The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-10-01 00:00:00

STOWAGE OF THE DOCKS

An application was read from Messrs. Baring Brothers, to
place a quantity of iron, of about 200 tons, on a vacant
space on the west quay of (as we understood) the Waterloo
Dock, as a convenience. As the committee had been in the
habit of permitting a similar privilege on the west side of
the Prince's Dock, on payment of a certain rental, it was
agreed that it should he conceded on this occasion, on con-
dition of its being stowed compactly, paying a rent, and
occupying the ground only a short time.

SIGNAL LIGHTS AT THE BASIN ENTRANCES.
A letter was read from the North Harbour Master, stating
that the new signal lights were ready, and suggesting that
public notice should be given before they were put into use.
A short discussion ensued respecting the colour of these
lights, which, it appears, it had been proposed should be
green, in order to distinguish them from the others. Lieut.
Lord, the Marine Surveyor, was called iu and consulted on
the subject. He did not approve either of green or blue
lights, inasmuch as they greatly impoverished the illuminat.
ing power. Red was best for a coloured light, but even that
had a damping effect. In the Rock Light-house ten retlectors
were required for the red revolving light, and only sia for the
white. Digtinguishing white and red lights could, however,
be fixed either horizontally, triangularly, or vertically to
attain the object in view.
Mr. CHAPMAN remarked, that the exhibition, without
mature consideration, of so many varied lights might tend
to create confusion, and proposed that the subject should be
referred to the Harbour Masters' Committee, who were
preparing a report on steam-boat lights—the Glasgow boats
having one set of signal lights, and the Dublin boats another.
The committee concurred, and the subject was accordingly
referred to the committee named to report upon.

RUNCORN

According to the mo►►thly return. 214 vessels of, ist
11,058 tons, had entered the port of Runcorn last ►nouth,
the dues on which a►nounted to £5B lls. Bd.

The general business of the committee here concluded, and
the reporters retired.

IRON VESSELS

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD,

SIR,—Yon would much oblige me, and I think at the
same time confer a benefit on science and the public, by al-
lowing me the use of your columns to state a few facts re-
specting iron vessels, and particularly as regards a vessel
called the Iron Duke.

It is generally known that this ship lately received some
damage by striking on a bank off the Island of Lesson, and
put into Gottenburg in a leaky state. She had undergone
some alterations at the iron shipbuilding establishment with
which I am connected, with a view to improve her steering
qualities. This was effected by carrying out a false stern-
post and counter, her original form being too full to allow
her to steer well.*

Hearing of her misfortune, I naturally became anxious to
ltarn all particulars, and was kindly favoured by Messrs.
Anderson, Garrow, and Co., with all the circumstances, as
they received them from the captain.
His first letter stated, that, while passing over a bank, the
ship struck violently several times in the hollow of the sea ;
that no leak was perceived till she had cleared the bank, but
afterwards the water gained fast upon them, and they ran
her ashore in the Harbour of Gottenburg, with 8 feet water
in her hold. lat once gave au opinion as to the cause of
the leak which has since proved to be correct.
When she was in the Graving. Dock, we found that she
had been originally built with a very shallow keel, and that
a pine log had been attached to it by bolts and straps as a
false keel. This was all torn off, as might be expected, when
she struck, carrying with it the straps and bolts ; and it was
through the holes left by the broken bolts that the water
had entered.

I have the captain's last letter now before me, in which
he states :—" On Saturday last, the ship was hove down,
and on examining we found the false keel and fore foot
completely gone, with all the straps and one bolt broken
" in the main keel ; all the other bolts were more or less
" disturbed. I - had the opinion of several carpenters and
-

experienced men, who advised me to have all the bolts
' taken out, and replaced with screws put in from the out-
" side, which was the most expeditious and secure way of
" stopping the leaks. Accordingly the blacksmiths and
" boiler-makers were instantly employed, and the ship up-
" right at one o'clock on Tuesday, stauncher than ever she
" has been since she was launched." He concludes by say.
ing :—" I am getting the deck and poop sides caulked,
" which are the only repairs required." He does not allude
in any of his letters to the least injury being sustained by
the iron hull, except those occasioned by the bolts and straps
of the unfortunate false keel, which never should have been
put on. - - . _ -

The spirited owners, Messrs. G. llartrick and Co., of
New Ross, writing on the subject, state :—" In our opinion
" it triumphantly establishes the superiority of iron over
" wood for naval purposes, as most assuredly had a timber
" vessel met with such an accident, her repairs must have
" been very extensive. It was unfortunate that the wooden
" keel should have been ever put on, as we feel convinced.
" had she been without it, she would have come off the bank
" free from damage, even though she had been striking vio-
" lently for days instead of hours."
When any accident happens to an iron vessel, the circum-
stance immediately goes the round of the papers ; the story
is magnified by prejudiced and interested persons, while the
causes are carefully concealed ;—and yet I can assert, with-
out fear of contradiction, that if the whole truth were at all
times stated, even the accidents that occur to iron vessels
would tend, as in the case of the Iron Duke, to confirm their
superiority.

