Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber’s Notes

Text printed in italics and bold face in the source document has been
transcribed between _underscores_ and =equal signs= respectively.
Small capitals have been converted to ALL CAPITALS. ^e represents a
superscript e.

[T], [U] and [V] represent T-, U- and V-shaped symbols rather than
the actual letters.

More Transcriber’s Notes may be found at the end of this text.

STEAM-SHIPS

_UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME_

SAILING SHIPS:

THE STORY OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO THE PRESENT DAY

BY E. KEBLE CHATTERTON

With a Coloured Frontispiece by
CHARLES DIXON
and over 130 Illustrations from Original Sources,
Photographs, Models, &c.

_Extra Royal 8vo, 384 pages, in Designed Cover, Cloth Gilt, 16s. net_

ON THE LEFT IS A BOMB KETCH, A TYPE WITHDRAWN FROM THE NAVY ABOUT THIS DATE.

ON THE RIGHT IS H. M. S. “ST. VINCENT,” 101 GUNS.

_From a Painting by Charles Dixon_

_By kind permission of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co._]

STEAM-SHIPS

THE STORY OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT
TO THE PRESENT DAY

BY
R. A. FLETCHER

WITH A HUNDRED AND
FIFTY ILLUSTRATIONS

LONDON
SIDGWICK & JACKSON, LTD.
3 ADAM STREET, ADELPHI, W.C.
1910

_All rights reserved_

The story of the Steam-ship, and of its development up to the present time, covers little more than a hundred years. In the companion volume,[1] the evolution of the sailing ship necessitated a comprehensive survey of some eight centuries; but that we need vessels, not only faster than the sailing ship, but also more independent of the weather conditions, is shown by the fact that in the world’s shipping tonnage of to-day (omitting small vessels) the proportion of steam to sail is as nine to one. The “seven seas” must be crossed with speed and safety, in the interest of all nations that have a mile of sea coast; but the Anglo-Saxon race, as it has contributed--from either side of the Atlantic--most largely to the mechanical and structural development of the steam-ship, now depends most vitally upon the organisation of its naval and transportation systems. Napoleon said that the strength of an army lay in its feet; no less true is it that the strength of our Empire lies in her ships.

[1] “Sailing Ships and their Story,” by E. Keble Chatterton, 1909.

A hundred years ago it was impossible to forecast with any accuracy how long a journey might take to accomplish, and the traveller by land or sea was liable to “moving accidents by flood and field”; but side by side with the growth of the steam-ship, and the accompanying increase of certainty in the times of departure and arrival, came the introduction of the railway system inland. Between the two, however, there is the fundamental difference that the sea is a highway open to all, while the land must be bought or hired of its owners; and the result of this was that inland transportation, implying a huge initial outlay on railroad construction, became the business of wealthy companies, whereas any man was free to build a steamboat and ply it where he would. The shipowner, moreover, has a further advantage in his freedom to choose his route, because he is at liberty to “follow trade”; but if, as has happened before now, the traffic of a town decreases, owing to a change in, or the disappearance of, its manufactures, the railway that serves it becomes proportionately useless.

In another essential, the development of steam-transport on land and sea provides a more striking contrast. The main features of George Stephenson’s “Rocket” showed in 1830, in however crude a form as regards detail and design, the leading principles of the modern locomotive engine and boiler; but the history of the marine engine, as of the steam-ship which it propels, has been one of radical change.

The earliest attempts were made, naturally enough, in the face of great opposition. Every one will remember Stephenson’s famous retort, when it was suggested to him that it would be awkward for his engine if a cow got across the rails, that “it _would_ be very awkward--for the cow”;--and at sea it was the rule for a long while to regard steam merely as auxiliary to sails, to be used in calms. While ships were still built of wood, and while the early engines consumed a great deal of fuel in proportion to the distance covered, it was impossible to carry enough coal for long voyages, and a large sail-area had still to be provided. Progress was thus retarded until, in 1843, the great engineer Brunel proved by the _Great Britain_ that the day of the wooden ship had passed; and the next ten years were marked by the substitution of iron for wood in shipbuilding.

