348 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[October, 



der Mr. Sojiwitli's direction, 

 meiil. 



and from surveys made 1)\ liini for the (io\ern- 



^jjril 14. — The Puesidest in the Chair. 

 Tlie fnlloHing were Ijalloted for and elected : — James C. Sherrard, and 

 George II. Phipps, as Members ; and John Harris, as a Graduate. 



" Drscription of the Sfeani Ship ' India,' with a table of the proportions of 

 large Steam Ships." By Lieutenant E. N. Kendall, U.N'.," Assoc, lust. C. E. 



This vessel was built at Greenock by Messrs. John Scott and Sons, and the 

 engines were constructed by Jlessrs. Scott, Sinclair, and To. To readei her 

 eligible as a packet sbiji bctvieen London and Calcutta, via the Cape -of Good 

 Hope, the timbers were lengthened so as to admit of tlie quart«r deck and 

 forecastle being raised 2 feet more tlian is usual ; by w hich means a llush 

 deck was formed along the whole lengtli of the vessel, 200 feet by 29 feet, 

 materially adding to tlie comfort and convenience of the passengere. 



The long flat floor, with straight sides and fine ends, adopted in all the 

 best of the Clyde-builf ships, for the purpose of attaining a consiiiei-able speed 

 Avith comparatively small power, and uniting with a liglit dj-aft of water a 

 good cajiacity for cargo or passengers, has been adhered 1o, altiiough tlie 

 cstabhshed usag2 on tlie Clyde of making the length sik times tlie beam has 

 been somewhat exceeded, witliout impairing the speed, as the \o>ag« fixan 

 Greenock to London was made in 86 hours, against a strong head wind dur- 

 ing a considerable portion of the time. 



The rigging is fitted so as to combine lightness with strength, arid th« fa- 

 cility of making every thing " snug" when steaming against the wind; the 

 spars lieiiig so jiroportioned as to carry a large sju-ead of canvass when run- 

 ning dowu the trade winds. There are several improvements in the rigging. 

 Two of them are paiticularly mentioned. 1st. The employment of iron 

 sockets, into which the shrouds, having been tapered, parcelled, and seried, 

 are inserted and firmly rivetted. Instead of passing over the mast-head, Hjey 

 are attached by shackles to a series of holes along the edge of a strong 

 wrought -iron plate or cap wliich surrounds the mast. This is more secure 

 than the ordinary fastening, as it prevents all chafing or injury from tlie wet, 

 besides being more compact, and allows any repairs to be more easily eiSitted. 

 2nd. The mode of fitting the foreyard for coming dovsn readily in bad weather. 

 The truss bow is made sufficiently large to admit of the heel of the fore-top 

 mast passing readily tlirougli it, and has on its fore-end an eye through 

 which passes an iron bolt, .5 feet long, which is held in its positioii by a chain 

 passing round the mast-head ; to the lower end of the bolt is attached a 

 chain, which passes through a swiv«l eye on the yard, and is drawn tight by 

 a screw traversing one of the deck-beams. When the yard is hoisted op, it 

 slides along tlie chain jackstay, which prevents it from swaying about uutil it 

 reaches the bolt which enters the swivel eye, and when' it is close up, the 

 yard is slung by two slioit eliains shackled on to tlie mast-head chains. Thfi 

 operations of striking the yard and top-mast may be thus accomplislied 

 simultaneously in a few minutes in the worst weather, or they may be replaoed 

 in the same short period. 



The engines have most of the acknowledged improvements, and are fitted 

 with " Hall's Condensers" in such a manner that they can work with them 

 or with the ordinary condensers. The cylindere are 62 inches in diameter, 

 with 5 feet 9 inches stroke. The diamcte'r of the paddle-wheels is 26 feet ; 

 the length of the floats is 8 feet, divided into two parts in the depth, and 

 fixed one before and the other behind the arms. There is an apiiaratus for 

 cutting off the steam at any portion of the stroke. The boilers are of a pe- 

 culiar construction, combining vertical flues with a series of horizontal fire 

 tubes, exposing a very considerable surface so as to be worked by slow com- 

 bustion of the fuel from two sets of fire-places over each other; by throwing 

 on the coals alternately, the gas evolved from the fresh fuel is ignited in its 

 passage over the other fire-places. A considerable economy has been eftected 

 by these means. 



