Sir Charles Parsons 171 



toward the horizon. Both these ships were able to do the 

 journey in a little over six days, but they were beaten by 

 the Inman City of Paris, the first to break the six days 

 record. There followed the Teutonic, and after her came 

 the new Cunarders Campania and Lucania, each of 

 thirteen thousand tons, and able to do the voyage in less 

 than six days. 



In 1887 a torpedo-boat called Ariete was built for the 

 Spanish Navy; this boat attained the then unheard-of 

 speed of twenty-six knots. In 1893 this speed was beaten 

 by the Daring, a British boat which notched twenty- 

 eight knots. In 1896 another British vessel, H.M.S. 

 Desperate, was the first to reach thirty knots, and in 

 1899 H.M.S. Albatross, constructed of a new tensile steel, 

 reached thirty-two knots. 



This was about the limit for the old-fashioned recipro- 

 cating engine, and it was not much fun to drive these 

 craft at full speed. The vibration was terrific, and the decks 

 were swept by a storm of red-hot dust from the funnels. 

 Both weight and strength were sacrificed for the sake of 

 speed, and Admiralty engineers realized that these vessels 

 were useless for sea-going service except under the most 

 favourable conditions. So a halt was called in the race 

 for speed. 



Charles Parsons was one of those who realized that a 

 new form of marine engine must be devised. He turned 

 his attention to the form known as the turbine. He did 

 not invent the turbine, which is actually the oldest form 

 of steam engine known, for Hero of Alexandria, who lived 

 one hundred and fifty years before Christ, built a toy-like 

 turbine in which a wheel was driven round by a jet of 

 steam. In 1577 a German mechanic constructed a similar 

 machine, which he used for the humble purpose of turning 

 a joint on a spit. In 1784 Watt worked for some time on 

 a small steam turbine, and in 1815 the famous Cornish 

 mechanic Trevithick made similar experiments. 



