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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[June, 



where to tlicir extraordiiiaiy solidity ; iiideeil, it was often re))e!\tcd by Lieut. 

 Cleveland, and the ulhcis, that any wooden vessel nuist have heen destroyed 

 liefore the service was one-half completed, whereas the Euphrates was as 

 perfect when tlicy laid her up at B.-iplad as the first day she was floated. — 

 Mr. Cruise, Vniled Henke Journal for May. 



QUERIES. 



A correspondent is desirous of having some comparison between Sneeze 

 Wood, Right Yellow Wood and Els, and those in use \\\\.\\ us, such as Fir, 

 Oak, &c. The woods alluded to may be found in 3rd \'ol. Royal Engineers, 

 " Bridge across the River Kat." A. P. 



STEAM NAVIGATION. 



Oxclllafivf/ Marine Engine.^. — This deseription of engine is daily beeouiing 

 more generally known and adopted ; their great advantage is tlie extreme 

 lightness and the small space they occupy in a vessel ; in both these import- 

 ant ))artic\dars the saving is nearly one-half. For vessels of limited draft or 

 for shallow water, they must ultimately become in general use. During the 

 last month we attended the trials of two new steam-vessels, fitted with oscil- 

 lating engines manufactured by j\Iessrs. Penn & Son, of Greenwich, who 

 liave devoted to this class of engine considerable attention, and have fitted 

 lip no less than 1 7 pairs of them ; they have not been known to fail in a 

 single instance, and are the admiration of all parties who have witnessed 

 their ])erformance, for the beauty of the workmanship, and the accuracy 

 with which they work, pai'ticularly those on board the iron steamers plying 

 on the River Tliames above bridge. Messrs. Penn have always found this 

 descrijition of engine give a result fully equal to their dimensions, in com- 

 jjurison with others of the ordinary construction. The first vessel whose 

 peil'ormanee we witnessed last month was the Courier, an iron steamer, 

 built by Messrs. Ditcblnirn & Mare, of Blackwall, intended to run on tne 

 Elbe between Hamburgh and Magdeburgh, l.'JS feet long at the water line, 

 and 20 feet beam ; draught of water, witli engines, boilers filled with w ater, and 

 1.5 tons of coke, is only 19 inches in midships, and 11 inches at stem and 

 stern. The engines have cylinders 34 inches diameter, with a 3 feet stroke, 

 and make 27 strokes per minute, and are estimated at 32 horses power 

 each. The weight of engines and boilers filled with water is 37 tons 15 cwt. 

 The paddle-wheels are 15 feet diameter, with float-boards 8 feet long and 

 l.'.i} inches wide. The second vessel whose performance we witnessed was 

 the Queen Vietoria, a new timber-built vessel, constructed by Mr. Thomp- 

 son, of Rotherhithe. She is 90 ft. long, 13 ft. 9 in. beam, 'and 2 ft. 9 in. 

 draught of water, fitted with a pair of oscillating engines of 15 horses power 

 each ; the weight of the engines with boiler filled with water is only 15 tons, 

 being 10 cwt. to the horse power; the total length of engine-room is 19 ft. 

 (j in. The speed of this vessel is very little inferior to the Gravesend boats, 

 and is by far the fastest of her power ever produced. She ran the mile at 

 Long Reach, with the tide, in 4 minutes and 50 seconds, and against the 

 tide in G minutes 30 seconds, giving an average speed of lOJ miles per hour. 

 This boat is intended to run between Hungerford and Woolwich. 



Jlnce hetween the ^' liuhy^^ Gravesend si earner (oali hnili), and the '^ Onvell^^ 

 and " Sons of the Thames*' irmi steamers. 



Sir — As there has been of lale much attention drawn to the subject of iron 

 steam vessels, which are announced as possessing great advantage over those 

 of wood, and as 1 have perceived various notices of the progress of diflerent 

 Vessels of this class in your Journal. 1 shall feel obligi'd by your giving in- 

 sertion to the following account of a run which took place on Saturday, May 

 2nd, between the llLdjy. and tuo of the crack irtiii steamers. 



I should premise tliat the Ruby lias now commeneed running for the fourth 

 season, and that no vessel lias yet been found that can compete with her. 

