Recent Advances in Mechanical Science. 147 



" Socially, districts can be worked by it when there are steep 

 grades when horse haulage would be useless or impossible, 

 larger, better, and more numerous cars can be used, and the 

 noise of working is much reduced." 



There are other advantages which I need not enumerate. 

 Should electricity come to the fore, as there is every possibility 

 of its doing, even the cable tramway may have to '' hide its head.'' 



I think the railway system and the thoughts connected with 

 it have now taken up a good share of my time, so that we had 

 better proceed to the consideration of another great branch of 

 commercial mechanics, I mean the navigation of the waterways 

 of the world, seas and canals. After all, ships are really only 

 floating bridges, and some ships may be described as floating 

 palaces as well. 



The changes in sizes, proportions, and so on in these structures 

 have of late years been so rapid and drastic that reliable infor- 

 mation with regard to them is not to be obtained from books, 

 the fact being that everybody who is in a position to be an 

 authority on the subject has his head and hands full of work 

 in carrying out these changes and improvements. 



We have in this port at the present a very large cross-Atlantic 

 steamer which only eight years ago was constructed by one of 

 the Clyde shipbuilding and engineering firms. Her last visit 

 to this port was on her trial trip, which was celebrated by the 

 eating of lunches, and the popping of corks, and so on. Well, 

 now she has come to have her boilers removed and her 

 machinery altered. She could no longer compete in the work, 

 and her owners must lose the use of her for six months or so 

 while this is being done. On the other hand, we know of 

 vessels 17 or 18 years old which are doing as good work as ever, 

 if not better, with their old engines and boilers — favourite ships 

 with passengers. What a tale this tells both of good design in 

 the first instance, careful and conscientious construction in the 

 second, and good upkeep during all these years in the third. 



The designing of ships belongs, I think, more particularly to 

 what is actually looked upon as the civil engineering branch of 