The paper is accompanied by a drawing of the improvements in the rigging, 

 with plans of the vessel and engines, and a tabular statement of the propor- 

 tions and scantling of a number of other large steam ships. 



ON IRON AND TIMBER BUILT SHIPS. 



Ok the Ki'mesis primle-armeJ Siciimer, mid on tlie rompariillve effiriency of Iron- 

 built and Timber-built Ships. By Augustjn F. B. CRiiVzr.'of 11. M. Dock- 

 yard, Portsmouth. 



(From the United Service Journal.) 

 Most persons wlio take any interest in naval afihirs v ill have olservcd. 

 for some years past, occasional notices in the nenspancrs. of hoats and ves- 

 sels buili of iioii. It appears to be very probaljle that this material may 

 eventually almost wholly supersede timber in the construction of boats, 

 barges, steam, and the smaller classes of sailing vessels; aiul therefore any 

 "''O'''"'''ion as to the manner of building such cratt, or on their qualities, 

 aiid the comparative increase either of safely or danger, bv tBe substitution 

 ot iron tor limber, must l,e worthy of notice. The KenieJis, a steam-vessel 

 of nearly 700 tons burthen, and built wholly of iron ha.-; been lately docked 

 at her Majesty s Yard, at F( rtsmonlh.for llie purpose of having damages re- 

 paired, uliich she bad .uistained by striking' on a rock off Scilly, in ihick 

 weaiber, «ben on her passage Irom Luerpiol to Odessa. This aflorded a 

 moat avourablc opportunity of obtaining considerable insight into the de- 



tails of -n iron vessel, uliile the co\nteoiis anxiety displayed by the gentle- 

 man who buili her, Mr. LairJ, of the Berkenbcadlron Works, at Liverpool, 

 and by the officer. Mr. Hall, a Master in the Royal Navy, who commands 

 licr. t'l give ejery information tliat was in their power, removed all the diffi- 

 culties which generally ati«pd such a task. The following particulars, as far 

 as facts are coiicemcil. may therefore be relied upon as correct : the opinions 

 which ma^ be intermingled «ith those facts must, of course, be received only 

 as such. The dimensions of the Nemesis are as follows : — 



Length between the perpendiculars 1 65 



Length over all 181 



Length from stem to taflrail 173 



Breadth 29 



Depth 11 



Burthen (old measurement) tons 660 



The keel-plate was laid in August of the last year ; the vessel was launched 

 in November ; her engines put on board, and .'^iie herself tried hi December ; 

 and. finally, she was ready for sea by the middle of January. 



The vessel is l.uilt almost entirely of iron ; tlie-eyrieptkms beiagitlie ptenk- 

 sheer or gunwale, which is of oak 4'iiicli«s ihiek and lOiBcbes broad, -brougfat 

 uiipon and .secured to a jnhnksiieer or gtuivi ale of anyle iron ; the liat of tie 

 (leek. '>>jMeh is of 3-ii:ch &{; lour beams tinder tlic deck, yjiwljes squiuie. 

 Tliese are forward, and supju^rt ilie cairiek-bixts, paul-bitis.ajid tlie foremost 

 gun. Tlie Jemamilei' ol the beams, uilh the exeepiion of tlie piuldle-ljeams, 

 uliicb are of oak. 12-inch sided and 14-inch moulded, are of iron. The knee 

 of tie head, the rudder, llu? paildle-lxixcs, and a liglil berthing above the 

 gunM ale. about 2 feet 8 inches high, are of wood. The coamings and fittings 

 upon deck are generally of noc d, altliotigh for liiese purposes more iron is 

 used in the Nemesis than in timber-built vessels. The cabins and fittings 

 for liie oflicers, passengers and crew , are of WLod, and are very neat and 

 handsome. 



