The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-29 00:00:00

New Mode of Steering Ships.

The " long-shore" residents of the banks of the Thames
as well as the denizens of the mass of vessels always an-
chored between Limehouse and Woolwich, must have been
for some three or four weeks past speculating upon the ec-
centric gyrations of one of her Majesty's gunboats, appa-
rently indulging in a series of eccentricities very unbecom-
ing in a craft devoted to the serious purposes of warfare.
The vessel thus speculated upon is no other than her Ma-
jesty's vessel Charger, of 60-horse power, which has been
fitted by the well-known firm of Young, Son, and Magnay,
of Limehouse, with a marvel of ingenuity in the shape of
a screw, which will steer as well as propel the vessel, and
which, bringing the whole power of the engines to effect the
mancouvring of the vessel, her movements are correspond-
ingly rapid, even to spinning upon her own centre, and
thus, as it were, waltzing up and down the river.
Admiral Sir Edward Belcher and a few gentlemen con-
nected with the English mercantile navy, having been in-
vited on Saturday to witness a trial of the invention, the
Charger proceeded down to Long Reach,„to test the new
screw.

The peculiarity of the screw is that a universal joint is
placed within the hollow boss of the screw,which is thereby
connected with the main shaft, the centre of gravity of the
screw and the centre line of the rudder intersecting the
centre line of the main shaft, so that the entire weight of
the screw is borne by the shaft ; and by means of a tail or
spindle to the screw projecting from the boss working in the
rudder, or an iron carrier in lieu of rudder, whatever may
be the movement of the tiller or wheel, it communicates an
equal movement to the screw, which becomes net only the
propelling but also the guiding power of the ship, as before
mentioned. A series of most interesting experiments were
performed to test the power of the screw in twisting the ves-
sel into every imaginable position, the result being unequi-
vocally satisfactory, and clearly demonstrating that it is no
longer needful to apply double screws, hydraulic steering
apparatus, or add any other extra complications to the ma-
chinery of a steamer, when by a wave of her own screw her
motion can be directed and controlled at will. Revolving
turrets will become obsolete if our present colossal screw
line•of-battle ships can, by the application of this truly ori-
ginal contrivance, be made to revolve upon their centres,
and deliver their entire broadsides alternately as fast as the
guns can be loaded, and in as short time as the cumbersome
turret with its single gun can be revolved and trained to
the required position.
The invention appears to have attracted the serious at-
tention of the Admiralty, as is evidenced by the grant of
the gun-boat for the experiment, and we therefore hope to
see the extensive adoption of this screw in the navy, for it
may prove as valuable as an increase in the power of our
guns, if it will render the vessels capable of being ma-
noeuvred with such rapidity.
Admiral Belcher expressed his satisfaction at the prospect
of one of the great questions of the day being solved in so
simple a manner, and appeared highly pleased at the result
of the experiment.
The steering screw is the invention of Mr. W. J. Curtis,
C.E., and the trial screw applied to the Charger was con-
structed by Messrs, J. and Dlyth, of Fore-street, Lime •
house.