Recent Advances in Mechanical Science. 149 



about 9^ hours a day, with two intervals of stoppage, breakfast 

 time and dinner time, and they are not called upon to work on 

 Sunday, so they have a fairly good time to put matters to right 

 when needed. Even across the Atlantic the engines running 

 full power for from six to ten days without stopping once 

 is a severe trial, but it is nothing to the runs made out to 

 Australia and New Zealand, when the engines of steamers have 

 run for 1,200 consecutive hours (which corresponds to about 

 half a year's work of a land engine working under very much 

 easier conditions), and have made 16,000,000 revolutions, and 

 driven the vessel 41,000 knots, without an overhaul, and at the 

 end of this nothing had to be done. I have known of small 

 engines for driving electric lighting appliances which have run 

 for four months night and day, Sundays and Saturdays, without 

 once being stopped. Where have you such a record on land ? 



Now, with regard to the foundations of such mill engines as 

 I have described, any amount of weight is available, and is used 

 to give the machinery a steady base to work off, and immense 

 masses of masonry and castings are used ; but on board ship 

 nothing of the sort is possible, the weight of the machinery and 

 all its connections must be carried on the structure of the vessel, 

 and it must be so arranged that the engines and boilers can be 

 tumbled about in all directions without cessation often for days 

 together. At the same time all must go on working up to full 

 power. There is no saying "keep her going until the meal 

 hour and then we will fix her up." If the engines have to be 

 stopped in a steamer every passenger, male and female, is on the 

 quivive. "What is wrong.?" " Is there any danger .? " "Shall 

 we get run into while we are stopped .? " and so on, and on 

 arrival in port the newspaper interviewer comes on board, 

 and, may be, gets a hold, we will say, of some admiralty official 

 who has happened to be a passenger, and gives a graphic 

 account of the dangers he and his fellow passengers have come 

 through owing to the stoppage of the main engines, which 

 probably has only been necessitated by a warm slide or rod, or 

 a joint in a pipe giving out, or a loose bolt, or some other trifle 



