56 Fifteenth Memoir on the Law of Storms. [Jan. 



shrouds become slack exactly when most wanted to be taut. I have little 

 doubt that this was one reason of the loss of the Plato 's funnel. 



I do not advert here to the large openings necessarily left in 

 Steamers, farther than to say that unless much more strongly covered 

 in than a common hatchway, their being stove in by a sea is not an 

 unlikely but even a probable accident, serious as it would be. And this 

 seems to have attracted attention at home, for in a recent notice of the 

 improvements in II. M. Steam Ship Fury, of 1123 tons, and 550 horse 

 power, I find it stated that " she is fitted with circular hatches over her 

 engine-room, which in warm climates throw open its whole area to the 

 currents of air from the deck ;" and it is added that " This plan also af- 

 fords the most perfect security in a gale of wind, preventing the ship- 

 ment of seas in the engine-room." 



If this was thought necessary in a first rate steamer for the storms 

 of the Channel, the Atlantic, and the hurricanes of the West Indies, 

 and doubtless sanctioned by the Admiralty because much zVzsecurity 

 had been found in heavy weather on the old plans, we may fairly doubt 

 if, for our seas, where, we may say without exaggeration of some of 

 our hurricanes and tyfoons, that nothing made of wood or iron or 

 rope can hold against them ; we have got much yet to learn in the art 

 of properly securing our steamers' funnels and hatches, so as to avoid 

 the dismal repetition of the Cleopatra 's loss — with a freight other than 

 of convicts. 



And the remedy for this is so simple that I think (after • another 

 catastrophe or two) it will not fail to be adopted ; i. e. to have a stout 

 hoop with strong eyebolts and chain pendants, the whole of work- 

 manship and stoutness sufficient to bear the whole weight of the funnel 

 when the vessel is upon her beam ends, fitted to the head of the fun- 

 nels. Stout runners and tackles, like the lower tackles of ship's fore- 

 masts, should be kept ready rove, and upon the approach of severe 

 weather these should be carefully set up. 



There is nothing in this but the precaution which every good officer 

 takes with his lower masts, in tackles, preventer shrouds, &c. in a 

 sailing vessel ; and the loss of a funnel or of both of them, is an 

 accident of too grave a kind to be thought lightly of, because it may 

 seldom happen. My belief is that under the present system it may 

 probably always happen in every Steamer that becomes unmanageable 

 in a tyfoon. 



