The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-05 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, MARCH 5, 1864

Steering Ships by Telegraph,

At the Royal United Service Institution yester-
day a highly interesting lecture was delivered by
Lieut. A. H. Gilmore, RN., upon the application
of electric telegraphy to the steering and general
management of a man of war. The lecturer stated
that it was now seven years since his late brother
directed attention to the sabjec., and proposed an
apparatus for the purpose to the Admiralty, whieh
had then be tried with perfect sums on board some
vessels of small size. The same system has recently
been accepted by the Admiralty, and is now in use,
with certain improvements, on board the Resist-
ance, the Hector, Pr'nee Consort, Orlando, Orontes,
and the Queen's yacht, the Victoria and Albert,
having been first adopted in that ship on the °ces-
sion of her voyage to bring the P►incess of Wales
to England. The great value of a system of per-
fect communication throughout any ship must be
evidence, as it is from the want of this that so many
accidents happen. Ships come into fatal collision in
fogs and dark nights before it is possible to alter
the course by word of command. The man at the
look-out has first to give his signal, and this is taken
up by the next man, and so the word is carried,
often in a gain of wind, throughout several men, to
the steersman, who possibly gets an imperfect, or
even a directly contrary order, while, if he gets the
right one, it is often too late. Many hairbreadth
escapes in this way are commonly to be heard re-
lated by seamen, and no doubt small craft are some-

imes run down which might have been avoided had

it been possible for the man at the helm to act with
sufficient promptitude. The apparatus appears to be
extremely simple, and it is only surprising, now
that we are shown it, that it was not adopted long
ago. There is in front of the wheel at which the
helmsman is stationed, a neat stand, somewhat like
a sun-dial stand, with an upright dial-plate, upon
which works a hand or indicator, and this plate is
made transparent at night by a lamp. When the
ship is steering " steady," the hand is vertical,
or at rest, by its own gravity, chiefly, and
points to the word " steady ;" when the course is
signalled to " port" or "starboard" the hand moves
to the left or right hand, as required by the officer
in command, who of course directs the key-handle
upon a similar dial-plate before him. But by an in-
genious contrivance a sharp sounding gong isstruck
with every signal, so that the man's attention is
called to the dial-plate before him. If he is ordered
to steer so many spokes of the wheel to port or
starboard, the officer gives three or any other num-
ber of strokes upon his dial, and the gong sounds
at the same time. If the order " hard down" or

" hard up" helm is to be given, it is only necessary
to repeat the strokes rapidly. Mr. Gilmore showed
the apparatus in action, and it worked in the meet
exact asd unmistakeable manner. For ships of war
and especially the cupola ships, it would seem to be
quite an indispensable means of working then efs•
ciently, as orders may be sent about the ship with
accuracy under any circumstances, and with a
rapidity quite impossible in the noise either of a
storm or a battle. Mr. Gilmore purposes to have a
kind of table with several dial•plates upon it, each
of which is in communication with a certain part of
the skip, as the fighting quarters, the engine room,
the cupolas, and so on ; this would be placed in the
captain's pilot-house on deck, and thus the necessary
orders to fight the ship by manceuvring in any way
to the magazines and to the broadside guns, pre,-
pare to fire, to change or revolve cupolas fbr the
other tack, and in case of attacking as a ram, tat
charge or to back off as needed. The immense ad-
vantages of all this need not be dwelt upon, but the
lecturer pointed out especially that in modern war-
fare by steam it would be of great importance to be
able to mancouvre the ship rapidly, and to fire in-
stantaneously at a ship moving with high speed.
The double screw propellers which are now coming
into use would not, he thought, be fully available
without this method of conveying orders instanta-
neously. As to the ease with which sailors would
learn the meaning of the signals and the working
of the system, Lieutenant Gilmore felt quite sure
that there was less difficulty in this method of
steering than in the old one of steering by the
compass.

STATE OF TRADE,

MANCHESTER, March 4.—The market for expor

yarns is again depressed, with very little business
offering for any quarter. Offers at low prises have
been made, but spinners cannot be brought to make
up their minds to accept.them. This branch of the
flat, with a tendency to lower
prices. In home trade yarns we have also had a
market closes very
very flat market, and prices show a tendency to a
further decline. The immediate cause is said to be
the feeling of uneasiness arising out of the present
state of European politics; but at the same time it
may be mentioned that a telegram from Bombay to
the 13th ult. reports that cotton had undergone a
considerable decline. The import market was dull,
but without any noticeable change in prices. The
fear of impending difficulties in connexion with
continental affairs has affected the cloth market quite
as unfavourably as the yarn market. The cases are
few and solitary in which any offers to purchase
have been made, and these only under circumstances
which would necessitate a concession on current and
foreign account, seems
to incline them against en-
tering into any operations of magnitude, and the
business of the day has been of the meet trivial e4aa
ratter. As there is no pressure of stock, ntanufne-
turers are not disposed to force their goods on the
market, and we have consequently the same nomi-
nal quotations as on Tuesday, though to effect sales
lower prices would have to be taken. Where there
is any pressure to sell (and there are always parties
more or less influenced by a desire to realise) both
spinners and manufacturers have to take rather
lower rates than they
Would have accepted last
week.

BRADFORD, 3cl.—Some little tone was glut to the
market today by the accounts received from tke
Bristol fair, the quotations at which are ustaily ii-
garded as an index at this season of their renentl
character between this and the time of the clip.
Private messages received report wool as command-
ing high prices. Many Bradford woolstaplers are
absent from that market. Very little long wool was
offering, and such as there was was readily bought
at prices in advance of those obtained here. Down
wether wools are rather more plentiful in this
market. There was a fair business done in all kinds
of wool, and prices were rather harder than last
week. The yarn branch did not participate in the
improvement experienced in wool. Spinners were
seeking a trifling advance to cover the higher rates
sought
but, with slight ex-
ceptions, for h
nn s,thte raw m
the buyer
nnantledrialdn;
fully as well as last
week. The single yarn trade was rather slacker
than it had been. Some orders for 40's for Russia
quiet. The demand for twofolds was extremely
were placed ; but the 30's trade
Was still active,
and there was considerable inquiry for corded yarns.
oomdasomufaakcetruar manufacturers
busyln p pieces, cbe
as ,t
plainfan goods
were generally
were slack. Prices
were firm.

steam coal,
business doing in
'th3ed.nTeTrchhearnetiss being full of orders, and
quotations well maintained. Considerable difficulty
is still experienced with the men, and the irregu-
larity with which they work causes many vessels to
be on demurrage. House coal is in active demand,
and the collieries are well employed. The iron-
masters have not received many orders of late, and
prices are hardly so firm as was the case a month
ago. There has been no actual decline in quota-
tions, but unless the spring requirements should be
a fall of from 2s.
down several iron ships at
e. if
Preparations are
6l adr.gteo i t 6 would.
per tnoont b©took
u r ppritasot
being mada for laying
ng
the local shipbuilding yards, and this branch of
trade is likely to become an Important one before
long,

NOTTINGHAM, 4th.—There was a fair attendance
of merchants and manufacturers at this Exchange•
hall to-day. A moderate business was done in lace
yarns, and late rates were well supported. The
inquiry for hosiery yams was slow at late prices.
Silks maintain their value. The demand for brown
nets was limited at unaltered rates.

THE DUKE OF ARGYLE is Maid to have written
the article on Reusn'e "Vie do Jesus" irl tho Zroollb
Bt itish Revicw.