Thenceforward the story of the steam-ship progressed decade by decade. Between 1855 and 1865 paddle-wheels gave place to screw propellers, and the need for engines of a higher speed, which the adoption of the screw brought about, distinguished the following decade as that in which the “compound engine” was evolved. Put shortly, “compounding” means the using of the waste steam from one cylinder to do further work in a second cylinder. The extension of this system to “triple expansion,” whereby the exhaust steam is utilised in a third cylinder, the introduction of twin screws, and the substitution of steel for iron in hull-construction, were the chief innovations between 1875 and 1885. The last fifteen years of the century saw the tonnage of the world’s shipping doubled, and the main features of mechanical progress during that period were another step to “quadruple expansion” and the application of “forced draught,” which gives a greater steam-pressure without a corresponding increase in the size of the boilers. The first decade of the present century has been already devoted to the development of the “turbine” engine.

I have to thank the Institute of Marine Engineers at Stratford, E., for much valuable assistance and for placing its _Transactions_ at my disposal; if I have not acknowledged every item derived therefrom I trust that this general acknowledgment will suffice. To Mr. J. Kennedy, author of “The History of Steam Navigation”; Mr. A. J. Maginnis, author of “The Atlantic Ferry”; and Captain James Williamson, author of “The Clyde Passenger Steamer,” I am greatly indebted for their kind permission to draw freely upon their books: and to the publishers of the two latter, Messrs. Whittaker and Co. and Messrs. MacLehose and Sons respectively, for the loan of illustrations. Special thanks are also due to Mr. E. A. Stevens of Hoboken, New Jersey, U.S.A., not only for information concerning the experiments made by Colonel Stevens with the screw propeller, but also for the loan of some unique photographs of early American boats. Mr. A. J. Dudgeon, M.I.N.A., M.I.C.E., son of the well-known Thames shipbuilder, has revised a large amount of my work, and was good enough to place at my disposal his valuable scrap-books, from the pictures in which my friend Mr. Ernest Coffin has drawn several charming line-illustrations and the initial letters to the chapters. For various assistance I have to thank other friends and correspondents: Mr. James A. Smith, M.I.N.A; Mr. Harry J. Palmer, formerly of _Shipping Illustrated_, New York, and now assistant to Captain Clark, Lloyd’s agent at New York; Mr. J. W. Little, of Messrs. Little and Johnson; and Mr. James Gallagher of Paris for his researches at the Academy of Sciences and elsewhere.

For permission to reproduce many illustrations of models, &c., in the Science Museum at South Kensington, I am indebted to the Board of Education; while for particular information I am glad to acknowledge the especial courtesy of Messrs. Barclay, Curle and Co., Ltd., of Whiteinch, Messrs. R. and W. Green, Ltd., Messrs. Swan, Hunter, and Wigham Richardson, Ltd.; and, for revising the portion relating to Floating Docks and supplying illustrations thereof, to Messrs. Clark and Standfield. To many other famous shipbuilding firms who have supplied material or illustrations thanks must also be tendered: Messrs. Harland and Wolff of Belfast; Messrs. A. and J. Inglis of Glasgow; Messrs. Thornycroft and Co., Ltd.; the Carron Company; Messrs. Yarrow; Messrs. Eltringham and Co., Ltd.; Messrs. Smith’s Docks Co., Ltd.; Messrs. Palmer’s Shipbuilding and Iron Co., Ltd.; Messrs. Armstrong, Whitworth and Co., Ltd.; the Parson’s Marine Steam Turbine Co., Ltd.; the Thames Iron Works and Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.; the Vulcan Shipbuilding Co. of Stettin; Messrs. W. Denny and Brothers, Ltd., of Dumbarton; Messrs. Osbourne Graham and Co., Ltd.; Messrs. William Gray and Co., Ltd.; Sir Raylton Dixon and Co. of Middlesbrough; Messrs. W. Doxford and Sons of Sunderland; and the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, U.S.A.

