DIFFERENT KINDS OF SHIPS. ^ 



E^ Steamships. 



When steam power is used instead of sails to propel a vessel, it is called 

 a steamship, steamer, or steamboat. Soon after the invention of the steam- 

 engine, the idea occurred of applying it to navigation ; but it was not until 

 the year 1807 that Fulton built the first steamboat. This was used on the 

 Hudson river. In 1813 the first steamboat was seen on the Thames, and 

 soon they were brought into use on the North Sea and the Baltic, the 

 Mediterranean and the Atlantic coasts. Steam navigation between America 

 and Europe was introduced at a much later period, after having for a long 

 time been pronounced impossible. 



As just stated, the steam-engine is the moving power in steamships, 

 sails being only occasionally used as an additional force, in order to save 

 fuel. In steamships the engine is arranged either to drive paddle wheels or 

 an Archimedean screw, the vessel being propelled by each of these moving 

 powers. The engine generally differs little from those in common use, 

 except that, on account of the limited space, the working-beam is either 

 omitted or placed in a low part of the engine. As we have already described 

 the difl^erent parts of the steam-engine (see Mechanics, in Vol. I.) we will here 

 merely give an account of some of the best steam-engines that have been 

 constructed for ships. PL IS, Jigs. 1 to 9, represent a steam-engine of 160 

 horse-power, consisting of two connected engines working on a common 

 crank-axle, the ends of which carry two paddle-wheels, the axle passing 

 through the whole breadth of the ship. Fig. 1 represents the two engines, 

 the larboard engine in a front view, and the starboard one in a section 

 through the regulating cylinder ; the air-pump, the condenser, and its pipes 

 are left out for the sake of greater clearness ; Jig. 2 is a horizontal section 

 of the regulating cylinder, and^^. 3 a vertical section of the same; Jigs. 4, 

 5, and 6, are the details of a cylindrical sliding-valve ; Jig. 7 is a side view 

 of the larboard engine, with a vertical section of a part of the deck ; Jig. 7 *, 

 and^^. 7^ are details of the regulation for the injection of steam ; Jig. 8 is 

 a half horizontal section of the larboard engine, in the direction of the line 

 1, 2, in Jig. 7 ; Jig. 9 is a half view from above of the same engine ; A is the 

 steam cylinder, in the chamber of which, A', the air-tight and steam-tight 

 piston-rod moves up and down, being secured in a perpendicular direction 

 at the top by the plate, J, which rests on the supports, J'. The piston-head, 

 G', raises one end of the lever, G, which moves at the other end on the 

 pillar, H. In order that the piston-head, and the lever, G, may follow the 

 perpendicular direction of the piston, the cross-bar, I, is applied, which turns 

 around the gudgeon, g", on the plate, J, and moves on the lever at /'; from 

 the lever, G, the double connecting-rod, K, moving on the gudgeon, K', 

 passes to the working-beam, L, which moves on the gudgeon, K"; the work- 

 ing beam plays on the point L", and at the gudgeon, K', is a third connecting- 

 rod, M, which runs to the crank, N, of the main axle, and causes the paddle- 

 wheels to revolve. The lever, G, consists of two separate pieces, which 

 are fastened together by the bolts, g ; the main axle, O, rests on four 

 bearers, P', which oscillate on four iron pillars, P, with gudgeons at each 



ICONOGRAPHIC ENCrCLOPiEDIA. VOL. III. 47 737 



