of Montreal, and his hospitality was unbounded. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 395 The Allan Line is still under contract with the Governments of Canada and Newfoundland for the conveyance of the mails. Steamships of this line now leave for Portland and Liverpool, via Queenstown, every alternate Satur- day, and for Boston and Liverpool, via Halifax, calling at Londonderry,, every alternate Thursday, and Baltimore and Liverpool, via 'Halifax, every alternate Monday, and from Halifax for Liverpool every Saturday. Sir Hugh Allan, the founder of this great line, died at Edinburgh, sud- denly, of heart disease, December 9, 1882. His decease caused a profound- shock and the deepest regret throughout the whole city of Montreal, with which he had been connected for nearly sixty years. Beside founding and attending to his shipping interests, he was at the head of all great enterprises for building up the city and the country as well, and when he died was president of one of the largest Canadian banks, which he founded, and of twenty-two other public companies, includ- ing railways, coal mining, cotton, woolen, sewing machine, telegraph, eleva- tors, insurance, rubber, colonization, etc. In all these- he had a large amount of capital invested. His surviving brother, Andrew Allan, who resides now in Montreal, is the present head of the firm. An elder brother died a short time ago in Glasgow, and there are still two surviving in that city. They have limited interests in the firm, but the deceased and Andrew were the principal owners.* * Sir' Hugh Allan was born at Saltcoats in the County of Ayr, Scotland, on the 29th of September, 1810. In the year 1824 his father removed his residence to Greenock, and in the following spring (1825) Hugh, being then fourteen years of age, was entered as clerk in the firm of Allan, Kerr & Co. After he had been there about a year his father proposed that he should go out to Canada. He sailed from Greenock for Montreal on the I2th of April, 1826, in the brig "Favorite," and landed at Montreal for the first time on Sunday morning, the 2ist of May, 1826. At that time there was only one steam tug on the St. Lawrence, and no wharves ; the city was then in its infancy, with little trade or foreign commerce. He obtained a situa- tion as .clerk with the firm of William Kerr & Co., then engaged in the dry goods trade in St. Paul Street. He visited his home in Scotland in 1830, returning to Canada the follow- ing year. Soon afterwards he obtained a situation in the house of James Millar & Co., then engaged in building and sailing ships, and as commission merchants. He remained a clerk to the end of the year 1835, when some changes taking place in the establishment he was admitted a partner with Mr. Millar and Mr. Edmonstone, who had been. long, connected with the house. About the year 1851, the successful establishment of screw steamers on the Atlantic elicited proposals for a line to the River St. Lawrence. Mr. Allan was awarded a con- tract in 1853. At first the service was fortnightly, but on May I, 1859 the weekly service was commenced, and has ever since been continued. Sir Hugh Allan was identified with a larger number of commercial and financial corporations than any other gentleman in the Dominion. He married, September 13, 1844, Matilda r daughter of John Smith, a prominent dry goods merchant of Montreal. By this marriage he had thirteen children, twelve of whom survive eight daughters and four sons. Four of the former are married to British army officers, and live in England. Lady Allan died over a year ago. He was a life-long member of St An- drew's Church, and one of the foremost men of the Church of Scotland in Canada. Pie was knighted by Her Majesty in 1871. The cable announcement of his death in Edinburgh created a most profound sensation and called out universal expressions of sincerest regret throughout the Dominion of Canada. JV. Y. Graphic. 396 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. The Company's transatlantic line is now composed of the following double- engined Clyde-built iron steamships. They are built in water-tight compart- ments, are unsurpassed for strength, speed and comfort, are fitted up with all the modern improvements that practical experience can suggest, and have made the- fastest time on record. Numidian* , Parisian . Sardinian Polynesian Sarmatian Circassian Moravian Peruvian Nova Scotian Hibernian Caspian. Austrian Nestorian Prussian * Building. Gross Tons. 6100 5400 4650 4100 3600 4000 3650 3400 3300 3440 3200 27001 2700 j 30001 Scandinavian . Hanoverian . Buenos Ayrean Corean . Grecian . Manitoban Canadian 3d . Phoenician Waldensian . Lucerne Newfoundland Acadian Mersey tender Gross Tons. 3000 4000 3800 4000 3600 3150 2600 2800 2600 2200 1500 1350 500 The East India Line is composed of the following steamers City of Manchester, City of Edinburgh, City of Canterbury, City of Cambridge, City of Carthage, Tons. 3300 3500 3500 2500 2800 City of London, City of Oxford, City of Venice, . City of Mecca, .* City of Poonah, The clipper sailing ships of the Allan Company are as follows Tons. Glendaruel, 1761 Glenmorag, ..... 1576 Glenfinert, . . . . '153 Glenbervie, ..... 800 Gleniffer, 800 Abeona, . . . _ . . . 979 St. Patrick, . . . -992 Strathearn, Strathblane, Ravenscrag, Pomona, . Chippewa, Medora, . City of Montreal, Tons. 35 2500 35 2500 2500 Tons 1705 1364 1263 1200 1072 746 1062 TOTAL TONNAGE. Atlantic service, 59)9! 6 India service, . . 30,100 Sailing ships, . 16,857 Grand total, 106,873 Sir Hugh Allan left a fortune estimated at $15,000,000. NOTES. The following notes have been received by me while the volume has been passing through the press, and are of too much interest and importance to be altogether omitted. Note to page 4. It seems a pity to destroy a good and well-told story, but that of Solomon de Ca-us being confined in Bicetre as a madman, as related in a supposititious letter from Marion Delorme r dated Paris, February, 1641, which has been so widely circulated and universally credited,, is now known to be a modern fiction, and was first published in December, 1834, in the " Musee des Families," Vol. II., pp. 57 and 58, and was written by Henri Berthoud, who has himself told the story of its authorship. It appears that the " Musee" had caused to be "engraved a picture representing a madman behind the bars of a prison, to illustrate a promised story, but the author having failed to redeem his promise, Henri Berthoud was called upon to write a story that would utilize the engraving, and with that in view he invented the letter of Marion Delorme. Moreover, it appears that while the Delorme letter is dated in 1641, De Caus died in 1626, or fifteen years before its date. On the i8th of July, 1862, Mr, Charles Reed, in a letter to the Academic des Sciences, states that he had discovered in the Record Office of the " Palais," in Paris, the following account of his burial in 1626. " Solomon de Caus, engineer to the King, has been buried in the Trinity on Saturday the last day of February, 1626, assisted by two archers of the guard." From this it would seem he was buried with all due honors, as the assistance or presence of the archers of the guard was a real distinction very seldom granted in those days. In consequence of Mr. Reed's discovery the street in the vicinity of the cemetery has been named after de Caus. The above facts are derived from a little French book entitled " L> Esprit dans ISHistoire Recherches et Curiosities sur les Mots Histoiriques par Edouard Fournier. Troiseme edition Revile et Considerablement Augmente. Paris : E. Dentee, editeur, etc., 1867." Pages 298 to 301. We may add that the Marquis of Worcester makes no mention of any interview with ds Caus in his " Century of Inventions," written in 1655, and first published in 1663. In the reprint of that work, with commentary by Henry Dirctis, Esq., published in London, 1865 at pages 476-479 there is some account of de Caus, and an illustration of his fire-water work or steam fountain, with an engraving of it, which is exactly traced from it and in every respect a faithful copy. Note to Page 20. The following account of Patrick Miller's first experiments 1788-1789 are from con- temporary newspapers : 1788. " DUMFRIES, October 21. On the 1 4th instant a boat was put in motion by a steam-engine, upon Mr. Miller's piece of water at this place. This gentleman's improve- ments in naval architecture are well known to the public ; and, for some time past, his attention has been turned to the application of the steam-engine to the purposes of navigation. He has now accomplished, and evidently shown to the world, the practicability of this, by execu ing it upon a small scale. A vessel, twenty-five feet long and seven broad, was, on 397 398 HIST OR Y OF STEAM JV A VIGA TION. the above date, driven with two wheels by a small engine. It answered Mr. M.'s expecta- tions fully, and afforded great pleasure to the spectators present. The success of this exper- iment is no small accession to the public : its utility on canals, and all other navigations, points it out to be of the greatest advantage, not only to this island, but to many other nations of the world. This improvement holds no inconsiderable rank amongst the inventions of modern times ; and added to his other improvements, bespeaks how much Mr. Miller de- serves of the public. The engine used is Mr. Symington's patent engine. The method of converting the reciprocating motion of the engine into the rotary one of the wheels, is par- ticularly elegant. It is in fact a new thing in mechanics, and which the world owes to Mr. Symington's ingenuity." Glasgow Mercury, October '28, 1788. 1789. " FALKIRK, December 4. Yesterday an experiment of the greatest consequence to commerce was exhibited here on the Great Canal, by Mr. Miller, viz : the application of a steam-engine to sailing. This gentleman, who formerly made experiments on the same subject on a small scale, has in the present instance applied them to a vessel of considerable burden, with a degree of success which must be very agreeable to the public. The velocity obtained, though very considerable the experiment not being completed cannot be partic- ularly stated at present. The result, however, so far shows that the invention bids fair to be one of the greatest utility to mankind." Glasgow Mercury, December 13, 1789. In 1791 Mr. Rumsey came to London, with the intention of running a steamboat on the Thames, on the pumping principle, similar to that which he had already worked on the Potomac. His boat w,as nearly finished when he died ; it aftewards was tried, however, and found to move at the speed of four knots an hour. This was 'the first English steam- vessel. In the summer of 1801 two persons, named Hunter and Dickenson, caused a steam-tug to be constructed in London. The following notice of its trial trip was given in the metropol- itan journals of the day : "An experiment of much importance to the mercantile interests has just taken place on the Thames; namely, a trial of a working barge, or a heavy craft, against tide, with a steam-engine of simple construction; by which, the moment it was set to work, the barge was brought about, answering her helm, and stemming a strong current, at a rate of two and a half miles an hour." Note to Page 36. FULTON'S SUBMARINE BOAT AT BREST, 1801. Robert Fulton, of Little Britain, Pennsyl- vania, made the following experiment in the harbor of Brest on July 3, 1801 : He em- barked with three companions on board his plunging boat, and descended in it to the depth of five, ten, fifteen, and so on to twenty-five feet ; but he did not attempt to go lower, be- cause he found that his imperfect machine would not bear the pressure of a great depth. He remained below the surface for an hour. During this time he was in utter darkness. Af- terwards he descended with candles ; but, finding a great disadvantage from their consump- tion of vital air, he caused, previously to his next experiment, a small window of thick glass to be made near the bow of his boat, and he again descended with her on July 24, 1801. He found that he received from his window, or rather aperature covered with glass for it was no more than an inch and a half in diameter sufficient light to enable him to count the minutes on his .watch. Having satisfied himself that he could have sufficient light when under water, that he could do without a supply of fresh air for a considerable time, and that he could descend to any depth and rise to the surface with facility, his next object was to try his boat on the surface as well as beneath it. On July 26th he weighed his anchor and hoisted his sails his boat had one mast, a mainsail, and a jib. There was only a light breeze, and therefore she did not move on the surface at more than the rate of two miles an hour; but it was found she would tack and steer, and sail on a wind or before it as well as any common sailing-boat. Fulton then struck her masts and sails, to do which, and per- fectly to prepare the boat for plunging, required about two minutes. Having plunged to a HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. certain depth, he placed two men at the engine, which was intended to give her progressive ^J* motion, and one at the helm, while he, with a barometer before him, governed the machine, which kept her balanced between the upper and lower waters. He found that with the exertion of one hand only he could keep her at any depth he pleased. The propelling err* gine was then put in motion, and he found, upon coming to the surface, that he had made, in about seven minutes, a progress of 400 metres, or about 500 yards. He then again plunged, turned her round while under water, and returned to the place he began to move from. He repeated his experiments several days successively until he became familiar with the opera- tions of the machinery and movements of the boat. He found she was as obedient to her helm under water as any boat on the surface, and that the magnetic needle traversed as well in the one situation as in the other. On the 7th of August Mr. Fulton again descended with a store of atmospheric air compressed into a copper globe of a cubic foot capacity, into which two hundred atmospheres were forced. Thus prepared, he descended with three com- panions to the depth of about five feet. At the expiration of one hour and forty minutes he .began to take small quantities of pure air from his reservoir, and did so, as he found occa- sion, for four hours and twenty minutes. At the expiration of this time he came to the sur- face without having experienced any inconvenience from having been so long under water. Note to Page 44. A correspondent of London Notes and Queries, in 1882, says : "In 1810 my great unqle, Francis James Jackson, then Envoy Extraordinary to the United States, writes thus : ' Hav- ing passed four months at New York ... I have accepted the offer of a gentleman, Mr. Hogen, to lend me his country house. It. is a very good one, on the banks of the Hudson. . . . One of the curiosities that we daily see pass under our 1 windows is the steamboat, a passage vessel with accommodation for near a hundred persons. It is moved by a steam- engine turning a wheel on either side of it, which acts like the main wheel of a mill, and propels the vessel against wind and tide at the rate of four miles an hour. As soon as it comes in sight there is a general rush of our household to watch and wonder until it disap- pears. They don't at all know what to make of the unnatural monster that goes steadily careering on, with the wind directly in its teeth as often as not. I doubt that I should be obeyed were I to desire any one of them to take a passage in her. When first this vessel appeared in these waters it excited great consternation. Some of the simple' country folk were pretty well frightened out of their wits, suspecting, I am told, it was some diabolical conveyance that had brought his Satanic Majesty from the lower realms to visit the United States. I am inclined to look with favor on this application of the propelling power of steam. Not improbably it is destined at no distant day to produce incalculably great and beneficial changes in our mode of voyaging.' " Note to Pages 72-73. The Christian Leader, in 1880, giving an account of the last survivors of the " Clermont" on her first trip in 1807, asked if there was any one living who sailed in Henry Bell's " Comet" in 1812, and soon received an answer that "there still resides in Helensburgh an old gentleman who not only sailed in the Comet,' but was during the last two years of the steamer's existence one of its shareholders. Captain William Stewart, born in 1799, a native of Glasgow, spent his boyhood at Luss, on Loch Lomond, and several years of his youth at Helensburgh, where he made the acquaintance of Henry Bell. He was for many years the commodore captain of the Belfast line of steamers, and was severely injured in a passage on the night of the memorable storm of February, 1856. .The ' Comet' was launched in the January of 1812, and commenced to ply in that year. From personal recollection, and from his intimacy with many of Bell's friends, Captain Stewart relates many interesting reminis- .cences of the engineer's early efforts in perfecting his project for steam navigation. The 400 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. paddle-wheel did not at once suggest itself, but was the ultimate result of many an experi- ment. Bell himself constructed an elaborate contrivance for the propulsion of vessels, on the principle of the web foot of a duck. It was a thing of many parts all hinged together, and so constructed as to spread itself out for the propelling movement, and to close together in the forward motion. This apparatus he got attached to a boat, with which he launched forth from the Baths Pier in Helensburgh. After they had been spasmodically propelled by this machine for about a mile towards Ardmore Point the apparatus collapsed. Bell accepted the result, merely remarking, ' That will do,' and he then began to whistle. He found his ap- paratus unworkable, and so like a practical man turned his thoughts on some other plan, which resulted in the paddle-wheel. An old gentleman, who was courting a lady, hap- pened one day to piss the shipbuilding yard where the first steamboat was being constructed at Port Glasgow, and remarked to his companion that this was a boat that was to run upon wheels,' but he could not see how ! The original ' Comet' to us would appear a peculiar looking structure. Its funnel was of great height, serving the double purpose of mast and funnel. By its means square sails were hoisted by ' block and tackle,' as Captain Stewart* explains. After sailing successfully, in 1818 the 'gComet' was lengthened to enable her to make longer voyages. Then Mr. Stewart became a shareholder. When the alterations were completed, by invitation of Henry Bell, Mr. Stewart went with the * Comet' on its first voyage to the West Highlands through the Crinan Canal. Mr. Stewart relates that when ^the ' Comet' first appeared in the narrow channel at Eastdale the natives fled up the hill terror- stricken. The Comet' was wrecked on Craignish Point in 1820. It was probably thrown on the rocks by the strong current which at times runs there, it being right opposite the dreaded Corryvreckan. All hands were saved. Captain Stewart thinks Bell was in the ' Comet' when it was wrecked on Craignish Point in 1820. The shareholders lost their in- vestment, there being no such thing as insurance on steamers at that early date. Bell did not reap much personal benefit from his invention, and his widow kept the Baths Hotel in Helensburgh till her death, about the year 1856." In the Museum of the British Patent Office there can be seen the engine of the " Comet." It was erected there in 1862 by Mr. John Robertson, of Glasgow, the same engineer who fitted it in the " Comet" exactly fifty years before. Note to Page ioj. It seems to be a mistake that the "Aaron Mandy," built in 1820, was the first iron steam- boat ever built. An iron steamboat called the "Caledonia" was built by Messrs. Carmichael in Dundee in 1818, two years earlier, to run on the river between Perth and Dundee. The following letter, written on the 6th of May, 1818, by Mr. Charles Carmichael describes the trial trip of the " Caledonia." "We got the steamboat started some time ago. On this day week we were down at the mouth of Tay, and had we had plenty of coals and beef on board we would not have been long in seeing London. But, alas ! the beef got done ere we were far past the lighthouse, and the coals had enough to do to take us home. Ninety- three people dined on board, and, as before mentioned, the beef, and what was worse, the whiskey got done before us. You must observe that we did not expect more than sixty to dine, so that the additional thirty-three were intruders, and that in part accounts for the grog being so soon expended. The day was fine, and the water smooth till we came near the buoy of Tay, where there was a considerable swell. The boat was then ordered about, and in a quarter of an hour we were in smooth water again. The engines wrought well, and the greater part of the company enjoyed their jaunt. I said engines ; for there are two of them, and two boilers, so constructed that you can work with one boiler or with one engine in the event of the other meeting with any accident. The common speed that the steamboat moves at is eight miles an hour with the current, which varies from two to four miles an hour. The first time she went to Perth she made it in three hours. The distance is twenty- HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 401 seven miles." Among the many ingenious ideas of Carmichael was the method of work- ing steamboat engines from the deck of the vessel. This mode of reversing and working the engines was a long step in advance at that time in the perfecting of the steam engine. It was applied with complete success to the engines of the ferry steamer " George IV.," which plied between Dundee and Newport. The hand-gearing for starting or stopping the engines was situated on the deck of the boa*t, and all concentrated upon a small table in view and hearing of the man at the helm or the master, who directed both on coming to the quay. On this table were certain words indicating the functions of each handle, such as "Go ahead;" " Go astern" A sapient citizen voyaging for the first time after the new gear had been fitted to the boat, glanced at the table, and, seeing the last quoted inscription, exclaimed, " George Astern. Fa's he ? I aye thocht thir engines wis made by Carmichael." Note to Pages 33 and in. Captain W. W. Coit, the founder of the Norwich and New York Transportation Company, for a long time commander of steamboats on Long Island Sound, is said to have made the first experiment of burning coal for the purposes of steam navigation. His experiments were unsuccessful for a time, and nearly proved a failure. He finally changed the grate of the furnace in order that the fire might be worked from beneath instead of on top, and thus suc- ceeded in utilizing hard coal as a means for generating steam. His boats were gratuitously supplied with coal by the coal companies for thus opening up a market for the immense stock they piled up on their wharves. Note to Page 112. Columbian Centinel April 19, 1826. The arrangement of a steamboat line between Providence and New York is to commence to-morrow. The " Connecticut" will sail at 3 P.M. and the " Fulton" on Saturday from Providence to New York, stopping at Newport foi passengers. The steamboat "Washington" arrived at Providence on Sunday in twenty-two hours from New York, notwithstanding the thick weather. The regular line between Boston and New York, by way of Norwich, commences this day; fare, nine dollars. The stages attached to this line leave Boston on Sundays and Thursdays at 4 o'clock A.M., where a steamboat will be in readiness to take passengers to New York and land them the next morning. This route is said to be the most expeditious, and passen- gers on it avoid the disagreeable voyage around Point Judith ; but the accommodations are said to be most inferior to those of the Providence boat. Note to Page 116. The United States Court of Errors, sitting at Albany, March, 1825, decided on the great steamboat case of the North River Company vs. John R. Livingston, respondent, and the de- cision of the Chancellor was affirmed. This decision threw open the Hudson River to a free navigation by fired steamers, and annulled the exclusive right granted to Livingston and Fulton. The importance of the question caused the Senate chamber and gallery to be crowded by persons anxious to learn the decision of the court. Twenty-two members of the court were for affirming the decision of the Chancellor and nine for reversing it. Note to Page 123. Mr. James Gouchie, an old Scotch ship-builder, and now a resident of a village near Chicago, recently presented to the Chicago Historical Society the original working plans from which was constructed the " Royal William." The price paid for her by the Spanish Government was ^"10,000. 26 402 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. Note to Page 126. 