88 Book of Steamships 



steamers, the Inca and the Valparaiso, 

 of the Pacific Navigation Company. Mr. 

 Fraser Macdonald, in " Our Ocean Rail- 

 ways," gives the following particulars of 

 the engines of these pioneer craft. 



He says: " They had four cylinders- 

 two high-pressure of 50 ins., and two 

 low-pressure, 90 ins. in diameter steam- 

 jacketed top and bottom only. The 

 pressure of steam used was 25 Ibs. above 

 the atmosphere. The condenser was of the 

 old jet description . . . the engines of 

 these two steamers only developed some- 

 thing less than 90 horse-power, the speed 

 of their pistons being from 230 to 250 ft. 

 per minute." 



It will be seen that a great deal was not 

 accomplished in these pioneer vessels, 

 which were admittedly low-powered, but 

 the foundation was well and truly laid, and 

 the big, fast steamship of the 'nineties 

 made possible. 



One of the next developments, though 

 not an immediate one, was the introduc- 



