The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-03-27 00:00:00

EXTENSION OF STEAM NAVIGATION.

(From a Correspondent.)
In the spring of 1834 a light steam-boat wa,s built at Nantes
for the navigation of the upper portion of the tiver Loire.' This
vessel is built entirely of iron, the plates or planking beiriune-:
eleventh of an. inch in thickness ; the vessel's gunwale-and keel
are of comiitOn iron bars, as it is very difficult and expensive to
get angle iron in-France. The iron portion of the sides ,of this
boat is two feet six inches high; the entire length of the boat is
ninety-one French feet, and the bieadth ten and a half French
feet at stem; and ten and a quarter feet at stern ; the Paddle-
wheel is..eleveti feet in diameter, and three feet in breadth,
,tid
has a dip of Mr-inettes. 'The boat, with wattr the-bOrler,
coal (something under two tons) sufficient for a voyage of
seventy-two miles, even wine and provisions fhr the restauraute,
&c., draws barely ten. French inches water; and. with the largest
cargo . she has yet carried, viz., 1.111 passengers, luggage, &c., '
she has never drawn more than fourteen inches French mea-
sure, just eq,aal to fourteen and three-quarters
The personn-who planned end built this boat,. Mr,. Alexander
Thomson, (fOrmerly. of Lanarkshire,-- Scotland,) states the en-
tire weight of the boat, engine, machinery, and,fittings.nreto be
about twelve tons. The bottom of the boat is flat, but is made
to rise about six inches at the turn of the'sidee, but' this rise does
not begin at or near the middle of the bottom. l'he boat rises
'slightly at each extremity, beginning at_ twelve feet from the
how, which isSortned like a -spoon. The stern follows the seine
formation, but is drawn to a point. The boat 'has answeied re-
Markably well' the expectations of the builder, which was to
.keep upon the passage Of the river Loire, from Nantetv to An-
gers, during the slimmers, when from numerous sand banks and
shoals the communication by steam-boets, or, indeed, any ves-
sel, is stopped. 'limo Vulca!,l the name given to this new boat by
the builder,.plied between Nantes and Angers all last summer,
though there 'has seldom, if ever, been a summer during which
the waters 'of the. Loire were so low. Indeed, she frequently
passed over sand-.banks where there was not much more than
six inches draft of water. The Vulcan has made the voyage
from Nantes to Angers, 72 miles, against the rapid stream of
the Loire, iu.,less than eleven hours, including all stoppages,
which are very numerous, and has come from Angers to Nantes
with the stream m less than six hours. Of course the water was
always low-when she plied, as by agreement, with the proprie-
tors of the other boats, which draw, when light, fully two French
feet of water. The" Vulcan only plied when the river was so low
as to prevent this other boats attempting the. journey. Mr.
Thomson considers that with angle iron, and generally better
materials, he could form a mach stronger boat with lighter
plates, andi that thus, by lengthening the boat a little, the draft
of water. might be much diminished, and the speed of progres-
sion increased. On its present length and breadth, the area of
displacement, or parellelogram within which the Vulcan is built,
is just about actual to thirty tons on each foot of immersion, sup-
posing the boat to be formed square. This gives two tons and
a half of buoyancy on each inch of immersion, and the Vulcan,
therefore, when drawing fourteen and three-quarters inches of
water, shows a displacement on her area of formation fully equal
to thirty-seven tons. Taking, then, her weight at the extreme
given by Mr. Thomson, viz., fourteen tans, and allowing for
coals, water in the boiler, crew, &c.-three tons, and allowing
the passengers to weigh on the ordinary calculation of fifteen to
a ton, in all nine tons and a quarter, the gross weight floated is
then twenty-six tons in all, or nearly a third less titan the
amount shown on the area. This calculation gives eleven tons
as the amount of buoyancy sacrificed to formation: It is
,a credit
to Scotland that the projector and builder of this boat is n Scots-
man. He was, when young, for many years a workman in the
Greenhead Foundry, near Glasgow, and was afterwards, for
some time, in the employment of Mr. Fawcett, of Liverpool.
Mr. Thomson has introduced a number of ingenious contriv-
ances to strengthen the Vulcan, trussing and suspending the
sides, bottom; &c. &c. If such a boat had peen used by poor
Lander in exploring the Niger, his valuable life might have been
saved, as the vessel-would not. have taken the ground. From
the reasons before given, the speed of the Vukan has never been
fairly tried with the other and heavier boats, but she has beat
them all the few-trials made. Mr. Thomson, however, (who is
a most exact man,) says there cannot be a fair trial, as from the
light-draft of water of the Vulcan she makes always a straighter
course. The further prosecution of Mr. Thomson's valuable
improvements bids fair to convect every streamletin -the world
into a navigable viatcltioute. It is to be hoped this notice may
excite the enterprising merchants of Liverpool to the prosecu-
tion of an improvement which will extend their commerce into
countries now almost unknown, and entirely inaccessible. The
Vulcan is now plying on.the Loire, between Angers and Blois,
waiting the fall of the Water in summer, when she will return to
her old course,. whiCh etas-been a most profitable ouc to the pro-
prietor. T. G.
Nantes, March 5, 1835.