To many shipowning firms I and my publishers are alike indebted for information and the loan of illustrative material; the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., Ltd.; The Cunard Company; the White Star Line; the American Line; the Pacific Steam Navigation Company; the Orient Line; Messrs. Shaw, Savill and Co., Ltd.; Lund’s Blue Anchor Line; the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company; Messrs. Elder, Dempster and Co., Ltd.; the General Steam Navigation Company; the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, Ltd.; the principal Railway Companies owning steam-ships; the Anchor Line; the Allan Line; Messrs. Brocklebank and Co.; the Bibby Line; Messrs. George Thompson and Son’s Aberdeen Line; the North German Lloyd, and the Hamburg-American Line.

Certain illustrations appear by arrangement with the editors of the _Magazine of Commerce_, the _Shipping World_, the _Syren and Shipping_, the _Master, Mate, and Pilot_ (of New York), the _Engineer_, and the _Shipbuilder_. The photograph of the _Minas Geraes_ is reproduced by special permission of his Excellency the Chief of the Brazilian Naval Commission.

R. A. FLETCHER

_June 1910_

CONTENTS

CHAP. PAGE

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xiii

I. PRIMITIVE EXPERIMENTS IN PROPULSION -- SOME EARLY
EXPERIMENTS WITH STEAM 1

II. AMERICAN PIONEERS IN STEAM NAVIGATION 19

III. THE PROGRESS OF STEAM-SHIP BUILDING IN GREAT BRITAIN 56

IV. RAILWAY COMPANIES AND THEIR STEAM-SHIPS 102

V. OPENING OF THE TRANSATLANTIC SERVICE 122

VI. DEVELOPMENT OF THE TRANSATLANTIC SERVICE 149

VII. THE DEVELOPMENT OF STEAM AUXILIARY -- OCEAN ROUTES 164

VIII. EXPERIMENTAL IRON SHIPBUILDING -- _The Great Britain_ 193

IX. DEVELOPMENT OF IRON SHIPBUILDING -- _The Great Eastern_ 228

X. THE BUILDING OF STEEL SHIPS -- MODERN LINES -- TURBINES 279

XI. STEAM-POWER AND THE NAVY -- OTHER NAVIES 311

XII. MISCELLANEOUS: TUGS -- CARGO-BOATS -- FLOATING DOCKS, ETC.
-- ECCENTRICITIES OF DESIGN 341

BIBLIOGRAPHY 391

INDEX 395

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

1. The _William Fawcett_, the first P. & O. Steam-ship;
with a Bomb Ketch and H.M.S. _St. Vincent_.
[_To face title-page_

From a painting by Charles Dixon; by kind permission of
the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co.

2. The _Chancellor Livingston_ _Headpiece to Preface_

From a drawing by W. T. Loveday

3. Primitive Paddle-boats 3

From Robertus Valturius, _De Re Militari_, 1472

4. “Barque à Roues”: Primitive Chinese Paddle-boat 5

Sketched from a drawing

5. “Liburna” or Galley, worked by Oxen 7

From Morisotus, _Orbis Maritimi Historia_, 1643

6. Jonathan Hulls’ Paddle-steamer, 1737 _To face_ 14

From the drawing in the Science Museum, South Kensington

7. The Marquis de Jouffroy’s Steamboat, 1783 _To face_ 16

From a copy of a French print published in 1816

8. John Fitch’s Oared Paddle-boat, 1786 22

From a contemporary drawing

9. John Stevens’ _Phœnix_, 1807 _To face_ 28

From a contemporary picture, by courtesy of E. A. Stevens,
Esq., Hoboken, N.J.

10. Robert Fulton’s _Clermont_, 1807 37

By courtesy of the _Shipping World_

11. The _Paragon_, built 1811 _To face_ 40

By courtesy of the _Master, Mate, and Pilot_

12. The _Philadelphia_, built 1826 _To face_ 44

From a contemporary picture, by courtesy of E. A. Stevens,
Esq., Hoboken, N.J.