1825. AN ATLANTIC STEAM COMPANY was formed as early as 1825, to establish a com- munication between Europe and America by means of steam vessels. The capital was limited to .600,000, and says the New York Albion, February 1826, 270,000 have already been subscribed for, and ten per cent, of the same actually t paid down, a sum amply sufficient to carry into effect the first part of the scheme. Two very fine vessels have been offered to the Directors, one of four hundred and thirty-nine tons, with two engines each of fifty horse- power, and another of five hundred tons, built at Greenock, with two engines of ninety horse-power each. The Directors, acting upon advice offered them from this country, have wisely given up the idea of employing vessels of one thousand tons burthen. Two lines of communication have been proposed, besides inferior branches ; one from Valentia Island, the starting point to Nova Scotia and New York; the other from Valentia to Antigua, Carthagena, Jamaica, and the countries at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. The latter will probably be chosen, as the transportation of bullion and specie has been promised them. The seas are less tempestuous on this route, and freight and passengers to and from the West Indies will be obtained to a great extent. With respect to safety of steam vessels on the oeean the Directors speak in the strongest terms of confidence. Captains Skinner and Gray, of the Holyhead and Mtlford stations, who have been in the habit of crossing the Irish Channel (perhaps as tempestuous sea as any in the world) for several winters almost without interruption, consider that for the worst weather on the ocean a steam-vessel would be pref- erable to one possessing sailing powers. It is asserted that the entire journey from London to New York via Dublin, can be effected in trventy-one days ; and the journey back in six- teen, owing to the prevalence of westerly winds on the Atlantic. The great and important benefits that the success of the scheme will confer on Ireland are fully appreciated and understood, and the friends of the measure,who are enthusiastically the friends of that fine country, look forward with delight to the period when the ports of the West of Ireland shall become the busy scene of commercial industry. Independent Chronicle and Boston Patriot, Saturday, February 24, 1826. The Boston Independent Chronicle and Patriot, September 25, 1825, has an editorial half a column long, copied from the Daily Advertiser, on the subject of steam navigation to Europe, refers to the London Company, and a pamphlet it had issued, which says, " It may be assumed as an incontrovertible fact that wherever steam navigation has been established on a proper footing, and on a sufficient scale of vessels and machinery, it has not only been abundantly successful, but its performance h'as surpassed expectations, overcome the- natural prejudices, and commanded the confidence of even nautical men ; and it has not only drawn to it all the most valuable communication in its line of transit, but also increased it in a tenfold proportion" The editorial further commends to the attention of its readers " the importance of estab- lishing this species of communication between Boston and Halifax, as a branch of the grand line of communication between America and England," and adds, " All that is necessary to be done on our part to secure to us a full share of the benefits of the enterprise is to provide a single steamboat of five hundred tons, of the most approved construction, to ply regularly between this port and Halifax." A Committee was appointed at a meeting held November 12 for the purpose of establish- ing a steamboat line between Halifax aud Boston, which reported favorably on the project at another meeting held at Merchants' Hall December I ; 'and it was Resolved -It was expedi- ent forthwith to form a company for the establishment of a line of steamboats between Bos- ton and Eastport, and another Committee was appointed with authority to adopt such meas- ures as they may deem expedient for obtaining subscribers to the stock. The names of many of the leading merchants of Boston at that time were on one or other of these Committees. HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 403 The full report of the Committee is published in the Independent Chronicle and Patriot, December 7, 1825. We do not find that this forgotten company ever started out a steamer, and it is obvious that a steamer of five hundred tons could not carry coal for twenty : one days' steaming and a remunerative cargo. Note to Page 126-129. The Magazine of American History for November, 1882, pp. 774-83, contains a letter from Junius Smith, dated New York, January 8, 1844, to his *' Dear Brother in Christ," the Rev. Doctor D. D. Field, of Iladdan, Connecticut, in which he details the troubles he had in organizing a company to establish a line of steam packets across the Atlantic, between the United States and Great Britain. He says as early as August, 1832, after his protracted passage of fifty-seven days across the Atlantic in the British Bark "St. Leonard," the crossing of the Atlantic by steam developed itself in his mind. " It was no slight affair for an individual without fortune, without influ- ence, and without co-operation, to devise, shape and follow out measures which were to change the commercial intercourse between Europe and America, and establish a new sys- tem of navigation, against the interests of commercial and nautical men, the uniform practice of past ages, and the prejudices of men. On the 24th of January, 1833, he arrived in London from New York, to enlist the public in his scheme and called upon Mr. Jones, a Director of the London and Edinburgh Steam Navigation Company, and explained his views and solic- ited his co-operation. At that date there was only one steam-vessel in England other than those owned by the London and Edinburgh Steam Company, of a size or in any way adapted to cross the Atlantic. That vessel was then in the service of Dom Pedro, but was expected home in the spring, and in May, 1833, she arrived at Blackwell. She had sixteen owners, and he found it impossible to scale their claims. He next turned his most serious attention to the formation of a company for the purpose of building steamships for Atlantic navigation, and was soon reconciled to former disappointments. On the istof June, 1835, he published a prospectus for a joint stock steam navigation, in his own name, as he could find no one to second him, proposing to raise ; 100,000 in two hundred and ten shares of ^500 each, to construct steamships for the New York trade. This prospectus was widely distributed, but not a single share was applied for. A few looked upon the scheme with some favor, and several gentlemen called upon him to make inquiries. " Generally, however, the plan was treated with sarcasm, slander, and ridicule." " Sly innuendoes," he says, "lies open and insinuating, and every species of hostilities assailed me (him) from every quarter." At length he " determined to leave the worst, hope for tha best, and carry forward the undertaking with all the energy he could command." His prospectus was revised, the stock capital raised to ^500,000, and the name altered to " The American and British Steam Nav- igation Company," but he could not secure a single director. At last he was introduced to Mr. Isaac Shelby, then Chairman of the London and Birmingham Railroad, and a Director in other companies, who was a prompt and off-hand man of business, who when the project was explained to him, said " I will be your chairman," and on the 3ist of October, 1835, a second prospectus was issued, and the first meeting of the Board of Directors was held on the 25th of November, 1835. Advertisements were inserted on the 3Oth 6f October in the London Times, Herald, Morning Chronicle, and Public Ledger, and again on the 3d, 1 9th, 2 ist and 27th of November, notifying the public of the formation of the Company and where to apply for shares. In October, 1836, a contract was concluded to construct a steamship of two thousand and sixteen tons, to be called the "Victoria," but upon the accession of Her Majesty to the throne, the name was altered to the " British Queen." "On the I2th of July, 1839, at noon, the " British Queen" sailed from Portsmouth with Mr. 404 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. Smith on board as a passenger, and two o'clock Sunday morning, July 28th, hove to off Sandy Hook for a pilot, thus making the passage in fourteen and a quarter days." (See page 174 for further account of the " British Queen.") Mr. Smith died at Astoria, New York, January 23, 1853. Note to Page fQJ. On June 5, 1847, the New York and Bremen Line started their first ship, the " Washing- ton," for Southampton on the same day that the " Britannia," belonging to the Cunard Com- pany, sailed from New York for Liverpool. This was the first race between American and British steamers, and though the " Britannia" did not require " to run by the deep mines, and put in more coal to beat the ' Washington,' " as the New York Herald anticipated, the other prophecy of the editor has been remarkably fulfilled. The " Britannia" won the race by two- full days. " We have to say," says the Herald, "that if the Britannia' beats the ' Wash- ington' over she will have to run by the deep mines and put in more coal. We shall have,, in two years' time, a system of Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific steamers in operation that will tell a brilliant story for the enterprise of Brother Jonathan. We are bound to go ahead, and steam is the agent of the age. We expect yet to see the day when the traveler -will be able to- leave New York, and going eastward all the time will be enabled^ to make the circuit of the earth, coming in by Huascualco, in the summer interval between two sessions of Congress,, spending a month or two in the Mediterranean on the way" Note to Pages ig6 and iqj, The "Edward Everett, Jr.," built on board the ship of that name belonging to Boston, Mass.,, was the first steamboat ever seen on the Sacramento River, California, in 1849. Steam was- raised on her the day after she slid into the water. She was commanded by Wm. V. Wells, and the Chief Engineer was A. M. Procter, who was living in East Boston, Mass., in 1882. She had a hard time getting up the river, her commander having agreed to tow a sailing barque a long distance, and being unable to do it, after some swearing, he cut loose from his tow and paddled away at the rate of two knots under full steam, and the barque drifted on a shoal before she could anchor. The " Edward Everett, Jr.," was sold to some circus men for $5,500, and was snagged and wrecked on the upper Sacramento River some few months after she was launched.* A photograph of the steamer as she lay in the Straits of Benecia, from a drawing, was on exhibition in a window on Bromfield Street, in Boston,. December, 1882. Note to Page ijg. For a full account of the French steam navy four years later, viz., in 1844, see " Remarks on the State of the Naval Forces of France," with an Appendix and Notes by His Royal Highness the Prince de Joinville. New edition. Translated by an officer of the United States Navy. Boston, 1844. 8vo, pp. 30. Note to Page 22. 7. An important commercial undertaking has just been consummated in Japan in the shape of the Union Steajnship Company. This company is backed by private and government capital. It is intended to develop the trade of Japan, particularly at ports which have hith- erto suffered from lack of steam communication. The capital stock is $8,000,000, half sub- scribed by the government and half by Japanese merchants and farmers. The latter part has- already been paid in. The company's fleet will at first consist of forty steamers, about half of which will be running within eighteen months. The company will extend its operations- to Hong Kong and the Chinese ports. N. Y. Herald, Jan. 18, 1883. * " Ballou's Monthly," September, 1882, W. H. Thomas' Reminiscences of a Gold Hunter. HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 405 Note to Page 247. The cable steamer " Minia" lies constantly in the harbor of Halifax, fully equipped and awaiting her calls to service. She is a staunch craft of three thousand tons burden, with un- usual beam for a vessel of her length. Her work consists entirely of repairing, the laying of full-length cables being relegated to large steamers like the " Great Eastern," the " Hooper," or the " Faraday." Occasionally, however, the " Minia" is required to lay considerable por- tions, and she carries regularly in her tanks about six hundred miles of fresh cable. The tanks, some twenty-five feet in diameter, reach far down into her capacious hold, and the cables are coiled in a deep layer around a central core. The larger the core the less the capacity of the tank, and, on the other hand, the smaller the core the greater the danger that the paying-out cable will kink and foul when it reaches the smaller central coils. To partly avoid this difficulty, a large force of men sometimes as many as thirty are placed in a circle around the interior of the tank, and each man as the cable lifts before him holds down the adjacent coils and sees that the cable is free. It not uncommonly happens that one of 'these watchers grows careless and is knocked by one of the ascending coils head over heels among his fellows, for the modern cable steamers often pay out the coils with a velocity reaching seven or eight miles an hour. After running from the tanks the cable passes over a series of wheels, fitted with a powerful system of brakes, which can be applied instantly. Then it goes over a wheel at the stern, and is dropped into the ocean. In picking up the cable the coils pass over a large wheel, thence to the tanks, where they are carefully relaid. The modern first-class Atlantic cable costs at the factory about $6,000,000, and a whole winter is needed for its manufacture. It is made of (i) seven central strands of fine copper wire twisted together; (2) a .tightly fitting tube of solid gutta percha; (3) a wrapping of jute ; (4) a covering of thick wires, and (5) a final wrapping of thick tarred tape several inches wide. The deep-water cable of these days, when finished, is about an inch in diam- eter, the shore cable often an inch and a half. In paying out as well as taking in cable the utmost care must be used, and even then at times an unexpected kink may not only break the cable, but rip to pieces the wheels, brakes, and other valuable machinery. Corr. of Evening Post, November 2, 1882. Notes to Page 260. " Gath," the well known newspaper correspondent, recently interviewed the captain of an ocean steamship and asked, among other things, " How long will a steamship last?" " Thirty per cent, of all the iron steamships are lost. Of the remainder many are in ser- vice after a quarter of a century, such as the " Cuba" and "Java" and other earlier Cun- arders, which are rebuilt or altered, and now on the Red Star Line to Antwerp. Steamships, like animals, lose their speed after a few years, and pass from the first to the second class without visible change of quality. An eight year-old boat will seldom give the speed she had at two years, and a ship going to England will steam faster than going to America, which some say comes from the superior activity of British firemen going toward rather than from home." Among the notable disasters of 1882 was the collision in a fog of the British steamer " Lepanto," September 21, 1882, with the Netherlands royal mail steamer "Edam," by which the latter was sunk and the former badly injured. The " Edam" sailed from Jersey City for Amsterdam, September 20 When the " Edam" was first noticed by those on board the " Lepanto" the mate, who was -on the bridge, *gave orders to reverse the engines, but before they could be obeyed a crash- ing sound was heard and heartrending appeals to be saved filled the air. A moment later boats were lowered and sent through the fog in search of the stricken vessel. Ere they returned some thirty passengers reached the " Lepanto" in strange boats, and requested to be taken on board, as their ship was sinking. A few minutes later the remaining passengers 406 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. arrived and were taken on board. The " Lepanto's" boats returned without being able to- find the sinking vessel. The captain of the latter called the roll of his passengers and crew,, and found two engineers missing, John Von Gyt and Nicholas Liondecker. He carried, he said, thirty passengers, four being ladies, and a miscellaneous cargo. While making this statement an explosion was heard which told that the " Edam" had blown up. The " Le- panto's" boats cruised for hours in search of the missing seamen, but failed to find them. At daybreak on the 23d she continued her journey to New York with the rescued persons and two of the Edam's boats. She arrived in the lower bay on the morning of the 24th. Nothing, not even clothing or personal effects, was saved from the ship- wrecked vessel. October 77. The German ship " Constantia" collided with the steamer " City of Ant- werp" fourteen miles off Eddystone, and both vessels sunk. All the " Constantia's crew and four belonging to the " City of Antwerp" landed at Cardiff. October gth. The Hamburg- American Packet Company's steamer " Herder" went ashore in a fog at Cape Race on the rocks immediately eastward of the head of Long Beach, about three miles west of the Cape. There were 288 persons on board, namely, 170 passengers- and a crew of 118, all told. All were landed safely at daylight in the eight boats belonging to the ship. The luggage of the passengers and seventy-six bags of mail matter, all there was on board, were saved. The ship was a total loss. November 30. The " Cedar Grove," while on a voyage from London, England, for Halifax, was sunk off Canso in a gale. Cape Canso Island is at the southeast point of Nova Scotia, and there is a light-house there; but, accompanying the gale, there was a blinding snow storm, so that nothing could be distinguished more than twenty feet away. At 3 o'clock A.M, suddenly, a fearful shock was felt. Somebody had blundered, and the steamer had struck the treacherous reef known as Walker's rock, one mile west of Cranberry Island light. The sea was running with fear, ul strength, and a moment later the steamer was lifted off the reef, but it was evident she was doomed, as the water was pouring in, and she began to settle down. A rush was made for me boats. The roar of the breakers was heard close at hand, nobody knew exactly where they were and the utmost alarm prevailed. Three boats were lowered, and two of them succeeded in getting through the breakers, and reached land. Nothing was ever heard of the third and larger part of those on board the steamer, who left to come in this third boat. There was the wildest confusion when the boats were leaving, and those who were saved did not know whether the missing people got into their boat or perished in the steamer, which went down in ten fathoms of water within an hour after she struck the reef. There were thirty persons on the steamer. Only ten escaped. The " Cedar Grove" was a brig-rigged iron ship of 2,700 gross tons. She was built for the New Brunswick Steamship Company of St. John at Hilton-on-Tyne, and was launched in August. Captain Jacob Fritz, her commander, had been in the employ of Troop & Sons, of St. John, the managing owners, for thirty-five years, and was known as a careful and efficient officer. The steamer was on her second voyage out, and had a large quantity of general cargo for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Upper Provinces. The steamer was insured in St. John for $130,000, which was within $20,000 of value. November 79. The steamer " Westphalia" of the Hamburg Line from New York for- Hamburg came into collision with an unknown steamer, which is believed to have sunk with all on board. The " Westphalia" had ninety passengers on board at the time of the col- lision. Besides a large hole in the port bow, extending to below the water-line, there were several small holes in the starboard bow. In the collision the bulkhead ivas stove in. Both steam and hand pumps had to be kept going from 1.30 o'clock in the morning, when the collision occurred, until the vessel reached Portsmouth in the afternoon. A boat was dis- patched to try and find some trace of the other steamer. The officer in charge of the boat had instructions to land after searching. The captain of the " Westphalia" then made ready all of the " Westphalia's" boats for launching in the event of the water gaining, and made for Portsmouth. The mails and passengers were landed and will be forwarded to Hamburg, HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 407 On the 6th of December the steamer " Peruvian" of the Allan Line was run on shore in the Mersey, after a collision, to prevent her from sinking, and was subsequently floated. The- following singular effect was a result of this accident. By the swelling of a quantity of peas- in her lower hold considerable damage was done to the stanchions and beams, and the alop was lifted from the beams. The disasters of 1883 commence with the loss of the " City of Brussels" of the Inman Line (see page 332), which left New York December 28, 1882, and was run down in a fog off the mouth of the Mersey by the steamer " Kirby Hall" on the 6th of January, and sunk in twenty minutes. The " City of Brussels" was lying by under steam near the lightship at the time waiting for the fog to clear up. The bow of the " Kirby Hall" struck the star- board side of the " City of Brussels" with tremendous force, cutting her down to the water's edge and almost half through. The " Kirby Hall" was on her maiden voyage. She had left Glasgow only a few hours before, and was calling at Liverpool to complete loading and to embark passengers for the East. The main compartment of the " City of Brussels" was cut in two by the collision. Two of the steerage passengers on board and eight of the crew were drowned. Neither the passengers nor crew were able to save anything, and many were obliged to leave the ship with the barest articles of clothing. The bow of the " Kirby Hall" was stove in, but she was able to proceed to Liverpool with the rescued persons. Before she arrived a pilot-boat boarded her with provisions, which were very welcome, as the passengers had not tasted food for a number of hours. Many of them are suffering greatly from the shock. Besides the breach in the hull, the bulkhead of the " City of Brussels" was shifted by the violence of the collision. The 'steamship carried out 41 bags of letters and 86 bags of newspapers. For delivery at Queenstown there were 30,604 letters, 2,419 of which were registered, and 66 bags of newspapers. For Liverpool there were 1,719 le'ters, 60 of them being registered, and 20 bags of newspapers. One bag of letters and two of newspapers were from Boston, and the same quantity from Philadelphia, and there was one bag of letters from San Francisco, all of which, fortunately, were saved. The boats of the " Kirby Hall" could render no assistance, as she had only five seamen on board, being on a trial trip. The " City of Brussels" has had a veiy eventful career. She was launched from the yard ot Messrs. Tod & MacGregor, Glasgow, August u, 1869. Her first trip was made in October of the same year. She sailed from Queenstown on Friday, October 15, and arrived at New York October 23, a passage of eight days and thirteen hours. She had four decks, divided by water-tight bulkheads, having sliding water-tight doors, worked from the upper or spar- deck. The forecastle, round house and poop-decks were in a line fore and aft the ship's length, and were constructed of iron framing and substantial woodwork. The spar-deck was covered with heavy steel plates across its whole breadth. She had accommodations for 200 first-class and 600 second and third-class passengers. The engines were of the horizon- tal trunk plan, of 600 nominal horse-power. There were six boilers and twenty-eight fur- naces, ranged fore and aft on each side of the ship, and fired athwartships . Provision was made for the extinguishing of fire by the fitting up of a centrifugal pump capable of lifting over two thousand gallons of water per minute. There was also in the engine-room one large pumping-engine, to which steam could be applied from the main boiler as well as the donkey boiler on the spar-deck. The cargo holds were well supplied with pumps and steam extinguishers. On May 14^ 1875, en rout e from Liverpool to New York, the " City of Brussels" went ashore in a dense fog near Carnsore Point, Ireland. The sea being calm, she floated at flood tide a few hours after, and proceeded unharmed on her voyage. In 1876 she was overhauled and supplied with new compound engines and new boilers. Many new state-rooms were added, and in the spring of 1877 she resumed her place in the line. 408 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VI G A TION. The second voyage that she made to the eastward after her extensive repairs proved to be exceptionally sensational. Among her passengers was a large number of Canadian pilgrims to Rome, who carried $30,000 in gold as a present to his holiness the Pope, and an address written upon parchment. The pilgrims were received in New York city by the dignitaries of the Church, Cardinal McCloskey making the address of welcome. April 21, the steamer left port profusely decorated with bunting the papal flag and English ensign being con- spicuous. Two days after, or on Monday, April 23, the " Brussels" broke her shaft, and from that time on was compelled to depend upon her canvas. As time wore on, and she was several days overdue at Liverpool, great anxiety was felt on both sides of the Atlantic for her safety. Nothing was heard from her until Sunday, May 13, when the "City of Rich- mond," arrived at New York with news of her safety. The scene at the Inman wharf when the news was spread was of the most exciting character. The " City of Richmond" had transferred necessary supplies to the " City of Brussels," and the vessels separated in mid- ocean with cheers. May 29 the " Brussels" arrived at Liverpool in tow of four ocean tugs, all on board well and in cheerful spirits. A large crowd cheered them. The Doclc Board steamer with General Grant, who was then on his trip around the world, and other gentle- men, went out to meet the disabled steamer. The pilgrims were welcomed by deputations from Liverpool Roman Catholic societies, and a Te Deum was sung at the Pro-Cathedral. She ha*d made her way since leaving the " City of Richmond," until meeting the tugs sent in search of her, under canvas. Early on the morning of November 14, 1877, she arrived at Sandy Hook after a very stormy voyage of thirteen days, and was proceeding slowly up the bay when she came in collision with the schooner " Alexander Young," of Somerset, Mass., bound from Philadelphia with coal. She struck the schooner about the fore-rigging on the starboard side, and cut through her like a knife, sending her to the bottom in three minutes. Out of a crew of six, two were drowned. Owing to the intense darkness prevailing at the time the captain and the pilot of the steamship were not blamed for the collision. On the 9th of September, 1880, the ship, on her way to New York, was caugTit in a hur- ricane, which lasted but a few hours, but was of such violence that the captain said in all his experience he had never known such another. The ship was not tossed, but hurled about on the waves, which were running mountain high, and broke over her with frightful fury. The passengers were panic stricken, as the vessel rose up on the foaming mountains or plunged again into the deep, as if she were never coming up again. The greater number of the cabin passengers crowded the saloon, and there was not a soul in that saloon that thought the ship could survive the tempest. Men and women cried aloud and wrung their hands in an agony of despair. Husbands and wives and brothers and sisters and friends em- braced each other, expecting in a moment to be parted forever. There was another terrible scene in the steerage seven hundred passengers, of nearly every nationality, rushing about and being hurled mercilessly about their quarters, screaming and howling in despair. The " City of Brussels" was finely handled by Captain Watkins,and the passengers addressed him a letter of thanks for bringing them safely through their peril, which they said, besides afford- ing them sad remembrances of their own weakness and littleness in the midst of the angry elements, also left them joyful mementoes of their liberation and protection (under Provi- dence) by the captain's skill and efficiency. The letter bore the signatures of the cabin passengers, who numbered one hundred and thirty. Note to Page 262. Third line from bottom for " Puritan" read " Pilgrim," and for a further account of the vessel, see page 384. Note to Page 262-263. To the account of steamboat disasters in 1881 we would add In the year 1882, 284 steamships and large river steamboats were lost; only a few were R- HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 409 floated and repaired. The aggregate tonnage was 320,065 tons. Of these the British ves- sels numbered 192, with a total of 236,516 tons; American, 16, 13,972 tons; Austrian, 2, 3,062 tons; Belgian, 3, 4,247 tons; Chilian, I, 997 tons; Danish, 5, 5,013 tons; Dutch, 6, 9,228 tons; French, 16, 12,847 tons; German, 17, 14,735 tons ' Italian, I, 843 tons; Russian, 5, 5,986 tons; Spanish, n, 9,037 tons; Swedish, 3, 2,302 tons; Greek, I, 1,280 tons; unknown nationality, 40. Of this list 141 were stranded, 32 were sunk by collision, 52 foundered, 3 capsized, 2 were burned, 6 were sunk by ice, 7 were abandoned in a sinking condition, and 25 are missing. The total number of lives lost was 2,002. Many of these vessels were old iron steamers, originally narrow, which were cut in two and lengthened. Of the long list, 139 were so-called water-ballast vessels. Some of them had water-ballast trimming tanks, placed at both end^ of the vessel. Others had water-ballast compartments, fitted either forward er abaft the engines and boiler spaces, and, occasionally, both forward and aft, which are frequently used as cargo spaces. Still others had water-ballast spaces in the bottom of the vessel, confined to one hold, or fitted in both the fore and aft holds, or were provided with water ballast in the longitudinal construction along the bottom of the vessel. The losses of some of these vessels may also be attributed to excessive efforts for speed. In the construction of vessels now too often everything else is considered secondary to the one great object to get the utmost speed possible. Velocity, constantly increasing velocity in steamships is demanded, and proper attention to the strength of the material used is not always given. It is a question whether, in many cases, the iron ships built now possess, in proportion to their size, the staunchness and buoyancy requisite to withstand the elements that must be battled with on the ocean. There are almost as many different plans pursued in the construction of the water tight compartments in iron shi>s as there are classes of these ships. The absolutely safe bulkhead must be an unbroken partition from the keel to the main-deck, with valves opening into the bilge, so that the water may run from one compart- ment into another when required. In a large number of vessels the bulkheads only reach to the " 'tween decks," and, in some, only to the lower-deck. Many of the bulkheads have doors opening from one compartment into the other, to facilitate the loading and unloading of freight, and it is a question whether these are not frequently left insecure when the vessel sails. These are a constant source of danger, unless the strictest regulations and the most vigilant watch are observed. Not one in a hundred of those who take pa c sage on an ocean steamship knows anything about the strength of the vessel to which he intrusts his life, and he would seldom obtain any intelligible information if he inquired about the matter. The well-earned popularity of some of the leading lines of steamships is due to the construction of the vessels, as well as to the care taken in their management. Iron, as a material for ship building, is preferred by owners, because it is cheaper in the end than wood, and, after the first expense of construction is incurred, is kept in order at much less expense. Many of the immense ships and steamers of the present day are models of symmetry and a certain kind of beauty. But often there is one doubtful point about them the so-called water-tight bulkheads. Are they water-tight ? In other words, are they seaworthy ? Have they always proved themselves to be such in the recorded accidents ? The ships built within the past five years show improvement in this respect, but it must not be forgotten that the pressure on a bulkhead, when it comes into use in case of accident, is enormous. As a rule these bulk- heads consist of a series of somewhat light iron plates extending across the whole breadth of the ship and the full depth of the lower hold, in many cases 1 6 by 50 feet. This great par- tition is often supported simply by rather light vertical angle-irons, about four feet apart. In many ships there appears to be nothing about this great breakwater to stop it from giving away amidships in a vertical line between any two angle-irons, except the connection at top and bottom, two points perhaps 15 feet apart. In any ship of more than 30 feet beam a bulkhead, to do effective service in case of a collision, should have a stout central support, springing vertically from the keelson and attached above to the deck. New York Tribune. 