Steam-ships : The story of their development to the present day by R. A. Fletcher

Chapter 1

618 words  |  Chapter 1

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Steam-ships This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title: Steam-ships The story of their development to the present day Author: R. A. Fletcher Illustrator: Charles Dixon Release date: January 31, 2024 [eBook #72847] Language: English Original publication: United Kingdom: Sidgwick & Jackson, Ltd, 1910 Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/72847 Credits: Peter Becker, Harry Lamé and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STEAM-SHIPS *** Transcriber’s Notes Text printed in italics and bold face in the source document has been transcribed between _underscores_ and =equal signs= respectively. Small capitals have been converted to ALL CAPITALS. ^e represents a superscript e. [T], [U] and [V] represent T-, U- and V-shaped symbols rather than the actual letters. More Transcriber’s Notes may be found at the end of this text. STEAM-SHIPS _UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME_ SAILING SHIPS: THE STORY OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO THE PRESENT DAY BY E. KEBLE CHATTERTON With a Coloured Frontispiece by CHARLES DIXON and over 130 Illustrations from Original Sources, Photographs, Models, &c. _Extra Royal 8vo, 384 pages, in Designed Cover, Cloth Gilt, 16s. net_ [Illustration: THE “WILLIAM FAWCETT,” THE FIRST P. & O. STEAM-SHIP, 209 TONS, BUILT 1829. ON THE LEFT IS A BOMB KETCH, A TYPE WITHDRAWN FROM THE NAVY ABOUT THIS DATE. ON THE RIGHT IS H. M. S. “ST. VINCENT,” 101 GUNS. _From a Painting by Charles Dixon_ _By kind permission of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co._] STEAM-SHIPS THE STORY OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT TO THE PRESENT DAY BY R. A. FLETCHER WITH A HUNDRED AND FIFTY ILLUSTRATIONS [Illustration] LONDON SIDGWICK & JACKSON, LTD. 3 ADAM STREET, ADELPHI, W.C. 1910 _All rights reserved_ [Illustration: PREFACE] The story of the Steam-ship, and of its development up to the present time, covers little more than a hundred years. In the companion volume,[1] the evolution of the sailing ship necessitated a comprehensive survey of some eight centuries; but that we need vessels, not only faster than the sailing ship, but also more independent of the weather conditions, is shown by the fact that in the world’s shipping tonnage of to-day (omitting small vessels) the proportion of steam to sail is as nine to one. The “seven seas” must be crossed with speed and safety, in the interest of all nations that have a mile of sea coast; but the Anglo-Saxon race, as it has contributed--from either side of the Atlantic--most largely to the mechanical and structural development of the steam-ship, now depends most vitally upon the organisation of its naval and transportation systems. Napoleon said that the strength of an army lay in its feet; no less true is it that the strength of our Empire lies in her ships. [1] “Sailing Ships and their Story,” by E. Keble Chatterton, 1909. A hundred years ago it was impossible to forecast with any accuracy how long a journey might take to accomplish, and the traveller by land or sea was liable to “moving accidents by flood and field”; but side by side with the growth of the steam-ship, and the accompanying increase of certainty in the times of departure and arrival, came the