FIRE AND WATER.

TO THE EDITOR OF TEE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

Stu,—The public are much indebted to you for the zeal you
have shown iu recommending the adoption of Mr. Moore's
plan for a better supply of water in the event of fires; every one
must admit that a prompt supply of water at a fire would often
prevent extensive loss, and the question now 'is, would Mr.
Moore's plan afford that prompt supply in a way more desirable
than is done at present ?
'Although you appear to be perfectly confident, I have consi-
derable doubt on the subject, and perhaps. you will be good
enough to afford me an opportunity of assigning reasons for
that doubt.

In the first place, are you quite certain that the canal com-
pany can spare—l take their disposition to do so for granted—
the quantity of water required for the purposes contemplated ?
Mr. Moore purposes not only to promote the convenience of the
town; hut to ornament it; he would not only cleanse the sew-
ers and water the streets, but furnish a surplus for jets to public
fountains. Now, barring 'the jets, as Paddy would say, the
canal would have a sinecure during the winter months. The
streets, goodness knows, are abundantly watered froth. Septem •
her to May, and, consequently, it is in summer that *e need
the water carts and "fountains spouting through the air;" it is,
in that season of the that the sewers are least agreeable,
but unfortunately it is, I am assured, in that very season that
the canal annpany can spare no water! I would be sorry to im-
pute to Mr. Prloore the •offence implied in the charge of .suppres-
sin yeti, but I cannot conceal my wonder, that. in all his state-
ments, repeated nearly annually, he has never, by any chance,
mentioned the fact that the canal itself is sometimes, if not fre-
quently, so deficient in water that the boats are obliged to go
with diminished loads. I am told that this is the. case. Mr.
Moore will not deny that there are times when water could not
be spared, even, I believe, in winter; and the company, in their
resolution, intimate much, for they engage to supply water
only when they do not-want it for their own use. When Mr.
Moore forgot this fact he also seems to haie overlooked another,
namely, that those parts of the torn below .his. "levels" are
precisely those in which water, for purposes of convenience, is
least wanted. •

His plan, therefore, may he considered solely with reference to
fires; a od it is, perhaps, a subject of regret that the overflow from

the canal, even in winter, cannot be made available fur tii es-
supposing the expense to be iii) consideration—to any very useful
extent. rhis arises from its want .of elevation, and its want of
depth. Its level, according to the tables in your paper, is only
30 feet above the dock quays, and though it is a few, feet higher
than that of several streets, many of these streets would- be in-
accessible without a forcing pump, and many others, though
lower, are not. low enough to render water conveyed thither in
pipes available for fire engines. We all know that water will
invariably find its level, but I need not tell you that the speed
with which it flows depends mainly on three things—the. nature
of its channel, the degree of descent, and the depth of the rp-.
servoir, when it proceeds from such a source. When MT..
Moore tells us, in a note to his table, that " a pipe of fourteen
inches diameter from a height of two feet" would deliver 47
gallons per second, he tells us nothing to the purpose unless he
adds the distance, and the depth of the reservoir. The same
sized opening at the depth of ten feet will deliver more than at
the depth of five feet, and at twenty more than at ten. " The
friction or resistance," says Dr. Aruutt, "which fluids suffer in
passing along pipes is much greater than might be expected.
An inch tube of two hundred feet in length discharges onlyone-
fourth part of the water which would escape directly frum the
reservoir; and air passing along tubes is so much retarded thift
when gas-lights were first proposed some engineers feared that
this circumstance would be fatal to the enterprise." Water for
fires, therefore, conveyed from the canal would have to over-
come not only the friction of extended pipes but of a collapsed
huSe in length, varying from ten to one hundred and fifty feet,
and before entering the hose it would have to rise itself in a
stand-pp cock of four feet. It would, you will observe, have to
do this without the advautage of descent iu its passage or d-..pth
iti the reservoir, and, consequently, except.elongthe line of the
docks the impetus would' be iusuthcient to throw it in anything
like a Sufficient quantity into the tire engine. When Mr. Moore
gives the_ difference iu level between certain streets and the
canal you must deduct at least eight feet, and, allowing, for a
necessary impetus, you must give ten feet more, so that in every
street which stands twelve feet higher than the docks the canal
water would be comparatively unavailing. Engineers may say
what they please, but practice is better than theory. and ,
have an illustration of this point in Liverpool already. T.he
Bootle water is supplied from reservoirs considerably higher
than the level of the canal, and it is, permit me to remark, al-
ways in the mains and always available at fires, bid still, unless
when near its source, it does wit run through fire plugs suffici-
ently strong to keep the smallest fire-engine in full play.
A want of practical knowledge may have led you and Mr.
MoUre into an amusing error. You propose to run pipes ahing•
the sheds of the docks in order that a hose might be .affixed -to
them,, so that water, in the event at the in a ship, might be at
onceejected on the flames. Firemen know that this is purely
fancifiik and had you, at teuded a five, otherwise than as a spec.-
tafor, you would have discovered three things, first, thatlvuter,.
unless from a forcing pump, cannot be thrown to any distance; •
secondly, that you can seldom uppruach very near a fire ; and,
thirdly, that fires are extinguished nut so much by water as by
the force with which water is made to strike the. burning mate-,
rials.
,Water,,to. be useful, must, therefore, he thrown by auengine,
engine, and as an engine must be employed, and as-there is al-
Ways abundance of water in the docks, there is no occasion to
bring an additional supply to their immediate neighbourhood.
Still, it may be said, though not available in every place, why
not adopt Mr, Moore's plan, since it would qit times afford a
reasonable supply in. several places?. 'rho- first answer is the
expense. . If that were not a consideration the Mersey itself
might. be made tributary to a similar purpose. Mr. Moore's
,plan, though it were unobjectionable, cannot be adopted, be-
cause it would cost too much. lie has given us the means of
estimating tho expense. 'l'he laying down a mile of pipe of
fourteen inches diameter would cost £2,316, of pipes six inches
.diameter £696, of ten inches £1,4.52; allowing, then, for a main
of fourteen inches, and of branches varying from six to fourteen
inches, average ten, and we.arrive. at something like a probable
result. Supposing the main to run from the canal basin to the
top of. St. James's-street, that is a mile and a half, and we have
£3,560, and supposing the branches to embrace all intermediate
streets, they will extend at least to fifty miles. Add to these:
£lOOO for plug pipes, &c., and the total will stand thus
Maio
Branches 72,600
Plugs, &c.