410 HIS TOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGATION. Note to Page 278. Two of Captain Coppens' triple steamers, it is understood, are to be built this winter for use next summer as harbor and excursion boats, to run down Boston Harbor to the Point of Pines and back. They are to be built of iron at the Loring Iron Works, South Boston. Note to Page 298. The " Aurania," of the Cunard Line, was launched at the yard of J. & G. Thompson, on the Clyde, December 26, 1882. The new vessel is said to be the heaviest steamer of any description which has been launched on the Clyde. Her gross measurement is 7,500 tons. She is built of steel throughout, with scantlings considerably above the require- ments of Lloyds. Her dimensions are : Length between perpendiculars, 470 feet ; breadth, 57 feet; and depth, 39 feet. Her breadth is unusual, and will add to her stability. Not- withstanding this, it is expected that she will prove as fast, if not faster, than the " Servia." Her width enabled her to be built in eight beams instead of eleven beams, used in the construc- tion of the " Servia." The -hold of the "Aurania" is divided into eleven water-tight com- partments. Her architects say that she would be able to float if any two of these compart- ments should become flooded. The engines will be capable of developing 10,000 horse- power. There are three cylinders, two of 94 inches diameter, while the other is 68 inches. The piston stroke is 6 feet. The saloons will accommodate several hundred passengers, and there will be ample room for 1,000 immigrants. There will be 158 state-rooms, of the average dimensions of 1 1 x 6 feet. The main saloon, fitted up in the most elaborate and luxurious manner, will be 54 feet long by 52 feet wide. The vessel will be lighted by six hundred Swan electric lights. Amidships is a promenade-deck 250 feet long, which affords a shelter for the upper-deck. There will be five of the most powerful winches of the Muir & Caldwell pattern for receiving and discharging cargo. The " Aurania" is to be barque- rigged. Her masts are lofty for a steamship, and will enable her to carry a very large spread of canvas. Her decks have been made very strong, and in case of a war could easily carry cannon. The saloons and steerage will be supplied with the latest improvements for ventila- tion. Her unusual width will enable her to be easily handled, even without any cargo in her hold. In the table on the same page for " Cessatoria," read Cephalonia, as below. Note to Page j>/^. In the report for the year ended March 31 > 1879, lne postmaster-general (Lord John Man- ners) said that the contract of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company for the conveyance of the West India mails being then about to terminate, he had entered into a new contract with the company for a term of years, providing, in addition to all the requirements of the existing service, for an increase of speed (from n to \\y z knots an hour) between England and St. Thomas, and between England and Barbadoes. The new subsidy was to be ,80,000 per annum, or 12,000 less than before. Note to Page 338. The Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes has recently launched a new packet-boat, " La Normandie," to run between Havre and New York. This vessel, when finished, will be the most colossal of the ships comprised in the French commercial fleet. She measures 160 metres in length, 15 in maximum breadth, and 11-4 in depth from deck to keel, and exceeds, by 15 metres, the largest steamers now in service. The author of the plans of " La Norman- die" is M. Arundet, an engineer of the French navy, and chief of the constructions and tech- nical service of the Transatlantic Company, under the direction of N. Eugene Pereire, Presi- dent of the Company's Council Boird. , HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 411 The immense hull, which tapers off forward like an axe-blade, is divided vertically into- ten iron water-tight compartments. The decks are four in number. The engines for propelling the vessel are three in number, giving an effective power of 6,600 horses, and actuating the screw so as to give a speed of 29 to 30 kilometers per hour. On board of " La Normandie" steam is a sovereign mistress; for not only does it serve to pro- pel the ship, but through the intermedium of special engines distributed at different points, it actuates the pumps, the manoeuvring apparatus, and the apparatus for loading unloading, etc. The masts, which are of iron, are four in number. The two fore ones carry square sails- set on low steel yards, while the other two carry less sail. " La Normandie" is the last packet boat of this line that will be built in England. Here- after the vessels designed for the Company's fleet will be built in French yards. She comes from the shipyards at Barrow, a place which, twenty years ago, was a desert beach, but to-day is a city of 45,000 souls, thanks to the establishments for naval constructions and to a spinning mill that gives employment to the wives and daughters of the ship carpenters. At the launch, the unfastening of a ribbon by the young lady who stood god-mother sufficed to give the " Colossus" its liberty, by bringing about the fall of an axe that severed the last rope holding back the cable. The deck of " La Ville de Normandie" has been reserved for general service, for the offi- cers' and engineers' quarters, for the smoking-saloon, vestibules for passengers of the first and second class, etc. Above the deck, on a level with the roof of the cabins there is a light bridge to serve as a promenade for the passengers ; and, overlooking this, is the bridge for the captain. Orders are given by means of a speaking tube and telegraphic apparatus ; but, if need be, the captain can himself steer the vessel by a simple pressure of his finger upon* a servo-motor a steam apparatus which acts upon the rudder. The passenger cabins are between decks. Passengers of the first class occupy the central part of the ship, contrary to the old arrangement, which located them in the back part of the ship. There the oscillations due to rolling and pitching, and to the revolution of the screw r are less perceptible. The grand dining-saloon reaches from larboard to starboard, and meas- ures 15 meters in width by 1 1 in length, and 2-6 in height. It is lighted by port lights set h> frames of onyx. Around this saloon are distributed state-rooms for 157 passengers, some de- signed for a single person, others for two, and some for families. Within easy access there is a saloon for ladies, and bathing-saloon, and state-rooms for servants. Save as to beauty of decoration and of furniture, the arrangements are identical for the smoking-saloons and the second-class cabins for 68 passengers in the back part of the ship. Emigrants, or third-class passengers, are installed on the third deck, in a cabin containing 866 berths. The hotel part of the ship is heated in winter by a circulation of steam, and at night the vessel is lighted by electricity. This latter is furnished by two machines of 40 H. P. each. The general service is facilitated by thirteen large arc lamps. In the interior, the saloons and cabins are lighted by 400 Swan incandescent lamps. Note to Page jjg. The news of the fearful disaster to the Hamburg-American steamer " Cimbra" caused im- mense excitement. There were no officers and crew and 380 passengers, mostly emigrants- from East Prussia. The " Cimbria" left the Elbe, opposite Stade, at 4 o'clock on Wednes- day afternoon, January 17, 1883. A despatch was received in Hamburg on Saturday, how- ever, saying that on account of the fog the steamer was unable to leave the Elbe. This will 'explain why the vessel reached the Island of Borkum only early on Friday morning. Here in a dense fog the collision with the Hull steamer " Sultan" took place. After the collision some of the boats were lowered, and thirty-nine passengers arrived in.- Cuxhaven in one boat, bringing the news of the disaster and reporting that others had man- aged to lave the ship in boats. On Saturday six steamers were sent out to search. The 412 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. steamer " Diament" landed seventeen at the Weser Lighthouse, and eleven others are re- ported to have been rescued. The steamer " Sultan" arrived in the Elbe Sunday morning badly damaged. Surprise was expressed that assistance had not been obtained from the Island of Borkum, which is on the frontier of Holland and Germany between the Eastern .and Western Ems. The " Cimbria" was built at Greenock, Scotland, in 1867, and was a brig-rigged vessel of 3,025 tons burden. She had seven water-tight compartments, three decks, was 326 feet long, 40 feet beam, and her depth of hold was 26 feet. Note to Page 347-348. MODERN JARROW A BUSY SHIP-BUILDING ENGLISH TOWN. A Tyne sailor once de- scribes Jarrow town as one of the four quarters of the world. Modern Jarrow grew up around a coal pit, as ancient Jarrow had grown up around a monastery, says a writer about the River Tyne. It is a place where you may see a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night; for it is a town of shipyards and blast furnaces and Cyclopean industry. Here was built the first screw collier, the progenitor of the vast line of steamships which has al- most driven the black collier brig from the face of the sea. Where the shipyard slopes down to the river is a row of iron skeletons, growing rapidly into steamships under the continuous hammering of swarming crowds of workmen, who look as small among the curving ribs of metal as the Lilliputians must have seemed to Gulliver, This very shipyard has turned out some of the vessels of our royal navy ; and when the Emperor of China, wishing to emulate the barbarians, bethought him that he would create an admiral and an iron-clad fleet, it was to Jarrow that the orders for the Chinese gun-boats came. The river broadens out nobly where these iron ships are launched. In the whole course of the Tyne there is no finer sweep of water than that which lies between Jarrow slake and the harbor at Shields. On either hand, ere the harbor is reached, are the Tyne and Northumberland docks, one full of colliers, the other of merchantmen, and both with a vast tangle of masts and rigging sloping .against the sky. Unlike the Mersey in this, the Tyne stands in small need of docks, for, .along its whole course to beyond Newcastle, there is a succession of coal staiths and quays, where the ships load and unload as safely as if they were in dock. Boston Herald, January 1 8, 1883, Note to Page 362. The following is a comparison of the " Navigazione Generale Italiana" and " Austrian Lloyds" of their condition in 1882, condensed from their official reports; Nav. Gen. It. Aus. Lloyd. Steamships, No., ....*.. 92 74 Tons registered, 74,58o 88,224 Horse-power, ...... 23,920 I 7>93 Miles run in year, ..... 2,253,990 1,610,885 Capital stock, $20,000,000 $6,300,000 Original cost of ships, . . . . . 12,400,000 I 3>797>6 2 5 Present value, 11,878,694 6,565,300 Income last year, -. . . . . 6,666,845 5,478,445 Expenses, including ins. and written off, . 6,109,000 5,007,623 Net profit, . 557.845 470,822 Government contributions to above income, . 1,625,000 868,511 Both companies paid 6 per cent, of the net profits to their stockholders, and propose to increase their operations. The State aid was paid in cash, and for convenience is computed, the franc at 20 cents, the florin at 50 cents, gold. HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 413 Note to Page 384. The first steamer of the Societe Postale Francaise de Atlantic, the " Ville de Para," arrived at Boston in December, and sailed thence on the loth of January on her return to Brazil vict Halifax and St. Thomas, W. I. Note to Page 358. A new steel steamship for the White Star Line was launched at the yard of Harland & Wolff, January 12, 1883. The new vessel will be called the " Ionic." Note to Page 382. The " Iceland," the third ship of the Thingvalla Line, arrived at New York in September,. 1882. She sailed froih Copenhagen September 7 with three hundred immigrants and a general cargo. She called at Christiansand and took on board four hundred more, sailing; from thence on the gth. After a few hours at sea she met with a slight derangement of her machinery and put into Leith, where repairs were made, and she sailed again on the I2th of September for New York. The " Iceland's" register tonnage is 1,899. Her dimensions are : Length, 312 feet ; beam, 40 feet ; depth ot hold, 30 feet. Her hold is divided into five water-tight compartments. The engines are of 2,000 indicated horse-power, and enable the vessel to steam at the rate of twelve knots per hour. Note to Page 382. From an advertisement in the Panama Star and Herald, dated October 16, 1882, we learn that Senor Campo's lines are in successful operation, and running between Havana and Colon (Aspinwall) ; from Colon to Santander, Spain, Bordeaux, etc. ; between Havana and St. Thomas, Havana and La Guayra, Bordeaux and Vera Cruz, and there is a monthly Straits of Magellan Line, which leaves Bordeaux on the first of each month, calling at San- tander, Coruna, Cadiz, Pernambuco, Bahia, Rio Janeiro, Montevideo, Buncos Ayres, Valpa- raiso and Callao, and returning from the last-named port on the first of each month, calling at the same ports. The following are steamers of The Marquis de Campo's. Spanish Mail Line : Tons. Ebro, I 59 Vinuelas, 3200 Panama. . . . . . . 2200 Santo Domingo, .... 3200 San Augustin, 3200 Romeo 500 Julieta, 500 Six now building, each of . . . 4800 Four " " . 2600 Tons. Magallanes, 2630 Asia 2500 Valencia, 2500 Barcelona, . . . . 2500 Leon XIII , 2200 Espana, 2700 Madrid, 2500 Mejico 2200 Vera Cruz, 2900 Reina Mercedes, .... 3080 BIBLIOGRAPHY. A Bibliography of Books, Pamphlets, and Magazine Articles on Steam Navigation. This bibliography does not pretend to be a complete one of everything relating to steam navigation, but only of such works and articles on the subject as are to be found in my own library and the public and society libraries in and about Boston, and most of which, as well as piles of news- papers from the beginning of the century, have been examined in the col- lection of these Notes and the preparation of this work. Steam boilers, strength of cylindrical. W. B. Johnson, " Journal of Science," 23, 68. S.eam bridge of the Atlantic. " Eclectic Magazine," 21, 135. Steam communication with the Mediterranean. C. E. Lester, " DeBow's Review," n, 227. Steam first applied to paddle wheels. I. E. Bloomfield, " Hunt's New Magazine," 15, 67. _ Steam navigation. " New York Review," 4, 147 ; " Am. Whig Review," 1,22; "Black- wood's Magazine," 21, 393; " Hunt's New Magazine," 4, 105. Steam navigation, Atlantic. Junius Smith, "Journal of Science," 35, 169, 332; J. B. Moore, "Hunt's Magazine," 3,296; Torrence Hart, " Hunt's Magazine," 13, 348; " N. Y. Review," 3, 95; "Edinburgh Review," 65,62; " Quarterly Review," 62, 102; "Christian Quarterly," 10,371; Origin of, Junius Smith, " Hunt's Magazine," 16, 172. Steam, Ericsson's, propeller." Living Age," 3, 40. " on Lake Ontario. " Hunt's New Magazine," 17, 527. " to China. C. H. Davis, " Hunt's New Magazine," 18, 467. " M. F. Maury, " Southern Literary Messenger," 14, 246. " to India. " Edinburgh Review," 57, 313, 60, 232; "Foreign Quarterly Review," 18, 342. Steam to the Pacific. " Journal of Science," 41, 358. " navy, British. " Living Age," 5, 153. " in maritime war. " Niles' Register," 37, 45. " vessels, the " Helix," as a propeller of Jean Benner. " Hunt's Magazine," 21, 279. " voyage, the first, on the British seas, 1815. " Eraser's Magazine," 38, 275. '- Steamboat (the American), who invented the. See N. H. Antigenarian Society (collection No. i.) Steamboat, a lost chapter in the history of the. Maryland Hist. Soc. (Fund. Pub. No. 5.) " voyage, the first, on the Western waters. Maryland Hist. Soc. (Fund. Pub. No. 6.) Steam communication between Boston and New Orleans. See " Boston Board of Trade." " mail across the Pacific. Clippings from the " California Press," March to Novem- ber, 1860. Steam navigation from California to China. Milton S. Latham ; also R. B. Forbes. American steamship navigation. By Hamilton Andrews Hall. 414 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. '415 Peale, R., letter on the first experiment in steam navigation. Penn. Hist. Col., vol. I. Steamboat disasters. "North American Review," 50, 19. " explosions. " N. Y. Review," 4, 46; "American Almanac, 1835," H2. Steamboats, American. W. C. Redfield, "Journal of Science," 23, 311. " progress of. " Quarterly Review," 19, 347. " safety in. J. L. Sullivan, "Journal of Science," 20, I. Steamer Atlantic. " Hunt's Magazine," 15, 323. Steamship Great Britain. " Hunt's Magazine," 9, 292, 13, 252. " first American, to Bremen. " Hunt's Magazine," 17, 357. Steamships, American and Atlantic mail. " Hunt's Magazine," 15, 51. " and steam navigation. Junius Smith, " Journal of Science," 36, 133. " Collins and Cunard Lines of, statistics of. J. & C. Campbell's. " Hunt's Magazine," 25, 377, 635, 26, 379, 27, 242, 376. *' of Cunard Line, voyages of. " Hunt's Magazine," 15, 320. * French Atlantic. " Hunt's Magazine," 16, 617, 17, 176. " American iron. " Eclectic Magazine," I, 594. " of war. " N. Y. Review," 5, 83. " United States naval and mail. " Hunt's Magazine," 16, 419. Steam navigation, history of, in Maine. By William Goord, in the Portland daily " Press," 1871. Eleven numbers. k^^ ^ ^'/W* Articles in " London Notes and Queries." * 7^ ^ /> 1st series. Steam power, its inventor, iii, 23. U-v^-k. $erj v 2d " Steam navigation, origin of, vii, 357; prophesied by poets, vi, 400. v 2d " Steam, Earl Stanhope's experiments in, ii, 50. 2d " First navigator of channel steamers, iv, 106, 155, 214, 252, 296, 398. 2d " The first steamer to carry foreign mails, v, 393 ; the first to America, xii, 365, 444, 526. 3d series. Steam navigation, vol. i, 207; in 1783, ix, 137; first steamboat in America, vii, 151- 3d series. Steamboat " Blucher" launched. 4th " Steam, its application to navigation, xi, 169, 240, 291 ; steamboats and. 4 th " Galleys, their relative speed, xi, 177 ; steamships predicted, iv, 29, 84, 144, 462. 5th " Loss of a Hamburg steamer, vi, 48. v &f t Articles in " Harper's Magazine," vols. i to Ix, 1850-1880. The Mississippi steamboat, illus., xli, 835, 1870. Steam navigation. The ocean steamer, illus., xli, 185, 1869-70. " Ocean steamers, Captain McKinnon, vii, 205, 1853. " Pacific " departs for Europe, ii, 733, 1850-51. < Steamship " Savannah " " log book," liv, 342, 1876-77. " E. H. Knight, 1, 79, 1850. " Steamboat, invention of the, xiii, 408, 1856. Steam bridge of the Atlantic, 1, 411, 1850. Steamships, losses of, x, 119, xii, 844, xiv, 847, 275. " Wreck of the " San Francisco," viii, 404, 1854. Steam, i, 50, 1850. Steamboat excursions, lix, 622, 1879. New steamships, xlix,'i43, 450, Ii, 306, 610, 762, 914, Ivii, 315. Steam navigation. Bescke, W.,' memorial. ' On iron-clad vessels, 1865. Braithwaite, Voyage of the " Victory," 1835, pam. , Cameron's Australian steamers, pam. 416 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. Steam Navigation. Clarkson's History of Livingston Manor, 1869. New England, 1833. " - Ship, Ericsson's trial, 1843. " Gibbons vs. Ogden, U. S. Supreme Court opinion in 1824, pam. " Description of the " Great Eastern." " Lloyd's Steamboat Directory, 1826. Miller, \V. O., submerged propeller, 1856. " Montgomery, steam on canals, 1858. " N. Y. and Galway Company, 1851, pam. " Redfield's letters to Commodore Perry, 1841. Redfield, explosion of the New England, 1833. " Smyth, sermon on the loss of the " Home." " Steamboat disasters, 1843. " Sullivan, J. L., steamboat rights, 1822. " Woodcroft, B., progress of steam navigation, 1848. " Explosions of steam boilers in the U. S., 1838. " Princeton, U. S. steamship. " Armstrong's treatise on steam boilers, 1850. " Baker's improvements on boiler furnaces, pam. " Bartol, B. N., marine boilers of the U. S., 1851. " Ericsson's caloric engine, 1859, pam. " Guthrie, explosion of boilers, 1852. " Ilarshman's " " pam. History of Steam Navigation between New York and Providence. Compiled by Charles H. Dow, of the " Providence Journal," under the direction of D. S. Babcock, Esq., Presi- dent of the Providence and Stonington Steamship Co., 1877. New York. From Tur- ner & Co., printers, 149 Chambers St. The Steam Fleet of Liverpool. A series of historic, statistical and descriptive sketches, tiacing the origin and showing the progress and present condition of the leading -branches of the Liverpool steam trade. By John Wilcox. Liverpool, 1865. Ocean Steam Navigation and the " Ocean Post." By Thomas Rainey. D. Appleton & Co., New York, 1858. 8vo, 244 pages. History of Merchant Shipping and Ancient Commerce. By W. S. Lindsay. In 4 volumes. Vol. iv ; 8vo, illustrated. London. Sampson, Low, Moreston, Low & Searle, 1876. Ocean Steam Navigation. By Commodore Charles H. Davis, U. S. N., " North American Review," October, 1864, 37 pages. The Naval and Mail Steamers of the United States. By Chas. B. Stuart, Engineer-in-chief of the U. S. Navy. New York, 1855. 410. Third edition; plates. Memorial of the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York on Ocean Steam Navi- gation. Prepared by John Austin Stevens, Jr., Secretary. New York, 1864. 8vo. Memorial of the Boston Board of Trade in Behalf of the American Steamship Company, 1864. Ocean Steam Navigation. Speech on providing a subsidy for a line of steamers to Brazil, April 15th, 1864. By Hon. John B. Alley. The Past, Present and Future of Atlantic Ocean Steam Navigation. By T. T. Vernon Smith, C. E., Fredrickton, N. B., 1857. The First Steamboat Voyage on the Western Waters. By J. H. B. Latrobe (Fund. Pub. No. 6). Baltimore, October, 1871. 32 pages, 8v0. American Steam Navigation. Speech of William H. Seward, for the Collins steamers, April 27th, 1852. Washington. Buell & Blanchard, 1852. I2mo, 24 pages. HISTOR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. 417 Modern Marine Engineering. Illustrated. By N. P. Burgh, engineer. London. E. & F. N. Spon. Robert Stuart's Descriptive Histofy of the Steam Engine. London, 1824. A Reply to Mr. Colden's Vindication of the Steamboat Monopoly, with an Appendix con- taining Copies of the Most Important Documents referred to in the Argument. By William Alexander Duer, Esq. Albany. Printed and published by E. & E. Hosford, 1819. History of the Steamboat Case Discussed before the Legislature of New Jersey, Trenton, N. J. 8vo. 1815. Duer, Wm. A. Letter to C. D. Golden, in Answer to Strictures in his Life of Fulton, with laws concerning steamboats, etc. Albany, 1817; 8vo. Duer, Wm. A. Reply to Colden's Vindication of the Steamboat Monopoly, with docu- ments. Albany, 1819; 8vo. Anonymous. Review of a letter addressed by Wm. A. Duer to Cad. D. Golden, Esq., with Appendix. New York, 1818; 8vo ; pp. 27. Golden, C. D. Vindication of the Steamboat Right Granted by the State of New York in answer to the Letter of Wm. A. Duer. Albany, 1818 ; 8vo. Golden, Cad. D. The same. New York, 1819; 8vo. 96 pages. Anonymous. An examination of Cadwalader D. Colden's work, entitled, "A Life of Rob- ert Fulton." i8i8; 8vo. pp. 38. Sullivan, J. L. Explanation of the Nature of Certain Grants to him for the use of Steam- boats on the Connecticut River. 1818; 8vo. Pamphlet. Sullivan, J. L. Demonstration of the Right to the Navigation of the Waters of New York without the License of the Monopoly of Steam and Fire Granted to R. Livingstone, and R. Fulton. Cambridge, 1821 ; Svo. Sullivan, J. L. Answer to the Letter and Misstatements of the Hon. C. D. Golden in his Brief Statement of Himself as the Advocate of Monopoly. Troy, 1823; Svo, 47 pages. Fairfax, Fernando. Memorial Against the Extension of the Patents Granted to Robert Ful- ton. Washington, 181 6; Svo. pp.8. Fulton, Robert. Report on Navigating with Steamboats the Southern Waters from the Chesapeake to the St. Mary. New York, 1813; Svo. Ogden, A. Concerning Steamboats, Documents, 1818; Svo. Ward, J. D. Account of the Steamboat Controversy Between the Citizens of New York and New Jersey, 1811-24. See New Jersey Historical Society. Proceedings, vol. ix. 1860-64. - Fitch, John. The Original Steamboat Supported, a Reply to J. Rumsey's pamphlet. Phila- delphia, 1788; Svo. The same reprinted in N. Y. Doc. Hisfory, vol. ii. 1850. / Rumsey, James. Plan Showing the Power of Steam by a New Constructed Machine for Propelling Vessels. 17885410. The same appended to J. Fitch's " Original Steamboats." Rumsey, James. Short Treatise on the Application of Steam to Vessels, etc. Doc. His. of N. Y., vol ii. 1850. Busby, C. D. Essay on the Propulsion of Navigable Bodies. New York, 1818; Svo. Peale, R. Letter on the First Experiment in Steam Navigation. Penn His. Collusions ; vol. i. Reed, N. His Multi-tubular Boiler, and Discovery of the True Mode of Applying Steam Power to Navigation and Railways, by David Read. New York, 1870; Svo. Anonymous. Account of the Origin of Steamboats in Spain, Great Britain, andJAmerica. London, 1831 ; 8vo. Town, I. Atlantic Steamships, published 1832. 27 a V Nw > \D v E ^-S \ 418 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. Town, I. Historical Sketch of the Newspaper Controversy of Navigating the Atlantic with Steamships. Town, I. Description of the " Sirius" and " Great Western." New York, 1838; I2mo. Waghorn, Thomas. Address to the British Public in India, etc., on Steam Navigation Be- tween India and England. Bombay, 1833; 4to. pp. 14 Forbes, R. B. Mail Steamers of the United States on the Pacific Coast to China. Pamphlet ; Svo. Forbes, R. B. The Ship of the Future for the Oceanic Route. Boston, 1881. Svo. pp. 14. Forbes, R. B. Remarks on the Steam-power, rig, etc., of the United States Steam Sloops Building, 1864-65. Boston, 1865. 