1 5© Recent Advances in Mechanical Science. 



which could not have been put to right without a stoppage, and 

 which there were no regular stoppages to correct. What would 

 a passenger across the Atlantic say if it was usual to stop for an 

 hour twice a day and for all the night, so as to make small 

 defects right ? 



For a locomotive, two or three hours is considered a good 

 run without a stoppage. I have often come through experiences 

 of this kind afloat which got into the papers, but which if they 

 occured on shore would pass without comment. It is a curious 

 thing how slow the owners of land engines have been to follow 

 up the lead given them by marine engine builders. It is only 

 within the last year that they have been induced to take a 

 leaf out of the new book ; two local firms having become alive 

 to the state of the case, and, no doubt, others will follow. It 

 has to be borne in mind that every pound of coal and every 

 ton of engines, boilers, and water carried restricts the carrying 

 power of a ship, which means, of course, the earning power of 

 the vessel. Every ounce of weight wasted in the supports of 

 the machinery, &c., acts in the same way. A land engineer 

 can put hundreds or thousands of tons of foundations down to 

 carry his machinery, and he can get his coals, like Dr. Chalmers, 

 in by the bag, or he can lay his winter's stock of fuel in on the 

 cheap in the most favourable season, it does not seem to touch 

 his profits disadvantageously one way or another, and yet he 

 does not seem to see what an advantage it would be for him to 

 have engines which would work for half the coal and need 

 comparatively no repairs. The secret is, that it would cost him 

 a little more in the first instance to make the installation. I 

 hope to see a great change in this respect, when the land 

 engineer realises what his brother, the marine engineer, has 

 done. A great deal might be said in following up such a 

 subject as this. 



In connection with mechanical subjects, which all more or 

 less depend on our supply of coal, we are no doubt all aware 

 that out of the possible value to be obtained from a given 

 quantity of coal, even with the most perfect appliance for 