The mean launching draught of water — with masts, yards, rigging, anchor, 

 and cable, with the cabi-n fittings in a forw ard state — 'yas, acconling to the 

 information aliijidedby Mf. Laird. 2feet4i incl*s. The mean load draught, 

 ivitli 12 days' full supp'ly of coals, water and provisions, for a crew of 40 men 

 for 4 raontlis. and 3 jears' slii-p stores of all sorts, with duplicate and extra 

 machiiiery. is a.lse stated to have been 6 feet. 



The engines were made at Liverpool, U' Wessj-s. Forrester aJ'.d Co. Tlie 

 diameter of the cylinders is 44 inches, and tire length of tlie stroke 4 feet. The 

 estimate in horse-power for the two engi'nes is KO. The framings or supports 

 for the engines are of urougbt iro-n. It is 'usiuil to have them of east irom. 

 Tlie greater strcngtii of u roiaght iron enables them to be rande of much leas 

 size and v.eight. and tlifir apjiearance is also neces.-iai-ily lighter. The Ixiiiers 

 may be worked either separately or together. iJie jvailjle-wheels are 17 feet 

 G inches diameter to the ijiner edge of the rim. Th;- floats, which are 16 iu 

 number, are 6 feet 9 inches long, and 14| inches broad. The paddle-shaft is 

 78 feet abaft the fore-end of the water-line. The vessel carries two 32-pounder 

 medium guns, one forward and the other aft, on JiiTut-carriagcs, to fire over 

 all ; and it is this iriiich constitutes one of tlie c4i;ef points of intwest in the 

 Nemesis. T)ie guns are reported to have been fired several times with an 

 extra charge of powder, and double-shotted. Tlie coitcussion has left na 

 visible traces on the vessel : and, the expciimeiaf, as tar as it has as yet been 

 carried, certainly does not militate against the aJopUoiiof irou in the coo- 

 struction o'sliips for war. 



The fore-mast rakes 2 feet in 20, and is 32 I'etH aL>aft the fore-end of the 

 vater-bne. The main-mast rakes 1 foot in 20, and is 1)1 feet G inches aba/t 

 the fore-end of the water-line. The bowsprit steaves 5 feet C irclics iu 20 

 feet. The foliovting are the dimensions of the spars : — 



I^engUi, ft. Diameter, in. 



Fore-mast, from deck to houods i2 Jo 



Fore-mast, froiu head 8 — 



M:iin-ni3st, from deck to hounds 42i 15 



Main-mast, fi-om head 8 



Fore top-mast 24 



Fore head 4 



Sliiling gonler-mast 28 



Shding pole 8 



Maintop-mast 33 



Main pole 13 .. 



Fore gall 23 .. 



-Maingafl' 23 .. 



Fore-yard cleated 52\ 



l""ore-yard arms 3j '' 



F»ie topsail-yard, cleated 36> 



Fore to|)sail-yanl arms 2) ' ' 



Fore topgallant-yard, cleated 25 



Fore topgallant-yard, arms li . 



ISowsprit, out-hoard 21 



Jib-boom, out-board 13 



Jib-boom, in-board 13J — 



The form of the midship section may be best described by saying that it is 

 an olilong, 1 1 feet in depth and 29 in breadth, with its liase curved down- 

 wards 6 inches in 15 feel, to the middle linn of the keel, its sides slightly 

 curved outwards, and the lower corners rounded oil in the arc of a circle to a 

 radius of about three fee'. The midship portion of the body, in which the 

 engines, boilers and coal lie, preserves much tlie same section throughout its 

 length. Forward and aft, the form becomes finer, and gradually appro.ximates 

 to the usual bow anil stern of sailing vessels. The stern-post is plumb. The 

 stem rakes forward of the perpendicular at an angle of 16". It may here be 

 remarked, that the body is throughout remarkably fair ; and that an"observer, 

 standing either before 'the stem Ic^oking aft. or abaft the post looking forward, 

 can detect i.o more difference, if anv there be, between the two sides, than 

 would he uliserved in a vessel built wholly of wood. 



Mlth respect to the method of connecting the various parts, strictly speak- 



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