8vo., pp. 16, with four plans. Forbes, R. B. The Prize Steamer "Cherokee," formerly the "Thistle," Boston, 1864- 8vo., pp. 33. Wilson, J. H. On Steam Communication Between Bombay and Suez, with an Account of the " Hugh Lindsay's" Voyages, by J. H. Wilson, Commander, B. N. Bombay, 1833 ; Svo., pp. 53. Gannett, Ezra. His Sermon on the Arrival at Boston of the " Brittania," the First Regular Cunard Steamer, 1840. Head, Sir F. B. Locomotion by Steam (In his Descriptive Essays). Vol. i. 1857. Badger, George E. Speech for the Collins' Steamers in the United States Senate, by the Hon. George E. Badger, May 6, 1852. Washington, 1852; pp. 13; Svo. .rgent, J. C. Lecture on the Improvements in Steam Navigation and the Art of Naval Warfare, with Notices of Ericsson's Caloric Engine, by J. C. Sargent. New York, 1844. Hill, H. A. Steam Navigation Between Boston and Europe, by H. A. Hill. Boston, 1867; Svo. ouglas, Sir Howard. Naval Warfare with Steam ; second edition. London, 1860; Svo. Parker, Foxhall A., Commander U. S. N. Squadron Tactics Under Steam. New York, 1864; Svo. Ellet, C. J. Steam Battering Rams, Substitute of for Ships of War. team Navy of the United States, 1853-54. Executive Document First Session Thirty- third Congress, vol. viii. Isherwood, B. F. Researches in Steam Engineering. By B. F. Isherwood, Engineer-in- Chief, U, S. N. Ward, Commander J. H. Steam for the Million ; new edition. New York, 1860. Svo. Nystrom, J. Treatise on Screw Propellers and their Steam Engines ; thirty-two large draw- ings. Svo. The " Great Britain." Atlantic Steamship of Thirty-five hundred tons constructed of iron, with engines of one thousand to two thousand horse power and the screw propeller. Twenty-five folio engravings. London, 1847. Great Britain. House of Commons Report on Steamboats. London, 1818; folio. Great Britain. House of Commons, Fifth Report on the Roads from London to Holyhead, and the Regulations for Conveying His Majesty's Mail between London and Dublin, etc. Steamboats, etc. ; 1842, 2 vols., folio. United States Congress. Report of the House Committee First Session Twenty-second Con- gress on Explosion of Boilers in Boats Propelled by Steam in the United States. Washington, 1838. Svo. Flachat, E. Navigation A Vapeur Transoceanic. Paris, 1 866. Svo. Two volumes and atlas, rleans, F. F. P. L. M. d' Prince de Joinville. La Marine a Vapeur dans les querres Con- tinentales, 1870. , M. Memoires sur les Chandeeres Appliques a la Navigation parM. Souchet et M. Gervaize. Paris, 1845; HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. 419 The same, with atlas. Par M. Souchet. Toulon, 1845; folio - ^ILabrousse, N. H. Des Propulseurs sons Marins. Paris, 1843, 4 to - Mleech, F: Memoire sur les Machines a vapeur et leur Application a la Navigation. Paris, . 1844. Two vols., 4to. ^Rappor, a 1'appui du project des Machines du Brandon. Paris, '1844, 4to. Smith, Vernon T. T. The Past, Present and Future of Atlantic Ocean Steam Navigation. Frederickton, N. B., 1865. Boston Board of Trade. Memorial of in Behalf of the American Steamship Company, 1864. New York State Chamber of Commerce. Memorial on Ocean Steam Navigation. Prepared by John Austin Stevens, New York, 1864. 8vo. Dorr, E. P. A brief Sketch of the First Monitor and its Inventor. Buffalo, 1874. 8vo., pp. 51. China Mail Service. Testimony Concerning taken by a Committee of the House of Repre- sentatives. April 24, 1874. 8vo. pp. 50. Report of the Naval Committee United States House of Representatives, August, 1850, in Favor of Establishing a Line of Mail Steamships to the Western Coast of Africa, and thence via the Mediterranean to London, etc. Washington : Gideon & Co., 1850. 8vo., pp. 79. Plan for Shortening the Time of Passage between New York and London. Printed by order of the Legislature of Maine. Portland, 1850. 8vo., pp. 24, with map. Schuyler, Geo. L. Letter to Hon. W. Given Concerning the Steamship " Kamschatka," 1843. 8vo., pp. 16. Olcott Chas. Newly Invented Self-ballasting Iron Safety Ship. Washington. 8vo., pp. 16. The " Monitor" Ironclad. Opinion of the Russian Admiral, 1864. 8vo., pp. 9. The " New Ironsides.'" The United States' First Armored Frigate. (From the Journal of s. the Franklin Institute), 1866. 8vo., pp. II. ^Boynton, C. B. The Navies of England, France, America, and Russia, being an extract from a work on English and French neutrality, etc. New York, 1865. 8vo., pp. 72. Davis, C. H. Ocean Steam Navigation. ' North American Review, October, 1864. 8vo., . pp. 40. Olds, Hon. Edson B. Speech in the House of Representatives on the Appropriation for the Collins' Steamers, February 15, 1855. Washington, D. C. 8vo., pp. 16. Olds, Hon. Edson B. The same. 8vo., pp. 56. Washington, 1855. Miller, J. W. Speech for Sustaining the Collins' Line of Steamers, April 22, 1852. Wash- ington, 1852. 8vo. , Seward, Wm. H. Speech in the United Senate for the Collins' Steamers, April 27, 1852. Washington, 1852. 8vo. .Alley, John B. Speech in the House of Representatives on Subsidy for a Line of Steamers to Brazil, April 15, 1864. n, T. J. & Brown, T. Marine Steam Engines. London, 1852. 8vo. Also Philadel- phia, 1865. Steamboat Disasters and Railroad Accidents. Worcester, 1846. I2mo. " Chenango," United States Gunboat. Boiler Explosion on Board; the Coroner's Inquest; Report of Testimony, etc. New York, 1864. 8vo. SBourgeois, S. Recherches Theorigues ex Expirimentates sur les Propulseurs Helicoides. Paris, 1845 > 4 to ' "Carpenter, E. J. Statement Showing How the Public Grant of ,20,000, Voted by Parlia- ment as Compensation to the Inventor of the Screw Propeller Has Been Applied, with Drawing. Westminster, 1857; 8vo. pamphlet. Walker, W. M. Notes on Screw Propulsion Its Rise and Progress. New York, 1861 ; 8vo. s 420 HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. Report of a Board on the Herrshoff System of Motive Machinery as Applied to the Steam Yacht Leila. June 3, 1881. 8vo., pp. 77, plates. Report of a Board on the Machinery of the Steamer "Anthracite." Nov. 5, 1880. 8vo., pp. 25, plates. Report of B. F. Isherwood. On the Vedette Boats Constructed for* the French and British Navies, by the Herrshoff Manufacturing Co., at Bristol, R. I. August 9, 1882. 8vo.* pp. 48, plates. Report of a Board on the Mallory Steering and Propelling Screw, as Applied to the United States Torpedo Boat Alarm. Jan 31, 1882. 8vo , pp. 58, plates. John Scott Russell. The Nature, Properties, and Application of Steam and on Steam Navi- gation. From the Seventh Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Edinburgh, 184$. Steamboat Disasters. " North American Review," 1, 19; cxxxi, 257. " Wescott's " Old Franklin Almanac," 1862, 70. " " The Am. Ship," 1879. Steamboat Works on the Clyde, " Penny Magazine," xii, 377. " The Alleghany, 1830. " Olden Time," i, 42. - First Steubenville. " Olden Time," ii, 368. " First English. "Journal Franklin Institute," xiii, 139. Jonathan Hull's, 1736. " Chamber's Journal," lii, 341. Invention of. " Quarterly Review," xix, 347. - " Mary Powell des. "Journal Franklin Institute," cviii, 18. Steamship Charlemagne. "Journal Franklin Institute," Ivii, 117. Steamships, U. S. " Catholic Magazine,'-' iv, 654. " American and Atlantic Mail. " Hunt's Mer. Magazine," xv, 51. " and Steam Navigation. " Am. Jour. Science," xxxvi, 133. " Building of English and American, 1850. "Journal Franklin Institute," li, 41. " Collins and Cunard Lines, Statistics of. " Hunt's Merchant's Magazine, xxv, 377, 635; xxvi, 379; xxvii, 242, 376. " Cunard Line, Voyages 6f. " Hunt's Am. Mer. Mag.," xv, 320. " Ericsson Propeller. " Living Age," iii, 40; " U. S. Nautical Magazine." " For Channel Passage. " Pop. Science Rev.," xii, I. " French Atlantic. " Hunt's Mer. Mag.," xvi, 617, xvii, 176. " Ircn. "Am. Electric Rev.," i, 594. " Loss of. " Hunt's Mer. Mag.," xxxiv, 147. " Ocean. " Democratic Rev.," xxxvii, 417. " Ocean, Description of. "Appleton's Jour." xx, 546. " - History of. "Westminster Review," ci. " of War. " New York Rev.," v, 83. " New America, 1856. "Jour, of the Franklin Institute," Ixiii, 125. " Ratio of Length and Breadth of. "Jour. Franklin Institute," xci, 260, 305, 404 " Speed of 'Atlantic, 1852. "Jour. Franklin Institute," Iv, 172; Ixiv, 5. " Rule for. " Eel. Engineer," ix, 204. The following references to periodical articles on the subject of Steam Navigation is taken from that invaluable work, " Poole's Index to Periodical Literature." Third edition, 1882. Some of these references have been already given. earn Navigation, Introduction of. "Historical Magazine," ii, 225; " Jour. Franklin In- stitute," xxxi, 73, 165. "~ " Invention of. " Chamber's Journal," xxi, 188,25; " Eclec. Engineer- ing," xiv, 305. " Ocean. " Chamber's Journal," xxii, 188, 256; " Eclectic Engineering," xiv, 305. T fit 1 HIST OR Y OF STEAM NA VIGA TION. . 421 Steam Navigation, On Lake Ontario. " Hunt's Mer. Mag.," xvii, 527. To Ch^ia. " Western Journal," i, 259 ; " Hunt's Mer. Magazine," xviii, 467; " Southern Literary Messenger," xiv, 244. To India. "Edinburgh Review," Ivii, 313; Ix, 445 ; "Foreign Quar- terly," xvii, 342. " To the Pacific. " Am. Journal of Science," xvi, 358. Transatlantic. " North American Review," xlc, 483. :Steam Navy, British. " Living Age," v, 153. Steam in maritime war. "Nile's Register," xxxvii, 45. Steam packets, American and English, 1853. " Living Age," xxxviii, 168. .Steamboats, American. "American Journal Science," xxiii, 311. " and Steamboating in the Southwest. " Hogg's Instructor," viii, 4, 315. " English, 1832. "Jour, of the Franklin Institute," xiy, 349. " in America, 1833. " Edin. New Phil. Journal," xv, 55. on Western waters, 1834. "Journal Franklin Institute," xviii, 353. in 1852. "Journal Franklin Institute," liii, 344-417; liv, 207; Iv, 258. " Progress of. " Nile's Register," xxiii, 19. " Safety in. "Am. Jour, of Science," xx, I ; "Jour. Franklin Institute," x, 352, xi, 217. Arajo's History of the Steam Engine. " Journal of Franklin Institute." 2pth vol., pp. 3, 73, 145. American Steam Frigate. " Blackwood," vol. 30. Magazine articles on steam navigation " New York Review," iv, 147. "Am. Whig. Review," i, 22. " Hunt's Merchant's Maga- zine," iv, 105. " Blackwood's Magazine," xviii, 541 ; xxi, 393. " Once a Week," iii, 331. " Penny Magazine," v, 30; ix, 305. American Enterprises. "Am. Whig Re- view," ii, 75. Atlantic Steam Navigation. "Am. Jour, of Science," xxxv, 169, 352; " Hunt's Mag.," iii, 296; xiii, 348; xvii, 357. "New York Review," iii, 95. "Quar- terly Review," Ixii, 186. " Edinburgh Review," Ixv., 118. " Chris. Quarterly Specta- tor," x, 371. "Chamber's Journal," xiii, 408. "Eclectic Magazine," xxi, 135. Steam Navigation, Origin of. " Hunt's Magazine," xvi, 172. " First American to Bremen. " Hunt," xvii, 357. , Improvements. "Journal Franklin Institute," xlvi, 298. N. "- in United States before Fulton's Time. " Historical Magazine," iii, 3. - " in France, 1840. "Jour. Franklin Institute," xxxi, 41. " in 1798. "Historical Magazine," xxi, 23. " in 1846. "Journal Franklin Institute," xxxi, 41. " in the United States, 1839. "Jour. Franklin Institute," xxxi, 73, 165. " in 1840. "Jour. Franklin Institute," xxx, 81. APPENDIX. STATISTICAL TABLES. TABLE I. Steam Tonnage belonging to the United States, British Empire, France, and Holland, from 1838 to 1881, showing the Progress of Steam Navigation since the Advent of Ocean Steam Navigation. TABLE II. Showing the Number of Steam Vessels built in the United States, and the Registered, Enrolled and Licensed Steam Tonnage, and grand total of the Tonnage of the Steam Mercha'nt Marine of the United States, from 1823 to 1881. TABLE III. The Number and Tonnage of the Mercantile Steam Vessels Built and First Registered in the United Kingdom of Great Britain, 1866 to 1880, inclusive. TABLE IV The Steam Vessels Built in the United States in 1879 and 1881. TABLE V The Number and Tonnage of Iron Steam Vessels Built in the United States, 1879 and 1881. TABLE VI. Tonnage of American and Foreign Steam Vessels Entered in United States Ports from Foreign Countries, 1864 to 1881. , TABLE VII. Showing the Number and Tonnage of American and Foreign Ocean Steam Vessels in the Foreign Trade which arrived at Ports of the United States, etc., during the Fiscal Year, 1881. TABLE VIII. The Number and Tonnage of the Steam Vessels of the United States, June 30, 1881, giving theStates and Territories in which they were documented. TABLE IX. Designating Marks of Ocean Steamships. TABLE X. The Merchant Steam Vessels of the United Kingdom, 1815 to 1881. TABLE XI. The Mercantile S-teamers of the World, 1870-74 and 1882. TABLE XII. A Parliamentary Return of the Vessels belonging to British Mail Steam Packet Compa- nies in 1853. TABLE XIII. Exhibiting the Size and Power of the Earliest and Largest Transatlantic Steamships. TABLE XIV Tonnage of Iron Steam Vessels Built; in the United States, 1868 to 1881, inclusive. TABLE XV. Showing the Progressive Improvements in the Cunard Steamships, 1840 to 1875, and an analysis of the Difference between the Britannia, 1840, and the Bothnia, 1875. TABLE XVI. Ocean Steamship Lines of the World, 1858. TABLE XVII, Ocean Steamship Lines of the World, 1875. TABLE XVIII. Steamship Disasters. TABLE XIX. The Quickest Passages of Ocean Steamships, 1869 to 1882. TABLE XX. Steamship Building on the Delaware. 1. Steamships Built by Harlan & Hollingsworth Co., Wilmington, Delaware, 1849 to 1882. 2. Steamships built by John Roach, Chester, Penn'a, 1872 to 1882. 3. Steamships Built by Wm. Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia, 1849 to 1882. 4. Steam Vessels Built by Neafie & Levy, Philadelphia, 1844 to 1882. 5. Pusey & Jones, Wilmington. Dela- ware, 1851 to 1882. 423 424 APPENDIX. TABLE I. Steam Tonnage belonging to the United States, British Empire, France, and Holland, from 1838 to 1881, showing the progress of steam ton- nage since the advent of Ocean Steam Navigation. YEAR. UNITED STATES. Great Britain and its Possessions. France. Holland. Total Steam Mercantile Marine of the Four Powers. Registered ! Enrolled* *n? re i gn ' Coasting Trade 1 rade. 1838 2,791 5,149 4,155 746 4,701 5,373 6,909 6,492 6,287 5,631 16,068 20,870 44,042 62,390 79,704 90,520 95,036 115,045 89,715 86,873 78,027 92,747 97,296 102.608 113,998 133,215 106,519 198,008 198,289 198,115 221,939 213,252 192.544 180,914 177,666 193,423 195,245 191,689 198,227 190,133 170,838 156,323 146,604 152,769 190,632 199,789 198,184 174,342 224,960 231,494 " 265.270 319,527 341,606 399,210 411,823 441,525 481,005 521,217 563.536 514.098 581,571 655.240 583,362 618,911 651,363 676,004 770,641 774.696 596,465 439,755 853,816 969,131 885,023 993,765 975,142 887,401 879,522 906,723 933,887 963,020 985,300 971,806 968,300 '.175,033 990,382 1,012,810 1,058,587 1,105,958 82.716 86,731 95,807 104.845 118,930 121,455 125,675 131,202 144,784 156,557 168,078 177,310 187,631 204,654 227,306 264,336 326,484 408,290f 417,717f 453,966t 488,415} 472,764 500,144 561,023 597,932 657,026 769,398 902,052 952,318 973,415 977,292 1,033,247 1,202,134 1,411,803 1,640,639 1,825,738 1,987,235 1,847,218 1,870,794 1,977,489 2,160,126 2,331,157 2.723,468 3,133,453 9.693 9,810 9,535 10,183 . 9,757 9,536 9,293 9,390 10,921 12,567 13,152 13,391 13,925 19,460 22,171 26,399 35,098 45,093 63,926 71,92!) 66,587 65,006 68,025 73,267 78,981 84,918 97.884 108,328 129,777 133,158 ] 35,259 142,942 154,415 160,478 177,462 185,165 194,546 204,520 218,449 . 230,804 245,893 255,969 277/789 278,360 1,658 1,976 1,976 3,336 3,692 3.G92 3,950 4,452 5,064 5,864 10,428 13,302 13,768 14,340 13,746 13,012 12,636 13,994 15,862 15,068 16,184 20.694 '22,19 1 22,568 26,394 36,644 46,370 50,560 55,360 60,160 65,220 70,840 76,827 79,400 80,120 81,418 285,232 301,479 307,681 290,116 358,348 367,858 407,147 466,611 515,256 575,941 811.097 656,432 731,175 611,671 896,667 899,808 1,043,253 1,229,532 1,265,148 1,245,031 1,298,160 1,320,861 1,449,852 1,524,506 1,400,012 1,328,908 1,843,479 2,092,587 2,181,591 2.319,147 2.331,826 2,299,410 2,455,009 2.696,562 2.976,018 3,217,906 3,217.686 3,275,393 3,321,090 3,448,299 3,643,976 3,835,649 4,286,538 4,751,988 1839 1840 1841... 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 . 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865. 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 * The " Enrolled " tonnage of the United States is confined to the home and river trades, and is prohibited by law from going on a foreign voyage. t In consequence of alterations in the system of measurement the British tonnage, as compared with years previous to 1855, is a great deal less than if the old plan of measurement for tonnage had been continued. Changes of measurement have also taken place in the United States and the other countries. These figures, therefore, are only approximates, although derived from official sources. New facilities for steam transportation have been devised, and year by year steam has gradually gained upon sailing-vessels. The statistics of the export business of New York with England, Scotland, Germany and the Netherlands, Belgium and France for the year ending June 30, 1880, show that the value carried in sailing-vessels was $73,029,677, as compared with $210,139,174 in steam-vessels or in about the ratio of one to three. The figures are approximates for Holland for 1875-77, 79-80. which I have been unable to obtain. APPENDIX. 425 TABLE II. Showing Hie Number of Steam-vessels Built in the United States, and the Registered, Enrolled, and Licensed Steam Tonnage of the Merchant Marine of the United States each year, from 1823-1881. (Compiled from Orficial Sources.) Year Ended. No. Built, Regis- tered. 1 En- rolled. Total. Year [Ended. No. Built. Regis- tered. Enrolled. Licensed under 20 Tons. Total. June 30. \ Dec. 31, 1823 15 21,879 24,879 i 1853 271 90,520 514,098 604,618 " 1824 26 ^ 21.610 21,610 | 1854 281 95.036 581,571 676,607 " 1825 35 23,061 23,061 1855 243 115,045 655,240 770'285 " 1826 45 34,059 34,059 1856 221 89715 583 362 673,077 " 1827 38 40,198 40,198 1857 263 86,873 618,911 705,784 " 1828 33 39,418 39,418 1858 226 78.027 651,363 729,390 " 1829 43 54,037 54,037 1859 172 92,748 676,005 768,753 " 1830 37 1,419 63.053 64,472 1860 264 97,296 770,641 867 937 " 1831 34 877 68,568 69,445 1861 264 102 608 774 596 877.204 " 1832 100 181 90,633 90,814 1862 183 113.998 598,465 710,463 " 1833 65 545 101,306 101,851 1863 367 133.215 442,304 575,519 " 1834 88 340 122,474 122,814 1864- 498 122 006 855 954 977,960 Sept. 30, 1835 30 340 122,474 122,814 1865 411 98,008 969,131 1,067,139 (9 months.) Sept. 30, 1836 124 454 145,102 145,556 1866 348 198,289 885,223 1,083512 " 1837 335 1,104 153,661 154,765 1867 180 198,115 993,765 j l,19l!880 " 1838 90 2,791 190,632 193,423 1868* 236 221,939 975,142 "2,334" 1,199,415 " 1839 125 5,M9 189,879 195,028 1869* 277 213,252 887,401 2.915 1,103,568 " 1840 63 4,155 198,184 202,339 J 1870 290 192,544 879,522 3,029 1,075,095 " 1841 78 746 174,342 175,088 1871 302 180,914 90*,543 3,180 1,087,637 " 1842 June 30, 1843 137 79 4,701 5.373 225,050 231,494 22!),751 236,867 1872 1873 292 402 177,666 193,423 929,962 958,417 3,925 4,603 1,111,553 1,156,443 (9 months.) June 30, 1844 163 6,910 265,270 272,180 1874 404 195,245 985,569 4,796 1,185,610 " 1845 163 6,492 319,527 326,019 1875 323 191,689 971,806 5.173 1,168,668 " 1846 225 6,287 341,606 347,893 1876 338 198.227 968,300 5,845 1,172,372 " 1847 198 5,631 399,210 404,841 1877 265 190,133 975,033 6,031 1,171,197 " 1848 175 16,068 441,823 427,891 1878 334 170,838 990,382 6,458 1,167,678 " 1849 208 20,870 441,525 462,395 1879 335 156,323 1,012,810 7,039 1,176,172 " 1850 159 44,942 481,005 525,947 1880 346 146.604 1,058,587 6,367 1,211,558 " 1851 " 1852 233 259 62,390 79,704 521,217 563,536 583.607 643,240 i 1881 444" 152,770 1,105,958 6,274 1,264,998 * New measurement from 1869. TABLE III. The Number and tonnage of Mercantile Steamers built and first Registered in the United Kingdom of Great Britain from 1866 to 1880, inclusive. Year. No. Tonnage. Year. No. Tonnage. 1867 295 97,219 1874 482 333,890 1868 232 79,096 1875 357 178,905 1869 281 123,203 1876 320 123,475 1870 434' 226,591 1877 38 9 221,330 1871 537 330.798 1878 499 287,080 1872 635 415,961 1879 412 297,720 1873 509 363,9*7 1880 474 346,361 426 APPENDIX. TABLE IV. The Steam-vessels built in the United States during the fiscal years ending June 30, 1879, and June 30, 1881. Class of Vessels. t No. 1879. Tonnage. No. 1881. Tonnage. re 21 6l8 4O c i it; Qs6.ni \2l 27,038.85 IOS 18,585.85 120 6 4.61; 81 18; 18 411.72 2 2,219.83 2 1,197.38 a propellers I c 8002 64* Q"? <7 066.04 Ocean steamers propellers j-j 18,001; 80 9 6 ^,641.10 * side-wheel 2 ^10.06 Total 1 ir 86,161 is 4.4.4. 1 18,070. ^ TABLE V. Number and Tonnage of Iron Steam-vessels built in the United States during the fiscal years ending June 30, 1879, and June 30, 1881. Ports. No. 1879. Tonnage. No. 1881. Tonnage. Philadelphia Pa iq 17,118.24 27 20,164.10 Pittsburgh Pa I 44.40 6 4,010 72 4 1,066.28 2 614.16 I 417. 80 Total 24 22,007.81 Detroit, Mich A H 8O2 Q2 All other ports . 6 I 648 S4 41 28,319.84 TABLE VI. Tonnage of American and Foreign Steam-vessels entered at United States seaports from Foreign Countries, 1864 to 1881, inclusive. YEAR. AMERICAN. FOREIGN. YEAR. AMERICAN. FOREIGN. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. 1864.. 153,230 729,730 1873- 870,192 2,871,308 1865.. 210,027 643,576 1874. 1,035,747 3,285,128 1866.. 298,311 1,062,159 1875- 1,141,734 3> I 42,723 1867.. 395,626 1,227,120 1876. 1,100,513 3,319,053 1868.. .461,920 I,354,7i8 1877. 1,092,103 3,432,487 1869.. 417,892 , 1,572,914 1878. 1,138,114 4,172,467 1870.. 836,456 1,680,704 1879. 1,118,459 5,362,944 1871.. 781,527 1,882,437 1880. 1,195,900 6,391,126 1872.. 841,916 2,341,358 1881. 1,240,578 7,487,110 APPENDIX. 427 'SUOJ, *"*" oT sTcfV?9'saSS^2*9SfcJS > '-* 1 t> Tl CO tHrHC5CNl-iaOOOi.O^i-HiOT 1 CO O O t^ ^- '"^ g^C^ CO r-i g5i-l ^[g 00 ^^^ i iO rH O suoj, SPS58A suoj suoj 3 c, FROM W '55 iiSxa l^Sjl h- 1 C^ ,>>;:< 5 s gpg I APPENDIX. 429 TABLE VlllSteam- of the United States by States and Territories, JtweSO, 1879, and 1881. STATES AND TERRITOKIES. 1879. 1881. No.* 40 Tons. 6,667 No. 46 Tons. 6 s8<: i 46 3 4IQ 4 8-u 4 874 178 72,141 1 68 7 r 736 icx 29,548 1 08 7O "37Q 22 3,820 27 4I4O- 7 District of Columbia 3.3 7 4.6l 78 7 66& 8 Florida * 6q 7 8;8 7C 8 7^2 27 IO.7Q7 16 1 6 O28 I 52 16,036 161 17 88c 69 6,780 60 r ,C6^ *8 crqq 77 8 381 41; IS. "?68 Oi cr 1 iii i'rf 3 * si? 111 S-52 ee Roma sion, eac white, re lights on mizzen riggin rangle. ight, white-blue light 1/3 if: rt rt ^3 C o o j _ rt rt '3 5 d H^s P 1l~ I - f S 5 Mas * C^jaflb.o-^ r? lll'iti If I s 5 U5 <* !-> P< III" ^j - Sg = c w o 5 g -8 1 r H ^ srjs 2 - " H I e eld a . 3,0 5 -d ^ ^ .. S.s<: jj "ID n ' f ^3 in I '!! rt*^ I 5 -s ^-c 'rt 'S 1 il ^ 0,0 g ^ S ^ w S U t/> rt 5 a v* rt "S ^S "^ ^S d* and white st tter S. in cen taining white the centre. * ^ o * SS wr 5^Q '^^^^ ^ T3 "V o> l i:i sii- 1/3 u * s 1 ^ CJ r-j a 1-1 oT!^ rt J S u i ; j * ^ C ; 20,787 28,958 32,490 ; 1828 1829 1830 1831 293 304 315, 347 32,032 32,283 33,444 37445 1 1832 1833 1834 380 415 462 41 669 45.017 50735 1835 1836 538 60,520 600 67,969 78,288 82.716 86 731 1837 668 72 1838 183? 770 1840 824 854 906 942 988 101 9 95,807 104,845 118,930 121 456 ........ 1841 ! 184 9 1843 1844 125 677 1845 ... 131 202 1846 1070 144,784 146,557 158,078 167,310 187,631 204,654 223,616 054 336 1847 1154 1848 1 9 53 1849 1296 1350 1386 1414 1534 1708 2010 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 3% 452 1855 408,290 1856 1857 1858 | I860 29,803 24,924 29,463 ! 277,437 313,465 328,310 371,201 456,241 523,698 553,425 608,232 619,199 644,080 760,410 936,914 1.185,877 1,368,245 1,513,210 1,470,158 1,489,964 1,627,411 1,811,024 2,006,591 2,289,179 *198 201 221 279 374 382 864 295 232 281 434 537 635 509 482 357 320 389 499 412 474 53,796 70,869 77,338 107,951 159,374 179,649 133,511 97,219 79,096 123,203 226,591 330,798 415,961 363,917 333,890 178,905 123,475 221,330 287,080 21)7, 720 346,361 1861 1SG2 1863 33547 1864 36,944 43,225 47,194 50,201 52,150 73,964 108,813 167,964 121,337 97,445 94,264 145,308 133,575 108,825 105,910 84,496 68,598 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869.... 1870.... 1871.... 1872 is:;; 1874 1S75 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 612 657 729 751 1071 1191 1237 1096 1128 1183 1345 1323 1324 1344 1317 9,005 9,451 9,755 10,049 11,445 12,613 13.238 13,243 13,323 13,479 14,664 14,378 14,447 14,279 14,088 147,194 154,244 153,265 161,984 170,746 195,125 208,490 215,263 219,550 231,722 247,255 241,253 243,092 240,070 236,358 110 125 134 164 234 300 244 221 221 255 246 209 170 2050 2249 2339 3048 4221 5767 4605 3817 3727 5682 4833 4097 3913 3153 2700 784 834 862 810 935 1066 1364 1479 1597 1466 1489 1640 1820 2027 2293 28,748 31,411 31,568 80,207 38,089 49,323 48,776 54,302 57,823 64,866 53,330 54,524 57,140 60,929 67,516 * Compiled from tie Statesman's Year-Book, 1881, and general official documents. This table for 1815 to 1855, is from an official return of the number and tonnage of British Merchant Steamers after 1836. I have designated the steamers as partly in this home and partly in the foreign trade, as the transatlantic voyages had their inception then. 432 APPENDIX. TABLE XL Table of the Mercantile Steamers of the World, 1870, 1873-74, and 1882. NATIONALITY. Number. Average Size, in Tons. Tonnage. 1870. 1873. 1874. 1882. 1870. 1873. 1874. 1870. 1873. 1874. 1882. 597 403 613 6 81 39 3,002 9 67 107 315 220 9 110 112 2:5 144 72 212 195 29 569 861 1,199 1,254 513,792 483,040 768,724 3 459 408,496. 74 14 2,426 '"it 82 288 127 8 86 26 18 62 91 42 3,061 "*71 95 392 200 8 103 88 17 114 b6 4,106 599 746 681 925 725 857 1,025 1,0:59 1,005 592 582 876 1,012 1,222 592 827 453 802 771 728 733 897 949 44,312 10,462 1,651,767 84,155 30,444 2,624,431 83.039 40,536 3,015,773 5,332 38,976 93,723 318,757 268,828 5,329 91,011 51,103 18,452 111,072 52,387 155,417 77,440 27,530 66,352 Belgian British 3,133,453. Central American.. 115 304 18 108 44 19 179 89 237 249 '261 275 481 739 827 408 423 282 729 458 486 766 808 1,024 424 826 473 855 592 12,085 39,405 21'' 976 34,498 72,753 316,765 204,894 3,390 85,045 41,602 14,536 67,522 57,189 81,048- 302,432 284,660 11,019 75,646 53,340 12,513. 87,997 40,822 144,691 66,204 Dutch German 105,131 3,267 36,358 7,321 13,126 28,422 Greek Italian South American Spanish 148 83 "49 202 143 9 109 492 224 481 ' 686 373 339 643 72,845 18,633 138,675 53,327 3.049 70,067 Turkish & Egypt' n.. Various 23,550 110,693 Totals 4,132 5,148 5,365 6,857 676 841 974 2,793,432 4,328,193 5,226,888 4,880,558- The countries'included in the total under the head of various or " other countries" in 1882 are as follows : Turkish, 10 steamers, with a net tonnage of 5,579 tons ; Belgian, 163 steamers, 53,811 tons; Central American, 14 steamers, 3,760 tons; Asiatic, 35 steamers, 24,823 tons; Egyptian, 33 steamers, 16,887 tons; Roumanian, i steamer, in tons; Tunisian, I steamer, 726 tons ; Zanzibar, i steamer, 720. TABLE XII. A 'Parliamentary Return of the Number of Vessels of Wood and Iron belonging to British Mail Contract Steam-packet Companies, in March, 1853. NAME OF COMPANY. No. OF VESSELS. TONNAGE. HORSE-POWER. Wood. Iron. Total. Wood. Iron. Total. Wood. Iron. Total. Peninsular and Oriental Royal West India 11 19 8 22 1 1 8 8 5 4 4 33 20 9 8 8 5 4 4 11,800 32612 14991 26,449 2,700 2,500 6,688 13,496 8,600 1.612 3,920 38,249 35,312 17,491 6,688 13,496 8,600 1,612 3,920 4,086 8,750 5,690 7,481 800 1,000 2,298 2,250 1,800 677 530 11,567 9.550 6,690 2,298 2,250 1,800 677 530 British and North America Pacific General Screw Steam Shipping Australian ... Total .)... 38 53 ... 59,403 65,965 18,526 16,836 L Grand total 91 125,368 35,362 APPENDIX. TABLE XIII. Table Exhibiting the Size and Power of some of the Transatlantic Steamships^. DIMENSIONS AND POWER. NAMES OF VESSELS. British Queen. President. Great Western. Liverpool. Acadia.* Britannia. Caledonia. Columbia. i Length from figure head to taffrail.. Length of upper deck, or between the perpendiculars ft. in. 275 245 40 61 27 3 1 6 S 1 A 500 H. P. 2,016 //. in. 273 243 41 68 30 30 7 6 7 6 600 H. P. 2,366 ft. in. 240 57 20 4 6o H'.'P. ' 1,340 //. in. 234 212 35 4 58 4 23 3 28 6 i 464 H. P. i,543 ft. in. 228 206 34 4 56 22 6 78 6 6 10 425 H.P. 1,150 Breadth within the paddle-boxes.... Breadth over all Depth of hold Diameter of paddle-wheels Power of engines Tonnage * These were the first four steamships of the "North American Royal Mail Line," better known as the Cunard Line. The vessels named were respectively of 1,154, 1,135, I I 3^, and 1,175 tons, and probably varied slightly from the dimensions given in the table. Timbs, in his Year-book for 1840, says the " Briti^ti Queen" and " President" were the two largest ships in the world at that time. TABLE XIV. Tormage of Iron Steam-vessels built in the United States from 1868 to 1881, inclusive. Year. Tonnage. Year. Tonnage. Year. Tonnage; 1868 2 801 1873... 26,548 1878..., 26,960 1869 j C4.1T ?**/ 1874 71,007 1870 22,008 igyo 7 602 1871; 21,632 ,880 2S,, PCS If CO * t-_ uO OS O r-j C^ i co od ad oo* cc oi o i o 88S8= S88. >1-1=-1= . , co ceecccec coco till! t ON ' 2 i ' 2 i~< " "^ < i 03 - i> J-T ,3 ^ O q^ *-O g to CS b S v2 *- . s u c 1 v s S^ I '. J rt- 1 ? I 1 3 ic o ^ '^ t>. * (^ i ^ 8. i i 1 ^ 1 * O w "rt P5 o -J " c .1 Q 1 1 r ^ ^J 1 g. f it Llj 1 1 1 1 1 # (3 (S -S u APPENDIX. 437 TABLE XVI. Ocean Steamship Lines of the World in 1858. LINE. SERVICE. Cunard, Paddle-whel Liverpool, New York, Boston and Halifax Screw " ' " " " North Atlantic Steamship Company. St. John's and Portland European & American Steamship Co. Bremen, Antwerp, Southampton & New York. ' TONNAGE. ' to Brazil London and Canada Liverpool and Canadian.... Liverpool,Philadelphia, & New York " New York Glasgow and New York ' Glasgow and New York Belgian Transatlantic ! Antwerp and New York i " " Brazil Hamburg and American j Hamburg and New York " Brazilian* Hamburg and Rio de Janeiro Genoa and Brazilian ] Genoa " Royal Mail Company ; Southampton, West Indies, Central America. [ South America " I Southampton, Pernambuco, Rio, Bahia, and La Plata ' Pacific Steam Navigation Company.. Panama to Valparaiso and intermediate Peninsular and Oriental Company...! Portugal, Spain, Malta, Alexandria, East In- 1 dies, China, and Australia European & Austian Royal Mail Co..