Chapters

1. Chapter 1 2. introduction of the railway system inland. Between the two, however, 3. 1885. The last fifteen years of the century saw the tonnage of the 4. 1. The _William Fawcett_, the first P. & O. Steam-ship; 5. 2. The _Chancellor Livingston_ _Headpiece to Preface_ 6. 3. Primitive Paddle-boats 3 7. 4. “Barque à Roues”: Primitive Chinese Paddle-boat 5 8. 5. “Liburna” or Galley, worked by Oxen 7 9. 6. Jonathan Hulls’ Paddle-steamer, 1737 _To face_ 14 10. 7. The Marquis de Jouffroy’s Steamboat, 1783 _To face_ 16 11. 8. John Fitch’s Oared Paddle-boat, 1786 22 12. 9. John Stevens’ _Phœnix_, 1807 _To face_ 28 13. 10. Robert Fulton’s _Clermont_, 1807 37 14. 11. The _Paragon_, built 1811 _To face_ 40 15. 12. The _Philadelphia_, built 1826 _To face_ 44 16. 14. The _William Cutting_, built 1827 _To face_ 48 17. 15. The _Mary Powell_ (Hudson River Day Line) 50 18. 16. The _Hendrick Hudson_ (Hudson River Day Line), 1906 _To face_ 50 19. 17. The _Robert Fulton_ (Hudson River Day Line), 1909 _To face_ 52 20. 19. The _City of Cleveland_ _To face_ 54 21. 20. Patrick Miller’s Triple Boat the _Edinburgh_ _To face_ 56 22. 21. Model of Miller’s Double Boat _To face_ 58 23. 22. The _Charlotte Dundas_: longitudinal section 60 24. 23. Symington’s Original Engine of 1788 _To face_ 60 25. 24. Model of the _Charlotte Dundas_ _To face_ 62 26. 25. The Original Engines of the _Comet_ _To face_ 64 27. 27. The _Industry_, 1814 _To face_ 68 28. 29. The Engine of the _Leven_ _To face_ 70 29. 30. The _Sea-Horse_, about 1826 _To face_ 72 30. 31. The _Monarch_ and _Trident_, convoying the _Royal 31. 32. The _Trident_, in which the Queen and Prince Consort 32. 33. The _Carron_ _To face_ 84 33. 34. The _Kingfisher_ _To face_ 84 34. 35. The _Fingal_ _To face_ 86 35. 36. The _Lady Wolseley_ _To face_ 86 36. 39. The _Mona’s Isle_ (II.), built 1860, as a paddle 37. 40. The _Ellan Vannin_ (the foregoing, altered to a 38. 41. The _Majestic_ _To face_ 96 39. 42. The _Lady Roberts_ _To face_ 98 40. 43. The _Augusta_, 1856 100 41. 47. The R.M. Turbine Steamer _Copenhagen_ (G.E. 42. 48. The _Scotia_ (L. & N.W. Railway) _To face_ 120 43. 49. The _Savannah_ _To face_ 124 44. 50. The _Rising Star_ 130 45. 51. The _Dieppe_ (L.B. & S.C. Railway) _To face_ 134 46. 52. The _United Kingdom_ _To face_ 134 47. 54. The _Great Western_, from a print of 1837 _To face_ 142 48. 55. The _President_ 146 49. 56. The _British Queen_ _To face_ 146 50. 57. The _Britannia_, 1840 _To face_ 152 51. 58. The _Atlantic_ 156 52. 59. The _Adriatic_ (Collins Line, 1857) _To face_ 160 53. 61. The _Massachusetts_ 171 54. 63. H.M. Troopship _Himalaya_ in Plymouth Sound _To face_ 180 55. 64. H.M. Troopship _Himalaya_ _To face_ 182 56. 65. The _Norman_ (Union-Castle Line, 1894) _To face_ 184 57. 66. Maudslay’s Oscillating Engine _To face_ 200 58. 67. Model of the Engines of the _Leinster_ _To face_ 204 59. 68. The _Pacific_ 205 60. 69. Stevens’ 1804 Engine, showing Twin-screw Propellers _To face_ 208 61. 70. The _Q.E.D._ 211 62. 72. The _John Bowes_, 1906 _To face_ 214 63. 73. The _Novelty_, built 1839 _To face_ 218 64. 75. Engines of the _Great Britain_ _To face_ 224 65. 78. The _City of Rome_ (Inman Line, 1881) _To face_ 242 66. 79. The _City of Chicago_ 244 67. 82. The _Russia_ (Cunard, 1867) _To face_ 246 68. 83. Model of the _City of Paris_, 1866 _To face_ 248 69. 