MECHANICS AND USEFUL ARTS. 55 



upon the recently patented improvements of Mr. Southward. She 

 will be the first vessel ever furnished throughout with these improved 

 sails, and it is believed that their peculiar cut will enable her to attain 

 a greater rate of speed. A portion of the sails were stitched by 

 machinery, and their cost will be from eight to ten thousand dollars. 



Harris' lightning rods are applied to all her masts. She has four 

 anchors. Her best bower is 8500 Ibs. weight ; her working bower 

 6500 Ibs. ; her small bower or stream anchor 2500, and the kedge 

 1500. Her bower chains are each of 2^ inch, and each 120 fathoms 

 in length. 



New Mode of Ship Building. A late French paper has the follow- 

 ing notice of a new mode of ship building, in which an entire change 

 in the construction has been adopted: 



" The public were gratified on Tuesday last with the launch of the 

 Peninsula and Oriental Company's new Steamship Vectis, of 1000 

 tons, the first of them being built on the new principle, without tim- 

 bers, being all solid planking. She was constructed by Messrs. John 

 and Robert White, on their ' patented improved diagonal principle ; ' 

 and is intended to form one of a fleet of steam-packets, upon the new 

 contract, to carrv mails between Marseilles and Malta, and vice verfia. 



V 



As the Vectis is the first which has been constructed on an entirely 

 new principle, destined to form a complete revolution in ship building, 

 some few remarks will be necessarv as regards the method on which 



/ o 



she has been constructed. It would appear that the introduction of 

 iron ships into our leviathan steam companies, as well as into the navy, 

 threatened for a while the annihilation of wooden ships altogether. 

 To meet the requirements and reasonable demands of the various 

 steam companies, and to counterbalance the advantages which iron 

 ships possessed over those of wood, some improved method in the con- 

 struction of the latter was absolutely necessary, in order to render 

 them stronger and more buoyant, and carry a larger cargo in propor- 

 tion to their tonnage, with equal speed, to attain which objects the 

 Messrs. White were induced to turn their attention ; and after suc- 

 cessfully making a series of experiments and models, at no inconsider- 

 able cost, they at once satisfied themselves of the practicability of their 

 plan, and undertook to build ships of any magnitude and any degree 

 of sharpness, combined with all the requisites of speed and internal 

 capacity and this by a combination of planking, without the neces- 

 sity of ribs or frame timber. Their new mode of construction enabled 

 them to produce vessels whose sides were only as thick as an iron ship 

 with ribs and ceiling. The frame being entirely dispensed with, 

 greater buoyancy was produced; and the ships were consequently 

 enabled to carry from 10 to 20 per cent, more cargo in dead weight, 

 with equal speed ; or the same quantity of cargo as an ordinary built 

 ship, but with greater speed, in consequence of being enabled to have 

 finer lines. In the mode of construction, viz. : two thicknesses of 

 diagonal planking, and longitudinal planking outside, greater durability . 

 and safety were effected over the old method ; and by the exclusion 

 of vacant spaces, where foul air generated from the bilo-e-vrater or dirt 



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