28 Mr. F. J. Bigger on Alexander Mitchell 



counted so many learned and talented men among its members 

 that there was no lack of social enjoyment. 



Early in this year, Mitchell built a lighthouse on the Chapman 

 Sands, off Sheerness, in Kent. Having returned to Belfast he was 

 treated with, regarding a lighthouse for the Cove of Cork. He 

 sent in a proposal to build it for the sum of ^4,450, which was 

 accepted, and he moved to Queenstown about the end of November, 

 in order to prepare for beginning the work early in the next year. 

 During this Autumn Mitchell built a lighthouse on the Cunfieet 

 Sands, near Essex. 



In August, 1853, Mitchell went with his family to the pretty 

 little village of Heysham, on Morecambe Bay, as he had under- 

 taken to build a lighthouse there. His son had, meantime, been 

 making arrangements for the work, and found the place where the 

 lighthouse was to be built was more exposed than he had expected, 

 so that two gangs of men were engaged, that they might be able to 

 take advantage of every fine moment. 



During spare time Mitchell thought out some improvements in 

 the screw propeller, and got it tried in October, and patented early 

 in the next year. It proved to be a great improvement on former 

 propellers, and was a new source of income. But the success it 

 had in working was a much greater satisfaction to him. It was 

 first tried in the Erin's Queen and Malvina (called Mulvanly by the 

 sailors !), and the captains both reported an increased speed and a 

 smaller consumption of coal. 



James Hamilton made a very complimentary speech at a meet- 

 ing of the Screw Steamship Company, in which he said that "the 

 company was under great obligations to Mr. Mitchell for his 

 advice and counsel, and his generous kindness in granting to all 

 their ships the free use of his improved screw propeller." 



In the specification of patent for the improvements in propelling 

 vessels Alexander Mitchell declared the nature of his invention to 

 consist- — " First, in a certain form given to the blades or arms of 

 the screw propellers by means of which the water passes from the 

 propeller when in motion in a dense cylindrical mass, and not 

 scattered or broken as in the case with the ordinary propeller, 



