WILLIAM SIEMENS, f.K.S. 125 



r, which was not required to be constantly at work for steering. 

 The stream of water projected backwards from the stern might 

 either be discharged in a line parallel to the keel of the vessel, or 

 by means of deflectors it might readily be diverted to either side 

 for changing the ship's course. Such an arrangement, he thought, 

 would have several advantages over any plan of steering by a 

 rudder, because the action of a rudder depended upon the onward 

 motion of the ship, and without onward motion a rudder could 

 produce no effect ; whereas by a jet of water issuing laterally from 

 the stern the ship could be steered round while she was not moving 

 forwards or moving very slowly, which in some circumstances was 

 an important consideration. In managing a ship for the purpose 

 of picking up submarine telegraph cables, he had himself found 

 very great difficulty in turning the ship round by means of the 

 rudder, while obliged to remain stationary upon the same spot for 

 the performance of the necessary operations. Moreover, if such a 

 plan of steering by a water jet were thoroughly carried out, the 

 rudder, which was the most vulnerable portion of a ship, might be 

 dispensed with. 



In the discussion of the Paper 



"ON LIQUID FUEL," by BENJAMIN H. PAUL, 



THE Chairman * (Mr. C. "W. SIEMENS) said that the discussion 

 had elicited quite a conflict of opinions, while those held on each 

 side were apparently based on independent facts ; but he believed 

 it was not impossible to reconcile many of the statements which 

 were apparently contradictory, by properly discriminating between 

 theoretical and practical results. These two ought to be kept 

 distinctly apart. The practical result would ultimately approach 

 to the theoretical, if all the conditions of the various operations 

 were perfect, but it could never quite attain it ; and, unfor- 

 tunately, in the consumption of solid fuel, the practical results did 



* Etccrpt Journal of the Society of Arts, Vol. XVI. 1867-1868, pp. 409-410. 



