THE HIGHWAY OF THE WATERS 



boat more than three hundred feet long cannot be 

 constructed without having dangerous structural 

 weakness. 



Naturally the idea that the only suitable material 

 for boat-building was something hghter than water, — 

 something that would float — which had been handed 

 down traditionally for thousands of years, could not be 

 overcome in a moment. And surely such a heavy sub- 

 stance as iron would not be likely to suggest itself to 

 the average ship-builder. But at the beginning of the 

 nineteenth century rapid strides were being made in 

 theoretical, as well as applied science, and the idea of 

 using metal in place of wood for shipbuilding began to 

 take practical form. 



Richard Trevithick, whose remarkable experiments 

 in locomotive building have been noted in another 

 chapter, had planned an iron ship as early as 1809. 

 He did not actually construct a vessel, but he made 

 detailed plans of one — not merely a boat with an iron 

 hull, but with decks, beams, masts, yards, and spars 

 made of the same material. It was nearly ten years 

 after Trevithick drew his plans, however, before the 

 first iron ship was constructed. Then Thomas Wilson 

 of Glasgow built a vessel on practically the same lines 

 suggested by Trevithick. 



This vessel, finished in 18 18, and called the Vulcan , 

 was the pioneer of all iron boats. For at least sixty 

 years it remained in active service. Indeed, for aught 

 that is known to the contrary, this first iron boat 

 may be still in use in some capacity. 



One of the most surprising and interesting things to 



[75] 



