144 fSENAta; 



steamer^s performances, that the said Company had built for them 

 and put on the same river, five other iron steamers. 



In 1842, they were all running and in good condition, and had 

 cost but very little for repairs, although they had frequently been 

 aground with full cargoes. The first iron steamboat built in Liverpool 

 was in 1826, by the firm of Fawcett &. Co. About the year lS26y 

 Mr. John Laird erected very extensive works for building iron vessels 

 at Berkenhead, near Liverpool, and has been constantly employed 

 ever since. He built for the British government the two steamers 

 Nemesis and Phlegethon ; these vessels were sent to India and em- 

 ployed in fighting against the Chinese ; and although often aground^ 

 their captain's reports in August, 1841, state that "they had just 

 hauled up for an examination previous to an expected action, and 

 nothing couUl look better than the bottom of each vessel — not a 

 single rivet had started." 



After 1830, establishments for building iron vessels became general 

 throughout Great Britain, and iron steamers and large sailing vessels 

 were to be seen on the rivers Thames, Mersey, Clyde, Shannon, Se- 

 vern, and in almost every port and in every river in British India,. 

 In 1832, iron canal boats, steamers and sailing vessels began to be 

 adopted in America ; gradually increasing in numbers and magni- 

 tude ; and at the present period we have scarcely a river or lake that 

 is \vithout its iron steamers and iron sailing vessels. It may, per- 

 haps be proper for me here to add that the best publication relating 

 to iron vessels to be found in the United States, is the United Service 

 Journal, published in London, May, 1840- 



The friends of iron, as a material for shipbuilding, claim its advan-* 

 tages over wood, embraced principally in a commercial point of 

 view, as follows : First, in strength, combined with lightness. Sec- 

 ond, the greater capacity for stowage, being in the proportion of five 

 to four, or one-fifth more in an iron than wood of the same tonnage. 

 Third, in safety from fire or wreck ; experience having proved that it 

 is almost as difficult to destroy an iron vessel on shore as to burn her« 

 Fourth, the material being much lighter to attain the same strength- 

 and occupy less space ; therefore, the model of the vessel may be 

 finer and better adapted to great speed. Fifth, durability : it is as 

 yet impossible to assign any period for the actual duration of an iron 

 vessel in salt water, inasmuch as they have only had about twenty- 

 two years experience on this point, and, although this is about double 

 the age of a good v/ood vessel, yet, in the wear of an iron hull, it is 

 scarcely perceptible in the wear of the plates ; and upwards of forty 

 years' experience with iron boats in fresh water, furnishes no accu- 

 rate data by which to Judge of the period of their duration, if kept 

 in constant service. Sixth, economy in repairs: on this point, it is 

 positively known that the general repairs are not one-quarter as much 

 as in wooden vessels. Seventh, draught of water : iron vessels, 

 built for river navigation, draw about half the depth of wooden ves- 

 sels of the same size ; and for sailing vessels, the draft is in accord- 

 ance with the model ; but, when built in the most approved model 

 for holding in a sea-way, they do not exceed two-thirds thedraft of 



