538 Wood's Report on the River Indus. [No. 115. 



for the Indus, and from the reply to his communication, the following 

 paragraph is an extract, from which it will be observed, that I had then 

 fixed for the draft of an Indus steamer, the exact number of inches, 

 which boats upon the Ganges draw. 



Paragraph llth. — " In a preceding paragraph, I stated that powerful 

 vessels were required on the Indus ; the reason is this : In some parts 

 of the stream, the current has a velocity of five and six knots an hour.* 

 It will, therefore, be wise to possess a sufficient power, since steam is 

 now so under controul, that in the downward voyage, where accidents 

 are more liable to occur, it can be reduced at pleasure ; but if the 

 engines be originally too weak, a new boat is a costly remedy. Two 

 feet six inches is a good draft of water, and ought not to be exceeded, 

 the boat to have great beam, not much length, and no keel." 



Remarks on the Steam Boats of the Ganges^ furnished by their Control- 

 ler^ Lieut. Johnston^ R. N. 



" Four iron steam boats are now employed in inland communication ; 

 each steam boat is 125 feet long over all, 22 feet broad, and tows an 

 accommodation boat of the same length, and 20 feet broad, with a hold 

 of five feet deep, capable of towing 4000 feet of cargo, weighing 40 

 tons, the boat's draft when so loaded, not exceeding 30 inches. The 

 iron sides of the boat are 5 feet deep, above that is a light superstruc- 

 tion of wood in the accommodation boat; between the deck, which 

 forms the hold and the deck on which the crew and passengers walk, 

 the height is nearly 7 feet, and the included space from one end of the 

 vessel to within 20 of the other, or fore end, is divided into cabins and 

 dining rooms, &c. Fourteen cabins are available to passengers ; four 

 of 12 feet by 9 ; four of 9 by 81 ; and six of 8i by 6;i ; a dining room 

 20 by 12 ; two bathing rooms; two pantry or store-rooms, a butler's 

 room ; guard room, and two cabins for officers. Each cabin has a 

 water closet ; the windows or Venetians are 4 feet deep by 2\ wide. In 

 the steam boat, the iron side is continued up in the centre to the height 

 of the beams, which carry the paddle shafts, and the light paddle boxes 



* 1 had not, when this was written, seen the Indus during its freshes. 



