The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-06-09 00:00:00

STEAM NAVIGATION.

: I ARRIVAL OF THE " ARCHIMEDES " AT LIVERPOOL, AND
EXPERIMENTAL TRIAL OF HER POWERS.
It has long been acknowledged by men who are conversant
with mechanical principles, that the common paddle-wheel
or rather water-mill wheel which has hitherto been the in-
strument of propulsion for our steam vessels, whether in
rivers or on the ocean, is beset with certain disadvantages,
which, however the principle might be modified, presented
great if not insurmountable obstacles, either to increased
speed beyond a limited rate of velocity ; or material reduc-
tion in the power, weight, and size of the engine, consumption
of fuel required ; or, consequently, of increased capacity for
stowage without great additional cost, and a vast increase
of tonnage.
The principal disadvantages alluded to we need but briefly
to notice. The principle of the paddle-wheel is obviously
imperfect as a mode of ship propulsion. If the wheel be
proportionately small, its operation is principally to tear up
or scratch the water : if large, this detect is partially reme-
died, but far from wholly. The fact is, the first operation of
a revolving paddle-wheel is, to a certain extent, to smash
down the water, and its last operation is, to a certain (and a
greater) extent, to lift the water—elevating a sort of fountain
or cascade abaft the paddle-box, all of which involves an ex-
penditure of steam power to a considerable extent, without
propelling the vessel. The increasing of the size of the wheel,
so that at length a small but wide portion or segment of the
periphery comes in contact with the water, diminishes this
disadvantage, but atthe expense of additional leverage against
the engine—that leverage to be overcome being half the dia-
meter, or the distance from the paddle-shaft to the floats or
paddle-bands. There is nothing therefore, for it, but sheer
tearing force of steam.
Various modifications of the paddle-wheel have been pro-
duced—soMe with paddle-boards so contrived that they
dipped perpendicularly into the water, and so rose out of it;
others with the boards placed obliquely, and others placed
or worked in various ingenious ways, to remedy one or other
of the defects already alluded to. These, however, from
their complicated structure; and liability to derangement and
breakage, have generally been abandoned ; though we must
notice the dividing of the original " one" paddle-board into
two or three like steps, with interstices between, as a de-
nided improvement, in the freeing of the wheel from water, the
plan of our townsman, Mr. Shaw, of the Dublin Steam-packet
Company, a gentleman of much experience in ocean steam-
navigation.
Another objection to the paddle-wheel is its weight and
unwieldy bulk, rising over the upperworks of a vessel, and
presenting a rather unseemly hump, like that of the drome-
dary . True, this has in modern large vessels been much re-
duced ; but it is still a top weight—still does the paddle-box
present a large surface to a beam wind, without the possi-
bility of " taking in a reef"—and still is a vessel, with such an
incumbrance, liable so to roll about, or to be thrown so far
on one side, that one of the wheels may be thrown for a time
out of the water. to the detriment of the engine and its
working.
Another, and the final objection to the paddle, is, that
the vessels so propelled cannot carry sail to any extent,
without an equal derangement of their lateral equilibrium,—
in other words, they must be worked so, that the wheels
must, as far as possible, have an equal hold of the water on
each side,—which cannot be maintained with a lateral pres-
sure of sail. Great, indeed wonderful, improvements have
been made in marine engines ; and steam navigation has,
consequently, gone on increasing and extending its ramifica-
tions and beneficial effects to the remotest quarters of the
globe. All that we contend is, that there was room for
improvement, of indeed entire novelty, in the " mode of pro-
pulsion," and that therefore every new and ingenious appli-
cation of a known mechanical agent, or instrument, or
invention of a new one, that may produce increase of speed,
with economy in fuel, and consequent saving of stowage,
should be fostered by an intelligent public, without any
feelirn of jealousy, as an accession of maritime and com-
mercial power; an additional means of natural wealth, and
natural protection.: and greater than all, as a means of
approximating country to country, and disseminating the
blessings of civilization, religion, and good-will amongst the
great family of mankind.