| Southampton, Alexandria, Suez and Sydney... Australian Royal Mail Company ' Transport and other Rotterdam and Mediterranean Rotterdam, Leghorn, and Trieste North of Europe Steam Navigat'nCoi African. .. s . Mclver's Liverpool and Mediterranean Havre Bibby's , | Fowler's ] Dixon's " Liverpool and Australian ! London " ! London and African I " Liverpool, and Africa Union Screw Company j Southampton and Cape of Good Hope... Luzo-Brazileira j Lisbon and Brazil Austrian Lloyds Very large Mediterranean service Mediterranean, Black Sea, Levant Mediterranean- Australia. Messageries Imperiales W. Hartlepool Steam Navigation Co. Danube Steam Navigation Company Hamburg and Spanish... East India Company Spanish and Cuban Hartlepool, Hamburg, and St. Petersburg I Vienna, Galatz, and Constantinople I Hamburg L Squthamptpn, jand all Spanish ports, j 2 6 7 Suez and India, and the Bombay Mail Lines... Cadiz, Havana, and Mexico Companhia Brazileira ! Rio de Janeiro to the Amazon and La Plata.... Collins Company New York and Liverpool- Havre Steam Navigation Company.... Cornelius Vanderbilt United States Mail Steamship Co Southampton, and Havre.... Bremen. New York.Havana.Aspinwall & New Orleans... Pacific Mail Steamship Company | Panama, California and Oregon. New York and New Orleans j New York, Havana, and New Orleans. New York and Alabama... ] " *' " Mobile Charleston and Havana Charleston, Key West, and Havana Savannah Steamship Company ! New York and Savannah, New York & Chariest' n Steamsh'pCo! ' Charleston " "Virginia Norfolk, and Richmond... Philadelphia and Savannah Boston and Baltimore Philadelphia and Savannah Boston and Baltimore Texas Steamship Company i New Orleans and Galveston Southern Steamship Company ' Key West Mexican Steamship Company Tampico, and Vera Cruz 12,000 4,800 4,800 10,000 9,000 1,870 5,000 8,700 6,206 8,800 6,500 7,300 4.500 8,000 21,510 fi,820 5,719 49,416 15,500 7,800 19,00 3,200 9,000 2,000 11,700 ] 7,500 3,800 7.000 7,500 5,000 1,800 8,000 Unknown. 2,000 11,471 9,000 5,500 9,727 4,548 6,523 8,544 16,421 3,198 1.300 1,115 4,793 4,680 2,371 2,600 2,600 2,400 1,000 960 * These vessels average about 250 horse-power each. Their tonnage is large, probably 12,000 tons each. 438 APPENDIX. TABLE XVII. Ocean Steamship Lines in 1875. TONNAGE. HORSE- POWER. Gross. Net. The Cunard Line. 25 Transatlantic 64,718 16,215 2,384 2,372 3.992 691 41,073 10,580 1,618 i,43i 2,296 331 10,009 2,126 392 56o 1,340 150 II Mediterranean and Havre 3 Halifax and Bermuda Trade 3 Glasgow and Liverpool 6 Glasgow and Belfast I Glasgow and Londonderry 49 Vessels 90,372 5 6 ,329 14,577 Inman Line. 16 Vessels Transatlantic Fleet 43.955 54,6i9 71,328 25,198 29,398 83,317 47,474 6,760 8,350 15,417 4,020 Allan Line. 23 Vessels Transatlantic Fleet Anchor Line. 31 Vessels : White Star Line. 6 Vessels Guion Line. National Line. 8 Vessels 25,342 2,700 Bremen Line. Hamburg Line. Royal West India Mail Line. 24 Vessels 53,806 32,995 9,35 Liverpool ', Brazil, and River La Plata Steam Navigation Company. 31 Vessels 49,294 Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company. 35 Vessels, Mediterranean, Adriatic, India, and China Service 3 Australian Service 5 China and Japan Local 5 Cargo Vessels 5 Refitting 122,030 1,240 22,095 460 13 Steam-Tugs 3 Cargo and Coal-Hulks.... 4,417 67 Vessels Fleet of the Messageries Maritime Company. 18 Screw- Vessels India, China, Japan, Batavia, and Mauritius Line. k 43,083 17,304 44,"3 4,476 16,000 7,75 3,100 10,320 750* 2,400 6 Screw- Vessels River La Plata and Brazil Lines 29 Screw-Steamers, Mediterranean, and 1 raddle iJlack bea Line. j 3 London and Marseilles Line 4 Building, Screw... . 64 Vessels Total 124,976 24,320 Anchor Line. 8 Vessels Transatlantic Service .. 13 " Mediterranean " 26,428 * Compound. APPENDIX. FAST BOATS ON THE MISSISSIPPI, 1814-1870. A record made of the fastest passages orr the Mississippi River, between New Orleans, La., and Natchez, Mis., a distance of two hun- dred and ninety-five miles, is : Year. BOAT. Days. Hours. Min. Sec. 1814 Orleans 6 6 4.O 1828 Tecumseh i I 2O 1840 Edward Shippen . 8 184.4. Old Sultana IQ AC 1 8*6 New Princess 17 3O 1870 Robert E Lee 16 36 4-7 FAST BOATS ON THE HUDSON, 1826-1864. The following shows the best time made between New York and Albany from 1826 to 1864. To draw a correct conclusion from this record one should know the condition of the tide and wind, whether there were any, or how many, landings, whether time was deducted for them, and how much, etc. Year. BOAT. Hours. Min. Year. BOAT. Hours. Min. 1826 Sun 12 16 18*1 New World 7 41 1826 jO 20 T8C2 Francis Skiddy 7' 24. 1840 Albany 8 27 18*2 7 27 184.1 Troy 8 IO 1860 7 42 1841 7 28 1864. Daniel Drew r i 184.0 Alida 7 4C i 1864 Chauncey Vibbard.... Q 42 The " Mary Powell," built in 1861, is one of the fastest boats on the Hudson. Her regu- lar time between New York and Rondout is twenty miles an hour. The new steamer " Al- bany" (1882) is a very fast boat, but. has not exceeded the speed of the boats of eight years since. In past time everything wa? sacrificed to speed. TRANSATLANTIC STEA.M-VKSSKLS AViu:< -KKI> AND LOST FROM 1838 TO MARCH, 1879, GIVING Flag. Name. Rig. Where and When Built. Ton- Bulk- lage. heads. Draft. Piate. Line. From.- BrJ Br 18SQ r>r 1S40 2:566 * Yew York "Columbia j Cunaru Boston Br.... Am... Br....; Am... Am... Am... Br.... Am... Am... Fr.... Br.... Br.... Ger... Br....! *Humboldt 1 .IXowYiirk- IS5U 2500 19 16 19 "City of Glasgow Franklin i *City of Philadelphia 'Arctic i "Her Majesty Glasgow, 1850 ] New York, 1848 1609 5 i 2300 ! All/5 Inman .Liverpool A \.y% Southampton ... Liverpool New York, 1850 3000 1'J Al Collins Liverpool *North Carolina 1 ^ Pacific ^ "... Philadelphia, 1854.... New York, 1849 Liverpool, 1856 700 12 A2 Philadelphia . Al Collins Liverpool 1065 798 1764 2400 ^315 5 4 5 G 19 ' 20 j 19 2 18 ; Tempest Ship- Canadian (1) Bk Austria 13k Argo Glasgow, 1855 Dumbarton, 1854 Greenock, 1857 London 1853 A 1^' New York A 1%. Kunhardt Hamburg All .... iNew York Dumbarton, 1855 1764 5 Al]4 Canadian Liverpool Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Br Counaught Canadian (2) Newcastle, 1859 4400 Gal way North Briton 1 t. Dumbarton, 1857 2000 A1J4 Montreal Ocean S. Soivt'in Br Uechid 1 Br.... BrJ Br Caledonia Anglo-Saxon Bk Glasgow, 1862 Dumbarton, 1856 1260 1673 5 18 21 Br....! Br.... ! Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... ! Br.... Br.... n,r._ Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Fr.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Ger... Newcastle, 1863 2635 5 21 A 1 Williams Guion.. New York Bohemian City of New York.... Bk Jura Bk Iowa Bk George Olympus Trn ... Glasgow, 1861 Glasgow, 1854 Waterford, 1864 England, 1860 Glasgow, 1851 Belfast, Ireland, 1857. J Newcastle, 1864 Newcastle 1865 2609 2W4 423 1962 1387 1438 3803 639 1948 1264 1669 998 1255 2552 982 1854 2254 2140 2873 2105 803 3204 988 2888 1100 1681 1963 2064 1270 IffiH 1120 1146 5 5 G 5 4 4 6 5 5 4 5 4 4 \ 6 6 7 4 4 6 5 5 G 7 5 4 4 4 3 22 20 21 9 19 20 19 8 22 18 17 15 18 22 15 20 19 19 21 15 18 17 23 18 17 20 20 17 17 17 16 Montreal S. N. Co.. Liverpool AlV^'Ininan New York A l 1 ^! Quebec A2V' New York A2 Bremen Ephesns.... ... > 4 Mats Sen.... Bk Bgt... Bg Bk All., Norfolk A 1 Williams & Guion.. New York \li^ Malaga Scotland . Amsterdam Chicago Melita...... Hibernia Newcastle, 1866 A 1 Williams & Guion.. New York Al% 'Boston Dumbarton, J.853 Glasgow 1865 Bk Bk Bk T. Sch Bk Ship... Bktn.. Bg Bg T. Sch Igt;:;.' Bg Bkt ... Bg Bg Bg Preston, Eng., 1867... Greenock 1857 .... A li/' New Orleans United Kingdom Germania Greenock, 1863 Sunderland, 1865 Belfast, 1861 Greenock, 1864 Port Glasgow, 1869... Greenock, 1866 Dumbarton, 1870 Suuderland, 18G8 Greenork, 1864 Al Kunhardt New York Al^ Montreal Grecian City of Boston Cambria A1J4 Anchor Palermo A 1.14 Anchor New York Al N G Lloyds Bremen Union Crescent City Zoo Lafayette- Al L.& Miss. S. S. Co..! New Orleans.... \.\]/ 2 New York All/' Com. Getil. Trans... New York A li/ ,New York Colorado Dacian Jarrow, 18G7 Glasgow 1 868 Al Williams & Guion.. Liverpool VI 1 Vnchor London Concordia Tripoli Baltimore Adalia . . Glasgow, 1862 Glasgow, 1865 Greenock, 1868 Sutherland, 1864.... Low Walker, ISTI.... Mid.llesboro', 1*71.... Newcastle, 1871 \ [''' New Orleans Al- Cunard (?) 'Liverpool A 1J4 N. G. Lloyds Baltimore ^l^/ London Br.... Br.... Br.... With Emliy"""'.'.!'." George Carins S.-. Sc Trn... \ 1 1 " Mon (real \ 1 ' ", . ; Montreal Wooden renelfl. 1 Side-wheels. TIIK PARTICULARS KKI.ATI.M; TO KACH DISASTKK, ANDTHK Loss OK LIFK AYHKRK KNOWN. To. Liverpool Halifax M. John's, N. B.. New York Philadelphia .New York Philadelphia New York Quebec Liverpool New Yolk Date of Loss. Location of Loss. Nature of Loss. L..w of Life. All lost Innm lost... A II saved.... All saved.... 450 lost All saved.... All saved ... 562 lost AH lost All saved... 200 lost 260 lost All 1-st Ail saved... 5:',3 lost All saved... 3 lost 205 lost All saved... Remarks. Sailed Mcb 1841 Sunk bv collision with ' Vesta" (S.S.). Intended for service on the lakes. No passengers ur cargo. Sunk by collision with bark "Adriatic." 1 Said to have been a cheap, poorly-built ship. Saved, repaired, and name changed to " Concordia." Formerly a " Cunarder." Raised, repaired, and name changed to " Macedonia." Was consid'd a poor sea risk. By Am. bark " Rosamond." Off, and taken into A.ichat, Nov. 9, 1865. Col. with ship "Kate Dyer." Collided with "Heroine." Was ashore Dec., 1869, in the same neighborhood. Rescued by Cunard steam- ship " Aleppo." Was in collis'n with steamer '' Arabian," and sunk when in tow. Ex "Caledonia." Light upper deck added. Gotten off and repaired. Condem'd and sold Oct., 1872. July 2, 184:'. Dec. 25, 1852 Dec. G. 1853 Sailed Men., 1854 July, 1854 Sept. 14,1854 Sept. 27, 1854 Sailed Aug., 1854 April, 1855 Sailed Jan. 23, 1856.... .? Black Ledge Wrecked Near Currituck, N. C Near Halifax Off Montauk Point Cape Race Wrecked Wrecked Missing Wrecked Wrecked Sunk 40 miles off Cape Race Off Holyhead Sunk by col... Missing Havre ... dlasgow Quebec Nov. 2, 1856 - Sailed Feb. 11, 1857 Off Nantucket Sunk AT isi no- June 1, 1857 Near Quebec Wrecked Sept. 13, 1858 ILat. 45 1'. Lon. 41 30'... 'Burned June 23, 1859 Trepassy Bay, N. F 'Wrecked Nov. 21,1859 Guysboro', N. S i Wrecked Feb. 19, 1860 Cape Sable, N. S 'Wrecked Oct. 6, 1860 Near Boston Burned Gal wav Portland Portland Boston Liverpool Liverpool Halifax June 4,1861 Nov. 5, 1861 Feb. 16, 1862 Straits Belle Isle Sunk by ice... Wrecked 30 lost All saved Lat.439'N. Lon. 38 2' W. Abandoned.... Missing Wrecked Wrecked Wrecked All saved... All lost All Baed... 2:i7 lost All saved... All saved... All saved... 20 lost AH saved... All saved... All saved... All saved... All saved... All saved... All saved... All saved... All saved... All saved .. AH saved... 50 lost Sailed Dec 1861 New York Quebec Quebec Dec. ol, 1862 April 27,1863 June 14, 1863 Aug. 4, 1863 Sept. 8, 1863 Feb. 22,1864 March 29,186.4... Nov. 3, 1864 Dec. 6, 1864 Mav 24,1865 July31,lS65 Oct. 20, 1865 July 6, 1866 Dec. 1,1866 Oct 20 1867 Capo Cod, Mass Cape Race St Paul's Island C B Liverpool St. John's, N. B.. Portland Sable Island, N. S Little Hope Bar, N. F Alden's Rock, Cape Eliz- abeth Me Wrecked Wrecked Wrecked Wrecked Wrecked Liverpool Liverpool New York London Liverpool New York Liverpool Liverpool New York Daunt's Rock,Queenstown Mouth of the Mersey Near -Cherbourg Off Sandy Hook Wrecked Foundered.... Burned Wrecked Wrecked Wrecked Wrecked Wrecked Burned Foundered.... At sea Arichat.C. B Cape Sable Middle Bar, Sandy Hook... Near Montauk Point Roche's P'nt, near Queens- Liverpool Liverpool Jan. 12, 1868 Sept 5, 1868 Lat 49 Lon. 28 40' Glasgow Nov. 25, 1868 March (i, 18K9 Sailed April 17, I860 S W Pass N Sunk All saved... All lost*.... All saved... All saved... Ail saved... All lost Glasgow Hamburg London.. New York Liverpool Glasgow .New York Liverpool Brest Havre Missing Aug. 7,1869 Aug. 8,1869 Dec. 15, 1869 Sailed Jan. 25, 1870 Trepasxy N F Wrecked Wrecked Wrecked Missinsr Trepnssy, N. F Jones' Inlet, L. 1 Oct. 19,1870 Coast of Ireland.- ..Wrecked Nov. 29, 1S70 Rattrav Head, Scotland.... [Wrecked Feb. 8, ls71 Galley Head, Ireland Wrecked Feb. 20, 1871 Bell Rock, near Sambro, i M S Wrecked 196 lost AH saved... All saved... All saved... All saved... All saved... 5 lost All saved... AH saved... All saved... All saved... All sa-ed... All saved... Sept 2.'!, 1871 Havre Lat. 50 18'. Lon. 29 3'.... Mouth of the Mersey Jeddore, near Halifax Burned Abandoned ... Collided and wrecked Wrecked Wrecked Liverpool New Yoik New York Liverpool Boston Bremen Dec. 3, 1871 Feb. 7, 1872 April 9, 1872 May 1,1872 Mav 17, 1*72 Mav ''' IS?' Coast of Ireland Wrecked Ashore alter collision Wrecked Wrecked Quebec AVaterford Montreal - "Limerick, June 2.-.. 1*72 A tig. 9, 1872 Sept. 2, 1X72 Oct. 4,1872 St. Paul's Island Belle Inland Point do Montes Off Sydney, C. B Wrecked Capsized All saved... 8 lost TRANSATLANTIC STEAM-VESSELS WRECKED AND LOST FROM 1838 TO MARCH, 1879, Flag. Name. Rig Where and When I Built. Ton- Bulk- DraftRate nige. heads. Line. From. Br.... Br.... Br.... Br....i Br.... "Carolina T Scb Stockton. 1860 1174 19S3 3525 lloO 3 4 6 4 16 22 19 i?# A T > ^ 1 A Baltimore *Scandena Bkt.. *Tacora Bk... Commander Sc.... .. Glasgow, I860 .. Glasgow, 1872 .. Sunderlaud, 1871 .. No record E. E. Morgan New York Montreal Montreal ... < Montreal Montreal Br.... Br.... Span. Br.... Br.... Nor. Br.... Br.... Ger... Br.... Br Shannon Bg... Germany JBk... Dundee 1871 1210 3244 905 1833 1411 1037 580 3707 2206 2408 6 7 5 3 5 4 5 7 5 5 17 22 15 19 20 19 16 21^ 20 21 A-l^ Al A1H Al Al Al% A 2 Al A zy 2 Al^ Allan .. Stockton, 18(38 .. Seacombe, 1870 .. Glasgow, 1872 .. Port Glasgow, 1872... .. W. Hartlepool, 1869.. New York Sir Francis JBg.,. Devon 'Sc... Warren & Co Montreal Newcastle Brazil Talisman T. St h Greenock, 1860 U i 1 Belfast. 1871.... White Star Atlantic .... I t>? l \ Bkt....l J Thorwaldsen Bg Sunderland, 1872 City of Washington.. Ship...! Glasgow, 1855 Panther No vfionrd Baltic Lloyds Iiiman New York Liverpool Montreal Quebec Liverpool Now York Br.... Br.... Br.... Fr.... Ger... Br.... Br.... Fr.... Fr.... Br.... Nor.. r. Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Fr.... Br.... Ger... Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Span. Span. Ger... Fr.... Br.... Br.... Belg. Br.... Ger... Br.... Fr.... Br.... Br.... Medway Bg.. Missouri Bk.. .. Sunderland, 1865 .. Greenock, 1855 1834 1989 1629 5086 3300 1376 1967 839 5333 2159 1391 1046 744 885 959 411 1974 1971 978 3408 2484 1081 25-10 3609 1758 1757 2*73 1780 1323 1543 1556 1202 1090 26*4 4584 2273 #>95 43:52 *T79 1315 1U8 1350 1^31 1483 1493 1487 1268 1:W4 4376 2024 1989 5 7 7 G G 6 G 3 G 4 5 4 4 5 4 ""G" 4 4 7 4 5 G 4 5 4 4 4 5 5 4 5 3 10 7 5 7 4 5 4 5 4 4 B 4 4 9 5 5 20 18ft 1>! 22 20 19 8* 19 20- 20 18 16 15 15 10 18 & 21 21 15 20 22 21 20 22 21 17 WA 19 16 19 21^ 23 20 21 25 '19 16 14 18 19 17 20 20 13 16 23 21 21 AlVi Al% A1J4 Al Al Al^ AIM AlU Al>| Al Al^ A \y AIM AIM Al-fc Al^l Al|/2 A1*J Al% Al Al Al^ Al A1U AlK AIM Al Al% Al^ W X$ Alk AIM A2 AU4 AL AIM Al% A2 iJH AIM Al% AIM AIM Al% Al Al^ AIM Miss. & Dominion.. Ismalia Bkt. Villedu Havre |Bk.. Konig Wilhelm I Bg.. Flamsteed i Bg.. Ravensworth Castle.. Bkt. Alexandre Lavallay.. Bk.. Europe 'Bg.. ..'Glasgow, 1870 / Black wall, 1865.. 1 " ) Rebuilt, 1872 j" .. Greenock, 1870 .. Newcastle, 18GG .. Sunderland, 1871...... .. Nantes, 1869 :. Glasgow, 1864.. ..J Dumbarton, 1871 Comp. Genl. Trans. N G Lloyds New York New York Liverpool Brazil Line London Comp. Genl. Trans.| Havre Anna Bkt Linda Sch Trojan Bk.. Viking ISch Corinth T. Sc .. Middlesboro, 1873 .. Liverpool 1873 New York Barrow, Eng .... London ILivprnnnl ... Port Glasgow, 1867... .. Dundee, 18G9 h Sunderlaud, 1872 ... Glasgow, 1874 ...iHull, 1872 ... La Seyne, 1873 ;h Suuderland, 1873 ...'Glasgow, 1873 !...; New York Glasgow Mary Sc... Delta jBg.. Morena Life Brigade iT. S Rio Janiero i Liverpool [New York Schiller Bg.. Vicksburg ... . B^ . j Eagle Mi*s.& Dom S.S.Co. ...| Dumbarton, 1872 :h Duudee,1871 Strathtay (1) T. S 1 Mont real 1 Philadelphia. ... Aspinwall Abbotsford Bg.. ! Dundee 1873 Shannon Bg.. Villede Bilbao Glasgow, 1859 ...Port Glasgow 1874 n. M. s. s. Co Algeria Sunderland 1873 N. G. Lloyds Comp. Genl. Trans Barcelona... Bremen West Indies Dentschland jBg.. ... iGreenock, 1806 ... Glasgow 186 ;> Bothnia T. S Great Western Bgt ih. Newcastle, 1871 .. iSunderland, 1872 ... Kirkcaldy, 1871 ... Suuderland, 1872 ...'Kiel, Germany, 1872.. ... Hull, England, 1872.. J St. Nazaire, 1804) " (Reb't, Eng., 1873.J ... Greenock. 1856 ... Dundee 1872 C. F. Funch Bk. Arbitrator Sc.., Sylvia Sc... Colombo Bk. Ameriqne Bk. Bavaria Bk. Ruslund Bg. ' New York Philadelphia iHull Havre New Orleans Wilson Line Comp. Genl. Trans Miss.&Dom.S.S.Co Br.... Span Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Ger.. Br.... Br.... Br.... Br.... Dakota Bg. Diego Bk. Mexic.n Bg. Durley Bkt St rat lisa v Sc.. Rowland Be.. ..Jjurrow, Eng., 1874... ... Liverpool, 1865 ... Hartlepool, 18G3 ... Jarrow, Eng., 1871.... ... Dundee, 1877 ... Suiiderland 1875 Williams AGuion. NPW York W. I. & Pacific Co..; Port Royal 1 New York Montreal fitaiiitbrdhani Bgt Arratoon Apcar Trn IChelydra Sc .. Heblmrn,ls77 .. Renfrew, 1801 MMiilesboro' 187'J Liverpool Newcastle Montevideo, etc. W. Hartlepool... Liverpool New York Nf\v York K.-trnak Chicago Sc ... Sardinian Uk.. Idaho Bg.. Yoxford Bgt ... Martlepool. 1872 ... W. Hartlcpool, 1H7.S.. ... Greenock, Ib74 Ai'ian"!^^!!!!!!!! Williams & Guion. i .. Jarrow, Eng., I860.... ... Low Walker, 1878 | * Wooden vessels. GIVING THE PARTICULARS RELATING TO EACH DISASTER, ETC. To. Date of Los* Location of Loss. Nature of Luss. Queenstown 'Nov. 14,1872 JLat. 44. Lon. 53 20' Abandoned . Queenstown I Sailed Oct. 8,1872] Missing Montevideo IDec. 1872 | Near Montevideo Falmouth Sailed Nov.2,1872 .... Missing Wrecked. Loss uf Life. All saved... A 11 (45) lost. Remarks. Liverpool Liverpool London New Orleans Waterford Boston United Kingdom New York Hamburg New York Stettin New York England London New Orleans Glasgow Sailed Nov., 1872! {Missing I NOT. 1872 1 At sea [Foundered. Sailed Nov.4,1872| IMissing Mouth of the Gironde i Wrecked.... Missing All lost Loaded with grain, alleged i badly. All lost Reported badly loaded. Reported badly loaded. i Dec. 23, 1874 [Sailed Nov.2,1872 I Jan. 3, 1873 Havre Bremen Salisbury Beach N. H Wrecked.... Sailed Nov.2,1872 Missing Feb. 2,187:? lisle of Wight [Wrecked.... Jan. 21, 1873 Off Lisbon Foundered. April .1, 1873 Meagher's Head, N. S Wrecked.. April 4, 1873 [Coast of Sweden Wrecked- July 5, 1873 170 miles from Sambro.N.S. Wrecked.. Sept. 1873 'Strait of Belle Isle (Wrecked.. Sept. C, 1873 Strait of Belle Isle Wrecked.. Oct. 1, 1873 'Bahamas Wrecked.. Sailed Sept. 29, 1873 I [Missing.... iNov. 23, 1873 ! Lat.4721' N. Lon.3531'W.'sunk lAb'tNov.27,1873|Nieuw Dieppe, Holland Wrecked.. Rio Janeiro Nov. 24,1873 Lat.2535'N. Lon.5061'W. Leith New York New York New Orleans.. Rotterdam.... .1A11 lost .130 lost . All lost jAll saved... .IAU lost ,'All saved... 12 lost ;.. 546 lost All saved... All saved... 14 lost Several lost. All saved... All lost 230 lost... | All saved... All saved... Quebec 19. 4 . 5 15 2 Al% X-ew Haven Al% Carilifi' . Ger... Belg. Pommerania Hermann Ludwig Bkt.'.'.' Greenock, 1873 Kingliorn, Scot., 1870 3382 1505 5 22 Al Ham. Am. Pack. Co. New York A 1 Antwerp New York Br.... Br... State of Louisiana. ... Lartiugtun Bkt .. Tin... Glasgow, 1872 Sunderland, 1875 18fi9 4 5 20 !.-> Al State Line Glasgow A 1% Savannah Br.... Br Kate Sc Trn \Vhithy, 1874 Stockton 187s 141(5 1493 4 20 20 Al^j Galveston Br.... Horner Sc Low Walker, 1877.... 19 IU r^ 20 Br.... Br.... Wycliffo Zanzibar T Sc.. T. Sch , Newcastle, 1874 U". Ilartlepool, 1877.. 1252 4 4 20 21 Al% ! :..: Philadelphia Al% New York r Aberfeldv Sch... Ilartlepool, 1875 1 35 1 ' 4 1'J A1V Phil'idelphi-i Span Guillenno Bkt... i i Liverpool 1872 1733 4 i 9Q 2 i STEAMSHIP DISASTERS IN 1882. From the. New York Tribune of Januarys, 133, and republished by special permission. [This list is compiled from records of the American Shipmasters' Association, and of the Uureau Veritas, and from the English shipping registers :] Achilles. British, iron, screw, 1433 tons; built, 1865; Montevideo for New York; stranded Little Egg Harbor, February. Adder. Dutch man-of-war; Ymudieu for Helvoet ; foundered on July 7, 400 miles at sea. Adonis. French, iron, screw, 406 tons; built at Barrow, 1874; Marseilles for Hamburg; foundered near Cape St. Vincent, August 31. Afgar. British, iron, screw, 1007 tons; built at Hull, 1873; Hull for Cronstadt, cargo of coal; sunk by collision in Hull Roads, May 4; one life lost. Alene. British, iron, screw, 1369 tons; builfat Glasgow in 1881 ; sunk by collision with Monitor Nantucket in North River, New York, October 27 ; afterwards raised. Alert. British, iron, screw, 1382 tons; built at Newcastle, 1880; Cardiff for Port Said, coal laden; sunk by collision in Penarth Roads, March 16. Alexander. Swedish, iron, screw, 476 tons; built at Hull, 1858 ; stranded at Sandham, November 4. Alfred. British, iron, screw, 1063 tons; built at Newcastle, 1870; Craral for Glasgow; foundered off Loch-Gau, February 28. Alpha. British, iron, screw, 653 tons ; built at Glasgow, 1863 ; sunk off Miquelon Oct. 21 America. German, iron, screw, 2118 tons; built at Low Walker, England, 1881 ; New York for Hamburg, February I, general cargo; never heard from; 34 lives lost; water ballast vessel. Amulet. German, iron, screw, 970 -tons; built at Glasgow, 1876; Rotterdam forLeith; stranded on South Coquet Island, December 3. Amy. British, iron, screw, 808 tons; built at Sunderland, 1870; from Hobart Town January 6; never heard from; thirty-two lives lost. GIVING THE PARTICULARS RELATING TO EACH DISASTER, ETC. Continued. To. ! Date of Loss. | Location of Loss. Na , t "^ of L 8 ? f ! Eemarks. Loss. Life. Montreal [Sailed Sept. 11, 1878 : Missing All lost Constantinople... Oct. 18,1878 Little Gull Island, L.I. S.. Wrecked All saved... Tybee | Oct. 23, 1878 Scilly Islands Ashore, towed) ; off, sunk.... 'All saved... She was subsequently raised. Hamburg Nov. 25,1878 Off Folkestone Sunk by col... Over 50 lost. Antwerp Sailed Sept. 28, | 1878 ! Missing All lost New York 'Dec. 24, 1878 i Lough Lame, Ireland Wrecked All saved... Reval 'Dec. 14, 1878 Bermuda ; Wrecked All saved... Havre Dec. 1, 1878 Bermuda Wrecked 'All saved... llouen Dec. 10, 1878 At ea Foundered.... Only^saved Liverpool 'Sailed Dec. 17,s 1 1878 : Missing 'All lost | St. Nazaire 'Feb. 17, 1879 ^Entrance to Loire Kiver... Wrecked All saved...! Glasgow Sailed Jan. II, 1 1879 Missing ;A11 lost i Ipswich Feb. 1S79 Gulf Stream Abandoned ...All saved... This vessel had put back to- Phila., Feb. 7, leaking from I dam. by ice, & sailed again. Liverpool March 1,1879 Coast of Ireland Sunk by col... [All saved... TABLE XVIII. The foregoing table is a. full and complete list of steamers in the trans- atlantic trade wrecked and lost since the steamship " Sirius" first crossed the Atlantic Ocean, in the year 183810 1879, inclusive, a period of forty-one years, is reprinted by special per- mission of the American Ship Publishing Company, by whom it was copyrighted, April 19, 1879, an d it was then published as a supplement to the " American Ship." All vessels not marked as side-wheel were screw steamers; those marked thus * were wooden vessels; all the others were built of iron. The compilation of such a schedule is a work of no small magnitude, involving, as it does, careful reference to almost forgotten and dust-covered records of disaster, and an equally careful comparison of the data thus obtained with the various imperfect lists prepared from other sources, which have, from time to time, appeared in the public prints. This list was compiled from records in the archives of the Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company, of New York City, by one of its employes. The details of con- struction of each vessel have been given in every instance in which it was possible to obtain them. The ratings are those of the Board of Inspectors of that standard company, Annie. British, steel, screw, 443 tons; built at Hull 1864; stranded. Antarctique. French, iron, screw, 1833 tons; built in England 1882; Eten for Bor- deaux ; foundered near Eten, November 20. Antisana. British, iron, screw, 1097 tons; built at Liverpool 1880; Odessa for Limerick, November 3, 1881 ; never heard from; thirty-five lives lost. , Apollo. British, iron, screw, 1336 tons; built at Hull 1864; Hull for Trieste, general cargo; sunk by collision 170 miles southwest of Ushant, March 6. Ardanmor. British, iron, screw, 747 tons ; built at Sunderland 1876; Dunkirk for Greenock, November 23, 1881 ; never heard from; twenty-eight lives lost. Ariel. Danish, iron, screw, 377 tons; built at Hull 1865; Newcastle for Pillau; cargo of coal ; stranded at Liebton, January 20. Armenian. British, iron, screw, 1123 tons; built at Durham 1871; Middlesboro' for the Baltic, August i ; never heard from ; thirty-two lives lost. Aros-Castle. British, iron, screw, 140 tons; built at Port Glasgow 1878; Burmesan for Glasgow; stranded in lona Sound, March 10. Arragon. British, ir,on, screw, 1317 tons; built at Glasgow 1869; Avonmouth for Mon- treal ; stranded in Fox Bay, Anticosti, November 30. Asdrubal. British, iron, screw, 1844 tons ; built at Newcastle 1877 ; St. John, N. B., for Bristol, England ; sunk by ice off Cape Race, June 21. 446 APPENDIX. Ashland. American, wooden, paddle, 762 tons; built in 1863; destroyed by fire near New Orleans, July 14. Asia. British, owned by Northwestern Transit Line, Collingwood, Ontario, September 15, for Upper Lakes; foundered; ninety-eight lives lost. Athlete. British, iron, screw, 363 tons; built at Bristol, England, 1855; Bilbao for Swansea, cargo of iron ore ; abandoned at sea, May 20. Athos. British, iron, screw, 1944 tons; built at Glasgow, 1879; owned by Atlas Steam- ship Company, New York for Port au Prince; stranded on Inagua, November 8. Aurora. Austrian, iron, screw, 1828 tons; built at Dumbarton 1869; owned by Austrian Lloyds ; Copenhagen for Constantinople, in ballast ; stranded at Kakalava, February 8. Austral. British, steel, screw, 5588 tons ; built at Glasgow 1881 ; owned by Orient Steam- ship Co. ; from London for Sydney, N. S. W. ; foundered in Sydney Harbor, November 10. Austria. Austrian, iron, screw, 1234 tons; built at Trieste, 1865; owned by Austrian Northwestern Steamship Co. ; destroyed by explosion at Magdeburg, April 8. Avondale. British, iron, screw, 1862 tons; built at Middlesboro 1875; Coosaw for Lon- don; stranded Isaac's Harbor, N. &, August 9. Azalla. British, iron, screw, 1828 tons; built at Low Walker, England, 1877, Reval for ; cargo of grain ; stranded at Arnholdt, January 31. Bahama. British, iron, screw. 1009 tons; built at Stockton, England, 1861 ; owned by Quebec and Gulf Ports Steamship Company ; Porto Rico for New York, general cargo ; foundered off Cape Hatteras, February 10; twenty lives lost. Balder. Swedish, iron, screw, 426 tons; built at Norkoping 1872; Libau for Gothen- burg ; stranded at Blakeback, January 2. Balgairn. British, iron, screw, 4000 tons; built at Aberdeen, 1882; stranded on Learsay Island, near Loch Carnan, while on trial trip, October 12. Ballater. British, iron, screw, 741 tons ; built at Aberdeen 1876; Libau for Liverpool, cargo of grain; foundered in harbor of Libau, November 19. Ballina. British, iron, screw, 341 tons; built at Barrow, 1878; Liverpool for Larne, January 5 ; never heard from; 40 lives lost; (loaded until PlimsolPs Mark was out of sight.) Banda. Dutch, iron, screw, 445 tons; built at Port Glasgow, 1874; owned by Nether- land-India Steam Navigation Company; Brina for Nangamussie; capsized in Sapi Strait?, April 20 ; one lost. Barletta. Italian, iron, screw, 843 tons; built at Glasgow in 1864; Taganrog for Gibral- tar; cargo of grain; stranded at Oporto, March 14. Bassac. Foundered near Raz-el-Garab in February. Beballos. Spanish; stranded at Cienfuegos, September 5. Bella Mac, American, Mississippi River steamboat ; destroyed by explosion at La Crosse, Wis., April 7; six lives lost; built in 1879. Bendigo. British, iron, screw, 1414 tons; built at Barrow in 1877; owned by Bendigo Steamship Company, Liverpool ; foundered 140 miles west of Tuskar, Oct. I ; two lives lost. Blenheim. British, iron, screw, 1163 tons; built at Hartlepool, England, 1877; London for Belize, Honduras; stranded at Eleuthera, August n. Borrowdale. British, iron, screw, 1528 tons; built at Sunderland, 1873; Messina for Odessa; stranded in the Dardanelles June 18 (no look-out at all; the captain not on the bridge ; the mate on watch attending to other duties ; vessel in charge of herself going at eight knots). Bucar, St. French, iron, screw, 1725 tons; built at Dumbarton 1881; Ibrall for Mar- seilles, cargo of grain ; stranded and wrecked at Riva, May 23. Buckeye State. American ; Mississippi River steamboat ; stranded at Louisville, Aug. 1 1. Cambrian. French, iron, sere-,/, 958 tons; built at Southampton 1860; Bordeaux for Alicante ; foundered near Bordeaux, October 30. APPENDIX. 