Report of the House of Commons on Steam-Boats. 121 



body of the vessel, and rising from the water-line at an angle 

 no where exceeding forty degrees from the perpendicular of 

 the side ; the bulwarks, wheel-cases, and all the exterior of 

 the vessel, smooth and free from projections that would hold 

 the wind." — Messrs. J. and C. Wood say, " The vessel should 

 be formed with a fine entrance and run ; sharp raking bow 

 both below and above ; a broad transom not too high placed ; 

 a good rise in the floor, 1 united by the draught of water and 

 the occasion of taking the ground." 



II. Strength of the Vessel. 

 The regularity, speed and safety with which the Holyhead 

 steam-boats crossed the Irish Channel, throughout the whole of 

 last winter, are the best evidence of the vast, importance of 



freat strength in the construction of this description of vessels. 

 Captain Rogei's says, that he would rather be in a steam-boat, 

 in the heaviest gale that could blow, than in a sailing packet, 

 if constructed like the Holyhead steam-boats ; and it is evident, 

 from his whole testimony, that the great confidence he places 

 in them is on account of their prodigious strength. He says, 

 " Their strength is owing to their being filled up solid to the 

 floor head ; to the timbers being put together and diagonally 

 fastened on Sir Robert Seppings's })lan ; to their being caulked 

 inside and out, having no tree nails, but bolted, and copper 

 fastened ; the bolts being driven on a ring clinched at both 

 ends." 



Sir Robert Seppmgs, rn his answers to the printed queries 

 of the Committee respecting the proper strength of a steam- 

 boat, says, " In point of strength, I consider that the principle 

 introduced into the Sovereign and Meteor (Holyhead packets) 

 should be generally adopted in all steam-vessels ; and in fact 

 in all other vessels, but particularly in those of the packet class ; 

 as it gives safety in the event of the loss of the keel, and also 

 a proportion of the plank of the bottom ; either of which would 

 be the destruction of a vessel constructed on the common prin- 

 ciple." Sir Robert Sejjpings having delivered, with his an- 

 swers to the }irinted queries, a description of his mode of 

 building ships, accompanied with drawings to explain it, your 

 Committee have inserted them in the Appendix to this 

 Report, in order to give as imrch publicity as possible to Ids 

 valuable invention. — Messrs. Maudslay and Field say, " The 

 straining of a vessel at sea has frecjuenlly broken some parts ot 

 the nuic-liinery ; but in a vessel well adapted for the open sea, 

 her great strength should be a security against accident from this 

 cause ; the vessel should be exceedingly strong." — Mr..!. Cook, 

 of (Jlasgow, reconnuends tiiat a steam-vessel of 180 tons should 

 \'ol. W. No. 292. Au". 1 822. Q be 