13. The _De Witt Clinton_, built 1828 _To face_ 46

14. The _William Cutting_, built 1827 _To face_ 48

By courtesy of the _Master, Mate, and Pilot_

15. The _Mary Powell_ (Hudson River Day Line) 50

Sketched by E. Coffin from a photograph

16. The _Hendrick Hudson_ (Hudson River Day Line), 1906 _To face_ 50

Photograph by courtesy of the Hudson River Day Line

17. The _Robert Fulton_ (Hudson River Day Line), 1909 _To face_ 52

As the last

18. The _William M. Mills_ _To face_ 54

19. The _City of Cleveland_ _To face_ 54

Both by courtesy of the _Shipping World_

20. Patrick Miller’s Triple Boat the _Edinburgh_ _To face_ 56

From the engraving at South Kensington

21. Model of Miller’s Double Boat _To face_ 58

From the original at South Kensington

22. The _Charlotte Dundas_: longitudinal section 60

From a drawing

23. Symington’s Original Engine of 1788 _To face_ 60

Preserved at South Kensington

24. Model of the _Charlotte Dundas_ _To face_ 62

From the original at South Kensington

25. The Original Engines of the _Comet_ _To face_ 64

Preserved at South Kensington

26. The _Comet_, 1812 _To face_ 66

27. The _Industry_, 1814 _To face_ 68

Both by courtesy of the Institute of Marine Engineers, from the
lecture by J. H. Hulls, delivered Feb. 26, 1906

28. Plan and Lines of the _Comet_ _To face_ 70

29. The Engine of the _Leven_ _To face_ 70

Both by courtesy of Messrs. MacLehose and Sons and of the author,
from Captain Williamson’s “Clyde Passenger Steamers”

30. The _Sea-Horse_, about 1826 _To face_ 72

By courtesy of the Institute of Marine Engineers, from the
lecture by J. H. Hulls, delivered Feb. 26, 1906

31. The _Monarch_ and _Trident_, convoying the _Royal
George_ Yacht, with Queen Victoria and the Prince
Consort, to Edinburgh, August 1842 _To face_ 80

32. The _Trident_, in which the Queen and Prince Consort
returned, Sept. 1842 _To face_ 82

Both by courtesy of the General Steam Navigation Co.

33. The _Carron_ _To face_ 84

By courtesy of the Carron Co.

34. The _Kingfisher_ _To face_ 84

By kind permission of the General Steam Navigation Co.

35. The _Fingal_ _To face_ 86

By courtesy of the London and Edinburgh Shipping Co.

36. The _Lady Wolseley_ _To face_ 86

By courtesy of the British and Irish Steam Packet Co.

37. The _Ben-my-Chree_ (I.), built 1845 _To face_ 88

38. The _Tynwald_ (I.), built 1846 _To face_ 90

39. The _Mona’s Isle_ (II.), built 1860, as a paddle
steamer _To face_ 92

40. The _Ellan Vannin_ (the foregoing, altered to a
screw steamer and re-named, 1883) _To face_ 94

The last four illustrations by courtesy of the Isle of Man Steam
Packet Co.

41. The _Majestic_ _To face_ 96

From a photograph of a contemporary bill, by courtesy of J. W.
Little, Esq., of Little and Johnston

42. The _Lady Roberts_ _To face_ 98

By courtesy of the British and Irish Steam Packet Co.

43. The _Augusta_, 1856 100

By courtesy of F. H. Powell and Co., Liverpool

44. The Turbine Steamer _Marylebone_ (G.C. Railway) _To face_ 104

45. The _Cambria_ (L. & N.W. Railway) _To face_ 104

46. The Turbine Steamer _St. Patrick_ (G.W. Railway) _To face_ 114

47. The R.M. Turbine Steamer _Copenhagen_ (G.E.
Railway) _To face_ 116

48. The _Scotia_ (L. & N.W. Railway) _To face_ 120

The last five by courtesy of the respective companies

49. The _Savannah_ _To face_ 124

By kind permission of the _Master, Mate, and Pilot_

50. The _Rising Star_ 130

Drawing by E. Coffin from a very rare picture

51. The _Dieppe_ (L.B. & S.C. Railway) _To face_ 134

By permission of the Company

52. The _United Kingdom_ _To face_ 134

By courtesy of _Syren and Shipping_

53. The _Sirius_, from a print of 1837 _To face_ 140

54. The _Great Western_, from a print of 1837 _To face_ 142

Preserved at South Kensington

55. The _President_ 146

Drawn by E. Coffin from a contemporary picture

56. The _British Queen_ _To face_ 146

From an original oil-painting in the possession of the Author

57. The _Britannia_, 1840 _To face_ 152

By courtesy of the Cunard Co.