I will relate an instance of this kind. Some time since it
was stated that the Vulcan iron ship had put into Plymouth
leaky ; but no one thought it necessary to state the causes.
She was, however, a short time since in this port; and while
in the Graving Docks I went to see her, and then for the
first time learnt the cause of the leakage. I was told that,
while in the Baltic and near the land, she struck on a pointed
rock with so ►mach violence, that the mate was nearly thrown
into the sea. No notice was taken of the circumstance; she
came home, was sold, reloaded, and again went to sea ; and
it was not till then that any leak was discovered. On exa-
mination of her bottom at Plymouth, the effects of her acci-
dent were first perceived. The plates, although of great
strength, were indented near the bow, but not otherwise in-
jured. Some of the rivets, however, which held the angle
iron frames, were broken; and caused the leakage. So that
an accident, which probably few wooden ships would have
survived, remained unknown probably, except to the crew,
for months, and, when discovered, was repaired by a few
new rivets.

The public, however, are not alone to blame for the pre-
judice which still exists against iron vessels. During sixteen
years that I have been interested in them, I have examined
all of any importance that have been built in this country,
and I scarcely know an instance where there has not been a
departure from the well-established principles of shipbuild-
ing—some arising from the necessity of the case, and some
from the ignorance or whim of the builders. The most
common cause of these deviations is the desire to obtain a
light draft of water; and to do this more effectually, the
keels have been made too small, the lines too full, and not
unfrequently the materials too light. The consequences are,
as sailing vessels they drift to leeward, and steer imperfectly.
False keels, which are exceedingly dangerous, have iu some
instances been attached, as in the case above alluded to of
the Iron Duke.

1 feel satisfied that you will have much pleasure in assist-
ing to correct impressions which are likely to retard a great
national improvement, and therefore do not hesitate to re-
quest you to insert the circumstances. The time is fast ap-
proaching when iron must entirely supersede wood for ship-
building, and every doubt as to its superiority be removed.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
JOHN GRANTHAM.

Liverpool, Sept. 27th, 1841.
* The captain states that her steering and sailing qualities
have been much improved by the alteration.

UNPARALLELED CASE IN THE CHRISTIANRORI
byD. our^-At
the confirmation held at the parish church yesterday,
worthy diocesan, the Bishop of Chester, two sisters were
i
presented to his lordship for participation n that sacred rite,
by Dr. Whittaker, of the names of Betty and Ellen Wilcock,
who attained the age of sixteen on the first of July last.
They were brought into the world by the Caesarean oper-
ation, and we believe a similar instance cannot be found on
record.
As a proof that foreigners are fast putting up machinery
for competing with this country, we may state, that the
American ship Henry, Capt. Pierce, was lately chartered
and cleared from Liverpool to Ostend, there to be laden with
machinery and workmen for the manufacture of cotton, to
be conveyed to Vera Cruz, and put into work in Mexico.
The machinery was made at the Phoenix Works in Ghent.—
Manchester Guardian.

Private letters from Exeter contain unpleasant intelligence
regarding the state of banking credit in the west of England.
There had been a sort of general run, both on the private
and joint-stock banks, with their branches, in Exeter and
other towns in Devonshire. The run, however, waspromptlY
met, it is understood, with plentiful supplies of gold in evert
instance ; and, therefore, it may he presumed the panic has
died away. There is little doubt that this run is mainil,y,
allitle
tributable to the distrust created by the late failure r
bank of llobhousc and Co. at Bath.--
nigehltiv murdered on
HORRIBLE MURDER.—On Saturdalyftirninglast,
able farmer•, named Richard Blake,
was
serouf Golden. What
the lands of Langinstown, in the parish a respect-
able
fit were his ife,
renders this horrid deed more revoltsin
the startling fact, that the perpetratoer
Th father and sister have
to human nature is
her father, mother, and sister.
are
on Monday last, before
was held on the body of the,
fled, but the wife and mother
e aceverdict of wilful murder re-
re in custody. An inquest
George Bradshaw, Esq., and
Comvidll i •
turned.—Tipperary A„E.—A person of the name of
SINGULAR CIRCUM
gs:iftitOyldfield Carr, near Poulton-le.
of hens, having for a week
116of3oile of them which was a constant layer,
past lost the eggsßFyieldhea,rdwShhoaL
ake strict search for four or five days, but
caused him
t° °I
but on Thursday last he saw the hen come
without suCCCSOS,
ffliaea apple tree in the garden, in which was
eresidin
immediately of a ladder and examined
it, when to his great surprise he found nine of her eggs de-
posited there : the nest was about eighteen feet from tbs
,c,ancikulgi
in,igefureoxmt.
ground.