447 Cambronne. French, iron, screw, 742 tons; built at Newcastle 1877; sunk by collision i i British Channel, November 27 ; fourteen lives lost. Cardiff. British, iron, screw, 1041 tons; built at Newcastle 1875; Cardiff for Genoa; stranded and wrecked on the Barlings, September 20. .Cassiar. British, iron, screw, 290 tons; built in 1879; cargo of railway materials; stranded in Fraser River, British Columbia, April. Cats. Dutch, iron, screw, 274 tons; built at Slikerveer 1881 ; Riga for Rotterdam, July 27 ; never heard from ; thirty-four lives lost. Cedar Grove. British, iron, screw, 2181 tons; built at Hayleton, England, 1882; Lon- don for Halifax ; stranded off Cape Canso, November 30; five lives lost. Charlton. British, iron, screw, 1218 tons; built at Middlesboro' in 1869; Newcastle for Hong Kong; never heard from, cargo of coal; forty-two lives lost. Chilian. British, iron, screw, 2114 tons; built at Glasgow 1871 ; owned by West Indies and Liverpool Steamship Company ; Liverpool for Barbadoes; stranded Magdalena River, P'ebruary 17. Chrysolite. British, iron, screw, 1045 tons; built at Stockton, England, 1881 ; Cardiff for Salina; slranded near St. Stephano, October 27. Cienfuegos. Spanish; stranded near Cienfuegos, September 5. ity of Antwerp. British, iron, screw, 731 tons; built at Sunderland 1881 ; Workington for Antwerp; sunk by collision off Eddystone Light, October 17. City of Limerick. British, iron, screw, 2536 tons; built at Greenock, Scotland, 1855; owned by Centaur Steamship Line, London; New York for London, January 8;- never heard from ; thirty-two lives lost. City of Sandford. American, wooden, 145 tons; owned at Jacksonville, Florida; burned near Jacksonville, April 24 ; nine lives lost. Clan Campbell. British, Iron, screw, 2434 tons; built at Glasgow 1882; owned by Clan Steamship Line ; Capetown for Glasgow ; stranded at Mauritius, September 20. Clan Stuart. British, iron, screw, 2094 tons; built at Glasgow 1879; owned by Clan Steamship Line, Liverpool ; Kurrachee for Liverpool; stranded near Persin, October 18; afterwards floated. Clinton. American, iron, screw, 1187 tons; built at Wilmington 1863; burned in Wil- mington, September 2. Cleveland. British, iron, screw, 1 210 tons; built at Newcastle 1872; Grimsby for the Baltic, with cargo of coal^ January 4 ; never heard from ; twenty-four lives lost. Coban. British, iron, screw, 1055 tons; built at Sunderland 1882; Cow Bay, N. S., for Montreal; stranded near Cow Bay, June 19. Collingwood. American, wooden, paddle; destroyed by fire, May 22. Colon. Spanish, iron, screw, 742 tons; built at Seacombe 1871 ; wrecked during hurri- cane in Cuba, October 12. Comeet. Dutch, iron, screw, 767 tons; built at Middlesboro' in 1871; owned by Neder- land Steamship Company; Bari for Amsterdam; sunk by collision near Gibraltar Rock, September 29. Constance. British, iron, screw, 369 tons; built at Paisley 1881 ; stranded at Goswick Bay, October 7 ; afterwards floated. Conatio. German, iron, screw, 1041 tons; built at West Hartlepool 1875; Theodosia for Rotterdam, cargo of wheat ; never heard from after sailing, February I ; 28 lives lost. Cosmo. British, iron, screw, 1009 tons; built at Dumbarton, Scotland, 1879; Galveston for Sebastopo^ cargo of grain ; foundered in the Black Sea, February 6 ; 27 lives lost. Craiglands. British, iron, screw, 1113 tons ; built at West Hartlepool 1879 ; stranded in Gulf of Bothnia, September. 448 APPENDIX. Crest. British, iron, screw, 1696 tons; built at Sunderland, 1877 ; for New York; stranded on Isle of St. Sebastian, December 16. Crosby. British, iron, screw, 1814 tons; built at North Shields in 1880; Newport for Ancona, cargo of coal; stranded on coast of Portugal, August 31. Curfew. British, iron, screw, 815 tons; built at Dundee, 1877; Cronstadt for London; cargo of gi'ain; abandoned off Spurn, November n. Dallam Tower. British, iron, screw, 2055 tons ; built at Stockton, 1880 ; New Orleans for Rotterdam, September 7, cargo of grain ; never heard from ; thirty-three lives lost. Dan. Danish, iron, screw, 958 tons ; built at Renfrew, 1882; Cronstadt for Dunkirk; stranded near Salvanef, September 30 ; afterwards floated. Dana. Danish, iron, screw, 1026 tons; built at Malma, 1875 '> Reval for Dunkirk, cargo of grain; stranded near Hittark, May 12. Dartmore. British, iron, screw, 1609 tons; built at Stockton, 1881 ; Ibrail for Glasgow r cargo of grain; sunk by collision near Glasgow, August 13; afterwards raised. De Gray. British, iron, screw, 1000 tons; Currachee for Calcutta; foundered in Gulf of Cutch, December 6. Delphin. British, iron, screw, 641 tons ; bound for Hartlepool ; sunk by collision, May 26. Diana. German, iron, screw, 263 tons ; built at Flensburg ; Flensburg for Libau ; sunk by collision near Libau, April 14. Dora. British, iron, screw, 861 tons; built at West Hartlepool, 1876; from Tynemouth ; abandoned, April 18. Douro. British, iron, screw, 2846 tons; built at Greenock, 1865; owned by Royal Mail Steamship Company, London; Brazil for Southampton; sunk by collision off Cape Fin- isterce, April I ; thirty-four lives V>st. Dover. American, wood, paddle, 327 tons ; built in 1862; Havana for Mobile ; foundered in Tampa Bay, January I. Druid. British, iron, screw, 696 tons; built at Middlesboro', 1865 ; stranded near Bilbao, July 20. Durley. British, iron, screw, 950 tons; built at Jarrow, 1867; from Constantinople; stranded on Cape Cara, January 8. Edam. Dutch, iron, screw, 3300 tons ; built at Dumbarton, 1881 ; owned by Netherlands- American Steam Navigation Company, Rotterdam ; New York for Rotterdam ; sunk by col- lision 350 miles east of Sandy Hook, September 21 ; two lives lost ; general cargo. Eglinton. British, iron, screw, 186 tons; built at Paisley, 1877; Grimsby for Shetland ; stranded on Fagot Rock, April 22. Ella Constance. British, iron, screw, 656 tons; built at Stockton, 1858; stranded near Lochbay, April 16. Ems. British, iron, screw, 207 tons ; built at Hull, 1857 ; Wick for Stettin ; stranded near Proudfoot, July 17. Escambia. British, iron, screw, 2154 tons; built at Sunderland, 1879 > owned by Escam- bia Steamship Company, Liverpool ; San Francisco for St. Vincent, wheat cargo ; capsized near San Francisco, June 19; sixteen lives lost. Ethelwin. British, iron, screw, 916 tons; built at Sunderland, 1878 ; Bilbao for Rotter- dam ; sunk by collision off Rozenburg, June 25. Ethiopia. British, iron, screw, 1761 tons ; built at Liverpool, 1873 ; foundered off Loango, September 9. Europe. British, iron, screw, 814 tons ; built at Port Glasgow, 1873 ; Amoy for Shanghai ; stranded in Waga Straits, China, September 8. Evadne. British, iron, screw, 1031 tons; built at Stockton, 1869; Hull for Reval; stranded at Torckou, January 26. APPENDIX. 449 Fiona. British, iron, screw, 439 tons; built at Glasgow. 1874; Sydney for Brisbane j stranded on Seal Rock Point, N. S. W., February n. Fleurs Castle. British, iron, screw, 247 2tons; built at Glasgow, 1874; China for New- York, cargo of tea ; stranded near Ras Asir, July 9 ; several lives lost. Flora. German, iron, screw, 314 tons ; built at North Shields, 1872 ; owned by Lubeck Steamship Company, Lubeck; Lubeck for Libau; stranded near Prerow, January i. Fomento. Spanish, iron, screw, 207 tons; built at Preston, 1860; owned by Spanish Gov- ernment; stranded during hurricane^n Cuba, October 12. Frankland. British, iron, screw, 746 totvs; built at Sunderland, 1869; from London, cargo- of coal ; sunk by collision near Gravesend, February 5. Garnet. British, iron, screw, 1824 tons; built at Glasgow, 1878; Calcutta for London ~ stranded at Seaford, February 15. General Court. French, iron, screw, 380 tons ; built in 1862 ; Cardiff for Barcelona, cargo- of coal ; foundered in Bay of Finisterre, October 4. George Wascoe. British, iron, screw, 647 tons; built at Sunderland, 1871 ; Shields for Messina; sunk by collision, January 9, near Lisbon ; afterwards raised. Gerarda. British ; Newcastle for Genoa, cargo of coal ; sunk by collision in the English Channel, October 24. Germania. German, iron, screw, 636 tons; built at Sunderland, 1867. Gladys. British, iron, screw, 1601 tons; built at Westlepool, 1872; for Sunderland ;-. stranded near Sunderland, December 5. Glen Gelden. British, iron, screw, 790 tons ; built at Aberdeen, 1881 ; stranded near Port Talbot, March 9. Glenwilliam. British, iron, screw, 365 tons; b'lilt at Paisley, 1880; sunk at Havre, Feb- ruary 16; afterwards raised. Gold Dust. America, burned by an explosion, August 7 ; twenty-two lives lost. Golden City. American, wood, Mississippi River steamboat; destroyed by explosion at New Orleans, March 30 f twenty-three lives lost. Grandholm. British, iron, screw, 369 tons; built at Aberdeen, 1879 '> St. Malo for Camp- belltown, cargo of grain; stranded on Balleyteigne Burrow, November 23. Guaniguanico. Spanish, iron, screw, 1061 tons; stranded during a hurricane in Cuba,. October 12. Gulf of Finland. British, iron, screw, 2323 tons ; built at West Hartlepocl, 1880 ; owned? by Greenock Steamship Company, Greenock ; London for Sydney ; stranded near Aden,, October 19. Gulf of Panama. British, iron, screw, 1592 tons; built at Newcastle, 1880^ owned by Greenock Steamship Company, Greenock ; Mediterranean for Bremen; stranded near Texel, October 30 ; twenty-five lives lost. Guy Mannering. British, iron, screw, 2815 tons; built at Newcastle, 1873; Havre for Birkenhead ; burned near Tripoli, August 5 ; two lives lost. Hartlepool. British, iron, screw, 555 tons; built at Sunderland, 1865; Newport for St. Nazaire; stranded near Newport, England, April 2; afterwards raised. Harriet. British, iron, screw, 504 tons; built at North Shields, 1857 ; Cow Bay for Yar- mouth, N. S. ; stranded and wrecked, entrance to Pubnico Harbor, December 14. Henry Fisher. British, iron, screw, 533 tons; built at Newcastle, 1878; stranded near Port Talbot, March 9. Henry Scholefield. British, iron, screw, 622 tons ; built at Sunderland, 1872 ; stranded at St. Bees Head, January 6. Herder. ' Belgian, iron, screw, 2313 tons; built at Glasgow, 1873; owned by the Ham- burg- American Packet Company, Hamburg ; New York for Hamburg ; stranded three miles from Cape Race, October 10. 29 450 APPENDIX. Herlha. German, iron, screw, 531 tons; built at Bergen, 1880; Leith for Caen; missing after sailing on February 9 ; twenty-two lives lost. Hesledan. British, iron, screw, 1536 tons; built at West Hartlepool, 1876 ; cargo of coal; burned. Hoche. French, iron, screw, 1148 tons; built at Jarrow, 1871 ; owned by Soc. Rouen de Trans. Maritime, Rouen ; Rouen for Cardiff"; stranded and wrecked on Hartland Point, July 2. Holyrood. British, iron, screw, 555 tons; built at Glasgow, 1852; Saigon for Singapore, cargo of rice ; foundered at sea, May . Hong Kong. British, iron, screw, 1476 tons ; built at Newcastle, 1881; stranded and wrecked at Haitan, August 13. Huntingtower. British, iron, screw, 2408 tons; built at Newcastle, 1881 ; stranded on Ras Garib, November 28. Iduria. French, iron, screw, 394 tons; built at Flensburg, 1879; sun k by collision in River Niger, November I. Intrepid. British, iron, screw, 1470 tons ; built at Sunderland, 1879 ; Odessa for Malta ; grain ; stranded in Marmora Sea, January 30. lona. British, iron, screw, 909 tons; built at Glasgow, 1866; owned by London and Edinburgh Steamship Co., Leith; London for Leith ; stranded near Inchkeith, March 20. Iron Era. British, iron, screw, 494 tons; built at Stockton, 1856 ; Gothenburg for Lon. don; foundered 100 miles east of Spurn in the North Sea, June 5. James W. Barber. Belgian, iron, screw, 1443 tons; built at Stockton, 1868; Antwerp for Odessa; stranded near Cape Fountain Lighthouse, November 25. Jan May en. British, iron, screw, 337 tons; built at Peterhead, 1859; owned by Tay Whale Fishing Co., Dundee ; sunk by ice in Baffin's Bay, April 22. Jean Dupuis. French, iron, screw, 419 tons; Clyde for Saigon ; foundered, February 4. John Beaumont. British, 'iron, screw, 165 tons; built at Kinghorn, 1876; stranded near Port Edgar, January 6. John Redhead. British, iron, screw, 1695 tons; built at South Shields, 1882; Newcastle for Cronstadt ; cargo of coal ; sunk by ice near Leskar, April 28. John Wilson. American ; Washington for New Orleans ; foundered in Atchafalaya River, July 1 6. Junon. French, iron, screw, 1082 tons , built at Hull, 1861 ; Salonica for Constantinople ; stranded Marmora Sea, February 14. Kate Forster. British, iron, screw, 580 tons; built at Newcastle, 1879; Newcastle for Oporto ; stranded near Aveiro, October 15. King-Coal. British, iron, screw, 763 tons ; built at North Shields, 1871 ; Newcastle for Hamburg, cargo of coal ; standed near Vogelsand, August 4. Kittiwake. British, iron, screw, 341 tons; built at Glasgow, 1866; Isle of Whithorn for Liverpool ; cargo of grain ; stranded in Whithorn Harbor, March 6. Lake Ontario. British, iron, screw, 1113 tons; built at Glasgow, 1868; foundered in Beautharnois Canal, August 18. Lanarkshire. British, iron, screw, 949 tons ; built at Port Glasgow, 1871; Glasgow for Lisbon ; cargo of coal ; foundered off Wicklow, January 15. Largo Bay. British, iron, screw, 1700 tons; built at Hebburn, 1881; stranded and vf recked near Mabbella, December 10. Larpool. British, iron, screw, 1288 tons; built at Sunderland, 1880; stranded in Kirten Breakwater, April 9. Lersundi. Spanish, iron, screw, 292 tons ; built in 1866 ; owned by Southern Navigation Co. ; stranded in a hurricane in Cuba, October 12. Lesreaux. British, iron, screw, 1316 tons ; built at Sunderland, 1880; Bilbao for Cardiff; iron ore; stranded in Penarth Roads, February 22; afterwards floated. APPENDIX. 451 Libau. French, iron, screw 382 tons; built at Preston, 1881 ; St. Malo; Bilbao for New- port ; iron ore ; stranded on Tuskar Rocks, March 28. Liddesdale. British, iron, screw, 1735 tons ; built at Sunderland, 1877; New Orleans for Keval ; cargo of cotton ; stranded near Trepassey, December 4. Lion. British, iron, screw, 393 tons ; built at Greenock, 1866 ; St. Johns for Trinity Bay, coal and provisions ; foundered near Baccalien Island, January 6 ; forty-three lost. ' Lipp. Belgian, iron, screw, 491 tons; built at Dundee, 1867 ; Bilbao for Antwerp, iron ore ; foundered near Bilbao, January 17. Livadia. British, iron, screw, 1447 tons; built at South Shields, 1877; South Shields for Alexandria, cargo of coal; stranded on Cross Sands, February 28. Llangollen. British, iron, screw, 1752 tons ; built at Newcastle, 1881 ; Cardiff for Cadiz, cargo of coal ; stranded near Peniche, Portugal, August 3. Llanishaw. British, iron, screw, 1035 tons ; built at Newcastle, 1875 ; Malta for Constan- tinople ; stranded near Taganrog, March 20. Llewellyn. British, iron, screw, 359 tons; built at Sydney, N. S. W., 1875: stranded near Sydney, N. S. \V., July 18. Lloyds. British, iron, screw, 888 tons; built at Newcastle, 1869; Newcastle for Copen- hagen; stranded near Stubben, January 17, afterwards floated. Loch Awe. British, iron, screw, 554 tons ; built at Glasgow, 1878 ; owned by Dundee Lock Line Steamship Company, Dundee ; Burntisland for Aarnus; foundered near Shagorack, January 7. Lockyer. British, iron, screw, 2072 tons ; built at Sunderland, 1881 ; Calcutta for Lon- don, January 15 ; not heard from ; forty-seven lives lost. Lord Bute. British, iron, screw, 754 tons; built at Low Walker, 1868; Newcastle for "Valencia, cargo of coal ; not heard from since ; forty-two lives lost. Lord Nelson. British, iron, screw, 1780 tons; built at Newcastle, 1871 ; Malta for Ant- werp ; lost at sea, October. Louise. Danish, iron, screw, 1113 tons ; built at Copenhagen, 1872 ; stranded near Copen- hagen, January 17. Luneburg. British, iron, screw, 815 tons; built at Sunderland, 1872; Bilbao for London, iron ore ; stranded and broke in two near Bilbao, February 20. Mallard. British, iron, screw, 939 tons; built at Greenock, Scotland, 1871 ; New York for Belize, general cargo ; stranded on Central American coast, September 14. Malma. British, iron, screw, 2959 tons ; built at Greenock, 1873; owned by Peninsular and Oriental Steamship Co., Greenock ; Brindish for India ; sunk by collision in the uez Roads, November 25. Malmochus. Sweden, iron, screw, 1400 tons; from Oskarshaum ; foundered Calenar Sound, January 17 ; fifteen lives lost. Manila. Spanish, iron, screw, 2620 tons; built at Glasgow, 1867 ; owned by Marquis de Campo, Cadiz ; Spain for West Indies ; stranded near St. Johns, Porto Rico, May u. Manna. British, iron, screw, 1056 tons; built at West Hartlepool, 1881 ; stranded near Syra, February 3. Marguerite. British, iron, screw, 470 tons; built at Port Glasgow, 1872; Glasgow for Algiers, cargo of coal; foundered 100 miles off Sciliy Isles, January 6. Marmion. British, iron, screw, 946 tons; built at Hartlepool, 1871; stranded on the Gulf of Bothnia, in May. Mary Tatham. British, iron, screw, 1664 tons; built at Sunderland, 1879; Hong Kong for Portland; stranded near Cape Jermio, Japan, April ; afterward floated, and founderea three miles from Hovoidzumi, while in tow, on August 31. Merlin. British, iron, screw, 1050 tons; built at Newcastle, 1878; bound for St. Johns N. F. ; stranded near Burges, N. F., October 31. 452 APPENDIX. Milo. British, iron, screw, 1050 tons; built at Glasgow, 1865 ; T. Wilson, Sons & Co.,. Hull; sunk by collision, ten miles from South Copelands, April 27. Mobile. British, iron,' screw, 1409 tons; built at Glasgow, 1879; owned by Gulf Steam- ship Co., Glasgow; stranded near Apalachicola in September. Moravian. British, iron, screw, 3567 tons; built at Greenock, Scotland, 1864; stranded near Yarmouth, N. S., December 31, 1881. Morea. British, iron, screw, 1054 tons; built at Hartlepool, 1879; Odessa for London^ cargo of grain; sailed November 15, 1881, and not heard from since ; thirty four lives lost. Morning'Star. British, iron, screw, 1 121 tons; built at West Haitlepool, 1882 ; Bilbao- for Rotterdam; cargo of iron ore; stranded and wrecked near Vieuxboucan, October 26. Musel. German, iron, screw, 3200 tons; built at Greenock, 1872; owned by North German Lloyd, Bremen ; Bremen for New York ; stranded on Lizard Point, August 9. Moskwa. Russian, iron, screw, 2946 tons; built at Greenock, 1867; Singapore for Odessa, cargo of tea; stranded near Ras Hatur, July 9. Na'hkin. British, iron, screw, 2423 tons; built at Newcastle, 1872 ; New York for Liv- erpool ; sunk by collision in New York Harbor, May 6. Napier. British, iron, screw, 1927 tons; built at Newcastle, 1881 ; Kertch for Hull; stranded in Kertch Straits, November 27. Nestor. British, iron, screw, 438 tons; built at Sunderland, 1868; Hamburg for London; sunk by collision in the Elbe, October 26. New England. British, iron, screw, 360 tons; built at Glasgow, 1868; foundered in Clarence river, N. S. W., December 24; all (about 130) lost. New Era. British, iron, screw, 630 tons; Chatham, N. B., for Newcastle, N. B. ; sunk by collision near Chatham, September 7. Nordsee. Russian, iron, screw, 812 tons; built at Hull, 1854; Cronstadt for Grimsby; stranded near Liilegrunded, November 10. Norfolk. British, iron, screw, 3196 tons; built at Blackwalls, Eng., 1879; Reval for Rouen ; cargo of grain ; sailed December 16, 1881, and never heard from ; thirty-four lives lost. North Eastern. British, iron, screw, 1069 tons; built at Sunderland, 1871; Granton for Copenhagen ; cargo of coal ; sailed January 6, and never heard from ; twenty lives lost. North Star. British, iron, screw, 489 tons ; whaling vessel ; crushed by ice near Point Barrow, July 8. Nouvelle Bretagne. French, iron, screw, 380 tons; built in 1873; stranded at Manila, October 23. Nuphar. British, iron, screw, 1963 tons; built at Newcastle, iSSi ; Newcastle for Phila- delphia; stranded near Seabright, N. J., September 23; afterwards floated. Olaf. Danish, iron, screw, 1539 tons; built at Renfrew, 1875; owned by Carl Steam- ship Company, Kjobenhaven ; Hadikswall for Barcelona ; abandoned near Gothenburg, February 13. Olbers. German, iron, screw, 528 tons; built at Hamburg, 1880; owned by Neptune Steamship Co., Bremen ; Sunderland for Cronstadt, cargo of coal ; abandoned, April 29. Ontario. Spanish, iron, screw, 3175 tons; stranded near Cienfugos, September 5. Oscar. British, iron, screw, 355 tons^; built at Dumbarton, 1850; London for Middle- boro ; cargo of grain ; stranded near Terschelling, July 16. Ostsee. German, iron, screw, 345 tons; built at Northfleet, 1871; owned by Lubeck Steamship Co., Lubeck; Konigsberg for Lubeck ; stranded near Jasmund, January 18. Otto Eichmann. German, iron, screw, 1294 tons ; built at Jarrow, 1879 ; Blyth for Ham- burg, October 23 ; cargo of coal; never heard from ; thirty-four lives lost. Paladin. British, iron, screw, 1375 tons; built at Glasgow, 1872; stranded at Parcels, November 6. APPENDIX. 453 Paola. German, iron, screw, 1040 tons ; built at Sunderland, 1882 ; cargo of mineral ore ; foundered near Pomaron, April 18. Payta. Chilian Government transport; 997 tons; built in 1864; Valapaiaiso for Callao ; stranded near Sarco. Pelton. British, iron, screw, 816 tons; built at Low Walker, 1876; Cardiff for Havre ; foundered off Ilfracombe, March 20. Penedo. British; iron, screw, 1129 tons; built at Dumbarton, 1864; owned by Bahia Steamship Navigation Co., Bahia; Brazil for Glasgow ; broken in two near Maderia, May 8 ; four lives lost. Pera. British, iron, screw, 2119 tons ; built at London, 1855 ; Quebec for London ; sunk by ice, June 10. Peruvian. British, iron, screw, 3400 tons; built at Glasgow, 1873; Montreal for Liver- pool; sunk by collision in River Mersey, December 5 ; afterwards floated. Petrel. Spanish, iron, screw, 841 tons; Barbadoes for Tobago ; foundered at sea. Pfeil. German, iron, screw, 853 tons; built at Newcastle, 1872; Hartlepool for Ham- burg; sunk by collision near Hamburg, January 18. Phoenix. British, sloop-of-war ; stranded on coast of Prince Edward's Island in July. Pliny. British, iron, screw, 1674 tons ; built at Barrow, 1878 ; owned by Liverpool, Brazil and Rio Plata Navigation Company; from Rio Janeiro for New York ; stranded on Deal Beach, May 13. Portugalett. British, iron, screw, 600 tons; built at Jarrow-on-Tyne, 1877; Bilbao for Cardiff; cargo of iron ore ; foundered in English Channel, February 24. Preston. British, iron, screw, 2349 tons; built at West Hartlepool, 1882; New York for Newcastle; stranded at Berwick, October 14; afterward floated. Primus. British, iron, screw, 656 tons; built at Sunderland, 1865 ; Middlesboro' for New- port; cargo of iron ore; sunk by collision and broke in two at Newport, January 10. Principia. British, iron, screw, 2749 tons ; built at Newcastle, 1881 ; owned by Principia Steamship Company, London; Bombay for Hull, grain cargo; sunk by collision near Port Said, March i. Progress. British, iron, screw,"267 tons; built at Port Glasgow, 1880; Quebec for Peru- vian ports; burned at Green Island, May 16; three lives-lost. R. M. Hunton. British, iron, screw, 977 tons; built at Whitby, 1872; Alexandria for Bristol ; cargo of cotton-seed ; foundered at mouth of Avon, January 6. R. W. Boyd. 'British, iron, screw, 1307 tons; built at South Shields, 1880; Shields for Constantinople, cargo of coal; stranded near Black Middens, March 22 ; afterwards floated. Raleigh. British, iron, screw, 1347 tons; built at Barrow, 1881 ; stranded near Queens- land, March 18. Ranelagh. British, iron, screw, 836 tons ; built at Kinghorn, 1861 ; owned by Australian Steam Navigation Company, Sydney ; Sydney for Brisbane ; stranded and wrecked on the King's Reef, May n. Red Star. British, iron, screw, 1549 tons ; built at Sumderland, 1876; Salini for Queens- town, cargo of barley ; foundered in harbor of Salina, October 13 ; three lives lost. Renpor. British, iron, screw, 1323 tons; built at Sunderland, 1874 ; West Hartlepool for New York, cargo of pig-iron and general merchandise; sunk by ice on the banks of New- foundland, April 13. Regent. British, iron, screw, 2350 tons; built at Sunderland, 1881 ; owned by Regent Steamship Company, Liverpool ; Cardiff for New Orleans ; abandoned in sinking condition at sea, December 12 ; cargo of railroad iron. Riga. British, iron, screw. 1440 tons; built at Hebburn, 1 86 5, cargo of coal; stranded near Alexandria, November 10. Rio Apa. French, iron, screw, 254 tons; built at Havre, 1868; Havre for Bayonne ; sunk by collision near Raz de Seine, July 16 ; seven lives lost. 454 APPENDIX. Rio Grande. American, iron, screw, 2566 tons; built at Chester, Pa., 1876; burned and sunk in Delaware River, May 17 ; afterwards raised. River Forth. British, iron, screw, 11*27 tons ; built at Belfast, 1882; cargo of coal; abandoned at sea in November. Riverain. French, iron, screw, 742 tons; stranded at Blaye, February 27. Robert E. Lee. American, Mississippi River steamer ; built at St. Louis, 1869 ; destroyed by fire opposite Point Pleasant, September 30; twenty lives lost. (Was the fastest boat on the river and carried the silver horns. In a race against the Natchez in 1870 made iSj^ miles. an hour, burning all the cotton freight and cabin furniture.) Rochdale. British, iron, screw, 1491 tons; built at South Shields, 1878; Sebastopol for England ; cotton cargo ; burned and scuttled at Sebastopol, April 20. Rodgers. United States Navy search vessel for the Jeannette ; burned in Lutka Harbor, Siberia, November, 1881. Roland. German, iron, screw, 603 tons ; built at Shields, 1855 ; Libau for Rotterdam; stranded at Terschelling, March 6. Romania. British, iron, screw, 1297 tons ; built at Sunderland, 1882 ; owned by Romania Steamship Co., London ; Galatz for Amsterdam ; cargo of grain ; foundered on the Island of Bannee in November; one life lost. Rosebud. British, iron, screw, 735 tons; built at Newcastle, 1878; Newport for Cardiff, England ; cargo of coal ; sunk by collision off Land's End, February 15 ; four lives lost. Rosvik. Russian; stranded in Lake Wener, August 24 ; one life lost. Rotterdam. British, iron, screw, 650 tons; Newport for Oporto ; cargo of coal; stranded and wrecked at Torianna, August 23. Royal City. British, iron, screw, 459 tons ; built in 1875 ; capsized May 17, near Victo- ria, Vancouver Island. St. Albans. British, iron, screw, 2037 tons; built at Liverpool, 1880; owned by St. Albans Steamship Co., Liverpool ; Kraina for Sydney, N. S. W. ; stranded in Botany Bay, May 17. St. George. British, iron, screw, 548 tons ; built at Glasgow, 1881 ; Swansea for Nantes ; cargo of coal ; foundered near Swansea, November 28 ; eleven lives lost. St. Pauli. German, iron, screw, 979 tons; built at Sunderland, 1880; Grimsby for Rosario ; cargo of railroad iron ; foundered in the Bay of Biscay, March 2. Salvador. American, wooden, paddle, 1050 tons;- built at Wilmington, Del., 1861 ; owned by Pacific Mail Steamship Co. ; stranded on St. Lucas Island, in April. San Augustin. French, iron, screw, 233 tons; built at St. Malo, 1874; Bordeaux for Mexico; stranded near Ferrol in October. San Jose. Spanish, iron, screw, 660 tons ; stranded and wrecked at Cape Horn, May 31. Savernake. British, iron, screw, 633 tons ; built at Sunderland, 1872; Yembo for Con- stantinople ; stranded near Yembo, January 2. Scud. British, iron, screw, 482 tons; built at Popla, 1861 ; Boston for Halifax; stranded on Owen's Reef, N. S., August 8. Secret. British, iron, screw, 397 tons; built at Dumbarton, 1847 ; Hartlepool for Ply- mouth ; cargo of coal ; stranded on Kensingland Beach, October 28 ; twelve lives lost. Severn. British, iron, screw, 291 tons; built at Barrow, 1880; foundered off Kors Fjord, July II. Silkstone. British, iron, screw, 393 tons; built at Sunderland, 1880; sunk by collision near Waterford, August 3. Snowdoun. British, iron, screw, 527 tons; built at Glasgow, 1854; owned by Leith, Hull & Hamburg Steamship Company ; Leith for Hull ; foundered in the Humber River, September I. APPENDIX. 