Part 22 (1/2)
The Savannah was a full-rigged s.h.i.+p. The wheels were turned by an inclined direct-acting low-pressure engine, having a steam-cylinder 40 inches in diameter and 6 feet stroke of piston. The paddle-wheels were of wrought-iron, and were so attached that they could be detached and hoisted on board when it was desired. After the return of the s.h.i.+p to the United States, the machinery was removed and was sold to the Allaire Works, of New York. The steam-cylinder was exhibited by the purchasers at the ”World's Fair” at New York thirty years later. The vessel was employed, as a sailing-vessel, on a line between New York and Savannah, and was finally lost in the year 1822. Under sail, with a moderate breeze, this s.h.i.+p is said to have sailed about three knots, and to have steamed five knots. Pine-wood was used as the fuel, which fact accounts for the necessity of making the transatlantic voyage partly under sail.
Renwick states that another vessel, s.h.i.+p-rigged and fitted with a steam-engine, was built at New York in 1819, to ply between New York and Charleston, and to New Orleans and Havana, and that it proved perfectly successful as a steamer, having good speed, and proving an excellent sea-boat. The enterprise was, however, pecuniarily a failure, and the vessel was sold to the Brazilian Government after the removal of the engine. In 1825 the steamer Enterprise made a voyage to India, sailing and steaming as the weather and the supply of fuel permitted. The voyage occupied 47 days.
Notwithstanding these successful pa.s.sages across the ocean, and the complete success of the steamboat in rivers and harbors, it was a.s.serted, as late as 1838, by many who were regarded as authority, that the pa.s.sage of the ocean by steamers was quite impracticable, unless possibly they could steam from the coasts of Europe to Newfoundland or to the Azores, and, replenis.h.i.+ng their coal-bunkers, resume their voyages to the larger American ports. The voyage was, however, actually accomplished by two steamers in the year just mentioned. These were the Sirius, a s.h.i.+p of 700 tons and of 250 horse-power, and the Great Western, of 1,340 tons and 450 horse-power.
The latter was built for this service, and was a large s.h.i.+p for that time, measuring 236 feet in length. Her wheels were 28 feet in diameter, and 10 feet in breadth of face. The Sirius sailed from Cork April 4, 1838, and the Great Western from Bristol April 8th, both arriving at New York on the same day--April 23d--the Sirius in the morning, and the Great Western in the afternoon.
The Great Western carried out of Bristol 660 tons of coal. Seven pa.s.sengers chose to take advantage of the opportunity, and made the voyage in one-half the time usually occupied by the sailing-packets of that day. Throughout the voyage the wind and sea were nearly ahead, and the two vessels pursued the same course, under very similar conditions. Arriving at New York, they were received with the greatest possible enthusiasm. They were saluted by the forts and the men-of-war in the harbor; the merchant-vessels dipped their flags, and the citizens a.s.sembled on the Battery, and, coming to meet them in boats of all kinds and sizes, cheered heartily. The newspapers of the time were filled with the story of the voyage and with descriptions of the steamers themselves and of their machinery.
A few days later the two steamers started on their return to Great Britain, the Sirius reaching Falmouth safely in 18 days, and the Great Western making the voyage to Bristol in 15 days, the latter meeting with head-winds and working, during a part of the time, against a heavy gale and in a high sea, at the rate of but two knots an hour.
The Sirius was thought too small for this long and boisterous route, and was withdrawn and replaced on the line between London and Cork, where the s.h.i.+p had previously been employed. The Great Western continued several years in the transatlantic trade.
Thus these two voyages inaugurated a transoceanic steam-service, which has steadily grown in extent and in importance. The use of steam-power for this work of extended ocean-transportation has never since been interrupted. During the succeeding six years the Great Western made 70 pa.s.sages across the Atlantic, occupying on the voyages to the westward an average of 15-1/2 days, and eastward 13-1/2. The quickest pa.s.sage to New York was made in May, 1843, in 12 days and 18 hours, and the fastest steaming was logged 12 months earlier, when the voyage from New York was made in 12 days and 7 hours.