These remarks have been suggested by the arrival at our
port, since our last publication, of the Archimedes, steam-
yacht, and the pleasure we yesterday experienced in witness-
ing her performance on our river. It would be presumption
in us to assume, from her success hitherto, that her mode of
propulsion is so far superior to that now in use, that it must
be generally adopted. We will not go so far until further
experiments, and, doubtless, further improvements in that
mode have become developed. We are bound, however, to
state, that so far the superiority of this novel application ap-
peared to many practical nautical gentleriaen, and others
versed in steam navigation, to be altogether decisive. There
can be no doubt of its superiority, if once fully brought out
with those improvements which practical experience will
suggest ; and even now, as will be found in the sequel, the
Archimedes has outrun several crack steamers in our river,
and has, moreover, shewn that she is a fast sailer under can-
vas, and independently-of steam. But we must permit our
readers to judge for themselves.
THE ARCHIMEDES.
The application of the " Archirnedean screw" for the pro-
pulsion of vessels, was first tried by Mr. Francis P. Smith,
the present patentee, about four years ago, on a boat 32 ft. in
length, and about six tons burthen. The screw was, worked
by a two-horse engine, and such was the success of the first
experiment on this small scale, that the present vessel was
finally projected and completed—Mr. Smith, an intelligent
poung man, having, by that perseverance which is peculiar
to genius, overcome numerous obstacles, opposed by preju-
dice and opinion, and by constant devotion to his object and
a great outlay of capital, achieved what may assuredly be es-
teemed a triumph of modern science.
TheArchirnedesis rigged as a smart three-masted schooner,
with her masts raking. She is of a beautiful model, and
having no paddle-boxes, she has the appearance of a pleasure
yacht, the flue being comparatively slender. The following
are her dimensions.—
Length over all
between perpendiculars .... 107
Extreme breadth 264
Depth of hold -
Draft of water (average)
Capacity
Power of engines
The mode of propulsion is by, it might be said, a portion
only of the Archimedean screw. When the vessel was first
tried, a full, turn tif that species of screw (like a Patent cork-
screw, on a central straight spindle) was employed. The in-
ventor afterwards, for the sake ofconipactness, introduced the
double threaded screw of half a turn to each thread, as more
applicable to this vessel, although he rather prefers the other.
This is of iron, and is fixed in the run of the vessel, in the
dead wood in front of the stern post, andlworks transversely
with the keel, radiating the water.in every direction. The
diameter of the screw. (which is on the principle of the skull,)
is 5 feet 9 inches, and its length 5 feet. It would almost ap-
pear impossible, that so small a portion of machinery could
propel a vessel of such length, but the hold it takes of the •
water, and the velocity with which it turns gives its great •
advantages. It is quite under the surface, and is therefore
invisible by spectators either on board or on shore. It is
worked by a spindle, forming its axle, running fore and aft,
and its velocity is acquired by spur wheels and pinions. Each
revolution of the larger wheel, turned by the cranks of the
engines, gives, by the multiplied power, five and one-third
revolutions of the screw. The hole or aperture required for
the screw is square, and the operation of the propeller does
not appear to interfere with the steering, which is managed
with the facility of a small boat. The shafts of the engine
work, fire and -aft,—the cranks working transversely, so as
to communicate the power directly by cog wheels to the
screw. The larger wheel is toothed or cogged with horn
beam (timber.) The engines are compact, but of short
stroke, and not, we think, equal to what we could accomplish
in our "good old town," if we were "put to the screw." The
whole aparatus, indeed, is necessarily as a new application
capable of improvement, which will gain both compactness
and speed, and are already obvious to the inventor and his
friends,—though even now the " Archiinides " is a crack
steamer. The vessel has given origin to " the Ship Pro-
peller Company."