455 Spes et Fides. Norwegian, iron, screw, from Christiana ; stranded near Ormedyngen, February 20. Spey. British, iron, screw, 1004 tons; built at Dundee, 1879; stranded near Selby, October i. Stadrath Geese. German, iron, screw, 225 tons; built at Grabo, 1876; owned by Col- burg Steamship Co., Colburg; Livau for Stettin; cargo of grain; foundered off Colburg, June 19. Stanton. British, iron, screw, .800 tons ; built at Sunderland, 1870; Sunderland for Con- stadt; cargo of coal * stranded near Hamra, April 21 ; afterwards raised. Storm Queen. British, iron, screw, 2129 tons; built at Wallsand, 1880; Sebastopol for Constantinople, in January ; never heard from ; thirty-three lives lost. Strathmore. British, iron, screw, 2138 tons; built at Middlesboro', 1878; Savannah for Bremen; stranded near Callansburg, December 3. Sunrise. British, iron, screw, 2113 tons ; built at Stockton, 1882; Bombay for Antwerp ; cargo of cotton ; stranded near Finnisterre, June 20. Tcherkask. Russian, iron, screw, 1 198 tons ; built at Newcastle, 1867 ; owned by Russian Steam Navigation Co., Odessa; Odessa for Constantinople; stranded in the Black Sea, February n. Teesdale. British, iron, screw, 307 tons; built at Middlesboro,' 1876; stranded near London, January 26. i Teutonia. German, iron, screw, 1770 tons ; built at South Shields, 1872 ; Lubeck for St. Petersburg - f stranded at Lillymud, near Hamra, October 8. Thessalia. British, iron, screw, 1857 tons; built at Glasgow, 1855; Cardiff for Naples, cargo of coal ; stranded near Villa Nova de Milfontes, March 20. Thesis. British, iron, screw, 830 tons ; Liverpool for Galway ; stranded near Black Rock, January 12. " Thomas Lea. British, iron, screw, 634 tons; built at Newcastle, 1864; sunk by collision near Southend, October 26. Thomas Vaughn. British, iron, screw, 645 tons; built at Middlesboro', 1871; White- haven for Rotterdam, cargo of iron ore ; sailed January 7 and never heard from ; thirty-six lives lost. Tiber. British iron, screw, 1134 tons; built at Glasgow, 1866; owned by Mercantile Steamship Company, London ; St. Thomas for* Havana; foundered off Porto Plata, Feb. 17. Times. British, iron, screw, 303 tons ; built at Glasgow, 1851 ; owned by Belfast General Coasting Steamship Company, Belfast. Titania. British, iron, screw, 1963 tons; built at Middlesboro',, 1879 ; New York for Newcastle, January 24 ; never heard from ; thirty-four lives lost. Troubadour. British, iron, screw, 1575 tons; built at North Shields, 1878; Odessa for Liverpool, cargo of grain ; strande 1 near Gape Ingerbournous, August 6. Vagliano Brothers. Greek, iron, screw, 1280 tons; built at Sunderland, 1878; Taganrog for Rouen, cargo of linseed; stranded in Serroux Roads in November. Valley City. American, wood, screw, 319 tons; built at Philadelphia, 1859; Tampa Bay for Pensacola; foundered near Pensacola, January 23. Vanguard. British, iron, screw, 905 tons; built at Newcastle, 1872; Lisbon for London, February 26, cargo of mineral ; never heard from ; forty-three lives lost. Vendome. British, iron, screw, 418 tons; built at Sunderland, 188^2 ; Neath for Rouen; sunk by collision near Croisset, September 23. Vesta. Russian, iron, screw, 1030 tons; sunk by collision in the Black Sea, February 24; fifty lives lost. Viking. British, iron, screw, 1031 tons; Mackay for Maryborough; stranded in Broad Sound, Austral! .1, April 10. -456' APPENDIX. Ville de Lille. French, iron, screw, 1077 tons; built at Antwerp, 1877; Cronstadt for .Dunkirk; stranded near Faroe, October 17. Vindobala. British, iron, screw, 1744 tons; built at Hebburn, 1879; Shields for Bombay; -stranded in the Red Sea, May 10. Virago. British, iron, screw, 1823 tons; built at Hull, 1871 ; Hull for Odessa, May 31 ; never heard from ; thirty-four lives lost. Volga. British, iron, screw, 836 tons; built at Hull, 1862; Bilbao for London, cargo of iron ore; stranded near Bilbao, March 18. Voorwaarts. Dutch, iron, screw, 2716 tons; built at Glasgow, 1871 ; Batavia for Amster- dam ; stranded near Ganzirrio, April 23. Vulcan. British, iron, screw, 530 tons ; Middlesboro' for Grangemouth ; stranded near Kirkcaldy, October 16. W. D. C. Balls. British, iron, screw, 1251 tons; built at South Shields, 1878; Shields for Lyham, cargo of coal ; stranded near Cape de Yarte, June 18. W. R. Rickett. British, iron, screw, 803 tons; built at Sunderland, 1871; Cardiff for Gibralta), cargo of coal; stranded near Figueria, April 27 ; two lives lost. Wambe. British; Hong Kong for Victoria; foundered north of Sti aits of Juan de Fuca in October; sever?vl hundred coolies lost. Wearmouth. British, iron, screw, 1680 tons; built at Sunderland, in 1880; Quebec for London; stranded on Magdalen Island, November 19; sixteen lives lost. Westbourne. British, iron, screw, 1886 tons; built at Sunderland, 1877; foundered off Flaxbourne. Westport. British, iron, screw, 421 tons ; built at Port Glasgow, 1881 ; for Wellington ; foundered at Flaxbourne, June 22. William Crane. American, iron, screw, 1416 tons; built at Wilmington, Del., 1871; owned by Merchants' and Miners' Transportation Company, Baltimore. Winion. British, iron, screw, 1913 tons; built at Newcastle, 1880 ; Odessa for London, cargo of grain ; foundered off LJjhint, November 21 ; thirty lives lost. Wotonga. British, iron, screw, 997 tons; built at Dumbarton 1876; owned by Australian Steam Navigation Company, Sydney; Sydney for Brisbane; stranded near The King Point. N. S. W., January 2. Vrurac Bat. Spanish, iron, screw, 2197 tons; built at Sunderland, 1871 ; Liverpool for West Indies; sunk by collision oft Cape Finisterre, April I. Zenaide. French, iron, screw, 692 tons; built at Nantes, 1872; Cardiff for Nazaire, cargo of coal; never heard from after sailing on December 16, 1881 ; thirty-two lives lost. In every case where the vessel belonged to a regular line the name of the company is given as the owner. Where that is omitted the vessel belonged to private owners and what has become known as an " Ocean tramp." The list discloses how large a proportion of the dis- asters occur to vessels of that description. APPENDIX. 457 TABLE XIX. The Quickest Passages of Ooean Steamships, 1869 to 1882. Route. Miles. Steamship. Line. Date. Days. Hours. 9 7 12 15 7 20 6 22 15 11 6 1 ""'is'"" 23 2 19 ....._..... 10 18 8 7 18 15 Min. New York to Queenstown Queenstown to New York Liverpool to New York Queenstown from New York, to Cape Henlopen 2950 3050 2950 3010 3010 Arizona Guion June. 1879 Sept. 1881 Dec. 1876 Oct. 1875 Jan. 1882 . 1873 April 1882 June, 1882 1871 1877 July, 1869 Sept. 1881 Aug. 1882 Sept. 1875 1872 June. 1869 1871 1872 1876 Aug. 1877 May, 1882 1869 Jan. 1882 Dec. 1876 Oct. 1880 1882 Aug. 1876 May, 1875 1875 1875 7 7 7 | 7 8 8 7 7 8 I 7 8 I 1 6 16 15 4 1 23 48 46 48 41 09 43 10 03 37 30 58 "02"* 17 58 52 02 17 53 32 12 41 13 34 Britannia City of Berlin Servia Inman Cunard White Star Guion Baltic ! Alaska Baltic White Star Cunard Guion........ Inman Germania Russia Gallia Arizona City of Berlin.... Adriatic Baltic City of Richmond- Germanic Britannic Gallia Inman White Star Russia Servia Cunard American- Allan ". Illinois Parisian Havana to New York New York to Havana 1225 1225 2300 2300 4764 4764 "iijaso" City of Vera Cruz.. City of New York.. Henry Chaniiiriir 10 14 5 9 13 4 22 43 07 00 30 New York to Aspinwall Aspinwall to' New York San Francisco to Yokohama Yokohama to San Francisco. Southampton to Sandy Hook London to Hankow, China... J n City of Peking Oceanic P M S Co White Star German 1876 1881 1882 Elbe Sterling Castle.*.... 25 *This steamer went at the rate of at least 375 miles a day, including detention at coaling ports and time occupied passing through the Suez Canal. In 1872 the average of 24 trips made by four vessels of the White Star Line from New York to Queenstown was 8 days, 15 hours and 2 minutes. The first steamer-load of passengers that ever left Europe on one Sunday and were landed at Castle Garden the following one was by the " Alaska," in 1882 ; yet her best run was 419 miles in 24 hours. Before 1850, the sailing-ship "James Baines," built by Donald McKay, ran 420 miles in 24 hours. The ship " Red Jacket," built at Rockland, Me., ran 2280 miles in 7 days, or 325 miles per diem for a week; and the " Flying Cloud " once made 374 knots, or 433 miles, in 24 hours and 25 minutes, equal to 17.17 miles per hour. The " Arizona " made thirteen successive trips in 1881, all of which were under 8 days. Twenty-five years ago 1 1 or 12 days were deemed good enough time between Sandy Hook and Liverpool, the points between which accounts were then kept, instead of Sandy Hook and Queenstown, as at present. Gradually the time grew shorter, and the progress was by clearly marked steps. The rivalry between the several lines would account natu- rally for this progression, each pushing its best boat to beat the time made by some competi- tor; but that could have gone only a little way toward the attainment of the results of to-day had there not been a wonderful advancement in marine engine building and in marine architecture. So great have been the improvements in steamship machinery within the past ten years that ocean vessels now, with half their former consumption of coal, make far better time. The " Nevada," of the Guion Line, for instance, now makes her trips in an average of at least one day less than 'she used to take, and on half the quantity of coal. Invention is so rapid that a boat grows old-fashioned in nine or ten years, and must either be replaced by a 458 APPENDIX. new one, improved up to date, or, if retained in a first-class line, must have her machinery entirely replaced by the new and better engines which have come out. The increased speed of late years is due no less to the improvement in steamship models than to that in machinery, the long and narrow hulls enabling them to make time now that could never have been made with the old style of steamships. As late as 1866, a voyage between New York and Liverpool made in less than II days was phenomenal. In 1870 the Cunard and Inman Lines pretended to make excellent time, and then io}4 days from Liverpool to New York was looked upon as wonderful. The difference of time allowed between Queenstown and Liverpool is about 5 hours. It is not in the exceptional voyages in which the increasing capacity for speed of the ocean steamships of the present day is most impressively presented, but in the general aver- ages attained in a succession of voyages, and in the increasing speed thus shown by the same vessels, owing to the great improvements made in their machinery. Thus the two fastest steamships of the White Star Line, the " Britannic," which in six westward voyages, in 1875, averaged 9 days, 5 hours, 35 minutes, in 1880 made nine voyages which averaged only 8 days, 8 hours, 29 minutes; and the " Germanic " reduced her average of 9 days, 5 hours, 1 6 minutes, in seven westward voyages made in 1875, to 8 days, 20 hours, 17 minutes, in ten voyages made in 1880. The general averages of these two vessels are : " Britannic,". 54 voyages westward in seven years, 8 days, 1 1 hours, 10 minutes ; 53 voyages eastward in seven years, 8 days, 4 hours, 18 minutes. " Germanic," 52 voyages westward in six years, 8 days, 14 hours, 16 minutes ; 51 voyages eastward in six years, 8 days, 6 hours, 17 minutes. The North German Lloyd Line has one fast steamship, the " Elbe," which in 1881 made the voyage from Southampton to Sandy Hook in 8 days, 4 hours, 25 minutes, which would be about the equivalent of 7 days, 9 hours, 49 minutes between Sandy Hook and Queens- town. She has, however, been U3ed hitherto as only an emergency boat in summer, when the demands of travel are greatest. APPENDIX. 459 460 APPENDIX. a . Ills I 8 ?*srl I 1 C J o-s. . >. >, S|i - l|2|lf| CO HCQ iH CS CO CC iH rH r-( CJ iH C4 ilia's s Is 5- '^^^OSi^ ^s|oosa S2||1-g3 Sl^i^^gl^^ . e 1 Js 8.8 &2% \& ^X> f S?a^ CO t-, a O^l ; Is-" \\i\S FH t> JJ .S -*J T? * (-* S*" ._ .S 1 .S 1 ^ : < "S ^ : i C*^ : : ft * s* ss : ' slsss" s || |||| I tc x co co c^ /- 7T I I CO V.} c"J' 5fT g ^ S f! y* o .S '3 '5 5 t: a " .2 s s * ? * *- "^ i*-. rt J S -K fc P| 8*13 a s ^6 I ^_, 3 MOO . a ? s a w- Jj o> be 4J *e :!& ' s i e i ii i c Ow 5 c C3 s cS a i ^ <3 ! bo bo ~ 1 9 tJO co S | 5 c g 1 IE - = -J i S 5 i : ,. s > t& 3 5 CJ c i = S ~'P 1 1 ! a ^ a i > O CH C s, & S .? 2 - i ^ O32 ai.'S 8P r * ^ " ** * ~ - - - - " ~ " " 5 2 * 1 ^ S 3 '4 O IT r c o o 10 c* 3 O CC tC tC O O ri CO iC iC ut 10 CO II S .1 00 |g| 5 | H UIJ * _ '" J o3 c : Ms i i t- : : 3 OT3 d ll :OQ : o ^J * >-S S fl j( o : : o3 -? I sEPs^So otSS -^ P >> 5gW> _ dfp-g^pi o : 'tb ti 'M : : S *^ I* 1 : : .y 5 'O 5 -3 a KJ ^ C B 3 S - H 3 5 -3 CO O fin . o M ' h 5. ai 1 bo p 1 S' 3 >-t o P to 1 |" " 1 1 5 " 1 A O ^ " 3 *'?: F^^ M<2 ^ * d I 1 5 | 2 II 1 i "a: * 03 1 1 - * i > I s | | 05 g ^^? 8 10 8 S ^ IS S isss 1 o S 1.2 co co CO CO Tt< i-l rH CO CC CO CO rt H : : 1 r-' COCC ' is i I S 466 APPENDIX. 3 J 11 3 S^S :isi ii|! g M JS2 O -aw^ 'S 9> ST I "J I "Ssri | I | s ^. <& | ---l-'i. s 4 ^ ^ te i - M -c8g^ . i - 2s* ^ ^^: " w - SS S el to 88 illisli s s O) -^ s -3 co O 8 3 S^ g | ^ a rH C1 OO ,_( rH r-( 04 Cl CM IC^CO x - 1 lTI fi APPENDIX. 467 Iron Steamers and other Vessels built by ike Pusefy and Jones Company, Wil- mington, Del., from the year 1851 to 1882, inclusive. Year STYLE. NAME. DIMENSIONS. HULL. NATIONALITY. Length Br'dth Depth. 1851 1852 1853 1854 it 1856 1857 1858 1859 ti 1860 tt u 1861 M 1862 tt it (. U I86 3 tt 4< 4< 44 (1 (( . (( 1864 Side-wheel Gilpin fett. 120 120 1 2O 80 1 2O 90 100 125 105 137 $ 76^ 76^ 115 68 1 80 1 80 80 90 80 IOO 1 20 115 75 IOO 60 70 2OO 2IO 2IO 80 7 6 I 3 1 80 250 250 75 1 60 150 92 I2 5 60 76 80 1 20 130 150 68 no 119 feet. 22 22 16 17 20 18 20 26 22 26 16 28 7^ 7# 19 16 29 29 16 16 17 19 22 *9 18 17 15 16 32 32 \l 16 26 30 33 8 34 28 19 28 H 16 17 22 24 26 17 22 21 fff 6 6 r/2 4 6 8 8 8 rA. 7A 10 r/* I* 6 i6/ 2 ? 8 4 6 Iy 2 5 i 16 17 17 6 6 8 16 12 12 I* 10 7K 6^ 5 I* 10 10 IO 4M i Wood... Iron ft u wood"!!! Iron United States u < ? < < < R.of Equador United States R.of Equador < United States < M H M M ( U (( Mexican. United States tt ti M R.of Equador United States Spray " 1 James Porter Propeller . i U. S. Trent Side-wheel Flora McDonald.. Caledonia . Propeller Schooner Mahlon Betts Propeller J. W. Bass Side- wheel Oueen Propeller . Diamond State Robt. Waterman.. J. L. Pusey it if <( Wood ... < < Iron tl Southern Star tl Delaware . Raritan ,... i Tuscarora u Mary .. (C Mount Vernon Monticello It Side-wheel E. L. Sewell Propeller E. Chamberlain... J. F. Starr A. P. Hunt Side-wheel Propeller. Gen'l Floves Jas. Petteway .... Wood... it Iron Side-wheel M Capt. Lee Propeller Keystone. Wood... < < < < Iron < Tos. Baker ... Juniata . Geo. Washington.. Geo. Cromwell ... Boston , ( if J. K. Kirkman ... Empire . (( tt Fahkee . Side-wheel Wyalusing .. .. it Mingo .... Propeller. Stern wheel Tamaucipas Propeller . .... Tappahannock Pontiac . Wood... < (i it Iron Wood... < it tt Iron Wood ... Iron Side-wheel. .4. Propeller Wawaset .... Ella Chesapeake (( Gov. Curtin K Alice (( Francis . (( S. Cloud Side-wheel Vinces Propeller Pilgrim.... 468 APPENDIX. PUSEY AND JONES COMPANY Continued. Year 1864 ( 1865 1866 < { " it 1867 < < < " 1869 (i 1870 < < < 1871 < < 1872 < < STYLE. NAME. DIMENSIONS. HULL. i NATIONALITY. Length [ Br'dth Depth. Propeller Stanton feet. 175 175 175 175 185 76 75 155 I2 5 136 125 i34 100 75 60 80 60 114 90 45 138 67 i33 133 1 20 104 1 68 138 155 120 138 136 114 3 2 i 3 6 J 75iS 130^ 130^ 148 140 75 146 150 30 30 30 30 130 240 50 125 60 80 1 06 150 feet. 18 18 18 18 35 16 15 26 20 22 20 22 17 2O 13 17 18 20 19 9 25 16 23 23 22 17 26 24^ 26 2O 28 23 2O 6 22 28 25 25 25 23 17 29 26 8* Si 1* *& 23 33 12 23 12 16 22 26 feet. 10 10 IO IO IO 7A k 4/2 6 4^ 5/2 5 3A 5/2 4tf 4/2 8 3l% 4X 8^ 14^ HX 5^ 5X 9 8^ A 5 6^ I* 2^ 7^ 5^ 5X 10 \\ 4 3*A 3/2 3 l /2 3/2 7/2 26* 4 7 4^ 5K 10 7^ Wood.... M M ( Iron W 7 ood.... Iron < c ' ( Wood.'.'.'. Iron Wood'.!'.] Iron Wood'.'.'.! Iron 14 wood!!!! Iron M < M wood!!!! Iron * ( H wood!!!! Iron it, tt < wood!!!! Iron United States- "J i < Argentine. United States 14 U.S. Col'mbia H United States . Ecuador. a United States Columbia. United States (i (4 (4 Brazil. United States (4 Brazil. United States Peru. Venezuela. United States Brazil. United States Brazil. < United States 14 Ecuador. Venezuela. Brazil. Ecuador. Brazil. United States n Brazil. Ecuador. United States Brazil. .Welles " Foote Porter Side-wheel Columbia Propeller Annie Kalie Wise H. I. Davison Two Bovs... Side -wheel " E. S. Hardee L. B. Vance Gov. Worth (C ,< Sofiay Esperanga. Tairnna. 4< Propeller . Falcon , Side-wheel ' Gaiayas. Baba Stern paddle-wheel Old North State... Canoe Side-wheel. ! Katie Propeller Argus .. Coquette "Brunette Side-wheel Guama Propeller Moja... Fanita Side-wheel Florence t( Anajas. . .. Stern paddle-wheel Side-wheel D. Murchison Tambo Nutrius North State " (launch) Rosa... i Amazonss Mamore <( Rio Branco Propeller U. S. Grant tt A. D. Bache Water boat, Peru.. San Fernando loas Augusto Leon Stern paddle- wheel Side-wheel Propeller tt Estelle tt Miranda . Quadra Side- wheel Fortaleza . Pulaski Side-wheel Teixeira & Ruiz .. ft Wrightsville Cora Staples Andira Propeller . Side-wheel APPENDIX. PUSEY AND JONES COMPANY Continued. 469 Year STYLE. NAME. DIMENSIONS. HULL. NATIONALITY. Length Br'dth Depth. j 1873' tt || || (( ft (I 1C 1874 1875 (( tt 1876 it (f ;; 1877 tt i< i < i M 1878 ( H n 1879 ti M < II ( < II ft ( II 1880 Maggie. feet. 30 3 85 256 40 70 160 1 20 150 280 105 130 159 no 156 i6o/ 2 132 90 50 45 30 292 140 104 216 75 75 146 60 90 60 65 75 150 210 150 100 130 45 60 120 100 60 1 2O 9 146^ I 3 6 95 I2C 30 1 2O 40 HOfl feet. I* it* 33/ 2 10 17 26 22 26 34 21)4 25 22^ 2 % 3 23 22^ 17 12 i / 2 7 40 23 17 39 t7 17 23 17 18 12 16 17 25 30 3 18 22 II 22 24 24 15 2O 18 27 24 18/2 22 8^ 24 10 25 feet 3/2 3/2 5/2 2 SA 4/2 7# 5/2 7/2 25r 9 Z 1/2 8 13 Lightship (U. S.) No. 43. Elona de Noriem 470 APPENDIX. PUSEY AND JONES COMPANY. Continued. Year 1880 c< (( ( u ( 1881 u ( M M <( ( (( n 1882 << STYLE. NAME. DIMENSIONS. HULL. NATIONALITY. Length Br'dth Depth. Side-wheel. feet. 60 80 1 60 1 60 50 125 30 40 40 30 190 32ft '45 56 95 60 n 32 100 i"# 120 146 150 120 140 &* 110 80 55 50 45 200 130 "5 feet. H 17 25 27 20 23 7 18 22 15 30* 24 i6# 18 16 12 18 *# 18 25 26 23 25 24 25 16 22 25 25 18 J 5 27A 26 24 feet. 4^ 5 9 9 7/2 4 T 9 i 3>^ 3>^ loji 3A 7 T % 6^ 9 7 T % 4 8 3X 7K n^ 6 7X 10 3i lOfi 9/2 4 3^ 3 I!A 7 SA Iron M ( Comp'ste Iron ( M (( Wood'.!.'.' Iron <. < wood!!!! Iron (C ( ( Steel!.'!!.' Iron Wood'.'.!! Iron Steel < Iron M (( Brazil. Ecuador. Brazil English. Brazil. Mexico. tt Columbia. <( < Venezuela. United States Mexico. Columbia. United States English. Columbia. Mexico. United States Columbia. Brazil. United States Columbia. United States tt Columbia. United States Nicaraugua. United States u Trombetas (t Tapaiof. Side- wheel San Andreas Tux- bla Propeller Barge.... Derrick Barge...... Side- wheel. Bolivar.. Fred'k de Bary... San Jose Schooner .. Propeller Meteor No. 2 Taurus Claudia . Reliance it Diligencia. it Asturias Lightship (U. S.) No. 4 Stern pad'le dredge Side-wheel ' Drago Salimses Wistaria Stern paddle-wheel Propeller Emelia Durrn Walter Forward .. Angie & Nellie... Gen'l Miles u (I Scows (2) " (2) U....:.:::: Scow (4) Propl. (twin screw) " (fire-boat) Albatross APPENDIX. 471 THE PENN WORKS, PHILADELPHIA, 1838-82. This establishment was started in the year 1838, with a very limited capital, as the " Penn Works," by Reany, Neafie & Co., the firm consisting of Thomas Reany, Jacob G. Neafie, and John P. Levy. It became very suc- cessful, doing nothing but first-class work, and established a reputation second to none in the country. Since Mr. Reany retired from the business it has been continued by Neafie & Levy as iron ship builders. The shops and ship yards occupy an area of seven acres. Every branch is carried on within them, and they have capacity for any work. Following is a table of the iron vessels that have been built at the Penn Works since 1844, with their dimensions : TABLE XXIII. Iron Vessels built by Neafie & Levy, Philadelphia, Pa. Name. Year. Length. Breadth. Depth. Conestoga . 1844 u " 1852 feet. inch. 80 feet 16 20 8 23 H 16 10 17 15 19 19 19 19 23 18 24 23 29 15 23 15 32 32 '5 23 3 26 34 18 37 37 15 1 8 18 18 24 13 1 8 21 inch. feet. inch. 6 6 o f * i 6 3 6 3 o 8 o 5 6 7 o 6 o 7 7 6 8 o 8 o 6 o 8 o 9 o 6 6 8 o 7 o 8 6 20 8 10 7 o ii 6 6 8 6 9 6 9 o 14 o 24 o 4 3 A. O" 4 o 6 o 8 o 8 o 8 o 9 o 6 o 8 o 7 o Barclay ... ... I2C. Tecumsch 7C. Apure... 1 60 no 6 .... 6 6 vSan Tuan... .... _ J Kancocas 125 Montezuma 60 Geo. Moorhead IOO "5 6c, Orinoco Decatur . 1855 Board man I I2C 6 Boardman 2 IOO 80 OI Jacob G. Neafie . 1856 6 ""8 Major Brewerton Fanny Cadwalader 158 Elizabeth Tas. Gray ;; 1860 1860 1862 1863 M ii 1866 1870 1878 1873 1872 85 1 20 Octoran 158 8 Philadelphia 200 Pacific 75 158 3 8 6 Wm. Woodward Janaluska Arasapha 120 2IO Oriental General Scott Union ,, Russia -- 6 Siberia i Amoor . . .. < Van Vliet 1 60 ".'.'". '3 230 60 129 129 65 80 95 86 3 118 60 9 IOO Joseph Thompson General Meigo Pocahontas Charles Pearson. Havana .. Dashing Wave . . . Julia St. Clair Bandy Moore Ida Seminole Cynthia .. Mary Louisa W. E. Gladwish Sallie Tisdale Alfred Edwin 472 APPENDIX. TABLE XXIII. Continued. Name. Year. J. L. Witterbee 1872 Ethel Convoy 1873 Dahlia 1874 William S. Stokely. Ivanhoe Startle 1876 Transfer 1877 Cuba 1878 Ella Andrews. John E. Tygert 1879 Neptune , Rattler... Atlantic , Transfer 2 1 1880 George W. Watrous j " Conoho I 1881 W. M. Wood William S. Hart Battler William A. Marbing. Nat. Wales Storm King 1882 City of Philadelphia. Leo City of Alma Rushing Tyson Length. feet, inch 108 60 85 141 6 loo 67 60 100 211 80 110 159 100 100 170 80 294 116 105 85 118 100 90 no 100 176 Breadth. feet. 20 14 19 25 18 H 14 21 32 17 22 2O 22 30 21 21 23 17 42 , 22 21 18 21 19 19 20 19 23 inch. Depth. feet. 9 6 9 o 8 6 6 I 10 21 8 6 6 n 1 1 10 IO 9 8 13 n 9 9 13 ii 9 5 10 10 inch. o o 6 6 6 6 o 6 o o o o 9 o o o o o o 6 o o o o o 6 o TABLE XXIV. List of Vessels built by the Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Wotks oj Chester, Pa., from 1872. to 2882, both inclusive. NAME. Tonnage. NAME. Tonnage. NAME. Tonnage. San Antonio H12tffo Garden City (ferry-boat) 825.55 City of Chester 1106.21 Colon 2685.75 Colima 2905.64 Erie (ferry-boat) 981. City of Peking 5075.25 " Tokio 5079.25 " Waco 1486.21 Perkiomen 1035.35 Berks 553.99 State of Texas 1548.66 City of Panama 1490.24 " Guatemala 1487.30 Geo. W. Elder 1561.82 Geo. E. Weed (tug-boat) 30.49 U. S. Sloop Alert 541. Huron 541. City of Pan Francisco 3009.25 " New York 3019.56 " Sydney 3016.46 U. S. monitor Miantonomah. 2025.75 Spanish gun-boat Gracioso... 72. If. S. monitor Puritan 2898. Newberne Rio Grande Niagara Saratoga City of Macon Western Texas Panama (tug) City of Washington... " Savannah Oregon City of Rio de Janeiro. " Para Saratoga No. 2 City of Columbus Gate City luan Mir Colorado Santiago Elias , City of Alexandria Manhattan Louisiana Columbia Newport 412.27 2566.48 2265.28 2285.65 2092.80 1121.12 195.30 2618.21 2029.40 2335.38 3548.30 3532.25 2426.14 1992.37 1 DH7.11 422.57 2810. 1M5N.78 299.80 2580.32 1525.19 2840.13 2722, 2735. Breakwater Yosemite City of Augusta Willamette Umatilla Walla- Walla ... Cygnus Cepheus Sirius Guadalupe Pilgrim San Marcos Roanoke | Guyandotte San Jose San Juan San Bias Tallahassee Chattahooch.ee Nacooche ! Finance* Advance* Reliance* 1044.39 481.51 2870. 2269.11* 2139.49 2134.80 857.44 882.03 903 31 2839.29 ab't 3500 2839.29 2350.57 2354.58 ab't 2200 2200 2200 2600 2600 2600 1900 1900 1900 * For Brazil trade (new). Note for some account of Roach & S)ns' Brazil Line, see pages 373-76. This table came frcm him too late to give any more particular acconnt of this extensive establishment. APPENDIX. 473 JOHN ROACH & SONS' ESTABLISHMENT. The ship-building yard of John Roach & Sons, established in 1871 at Chester, on the Delaware, has a frontage on the river of 2,500 feet, with a depth from the flowing stream to street of 1,200 feet. They are now employing at this yard 1,400 men. Since the establishment was organized in 1871 the population of Chester has increased from 5,000 to 15,000. THE ATLANTIC WORKS, EAST BOSTON, MASS. In 1853 a half-dozen enterprising young mechanics were incorporated under a special charter and commenced business on Chelsea Street, at the corner of Marion Street, East Boston, and gradually their skill and business energy developed to what is now known as the Atlantic Works. Mr. Abishai Miller was the originator of the scheme, and now is the honorable president of the corporation- Some idea of their business while on Chelsea Street may be derived from the following facts : They built engines for the corvette " Mrndjoor," of the Russian Imperial Navy; for the " Voyageur de la Mer," an iron steamer of about 13,000 ton's for the Pasha of Egypt, and the " Argentina" for the Republic of Paraguay. These works have constructed several iron steamers for Russia and Chinese waters on the "Amoor," "Aldha," " Delta," " Beta," etc. the "Kilanea" for the Sandwich Islands, the "Niphon" (composite), " Pembroke" (iron), and others for American owners. The " Pembroke" was sold for East India service, and was some time since fired upon by the Damio's orders, in retaliation for which the United States steamer " Wyoming" demolished several of his forts. At the outbreak of the rebellion the entire resources of the Atlantic Works were employed in Government work, which con- tinued for a year after its close. The monitors " Nantucket" and " Casco" were built here; and here the " Monadnock," " Agamenticus," " Passaconaway," and " Shackamaxon" re- ceived their turrets, and the United States steamers " Canandaigua," " Sagamore," " Sassa' cus," and " Osceola" their engines. At the end of the rebellion, when the government de- sired to send a first-class ship-of-war into European waters, under command of Admiral Far- ragut, it selected for his flag-ship the screw frigate " Franklin." Her hull, which had laid for years on the stocks at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, was launched, and the contract for her machinery was awarded to the Atlantic Works. The machinery cost about $500,000. Her two engines were horizontal back-acting, with 68-inch cylinder, 3 feet 6 inches stroke of piston. She had six boilers, with 585 square feet of grate surface. The surface condenser had 6^ miles of five-eighths brass tubes in it. The total weight of boilers and engines was 500 tons. The ship and her engines were looked upon abroad, as well as at home, as an honor to American skill. The Atlantic Works Company, in 1869, purchased the property formerly occupied as a ship-yard for a grand establishment for the construction of iron steamers and ships and all kinds of marine engines at one time. The Works have employed eight hundred men. The present establishments occupy six .acres of land. There are two machine-shops, three stories in height one of brick, 200 feet long and 36 feet wide; the other of wood, 180 feet by 50 feet. The boiler shops cover an area of 360 by 72 feet; the blacksmith shops, 185 by 55 feet : setting-up shops, 215 by 48 feet; wood shop, 350 by 30 feet; forge shops, 75 by 40 feet; a brick engine and boiler house, 25 by 22 feet. These, with the foundry, dry house, and other buildings, occupy an area of about two acres under roof. Four stationary engines furnish the motive-power. On the end of one of the piers is a pair of shears, 90 feet in- height, capable of hoisting 100 tons. The launching-ways extend to deep water, directly opposite the Charlestown Navy Yard. The investment in the premises and machinery in 1870 had been over $400,000, and has since been increased in the improvements decided upon. The United States dredge boat *' Essayons," which has done such great service at the mouth of the Mississippi, was built at these Works at a cost of $223,000. The iron brig " Novelty," used to transport molasses in 474 APPENDIX. bulk, was built here. She is a perfect success, saving over $5,000 on each cargo, and entirely doing away with cooperage bills and loss by leakage. In 1868 they built the iron steamship " Wm. Lawrence," of 1,100 tons for the Boston and Baltimore Line. The following named vessels have been built, wholly or partly since 1870 at these works : Tug-boats" Weymouth," " Glide," " Camilla," " Elsie," " Francis J. Ward," " Border City," "Joseph Church," " A. M. Hathaway," "A.C.Whitney," "Atlantic," "Jemima Boomer," "William Woolley," "P.B.Bradley," " William Sprague," " Seacomet," " Ida M. Dolby." The "Joseph Church," "A. M. Hathaway," "Jemima Boomer,". and "Seacomet" were for parties at New Bedford, Mass , and Tiverton, R. I. The " Atlantic" was sold to the United States Government, and is now run in New York harbor. The " A. C. Whitney" was for Halifax parties. Lighters, built or supplied with machinery. "James Anderson," "Daniel Peggotty,"' " Nettle," " William S. McGowan," " Laura," " Bessie," " Merchant." Ferrv-boats. " Franklin," machinery and boilers; " Winthrop," machinery and boilers;. " D. D. Kelly," machinery and boilers; "Jamestown," (New Bedford), machinery and boilers; "City of Boston" (Chelsea), machinery and boilers; " City of Maiden" (Chelsea,) now being fitted, machinery and boilers; fire boat (iron hull) "Wm. M.Flanders;" police- boat, " Protector;" revenue cutters, " Samuel Dexter" and " Richard Rush ;" sloop-of-war "Adams;" sloop-of-war " Essex" (machinery and boilers) ; passenger steamer " Gen. Bart- lett;" coal steamer " Vidette;" steamer " Penobscot" (completed in 1882). The " Penobscot" is the first side-wheel steamer built in Boston in the last twelve years.. The hull of the " Penobscot" was built by Smith & Townsend, the machinery, boiler, etc., at the hands of Atlantic Works. The motive-power of the "Penobscot" consists of abeam engine, 58 inches diameter of cylinder and 12 feet stroke of piston. Her boiler is of the flue and return tubular type, 15 feet diameter of shell, and 25 feet long. The steam chimney is 9 feet 4 inches diameter, and 8 feet 5 inches high. The weight of the machinery is about 145 tons. The weight of the boiler, 65 tons. Iron Vessels Built by the Atlantic Works. Year. NAME. Length. Beam. Depth. Tonnage. Screw or Side-wheel. 