58. The _Atlantic_ 156

Drawn by E. Coffin from a contemporary picture

59. The _Adriatic_ (Collins Line, 1857) _To face_ 160

From “The Atlantic Ferry,” by A. J. Maginnis, by kind permission
of the publishers, Messrs. Whittaker and Co.

60. The _Earl of Hardwicke_ 168

61. The _Massachusetts_ 171

Both drawn by E. Coffin from contemporary pictures

62. The _Hindostan_, 1842 _To face_ 178

63. H.M. Troopship _Himalaya_ in Plymouth Sound _To face_ 180

Both from prints kindly supplied by the Peninsular and Oriental
Steam Navigation Co.

64. H.M. Troopship _Himalaya_ _To face_ 182

By courtesy of the Thames Iron Works and Shipbuilding Co.

65. The _Norman_ (Union-Castle Line, 1894) _To face_ 184

By permission of the _Engineer_

66. Maudslay’s Oscillating Engine _To face_ 200

From the original at the Science Museum, South Kensington

67. Model of the Engines of the _Leinster_ _To face_ 204

From the original at South Kensington

68. The _Pacific_ 205

Drawn by E. Coffin from a contemporary picture

69. Stevens’ 1804 Engine, showing Twin-screw Propellers _To face_ 208

By courtesy of E. A. Stevens, Esq., Hoboken, N.J.

70. The _Q.E.D._ 211

Drawn by E. Coffin from a contemporary picture

71. The _John Bowes_, launched 1852 _To face_ 214

72. The _John Bowes_, 1906 _To face_ 214

By courtesy of Palmer’s Shipbuilding and Iron Co.

73. The _Novelty_, built 1839 _To face_ 218

From the model at the Science Museum, South Kensington

74. The _Great Britain_ _To face_ 222

75. Engines of the _Great Britain_ _To face_ 224

From the models at South Kensington

76. The _Sarah Sands_, 1846 _To face_ 230

77. The _City of Glasgow_ (Inman Line, 1850) _To face_ 236

78. The _City of Rome_ (Inman Line, 1881) _To face_ 242

The last three from “The Atlantic Ferry,” by kind permission of
the publishers, as above

79. The _City of Chicago_ 244

Drawn from a contemporary print

80. The _Persia_ and _Scotia_ (Cunard, 1856 and 1862) _To face_ 244

81. The _China_ (Cunard, 1862) _To face_ 246

82. The _Russia_ (Cunard, 1867) _To face_ 246

The last three from “The Atlantic Ferry,” by kind permission of
the publishers, as above

83. Model of the _City of Paris_, 1866 _To face_ 248

From the original at South Kensington

84. The _Oregon_ (Cunard and Guion Lines, 1883) _To face_ 250

From “The Atlantic Ferry,” by kind permission of the publishers,
as above

85. The _America_ (National Line, 1884) _To face_ 254

From “The Atlantic Ferry,” by kind permission of the publishers,
as above

86. The _Delta_ leaving Marseilles for the opening of
the Suez Canal _To face_ 260

From a photograph kindly supplied by the P. & O. Co.

87. The _Thunder_ 265

Drawn by E. Coffin from a contemporary picture

88. Model of the _Great Eastern_ _To face_ 270

89. Longitudinal section of the _Great Eastern_ _To face_ 272

From the originals in the Science Museum, S. Kensington

90. Caricature of the _Great Eastern_ _To face_ 274

From a contemporary print

91. Model of the Paddle-engines of the _Great Eastern_ _To face_ 276

From the original at South Kensington

92. The _Britannic_ (White Star Line, 1874) _To face_ 280

By courtesy of the White Star Line

93. The _Umbria_ and _Etruria_ (Cunard) _To face_ 280

By courtesy of the Cunard Co.

94. The _Mauretania_ (Cunard, 1907) _To face_ 282

By courtesy of the Cunard Co.

