146 THE ADDRESSES, LECTURES, ETC., OF 



steel as a building material, subject to a limit of strength greatly 

 in excess of the limit assigned to wrought iron. It is to be hoped 

 that the Board of Trade, by adopting that report, will remove the 

 serious drawback which has too long stood in the way of the 

 application of steel for structural purposes, and which has rendered 

 the construction of large works, such as the projected bridge over 

 the Frith of Forth practically impossible. 



As regards the construction of ships of extra mild steel, the 

 English Admiralty, following the example set by France, has, 

 under the advice of Mr. Barnaby, the Chief Constructor, taken 

 the lead of the commercial navy of the country, and several 

 corvettes have recently been constructed entirely of that material 

 at the Government Yard at Pembroke, and upon the Clyde. The 

 constructors of merchant shipping have hitherto been restricted by 

 rules laid down by Lloyd's Registry, which make no distinction 

 between common iron and steel in determining the classification 

 of a vessel. It is to be hoped that the important engineering and 

 shipbuilding interests of the country will soon be released from 

 regulations which may have been well adapted to the use of an 

 inferior material such as common iron, but fail entirely to meet 

 the requirements of the present day. 



In shipbuilding, the use of a material superior in toughness and 

 in strength produces the double advantage of greater safety to life 

 and property, and of an increase of carrying capacity to the full 

 amount of weight saved in the construction of a ship. It should 

 be borne in mind that this additional weight of merchandise is 

 carried without increasing the working expenses of the ship and 

 power required in its propulsion, and may just suffice to strike the 

 balance between working a vessel designed for long voyages at a 

 fair profit or at a loss. In constructing the masts and yards of 

 vessels of the stronger material, the weight saved is a matter of 

 still greater importance, and I am glad to say that this question 

 now engages earnest attention. 



In the United States, a committee, composed of both military 

 and civil engineers, have been engaged for some time upon the 

 subject of determining experimentally the structural value of iron 

 and steel. This Committee have the advantage of substantial 

 support from the United States Government, who, after a first 

 grant of 75,000 dollars, have, I observe, voted a further sum of 



