TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 261 



2ndly. The Indus Flotilla Company's steamer ' Stanley,' on tlie European system 

 of spoon-ended bow and stern. Also the large steamer, 360 feet long, recommended 

 by the Commission who visited the Rhone. 



3rdly. The Oriental Inland Company's train of articulated barges (Bomne's patent), 

 consisting of one steamer and five barges, which may be called the theoretic system 

 of river navigation on the punt type. 



4thly. The Nautilus Flotilla system of tug- and tow-boats, giving sheer and deck 

 plans of one tug- and three tow-boats of the ' Assam t}-pe,' as onginally tried on the 

 Thames, and of a steamer and two tow-boats as adopted from experience, and now 

 ready for fm-ther trials. 



There are shown also the East Indian Eailway Company's vessels, the 'Ganges' 

 and 'Excelsior,' two large vessels built in Calcutta, and provided with locomotive 

 engines, with some particulars of their capability and fittings. Also the midship 

 sections of four steamers built on my lines and fittings, the last of which, the ' Sir 

 James Melville,' sailed out to India with a false bottom, as proposed by me. As 

 to small boats, there are plans of the ' Sm-prise,' 85 feet long, towing two barges of 

 similar dimensions alongside. She has been extremely useful, and affords also a 

 fair contrast with the ' Assam Nautilus,' the one being 90 and the other 20 horse- 

 power. 



Eeference to Appendix B gives particulars of the East Indian Eailway Company's 

 fleet of ten steamers and barges ; also the result of the trial of Messrs. Vernon and 

 Sons' barges as to strength, which necessitated an additional strength of girder 

 equivalent to one-fifth, the vessel being reduced in length 25 feet, and the weight 

 added to the girders; two of the spoon-ended barges being reduced to 200 feet, the 

 bow of the fifth forming the stern of the sixth, with new bows of the ' Assam ' type 

 fitted to each, on plans furnished by me. 



Of the test-trials of Messrs. Stevenson's trial steamer and barge, the residt is given 

 in a tabular form, at a light draught of steamer, at medium, and load draught; of 

 steamer and barge loaded to four feet, carrying 600 tons of cargo, ^vith engines of 

 596 1. H. P., at a speed of llj miles per hour. 



The East Indian Railway Company's fleet consists of ten large steamers and tow- 

 barges, employing a capital of about £2o0,000, with a boat establishment of three 

 small steamers, twelve large barges, 150 iron flats and cargo boats, averaging 90 feet, 

 and 200 or 300 iron and timber boats and oulacs, built in Bengal, besides the 50 

 sailing boats or iron oulacs, built on the Thames, on my plan of Nautilus Flotilla 

 system and ' Assam ' tj'pe, at a cost of £'29,925, or £600 each, completed in Calcutta. 



Thus £600,000, a capital guaranteed for railway purposes, has been invested by 

 the East Indian Railway Company in a fleet of large steamers and barges and small 

 steamers and boats, established for the conveyance of materials during the con- 

 struction of the line. 



The Indus Flotilla Cmnpanj/. — The ' Stanley ' experimental steamer (a sheer 

 plan of which is shown in the Plate, Appendix B, No. 1 and 2) gives the residts of 

 her trials on the Thames in 1838, as shown in tabular form : she required nearly 

 10 indicated horse-power to one square foot, mid section, to attain a speed of 

 thii-teen miles an hour, without cargo or tow-boat, while the East Indian Railway 

 Company's trial steamer and barge, tried in June 1859, with only 3 horse-power, 

 attained a speed of 11^ miles an hour, can-ying 600 tons of cargo — a practical test 

 of relative efficiency as to speed and capability for cargo of the ' Stanley.' The 

 difficulty of steering and towing on the Thames induced the addition of 121 feet to 

 the stem as a fender to the rudder, with a stage for steering as shown in plan. 



The flotilla of steamers, barges, tugs, and cargo boats were contracted for in this 

 country in 1868. besides the ' Stanley,' six other passenger steamers, seven accom- 

 modation flats, also thirty-three cargo barges, and six tug steamers 100 feet long, with 

 engines 30 horse-power, built of corrugated iron. I find by an extract from ' The 

 Engineer ' of the 23rd of August, that the ' Stanley,' after a great many alterations 

 in engines and paddles, is still inefficient, and is now (July 1801) laid up awaiting a 

 new cylinder. Of the six passenger steamers it was stated that only one had been 

 partially tried, when it was found that the tubular boilers were inefficient, owing 

 to priming ; and of the small tug-boats only two were in use, and were unable to 

 tow the number of barges built for them. The above facts prove the necessity 

 for having thorough test-trials and improvements in this country before sending 