Meantime, several other steamers were built and placed in the transatlantic trade. Among these were the Royal William, the British Queen, the President, the Liverpool, and the Great Britain. The latter, the finest of the fleet, was launched in 1843. This steamer was 300 feet long, 50 feet beam, and of 1,000 horse-power. The hull was of iron, and the whole s.h.i.+p was an example of the very best work of that time. After several voyages, this vessel went ash.o.r.e on the coast of Ireland, and there remained several weeks, but was finally got off, without having suffered serious injury--a remarkable ill.u.s.tration of the stanchness of an iron hull when well built and of good material. The vessel was repaired, and many years afterward was still afloat, and engaged in the transportation of pa.s.sengers and merchandise to Australia.
The ”Cunard Line” of transatlantic steamers was established in the year 1840. The first of the line--the Britannia--sailed from Liverpool for New York, July 4th of that year, and was followed, on regular sailing-days, by the other three of the four s.h.i.+ps with which the company commenced business. These four vessels had an aggregate tonnage of 4,600 tons, and their speed was less than eight knots.
To-day, the tonnage of a single vessel of the fleet exceeds that of the four; the total tonnage has risen to many times that above given.
There are 50 steamers in the line, aggregating nearly 50,000 horse-power. The speed of the steams.h.i.+ps of the present time is double that of the vessels of that date, and pa.s.sages are not infrequently made in eight days.
The form of steam-engine in most general use at this time, on transatlantic steamers, was that known as the ”side-lever engine.” It was first given the standard form by Messrs. Maudsley & Co., of London, about 1835, and was built by them for steamers supplied to the British Government for general mail service.
The steam-vessels of the time are well represented in the accompanying engraving (Fig. 91) of the steams.h.i.+p Atlantic--a vessel which was shortly afterward (1851) built as the pioneer steamer of the American ”Collins Line.” This steams.h.i.+p was one of several which formed the earliest of American steams.h.i.+p-lines, and is one of the finest examples of the type of paddle-steamers which was finally superseded by the later screw-fleets. The ”Collins Line” existed but a very few years, and its failure was probably determined as much by the evident and inevitable success of screw-propulsion as by the difficulty of securing ample capital, complete organization, and efficient general management. This steamer was built at New York--the hull by William Brown, and the machinery by the Novelty Iron-Works. The length of the hull was 276 feet, its breadth 45 feet, and the depth of hold 31-1/2 feet. The width over the paddle-boxes was 75 feet. The s.h.i.+p measured 2,860 tons. The form of the hull was then peculiar in the fineness of its lines; the bow was sharp, and the stern fine and smooth, and the general outline such as best adapted the s.h.i.+p for high speed. The main saloon was about 70 feet long, and the dining-room was 60 feet in length and 20 feet wide. The state-rooms were arranged on each side the dining ”saloon,” and accommodated 150 pa.s.sengers. These vessels were beautifully fitted up, and with them was inaugurated that wonderful system of pa.s.senger-transportation which has since always been distinguished by those comforts and conveniences which the American traveler has learned to consider his by right.
[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 91.--The Atlantic, 1851.]
The machinery of these s.h.i.+ps was, for that time, remarkably powerful and efficient. The engines were of the side-lever type, as ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 92, which represents the engine of the Pacific, designed by Mr. Charles W. Copeland, and built by the Allaire Works.
[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 92.--The Side-Lever Engine, 1849.]
In this type of engine, as is seen, the piston-rod was attached to a cross-head working vertically, from which, at each side, links, _B C_, connected with the ”side-lever,” _D E F_. The latter vibrated about a ”main centre” at _E_, like the overhead beam of the more common form of engine; from its other end, a ”connecting-rod,” _H_, led to the ”cross-tail,” _W_, which was, in turn, connected to the crank-pin, _I_. The condenser, _M_, and air-pump, _Q_, were constructed in the same manner as those of other engines, their only peculiarities being such as were incident to their location between the cylinder, _A_, and the crank, _I J_. The paddle-wheels were of the common ”radial” form, covered in by paddle-boxes so strongly built that they were rarely injured by the heaviest seas.
