Captain Hall’s Account of the Dundee Ferry. 151 
up, or quite down, and consequently the power of the engine 
connected with it, for the moment, entirely gone, the other crank 
must be in a horizontal position, and the power of its engine will 
be, for the same moment, at a maximum. The result therefore 
is, that, precisely in proportion as one engine loses power, the 
other gains it ; and, consequently, the united effect of the two, 
against the resistance, at every instant of their action, is virtually 
equal to the constant power of one of them at its greatest ; so 
that, whether the engine be moving fast or slow, or the resist- 
ance great or small, the same uniform force is exerted. 
At each of che landing-places, there have been built low -water 
piers ; along the sides, or across the ends of which, the steam-boat 
can be placed at any time of the tide, and during all weathers ; 
so that passengers and cattle are embarked with as much ease as 
if they were going along a bridge ; while carriages and carts drive 
in on one side of the river and out again on the other, without 
removing the horses. The utmost attention is paid to the hours 
of departure. Three minutes before the town clock of Dundee 
strikes the hour, a bell is rung on board the boat ; and the in- 
stant the hour is told, the paddle-wheel begins to move, and the 
vessel to glide from the pier. In like manner, when the half 
hour strikes at Newport, she quits the opposite pier; and so on 
from sunrise to sun-set ; her crossings and recrossings never be- 
ing interrupted. To ensure the constancy of this essential, but 
very difficult point, an able and active superintendant has been 
appointed, with a handsome salaiy, and a house on the spot : 
His exclusive business is to arrange the whole details of the 
passage, and to prevent all unnecessary delays. A collector also 
is appointed, a gentleman who, in like manner, resides constant- 
ly on the spot, and attends exclusively to the money department. 
In consequence of the vigilance of these two officers, acting un- 
der the judicious regulations which the trustees have from time 
to time established, it is most worthy of remark, that, however 
great the crowd of cattle, carriages, or passengers may be, not 
the least delay or confusion ever arises, either at the embarkation 
orj*elanding. 
On board the boat the system is equally perfect : there is a 
coxswain, an engineer, five seamen and a fireman. Long prac- 
tice has given to those people so exact a knowledge of the power 