1858 216 T.J 21 IT.OO Screw. 1859 1860 (No name) for South American Mail Amoor 65 70 15 1C \ 40 * 45 Side wheel.. Osuree 60 12 6 "35 (i tt Argentina 60 12 6 15 H ( ( Screw. 1861 Beta 65 15 7 40 Gamma 7C. I c 8 CO < 1862 1863 Nantucket (monitor) 2OO 46 12]/ Z < 186^-61; Casco (monitor) 22C At Q 1 / , 1868 \Vm Lawrence (Baltimore Line) 2OO 15 20 V-, < 1872 Wm. M. Flanders (fire-boat, Boston). 75 15 7 5 ' APPENDIX. 475 TH 00 00 T-l | i "S 1 I I J!|fi W- ft ^asg s-go-2 II I \ \ j ! i 1 l| i ^55 d S Q ..jo to o ^ 1-1 uo ioooi-c*i.^eo ioeo o . P OOCO T-HGOO1 GOOOCiOt^i-HOiOCC-^"J < 'O i -' ' 1-4 - SSi> *fl i> S S t^ 36 06 oo P t^ CD o r, OD GO cc co X; oo -gLx cccococOGcao*ox)Xja "3 *3 1 Screw = : ; | ; ! = = H O 11 ll - f y - 1 is JJTJJ... 1 ^ By whom Built. Cramp & Sons Saml.Pine MaiH" : .1 . O PH j-5 S o g -3 . 1 ^ A a 3 u S gg -gSo c i, g afl pq 1 - 1 a P . S 02 (H T ej C W * ^ K*- * I ^ Is ^ ^1 1 ? i f si 3 ^5- ^ ill fl S 2 s^ gl 1 If"" S^ ^ ^,3 OO3 i-j >-iK 1 Owner. : ' i : : : : : i i : : i ' G ? ' ^ ^ t-( : : : : ' fl : O ? ' : c : iifljt lit flii SSS . 3 S 3|B S-jjl f ^ o'S. i 6 6s|o^o^=i ^.jEt^gririSa |W. W. Woodward ,0 3 1 New York .. .;. ...;, c i 4? 3 ; " = " ~ "o "S = Seawanka.. K -t; iiijll a in 4 11 1 * : ^ s j : - 1 lag I & -as 3 ^g-a .2 iii e ii i in m ?, 1 476 APPENDIX. About Boston there are many steam yachts, the following being among the number found on the books of the yacht clubs of that section : The " Gulnare," late the "Adelita." She belongs to Mr. J. R. Brackett, of Boston, a member of the Eastern Club ; is of wood, and built in 1879 b 7 O. J. Lawlor, of East Boston. Length over all, 53 feet; 48 feet water-line, and 10 feet beam; tonnage, 15.03 tons, new measurement. Has two cylinders, each 7 inches by 7 inches stroke ; steel boiler, 4 feet by 9 feet 6 inches. Mr. F. H. Peabody, of Boston, owner of the old "Adelita," built a larger steam yacht, and gave it the name of the "Adelita." It is of wood, and was launched late last year from the yard of D. J. Lawlor, of East Boston. She is 95 feet over all, 80 feet on water-line, and 1 6 feet beam. Her engines are of the compound inverted type, 22^ and 15 inches by 14 inches stroke, is fitted with a steel boiler, 7 feet 6 inches by 9 feet. The " Sappho" belongs to Mr. George H. Brooks, of Boston, and was built by James Lennox, South Brooklyn, in 1879. In 1881 she was lengthened and her machinery thor- oughly overhauled. She is 93 feet over all, 83 feet on water-line, 15 feet beam, 6 feet 2 inches hold, and 6 feet 6 inches draught of water. The screw schooner " Promise" is owned by Mr. James Blake, of Boston. At the yards of Samuel Pine, Greenpoint, L. I., there are three good-sized boats being built, two of which are under the supervision of Mr. Jacob Lorrilard. The first, or rather the one more advanced, is for Mr. Starbuck, of New York. It is 117 feet over all, 100 feet on load water-line, 16 feet 6 inches beam, 5 feet 9 inches depth of hold, and will draw 5 feet. The hull is of oak, hackmatack, yellow pine, and chestnut. She is planked, and the ceiling 'is in place. Engines of a compound type will be supplied; the cylinders 12 and 20 inches by 14 inches and 16 inches stroke. Will be schooler rigged. The second yacht is 98 feet over all, 87 feet on load water-line, 16 feet 6 inches beam, 5 feet 9 inches deep and 5 feet hold. She is of oak, hackmatack, and yellow pine. The engines will be 12 inches and 20 inches cylinders, and 14 inches stroke of piston. The third is 117 feet over all, 100 feet on water-line, 16 feet 6 inches beam, 7 feet 2 inches depth of hold, and will draw 6 feet of water. She will be of oak, hackmatack, and yellow pine, with white pine deck. The builders of the engines do not care to give details at present. A fourth boat is building under Mr. Lorrilard's supervision, but is intended for a trial craft only. She is 55 feet over all, 8 feet beam, and 3 feet 6 inches deep. Two sets of engines are to be built for this boat, and after a thorough trial of the first the second will be put in place and used long enough to make the comparisons required. These engines will be of the same dimensions, 6 inches and 10 inches diameter of cylinders, and 9 and 10% inches stroke. . The Messrs. Herreshoff, of Bristol, R. I., are building two or three steam yachts, but the name of the gentleman for whom the largest is intended has not been made public. She is of composite construction, and is said to be 125 feet by 17 feet. It is believed that this craft is for a member of the New York Yacht Club. They have in hand a steam yacht, 76 feet by 12 feet 6 inches, building for Colonel I. J. Gray, of Utica, N. Y. INDEX A. Acadia, The, 294. Aconcagua, The, 310. Admiral General, The, 224. Adriatic, The, 245. " 319- Air, A Canal-Boat Propelled By, 254. Alice, The Fryer Buoyant Propeller, 278- 279. Amazon,' The, 316-317. America, North, 176. Amoor, Steaming on the, 225. Amoor, The First Steam- Vessel on the, 225. Anthracite, The, 257-258. Atlantique, Societe Postale De 1'Francaise, 383-384. Appleby, Ropner Co., 290. Archimedes, The, 145. Arctic, The, 318-320. Argyle, The, 79. 178. Atlantic, The, 318. Atlas, Launch of the, 117. Atrato, The, 3i5~3 l6 - Aurania, The, 298. " 4iq. Austral, The, 272-312. " 389-390. Australia, The First Mail Steamer to, 201. Austrian Steamers, 265. Auxiron, Comte de, 10. B. Baker, Report of Charles H., 246. Baltic, The, 205. 319. Bangor, The, 179. Banvard, Reminiscences of, 61. Battle, The First Trial of Steamers in, 178. Beardslee, Report of Commander, 245. Benisaf, Steamers from, 290. Berlin, City of, 326-327. Bessemer, The, 248-249. Bibliography, 414-421. Bigler, The Comet on Lake, 253. Bliss, Hezekiah, 58. Boat, The Largest Torpedo, 261. Bournoulli, David, 9. Brake, A Steamship, 281. Bramah, The, 13. Bristol, The, 262. Bristol Patent Office, the, 242. Britain, The Great, 172. Britain Great, Tonnage and Value of the Steamers of the Mercantile Navy of, 256. Britain Great, Resources of, 180. Britain Great, Early Screw Steamers in, 1 80. Britain Great, Registered Steam- Vessels of, 137- Britannia, The, 293-295. Britannia, Progress Achieved since the first Voyage of the, 302. Brothers, The Three, 253. Brown, Samuel, 33. Bushnell, William, 12. Bushnell, C. S., 228. Butterfield, Swine &., 227. C. Cairo, The, 176". Caledonia, The, 400-401. Calcutta, First Steamer to, 115. California, The, 196, Campertown, The, 266. Campo de Marquis, The, 289. Carrs de Salomon, 4. " " " 397- Castalia, The, 247. " Trial Trip of, 248. Castle Sterling, The, 289. Champlain Lake, The First Steamboat Launched on, 64. Centinel, The Columbian, 401. Chain Steamers, 268, 269. Chattahocchee, The, 267. Chicago, The First Steamer to, 121. China, The .First Steamer in, 129. China, Iron Paddle-wheel Steamer sent to, 197. Chinese, The First Steamer Owned by the, 227. Chinese Enterprise, 252. China's Debut upon the Sea, 255. Chronicle, The London Morning, 178. Cimbria, The Loss of the, 412. City Line Steamers, The, 288. City of New York, voyage of, 322 Clermont, The, 42. Clermont, The First Trip of the, 44. Clyde, The, 75. 477 478 INDEX. Coal, Experiments with Anthracite, 125. Cock, The Game, 267. Coit, Experiments of Captain, 401. Collier., The First English Steam, 188. Colossus, The, 265. Colossus, Delay in Regard to the, 265. Colossus, A Novel Feature in Armament of the, 265. Colossus, Experiments with Propellers of the, 265-266. Columbus, The, 174. Comet, The, 399-400. Company, Capital of the Collins, 320. Company, The Fleet of the Cunard, 295. Company, Wealth* of the Cunard, 297. Company, Early History of the Cunard, 298. Company, The Mitsu-Bishi Steam Naviga- tion, 372. Company, Eastern Steam Navigation, 206. Company, The British India Steam Navi- gation, 287-288. Company, Ocean Steam Navigation, 190. Company, Steam Navigation, 129. Company, The Royal West India Mail Steam Packet, 312-314. Company, Subsidy of the Royal West India Mail Steam Packet, 410. Company, Early Ships of the Royal West India Mail Steam Packet, 314-315. Company, The Hamburg-American Packet, 339-342. Company, The Peninsular and Oriental, 202. Company, The Great Ship, 208. Company, Formation of an Atlantic Steam, in 1825, 402. Company, Oldest Steamboat, 71. Company, Atlantic Steamship, 291. Company, The Atlas Steamship, 372-373. Company, The Old Dominion Steamship, 356-358. Company, The New York and Cuba Mail Steamship, 383. Company, Pacific Mail Steamship, 321. Company, National Steamship, 350-354. Company, Ocean Steamship, 289. Company, The Oriental and Occidental Steamship, 288. Company, Boston and Savannah Steam- ship, 378-381. Company, The Union Steamship, 288, 404. Company, The French Transatlantic, 288. Companies, Great Ocean Steamship, 287. Congress, Mr. Collins' Report to, 320. Contract, The First Mail, 1 24. Corca, Steamboats in, 251. Cour la de Mathon, 9. Corvettes, Steel, 250. Cunard Mr., and the Captain of The Uni- corn, at Boston, Hospitalities Extended to, 292-293. Cunard and Collins Steamers, Average Passages of, 199. Cunard Steamers in the Transatlantic Trade, 295. Curacoa, The, 117. Cyclops, The, 174. D. Danube, First Steamer on the, 119. Danube, Steamers on the, 150. Darciaf, Abbe, 1 1 . Dart, The Fire, 226. Delanguis' Patent, 115. Delaware, Steamboats on the, 56. Delaware, Steam Tow-Boats on the, 137. Delaware, First Steamboat on the Upper, 2 59- Hydraulic Ship, Description of an, 259. Dessoug, The, 259. Destroyer, The, 261. Destroyer, Experiments with the, 262. Destroyer; Charge of Projectile of the, 262. Dickens, Recollections of Charles, 294. Disasters, Steamship, 263-264; 405-409. Distrusted, Rise of Iron for Steamers, 197. Dod, Invention of Daniel, 61. Dod, Second Patent of Daniel, 62. Don, Samuel, 169. Douver, The Calais-, 249. Dredger, The Hopper Steam, 270. Ducrest, M., 10. Dumbarton Castle, The, 75. Dugnet, M., 6. Duncan, The, 266. Duncan, Estimated cost of the, 266. Dunderberg, The, 233. Sale of the, 233. Description of the, 234-237. " Engines of the, 237-238. Durbin, The, 251. E. Early Experiments, I. Eastern, Great, The, 206. Eastern, Great, Descripton of the, 207. Eastern, Great, Preparation for launching- the, 208. Eastern, Great, (Christened by Miss Hope,) 208. Eastern, Great, Summary of Statistics of the, 209. Eastern, Great, (Comparison with Noah's Ark,) 210. Eastern, Great, (Articles in the English Papers,) 211-213. Eastern, Great, (Passage across the Atlan- tic,) 214-221. Edith, The, 189. Electricity, A Boat Propelled by, 280-281. Elizabeth, The, 73. Ellicott, Andrew, 10. Engine, Oliver Evans' High- Pressure, 40. INDEX. 479 Engine, Herr Beck's Gunpowder, 268. Engines, Compound, 177. Engineers, Appointment of, 158. Engineer Apprentices Appointed, 159. England, The, 227. England, Steamboats in, 72. England, Cost of Ocean Steamships in, 260-261. Enterprise, The, 142. Enterprise, David Napier's, 104. Enterprise, A West India Steamship, 269- 270; 382-383. Erebus, The, 190. Eruktor, Amphibolis, 40. Errors, United States Court of, 401. Euler, 9. Evans, Oliver, 16. Evans, Experiments of Oliver, 40. Excursion, First Steamboat, 109. Experiments, Recent Novel Inventions and, 271. Experiment, Fuel Savings, 246. F. Faraday, The, 247. Fly, The Fire, 176. Firebrand, The First Long Voyage of the, 125. First English Mail Steamer, 119. First French Atlantic Steamer, 193. First Practical Screw Steamer, The, 138. Fitch, John, 13. Forforo, The, 203. France, Experiments in, 36. French Officers sent to the United States, 108. Fulton, The, 196. Fulton, Destruction of the (3,) 158. Fulton's First Successful Boat, 48. Fulton's Submarine Boat at Brest, 398- 399- Fulton's Project Rejected by the French Institute, 39. Future, Ships of the, 337. G. Gallia, The, 303-304. Garray de Blasco, I. Gautoir, 9. Gemini, The Twin Steamer, 198. Genevois, M., 10. General, The Governor, 226. Generale Transatlantique Company, The, 348, 350. Gentleman's Magazine, Remarks of, 50. Geyser, The, 267. Glasgow, The, 75. Globe, The First Steamer to Circumnavi- gate the, 203. Golden Age, The, 203. Gordon, David, 113. | Great Salt Lake, First Steamer on, 244. Gull, Sea, 157. H. 1 Hall Line Steamers, The, 288. I Hamburg Line Steamers, The, 288. ! Hankow, The, 226. i Ferry-Boats, Steam, in New York Harbor, 59- Hecla, The, 267. | Herald, The Dome Steam-Yacht, 284, 285. Himalaya, The, 200. Hotspur, The, 245. Hudson, Navigation of the, 36. Hudson, Steamboats on the, 57. Hudson, Table ot Dimensions of Steamers oa the, 53. j Hudson, The Steamboat on the, 339. Hulls, Jonathan, 6. Hull, First Sea-going Steamboat for, 108. ! Hunter, Lieutenant W. W., 171. I. Iberia, The, 311. Ice- Cutting Steamboat, 181. Iceland, The, 413. Ichang, The, 226. Ichang, The Opening of the, 227. Illinois, The, 194. India, First Steamers in, 65. India, Steamers to, 176. Inland Voyage Extraordinary, 244. Indus, First Steamboat on the, 108. Invention, British Steam, 242. lona, The, 250. Ionic, The, 413. Iris, The, 250. Ironclads, New French, 226-227. Island, Long, Steamers on, 384. Italiana Generale Navigazione, 362-363 ; 412. ackson, The General, 124. apan, Steamers in, 227. apanese, Ingenuity and Skill of the, 227. ardine, Correspondence in Relation to the, 130-131. Jersey, The New, 143. Jouffroy, Marquis de, 10. Journal, The Edinburg, 204. K. Khedive, The, 306-307. Kiang-tse-Yang, Steamers on the, 225. King, Report of J. W., 246. Kingdom, Extract from Williams Middle, 133- Kingston, Arrival of the City of, 152. Kittatinny, The, 259. 480 INDEX. L. Lake, The Lady of the, 243. Lakes, Side-Propellers on the, 205. Lakes, Early Steamboats on the, 124. Lane, The Harriet, 259. Lardner, Remarks of Dr., 54. Last, How Long Will a Steamboat, 405. Launch, The First Steam, 181. Lawrence, St., First Steamers on the, 65. Liguria, The, 311. Lind, Major John, 166. Line, The Allen, 390-396. Line, The Anchor, 342-345. Line, The Aspinwall, 203. Line, The Bremen, 194. Line, The New York and Bremen, 404. Line, The Castle, 390. Line, The Clan, 289. Line, The Collins, 317-318. Line, The Cunard, 290-291. Line, The Transatlantic Steamers of the Cunard, 298. Line, The Fleet of the Cunard, 298. Line, A Danish, 267. Line, The Williams and Guion, 354-356. Line, The Harrison, 371. Line, The Havre, 195. Line, Lamport and Holts, 288. Line, The Inman, 325. Line, The Fleet of the Inman, 335-336. Line, The China and Japan, 322. Line, The Law, 193. Line, The Leyland, 347-348. Line, The Spanish Mail, 413. Line, The Monarch, 369-370. Line, The City of Worcester of the Nor- wich, 387-389. Line, The Fall River, 362. Line, The Pilgrim of the Fall River, 384- 386. Line, The White Star, 358-362. Line, The Red Star, 368. Line, Roach's United States and Brazil Mail Steamship, 373-376. Line, New York, Havana and Mexican Mail Steamship, 377-378. Line, The State Steamship, 365-368. Line, The Rhode Island of the Stoning- ton, 386-387. Line, The Thingvalla, 381-382. Line, The Warren, 324-325. Livingston, Robert H., 30. Livingston, The Chancellor, 52. Liverpool, The, 173. Lloyds, The North German, 345-347. Lloyds, The Austrian, 412. Londonderry, The, 170. Longstreet, William, 23. Long Island Sound, Early Steamboats on, no. Long Island Sound, Temperance on, 117. Loring, Report of Charles H., 246. Lone, The Robert, 225. Louisville, Public Rejoicings at, 71. Lost, Steamers, 245. Lost, Steamships, 245. Lytlleton, William, 29. M. Macao, Arrival of first Steamer at, 129. Machinery, First Attempt to Move Vessels by, 35- Magdalene, The, 317. McGregor, Son & Co., 289. Maine, Steamboats in, 113. Marina Rio, Steamers from, 290. Maritimes Messageries, The, 338-339. Massachusetts, The, 191. Mediterranean, Steam Communication Be- tween Liverpool and the, 295. Mujoo, The, 256. Memphremagog, Steamers on Lake, 243. Mercantile Ocean Steamers, 282. Merrimac, First Steamer on the, 126. Meteor, The Dome Steam-Yacht, 283. Miantonomah, The, 239. Miantonomah, Passage Across the Atlan- tic and Return of the, 239. Miantonomah, The, (Report of Captain Murray,) 241. Miantonomah, Cruise in Northern Europe of the, 242. Miantonomah, Tonnage of the, 242. Michigan, First Steamboat on Lake, 106. Midas, The, 189. Millar, Patrick, 20. Millar, Experiments of Patrick, 397, 398. Minia, The Cable Steamer, 405. Mint, The, 197. Mississippi, The, 205. Missouri, First Steamboat on the, 106. Missouri, First Steam-whistle on the, 187. Monadnock, The, 239. Monadnock, Passage to San Francisco of the, 239, 240. Monadnock, Report of Commander Rogers of the Arrival of the, 240. Monadnock, Report of Lieutenant-Com- mander Bunce of the Passage of the, 240. Monadnock, Tonnage of the, 242. Monarch, The, 259, 260. Monitor, The, 227-231. Monitor, Contract with the Secretary of the Navy to build the original, 228. Monocacy, The, 227. Morey, Samuel, 29. Moselle, The, 317. Motor, A New, 285, 286. Mountain Maid, The, 243. Mountain Steamer, A, 254. N. Napier, Cunard's Interview with Robert, 290. INDEX. 481 Napoleon, '.Robert Fulton's Relations with, j 36. Navigation, Atlantic Steam, 151. Navigation, Rainey on Ocean Steam, 196. ! Navigation, The Origin of Ocean Steam, ' 126. . Navigation, Progress made in the History j of Steam, 214. Navigation, Inauguration of Regular Trans- ; atlantic Steam, 162. Navigation, Lardner on Transatlantic, 154. j Navy, Early Steamships of the French, 1 18. ; Navy, French Steam, 179, 404. Navy, First Steam-Vessels in the Royal, , 107. Navy, Royal, (Steam in 1840.) Navy, Auxiliary Steamships for the Royal, 189. Navy, Fastest Steamers in the Royal, 202. > Navy, Steam-Vessels of the Royal, 205. Navy, Compound Engines in the Royal, > 246. Navy, The Germ of the United States Steam, 157. Navy, Report of the Secretary of the United j States, 174. Navy, Compeund Engines in the United i States, 246. Navy, Engineers of the United States, 160. Navy, Pay of the Engineers of the United ; States, 1 60. Nemesis, The, 177. Neptune, Car of, 41. Newburgh, The Railroad Iron Ferry-Boat 270, 271. New York, Exports of Grain from, 251. Nice, Steam- Yacht Race at, 267. Normandie, La, 410, 411. Nott and Hill, 289. Novelty, The, 141. Ohio, The, 194. Oregon, The, 192. Organized Line of Freight Steamers, The, 288. Orient, The, 256, 389. Orinoco, The, 317. Orleans, New, The First Trip of the, 66. Orleans, New, Improvement in Speed of Boats from Louisville to, 71. Ormsbee, Elijah, 26. P. Pacific Mail, Fleet of the, 323-324. Pacific, The First Chinese Steamer to Cross the, 255. Packets, Dublin and Holyhead, 197. Palos, The, 245. Papin, Dennis, 5. 31 Para de Ville, The, 413. Paragon, The, 44. Parana, The, 317. Paris, City of, 327. Patent, Robert Fulton's, 63, 76. Patent, Edward Shorter's, 33. Patent, Dickinson and Hunter's, 33. Patent, Perkins & Sons, 233. Pavonia, The, 298, 303. Peace, The, 265. Pekin* The, 226. Perkins, The Invention of Loftus, 258. Perry, Commander, 202. Persia, The, 296. Petroleum as Fuel on Board Steamers, 245. Philadelphia, The American Steamship Company of, 364, 365. Phoenix, The, 42. Pilgrim, The, 408. Pioneer Steam War Vessel, The, 157. Pittsburgh, Steamboat Launched by Fulton and Livingstone at, 64. Plombiere de la Guy on, 10. Pomone, The, 144. Portland, The, 52. Ports, The Formal Opening of the Chinese, 226. Power, A Novel Propelling, 259. President, The, 173. Pressure, The Limit of Steam, 282. Princeton, The, 143, 181. Project, Napoleon's Acceptance of Fulton's, 37- Propeller, The, 176. Propeller, French claim for the Invention of the Screw, 39. Propeller, Canal Towing Company, 116. Propellers, Steam, 188. Propeller, Jacob Perkin's, 115. Proposition, Ericsson's, 228. Proposition, Root's, 276. Proserpine, The, 176. Providence, Construction of a Screw- Ves- sel at, 50. Providence, The, 262. Pumps, A Vessel Propelled by Pressure, 178. Puritan, The, 263. Q. Queen, The British, 174. Queen, Review of the Channel Fleet by the, 185. R. Rainbow, The, 175. Ram, Commodore Barren's, 134. Rattler, The First English Screw War Steamer, 149. Rattler, The, 186. Read, Nathan, 17. Red Sea, First Steamer on the, 119, 121. 482 INDEX. Remarkable Voyage of a wrecked Steamer, 252, 253. Ritchie, The Elliott, 259. River, Canton, Attempt to Place a Steamer on the, 130. River, Sacramento, The First Steamboat on the, 404. Robert Fulton, Steamship Between New York and New Orleans, 106. Rodney, The Ironclad, 266. Rome, City of, 328, 335. Ronans, The St., 290. Roosevelt, Nicholas, 31. Rosen, Count Adolph, E. de, 187. Ross, Sir John, 156. Rosse's Catamaran Steam Tug, 279, 280. Rob Roy, The, 75. Rumsey, James, II, 389. Russell & Co., 227. Russia, High Speed Boats in, 250. Russia, The, 298.' s. Sail- Vessels to be Propelled by Steam, 1 70. Sailing and Steam Vessels, Comparative Voyages of, 112. Savannah, The, 97. Savannah, The Ocean Steamship Company of, 371, 372. Savary, Thomas, 6. Screw Steamers, Report of the Result of Trials, 186 of. Screw, Felix Peltier's, 118. Screws Applied to French Ships of the Line, 113. Screws, Twin Gain, 256. Screw, Smith's Archimedean, 144. Screws, Patent for Applying the Steam Engine to two, 39. Screw, A Novel Application of the, 282, 283. Screw, Woodcroft's, 116. Scotland, The, 225. Scotia, The, 297. Sea, Steamers Foundered at, 245. Seguur, Baron, 25. Servia, Voyage of the, 298. Servia, Description of the, 299, 301. Shaft, Josiah Coply's, 118. Shanghai, The, 226. Shanghai, Steamers Loading between Han- kow and, 226. Ships that were never heard from, 254. Skiddy, The Francis, 200. Sirius, The, 162, 167. Smith, Junius, 403. Solano, The, 252. Speed of Steamers in the British Mer- chant Marine, 282. Stanhope, Earl, 25. Steamboats, Duration of, 405. Steamboats, French, 126. Steamboats, Iron, 121. Steamboat Ramsgate, 106, 107. Steam vs. Sails, 251. Steamships, The Red " D" Line of, 377. Steamships, The Mallory Line of, 376, 377. Steamships, The First American Mail, 193. Steamships, City Line of Ocean, 365. Steamships, Roots' Side-Screw, 275. Steamships, Captain Lundborg's Twin- Screw, 273, 275. Steamships, Coppen's Triple, 277, 278. Steamships, Morse's Unsinkable, 271, 273. Stevens, John C., 25. Stevens, John, Steamboat 41. Stevens, Robert L., 49, 50. Stockton, The Robert F., 142. Stockton, R. F., Letter from 182. Stockton, R. F., Screw-Steamer 176. Subsidies, British Steamship, 264. Swan, Monument to John, 39. Symington, William, 20. Symington's, William, Steam Tug, 34. T. Tagus, The, 317. Taylor, James, 20. Terror, The, 190. Thames, Steam-Tug on the, 398. Thames, Steamboats on the, 76, 191. Theodosius, The St., 226. Thingvalla, The, 267. Thistle, The, 202. Thomason, Edward, 30. Thornton, Fulton's Letter to Doctor, 64. Titicaca, First Steamer on Lake, 197. Town, A Busy Ship-Building English, 412 Tramp, The Ocean, 290. Triple Steamers, Captain Coppen's, 410. Traveling, Rapid, 64. Turkey, First Steamer in, 117. u. Unicorn, The, 291, 293. Union, The, 171. United States, Shipping Belonging to the, 251. United States, The, 193. w. Wall, Lieutenant, 174. Warren & Co., 289. Washbrough, Mathew, n. Walk-in-the-Water, 106. Waters, Number of Steamboats on Amer- ican, 113. Waters, Steamboats in United States, 152. Waters, Introduction of Steamboats on the Western, 66. INDEX. 483 Webb, Acknowledgment of the Emperor of Russia to W. W., 224. Wells, Visit of Secretary, 228. Western, The Great, 165. Western, Race Between the Princeton and Great, 182. Wilson & Co., 289 William, The Royal, 401. Witch, The Iron, 189. Witch, The Water, 190. Wheel, Root's Method of Applying the Screw- Propeller, 276. Wheel, Remarks in Relation to Craft Pro- pelled by a Stern Screw- Propeller, 276. Wheels, Hall's Reefing Paddle, 177. Wheel, John M. Patten's Screw, 118. Wheelwright, William, 311. Whistle, The First Steam, 152. Winter Steamboat Line Between New York and Philadelphia, 117. Worcester, Marquis of, 5. Workshop, Root's, 276. World, Mercantile Steamers of the, 244. Y. Yacht, The Pacha of Egypt's, 232. ERRATA. Page i. For " Developments" read Development, Page 28. Eighth line from top, for " after the rates" read at the rate of. Page 33. Last line but one, for " Lathrop" read Latrobe. Page 34. In Table of Contents, for " Loss by Wreck of Steamers in War" read Employ- ment of Steamers in War. Page 52. Last paragraph but one, for " working beams" read walking beams. Page 56. First line, for " seventh vessel" reader*/ vessel. Page 59. Eleventh line from bottom, for " diagonal traces" read diagonal braces. Sixth line from bottom, for " awing" read awning. Page 87. Last paragraph, for " Capt. E. C. Bowery" read Capt. E. C. Bowers. Page 94. Nine lines from bottom, for " Friefly" read Firefly. Page 103. First foot-note, for " 1810" read 1819. Page 104. Tenth line from top, for'" old Erie" read the Erie Canal. Page no. First line, for " from" read to. Page 114. Third paragraph, third line, for " 1832" read 1882. Page 118. Tenth line from bottom, for "marines" read marine. Page 123. For " Rhodamanthus" read Radamanthus, and seventh line of third paragraph for " 40 feet over all" read 340 feet. Page 142. Fourth line from bottom, for " craate" read create. Third line from bottom, for " The" read This. Page 155. For "theery" read theory. Page 156. Third line, for " 1839" read 1837.. Page 158. Erase the whole of the first paragraph, which is duplicated below, and in paragraph third for " the hu 1 of this Fulton 2d" read Fulton third. Page 162. Fourth paragraph, for " second" read third. Page 170. Last 'paragraph, for " SCREWS" read screw steamers. Page $71. Third line from the bottom, for "steering" read steaming, and last line, for " orders" read ordinary. Same line, for " Allegheny" read Alleghany. Page 172. Sixth line, for "sacrifice" read sacrifices. Page 190. Sixth line from the bottom, for " Losser" read Loper propeller. Page 202. For "M. O. Perry" read M. C. Perry ; also on page 205. Page 227. Third paragraph, for " Chinese," twice repeated, read Japanese, and transfer the paragraph to the one below, under the heading Steamers in Japan. Page 293. Third line from bottom, for " Puritan " read Pilgrim. Page 298. In the table of Cunard steamships, for " Cessatoria" read Cephalonia. Page 311. Third line, for "with" read have. Page 3 2 1. Second paragraph, first line, for " are" read were. Second line of same paragraph, after years, insert their, and after repairs was, so it will read " after running six years their cost for repairs was," etc. Note at bottom of page, for " Ranie's" read Rainey. Page 365. Erase fourth paragraph, as the managers of the American Line deny its being a financial success. Page 368. Omit " also" from the fourth line from the bottom. Page 372. Hon. Edward C. Anderson has deceased while this book has been passing through the press. Page 373- Add " Etna", 1,250 and " Claribel," 1,100 tons, to the fleet of the Atlas Co. Page 375- Seventh line from bottom, add and after " certainty," so it will read, " certainty and regularity." Page 397. Fourth line from bottom of note to page 4, for " Dirctfs" read Dircks. Page 400. First line of note to page 107, for "Mandy" read Manby. Page 411. Eighth line, for "fore" read forward. Page 414. Fourth line, for " piles of newspapers" read_//b of newspapers. 484 VALUABLE WORKS PUBLISHED BY D, VAN NOSTRAND, 23 MURRAY ST., NEW YORK Shock on Steam Boilers. Quarto. Illustrated. Half Morocco. Price. $15.00. STEAM BOILERS ; their Design, Construction, and Management. By WILLIAM A. SHOCK, Enginee in-Chief, U. S. N. 450 pages text. Illustrated with 150 Wood-cuts and 36 full page Plates. Burgh's Modern Marine Engineering. One thick 4to vol. Cloth, $25.00. Half Morocco, $30.00 MODERN MARINE ENGINEERING, applied to Paddle and Screw Propulsion. Consisting of 36 Colore 1 Plates, 259 Practical Wood-cut Illustrations, and 403 pages of Descriptive Matter. By N. P. Burh Engineer. 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