These vessels surpa.s.sed, for a time, all other sea-going steamers in speed and comfort, and made their pa.s.sages with great regularity. The minimum length of voyage of the Baltic and Pacific, of this line, was 9 days 19 hours.
During the latter part of the period the history of which has been here given, the marine steam-engine became subject to very marked changes in type and in details, and a complete revolution was effected in the method of propulsion. This change has finally resulted in the universal adoption of a new propelling instrument, and in driving the whole fleet of paddle-steamers from the ocean. The Great Britain was a screw-steamer.
The screw-propeller, which, as has been stated, was probably first proposed by Dr. Hooke in 1681, and by Dr. Bernouilli, of Groningen, at about the middle of the eighteenth century, and by Watt in 1784, was, at the end of the century, tried experimentally in the United States by David Bushnell, an ingenious American, who was then conducting the experiments with torpedoes which were the cause of the incident which originated that celebrated song by Francis Hopkinson, the ”Battle of the Kegs,” using the screw to propel one of his submarine boats, and by John Fitch, and by Dallery in France.
Joseph Bramah, of Great Britain, May 9, 1785, patented a screw-propeller identical in general arrangement with those used to-day. His sketch exhibits a screw, apparently of very fair shape, carried on an horizontal shaft, which pa.s.ses out of the vessel through a stuffing-box, the screw being wholly submerged. Bramah does not seem to have put his plan in practice. It was patented again in England, also, by Littleton in 1794, and by Shorter in 1800.
John Stevens, however, first gave the screw a practically useful form, and used it successfully, in 1804 and 1805, on the single and the twin screw boats which he built at that time. This propelling instrument was also tried by Trevithick, who planned a vessel to be propelled by a steam-engine driving a screw, at about this time, and his scheme was laid before the Navy Board in the year 1812. His plans included an iron hull. Francis Pett.i.t Smith tried the screw also in the year 1808, and subsequently.
Joseph Ressel, a Bohemian, proposed to use a screw in the propulsion of balloons, about 1812, and in the year 1826 proposed its use for marine propulsion. He is said to have built a screw-boat in the year 1829, at Trieste, which he named the Civetta. The little craft met with an accident on the trial-trip, and nothing more was done.
The screw was finally brought into general use through the exertions of John Ericsson, a skillful Swedish engineer, who was residing in England in the year 1836, and of Mr. F. P. Smith, an English farmer.
Ericsson patented a peculiar form of screw-propeller, and designed a steamer 40 feet in length, of 8 feet beam, and drawing 3 feet of water. The screw was double, two shafts being placed the one within the other, revolving in opposite directions, and carrying the one a right-hand and the other a left-hand screw. These screws were 5-1/4 feet in diameter. On her trial-trip this little steamer attained a speed of 10 miles an hour. Its power as a ”tug” was found to be very satisfactory; it towed a schooner of 140 tons burden at the rate of 7 miles, and the large American packet-s.h.i.+p Toronto was towed on the Thames at a speed of 5 miles an hour.
Ericsson endeavored to interest the British Admiralty in his improvements, and succeeded only so far as to induce the Lords of the Admiralty to make an excursion with him on the river. No interest was awakened in the new system, and nothing was done by the naval authorities. A note to the inventor from Captain Beaufort--one of the party--was received shortly afterward, in which it was stated that the excursionists had not found the performance of the little vessel to equal their hopes and expectations. All the interests of the then existing engine-building establishments were opposed to the innovation, and the proverbial conservatism of naval men and naval administrations aided in procuring the rejection of Ericsson's plans.
Fortunately for the United States, it happened, at that time, that we had in Great Britain both civil and naval representatives of greater intelligence, or of greater boldness and enterprise. The consul at Liverpool was Mr. Francis B. Ogden, of New Jersey, a gentleman who was somewhat familiar with the steam-engine and with steam-navigation. He had seen Ericsson's plans at an earlier period, and had at once seen their probable value. He was sufficiently confident of success to place capital at the disposal of the inventor. The little screw-boat just described was built with funds of which he furnished a part, and was named, in his honor, the Francis B. Ogden.