 .She is timljer-built of Knglisb oak plank, upon the imiiroved diagonal plan 

 adopted by the Di.amond and Woolwich Companies — a plan 1 have no hesita- 

 tion in saying is stronger, more durable, and .superior to that of any com- 

 bination 01 iron w hatcver" Slie lias never been caulked since the day she was 

 launched, nor a farthing laid out in repairs, and her lines arc as true as when 

 they Here first laid dou n on the shipwright's floor. 



As the Ruby has been lying by some time to refit for the season, the 

 owners of the two iron boats alluded to, took the opportunity of announcing 

 their respective craft as the fastest vessels in the kingdom, but the Ruby has 

 again taken her place as number one, and like a giant refreshed Hith sleep, 



goes better and faster than ever, and the victory she has achieved over the 

 rwell and Sons of the Thames will no doubt cause their respective partisans 

 to alter lluir tone for ibe future. 



Your"s. &tc. A. Bii.uNGS, 



Manager of i lie Diannmd Steam -boat Covepany. 



Rare between the " Ruhij'' and the " Orieell."— 1st Trial. On Saturday, at 

 8 p. m., the Ruby got uiider weigh from Blackwall, and proceeded slowly 

 doun the river, to enable the Orwell to come up, as she was to start from 

 London at eight o'clock. The Ruby went half speed down to Long Reach, 

 jio " Orwell" in sight, then tried the mile one hour after Hood, spring tide, 

 came back as far as the Halfway House, and discoyered the Orwell coming 



down Hith plenty of smoke and steam; turned round the Ruby, and went 

 on ipiarter speed till the Orwell was just four boats astcni at ICritli, oil" C'old 

 Harbour Point. .Set oil' full speed, with strong flood tide, two hours flood, 

 (the reasen of [ilacing the Ruby ahead was the fear of hugging, as both were 

 near the shore). The Ruby s engines went otV in fine style. — 31 strokes, and 

 she soon began to draw away perceptibly from the Orn e!l, (the Or« ell's people 

 at this time hoisted the jack at the main ;) however, when oil Purlleet the 

 Ruby had gained a. quarter of a mile upon the latter vessel, the jack was 

 hauled dow n. and the liuby. as the conqueror, hoisted hers, the Ruby gradually 

 gained upon her antagonist, till she sto\iped at Gravesend Town Pier, when, 

 by observations made, the Orwell was 14 miles astern, and by lime S minutes 

 as she jiassed the Town Pier, thus beating the Orwell in a run of It miles 

 about U miles, the distance of four boats length to be deducted, which was 

 the distance the Ruby was ahead when the race began. 'I'he Ruby ran the 

 whole distance against a strong flood tide and ahead, in one hour and ten 

 minutes, being seven minutes less time than the Orwell. 



Second trial from Gravesend.— The Ruby having stopped ten minutes at 

 Gravesend Town Pier, allowed the Orwell time to come up on the opposite 

 shore and pass Tilbury Fort, when she again started for the eliace. and by 

 the time tlie Ruby had crossed the river against the strong flood in the 

 stream, the Orwell'was one mile ahead. The Ruby then ran on for forly-iive 

 minutes, in which time she caught the Orwell, and went right by her neck 

 and neck, (you might have tossed a biscuit from one vessel to the other,) 

 headed her liy a quarter of a mile, turned round and was back to Gniveseiid 

 in seventy minutes. In this second race she beat the Orwell one mile in 45 

 minutes : from the abi.ve it will aiipear that the Ruby, against tide, is full IJ 

 miles per hour faster than her antagonist. 



itaee with the "Sons of the TIiames."—Tlie Ruby waited at Gravesend till 

 i o'clock, and then started up the river to meet the Sons of the Thames. The 

 latter vessel and the Mercury left London at 5 p.m., and at 40 minutes past_ 

 five they were both discerned at the bottom of Woolwich Reach, the Sons of 

 the Tha'mes full a quarter of a mile .ahead of the Mercury. Some colliers 

 being in the stream prevented the Ruby being turned round so soon as she 

 ought to have been, so that when the vessel was got round with her head 

 down, the Sons of the Thames was a quarter of a mile ahead, and the iNler- 

 eury was just alongside, all three going full speed, and the tide running down 

 strong. It was now evident bv the Ruliy drawing away from the Mercury, 

 that she was gaining frst up'on the Sons of the Thames, wli cli vessel the 

 Rubv came up to in 15 minutes, when the Sons of the Thames had a half 

 miniile stop, and the Ruby shot by her. and continued to gain upon her till 

 the arrival at (havesend Town Pier, w'hcn the Ruljy was one mile ahe.id. It 

 should be ob.served that at Grcenhithe, the Sons of the Tliames had another 

 short stop, but as.she was going all the time with the tide, both these stoppages 

 could not have m.ade more than one minute's d fference. The whole distance 

 was done by the Rubv. from the bottom of Woolwich Reach in •'55 minutes. 