84. The _Oregon_ (Cunard and Guion Lines, 1883) _To face_ 250 70. 85. The _America_ (National Line, 1884) _To face_ 254 71. 86. The _Delta_ leaving Marseilles for the opening of 72. 87. The _Thunder_ 265 73. 89. Longitudinal section of the _Great Eastern_ _To face_ 272 74. 90. Caricature of the _Great Eastern_ _To face_ 274 75. 91. Model of the Paddle-engines of the _Great Eastern_ _To face_ 276 76. 92. The _Britannic_ (White Star Line, 1874) _To face_ 280 77. 93. The _Umbria_ and _Etruria_ (Cunard) _To face_ 280 78. 94. The _Mauretania_ (Cunard, 1907) _To face_ 282 79. 95. The _Campania_ (Cunard, 1892) _To face_ 282 80. 96. The _Teutonic_ and _Majestic_ (White Star Line, 81. 97. The _Olympic_ (White Star Line, 1910) _To face_ 288 82. 98. The _Olympic_ building, October 18, 1909 _To face_ 290 83. 99. The _St. Louis_ (American Line) _To face_ 294 84. 100. The _Morea_ (P. & O. Line) _To face_ 294 85. 101. The _Assiniboine_ (Canadian Pacific Railway Co.) _To face_ 300 86. 103. The _Kaiser Wilhelm II._ (Norddeutscher Lloyd) _To face_ 304 87. 104. The _Turbinia_ _To face_ 308 88. 105. The _Otaki_ (New Zealand Shipping Co.) _To face_ 310 89. 106. H.M.S. _Waterwitch_, armoured gunboat 321 90. 107. H.M.S. _Minotaur_ _To face_ 326 91. 116. H.M.S. _Invincible_, armoured cruiser _To face_ 336 92. 117. The _Minas Geraes_, Brazilian battleship _To face_ 336 93. 119. The _San Francisco_, U.S. Navy _To face_ 340 94. 120. The _Monitoria_ _To face_ 348 95. 121. The _Iroquois_ and _Navahoe_ _To face_ 348 96. 122. The _Monitoria_, transverse section 350 97. 123. The old Floating Dock at Rotherhithe, _circa_ 1800 _To face_ 354 98. 124. Model of the Bermuda Dock _To face_ 356 99. 128. The Cartagena Dock _To face_ 362 100. 129. The _Baikal_ _To face_ 362 101. 130. The _Drottning Victoria_ _To face_ 366 102. 131. The _Ermack_ _To face_ 370 103. 132. The _Earl Grey_ _To face_ 370 104. 134. The Imperial Yacht _Hohenzollern_ _To face_ 372 105. 135. The Evolution of Floating Docks, 1800-1910 389 106. CHAPTER I 107. CHAPTER II 108. 1787. The great success and useful character of Rumsay’s steamboat were 109. 1787. A still larger boat followed in 1788, and another in 1790. The 110. introduction of the latter has come also their greatest development 111. CHAPTER III 112. CHAPTER IV 113. 1894. Her last appearance was at the same review. She was lengthened 114. CHAPTER V 115. 1822. But Lord Cochrane’s work was practically over and she was 116. 28. She took no goods, as she was intended to be a passenger steamer 117. 31. Off Southend she was discovered to be on fire, and the heat and 118. 1841. No trace of her has been found from that day to this. 119. CHAPTER VI 120. 2402. Her engines developed 3250 horse-power and gave her an average 121. CHAPTER VII 122. 1842. He nevertheless served in the Mexican War and then commanded the 123. 1839. Its charter has been revised and extended from time to time, one 124. CHAPTER VIII 125. 5. Twin screws. 126. CHAPTER IX 127. 1062. The engines were of 210 nominal horse-power with cylinders of 55 128. CHAPTER X 129. 13. In equipment, too, she was regarded as the last possible word in 130. 1889. These two steamers marked one of those epochs of complete 131. CHAPTER XI 132. CHAPTER XII 133. introduction of screw propellers, 97; introduction of iron, 191;

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