E 77,100 -
Where is this money to come from ? Perhaps after all there
is no occasion fur this outlay; at all events Mr. Moore has not
made out a case why it should be even contemplated, for taking
his own list of fires, the result is as follows :
Fires at which nu engine was employed 6
Below his level
Unavailing, aceordisp.g,to-my estimate
Not wanted, (being near the docks, &c.)
Available -8'

The loss at the twelve fires where the water could have been
available was under £91310, for I except Lancelot's-hey, and
would the loss have been less had his plan been in operation.
The truth is, that no plan tvili.always prevent mismanagement,
and unless where there is mismanagement there can now be tui.-
.real. Want of water. Wherever the water comes • from there
must be watermen ; and unless these are prompt in attendance
there will be a deficiency. Manchester is supplied from a reser-
voir ; yet if you look at the Manchester papers of this clay you
will.tiud that eta fire there this week there was a loud complaint
Of the want of water. At all events all the advantages which Me.
Meore.undertakes to provide• are already available. The Har-
rington Water Company, in addition to the Bootle, have two re-
servoirs,.one near Paul's-square and.the other in Norfolk-street,
and these supply all the streets within Mr. Moore's level, until.
'superseded by water from one of the company's powerful
engines, and from which alone, or a neighbouring reservoir,
water. can be adequately supplied. With every respect 1 deny
cenfidently that there has been recently the deficiency of water
at fires which. you assert. .The statements in. the Mercury, to
which you icier, have been long since disproved. I know no
recent instance, of..want of water, except at Beckwith-street
fire.

Having now disprised of Mr. Moore's plan, permit me to
question the truth of your statement respecting the number of
tires and the amount of loss sustained thereby in Liverpook If
you had taken the average of eight instead of three years you
would havo found. reason to believe that it was. not enuiriCra.=
Lively greater ,than in other large towns. In Manchester fur
in'stanct,, the average annual loss, previous to the establishment
of the fire ptiliee, was:1;50,000. N'Vas it greater in Liverpool ?
Whatever the loss was you were hardly justified in attributing
it to the imperfection of the tire police, that establishment
haVing been iu existence only a few months; but, if you be
correct; itu present state is not very encouraging. You say, " The
fact is, that the tire pulice,froni. being deprived of an efficient
director, is now in a worse state tha,n ever.." , Gentlemen, who
have reported Officially, have given a somewhat different repre-
sentation; but as you are responsible to the public for a state-
ment which so unequivocally impugns the efficiency of an.im-
portent establishment, you 'have done so, no doubt on very
sufficient grounds—from your own personal knowledge, or on
theinformation of competent and trustworthy persons.
I have.to apologise fur trespassing so far on your space, and
in conclusion beg to assure you that I should be sorry any sv-.
marks I have made could be considered, in the remotest degiee„
inconsistent with the high respect in which Mr. Moore. is de-
servedly held hz the public. No one can entertain a higher
regard than I do for the goodness and purity of that gentleman's
motives.,-Your's, &c., A FIREM.IN.
. March 21. .