95. The _Campania_ (Cunard, 1892) _To face_ 282

From “The Atlantic Ferry,” by kind permission of the publishers,
as above

96. The _Teutonic_ and _Majestic_ (White Star Line,
1889) _To face_ 288

By courtesy of the White Star Line

97. The _Olympic_ (White Star Line, 1910) _To face_ 288

From the painting by Charles Dixon

98. The _Olympic_ building, October 18, 1909 _To face_ 290

By courtesy of the White Star Line

99. The _St. Louis_ (American Line) _To face_ 294

By courtesy of the American Line

100. The _Morea_ (P. & O. Line) _To face_ 294

By courtesy of the P. & O. Co.

101. The _Assiniboine_ (Canadian Pacific Railway Co.) _To face_ 300

By courtesy of the Canadian Pacific Railway Co.

102. The _Kronprinzessin Cecilie_ (Norddeutscher Lloyd) _To face_ 304

103. The _Kaiser Wilhelm II._ (Norddeutscher Lloyd) _To face_ 304

Photographs by G. West and Son

104. The _Turbinia_ _To face_ 308

Photographs by G. West and Son, and by courtesy of the Parsons
Marine Steam Turbine Co.

105. The _Otaki_ (New Zealand Shipping Co.) _To face_ 310

By courtesy of W. Denny and Sons

106. H.M.S. _Waterwitch_, armoured gunboat 321

Drawn by E. Coffin from a contemporary picture

107. H.M.S. _Minotaur_ _To face_ 326

By courtesy of the Thames Iron Works and Shipbuilding Co.

108. The _Koenig Wilhelm_, German Navy _To face_ 328

109. The _Baden_, German Navy _To face_ 328

110. H.M.S. _Devastation_ _To face_ 330

111. H.M.S. _Thunderer_ _To face_ 330

112. H.M.S. _Dreadnought_ _To face_ 332

113. H.M.S. _Lightning_, torpedo-boat _To face_ 334

114. H.M.S. _Tartar_, torpedo-boat _To face_ 334

115. H.M.S. _Lord Nelson_ _To face_ 336

116. H.M.S. _Invincible_, armoured cruiser _To face_ 336

The last nine from photographs by G. West and Son

117. The _Minas Geraes_, Brazilian battleship _To face_ 336

By special permission of the Brazilian Naval Commission, from a
photograph kindly supplied by Messrs. Armstrong, Whitworth and
Co.

118. The _Kearsarge_, U.S. Navy _To face_ 340

119. The _San Francisco_, U.S. Navy _To face_ 340

Both from photographs by G. West and Son

120. The _Monitoria_ _To face_ 348

By courtesy of Messrs. Osbourne Graham and Co.

121. The _Iroquois_ and _Navahoe_ _To face_ 348

By permission of the _Syren and Shipping_

122. The _Monitoria_, transverse section 350

By courtesy of Messrs. Osbourne Graham and Co.

123. The old Floating Dock at Rotherhithe, _circa_ 1800 _To face_ 354

By courtesy of Messrs. Clark and Standfield

124. Model of the Bermuda Dock _To face_ 356

From the original at South Kensington

125. Self-docking of the Bermuda Dock (well heeled) _To face_ 358

126. Bermuda Dock: Centre Pontoon Self-docked _To face_ 358

127. Bolted Sectional Dock lifting a Vessel _To face_ 360

128. The Cartagena Dock _To face_ 362

The last four by courtesy of Messrs. Clark and Standfield

129. The _Baikal_ _To face_ 362

By courtesy of the _Magazine of Commerce_

130. The _Drottning Victoria_ _To face_ 366

From a photograph by Frank and Sons, by courtesy of the
_Shipbuilder_ and Messrs. Swan, Hunter, and Wigham Richardson

131. The _Ermack_ _To face_ 370

By courtesy of Sir W. G. Armstrong, Whitworth and Co.

132. The _Earl Grey_ _To face_ 370

By courtesy of the _Magazine of Commerce_

133. The Royal Yacht _Victoria and Albert_ _To face_ 372

134. The Imperial Yacht _Hohenzollern_ _To face_ 372

Photographs by G. West and Son

PLANS

135. The Evolution of Floating Docks, 1800-1910 389

By courtesy of Messrs. Clark and Standfield