General Reinarl.s.—ll is right to observe, that during the above races, the 

 Orwell apparently had 100 persons on board, and tlie Sons of the Thame 

 about 50, whilst 'the Ruby had none but her crew. 'To some this may appeas 

 an advantage fnr the Ruby, but the advantage would have been more ir 

 favour of the Ruby if she had had '200 persons on board, as her paddles 

 would then have had more hold of the water, and the vessel would have con- 

 sequently gone faster ; as during the race tlie Ruby's engines were overrun- 

 ning their speed for want of proper resistance to the wheels. The Ruby's 

 best speed is when she has 300 persons on board; in proof of which, the 

 Ruby started from Gravesend on Sunday night last, with 300 passengers on 

 board, half an hour ;ifter the Sons of the Thames had left, and arrived at 

 London Bridge within three minutes of the time that the latter reached 

 there, the Ruby thus beating tlie Sons of the Thames 27 minutes in the 

 whole distance, which was entirely against a sirong ebb tide. A. 13. 



The "Elbe" Steamer.— T\n' "Kibe" steamer, which arrived lately from 

 Dunkirk, for the purpose of getting her machinery put on board by Mr. 

 Borrie, of the Tay Foundry, made a trial trip, on Saturdav 2nd ult., to prove 

 the efl^iciency of her engines. She left the West Protection AVall at one o'clock 

 p. in., with about sixty-five of Mr. Borrie's friends on board, for w liom he had 

 prepared ample cheer. She proceeded down the river. — rounded tlie Bell 

 Rock.— run to the Buoy of Tay in fifty-five minutes, being a distance of 12 

 miles ; and from the Bell Rock to the llarbour in two hours and a quarter — 

 a distance of 24 miles— having the ebb tide against her in coming up the 

 river. The vessel was built by Mr. Malo, of Dunkirk, and it was the general 

 impression on board that both the builder and engineer had performed their 

 parts well, and had. betweci. them, furnished a very superior steamer- a fact 

 of which, indeed, they were then witnessing the proofs. The engines (of l(i0 

 horse power) were much admired by several professional gentlemen on board 

 for smoothness of action, their eleg'ant and substantial construction, .and high 

 finish. 'I'he "lOlbe'' is about .500 tons burden, and belongs to tlie Dunkirk 

 and Hamburgh Steam Navigation Company. She will shortly join "The 

 Nord " — (fitted out in the early p.art of last season by Mr. Borrie)— on tlie 

 Dunkirk and Hamburgh station" — The great inirease in the trade of building 

 and fitting up steam ships at Dundee, has rendered the starting of marine 

 engines, at one time a rare, now a very common occurrence amongst us ; and 

 —not unmindful of the merits of Mr. llorrie's brother engineers in this place 

 — we have much pleasure in stating that both they and he, from their pro- 

 found knowledge, great experience, and integrity in fulfilling their engage- 

 ments in the best and most satisfactory manner, do honour to their profession 

 and to Dundee. On tlie jiresent occasion, we are specially glad to bear testi- 

 mony to the steady advancement of Mr. Borrie's well-earned reputation in 

 every department of engineering ; and to notice the gratifying fact, that his 

 eminence as a marine engineer has now attracted the ;utention of Govern- 

 ment. The great crane, erected by Mr. Borrie last season, according to the 

 desi;<ns of James Leslie. Es(|.. engineer of the harbour, attords. in connection 

 with our spacious docks, facilities equal, if not superior, to any in Great Bri- 

 tain, for the fitting up of the largest class steamers; and we are happy to 

 learn that Mr. Bor'rie will, in all lu-obability, be the first to profit by his own 

 labours and enterprise at the port of Dundee. — Dundee Chronielt, 



