Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1839-07-11
From the Philadelphia Ea1uircr.

ihroushou The civilized world, by The dis
covery .and application of steam TO arts
sciences and manufactures. are so truly
wonderful, as to he almost beyond hellei.-
In travel alone, this great agent has ell
recse,i the most astonishing results. lhls
is fully apparent, even in conueclion win
ourown city, s. its various avenues otcom.
municatiou norrh anil south. Forexample,
we day or Two since mentioned The arrl-
val of a gentleman from Boston a,lis,ance
or32O miles in22 hours! He travelled The
whole way either by steanbcat or rail
road, and in both instances was propelled
by the agency of steam So with regard
10 the south; any one may step into the
Baltimore boat at o'clock ia he morn
ing and be in Norfolk Va. before The
next morning. Indeed the "trip has ire-
queutly been accomplished i'll % hours,
while passengers have been able 10 tarry
AN hour or so, at Baltimore.
Could our forefalhers, of the olden time
start up from their dust, sad contemplate
these wonderful changes in travel and its
facilities, their surprise would he extraurdi
nary indeed. Less than century ago,
the trip either between Philadelphia and
Boston, or Philadelphia and Norfolk,
could not have teen accomplished by
the ordinary cnnveyances, in much less
than fortnight. But, if we turn our
ewes 50 the west, and especially 10 the
Mississippi river, the power of steam as an
agent will be realized in still more won
.drous manner. Now, hundreds Of boats
with thousands of passengers, are constant
ly passing and repassing the lurbld waters
of the Father of Rivers. and touching at
points in the course of few days, that in
the olden time occupied weeks,nay mo this
10 reach in an upward voyage And so
indeed, throughout the greater portion OF
the world.
1t is now said tha, Jerusalem may be
reached by an American Traveller, via
Bristol in the G'eat Western, Paris, Mar
settles, aud Joppa, in thirty three days.
These are but few of the iea,s ,ha, may
be accomplished, so far as travel is con-
cerncd, aud with comparative care and
safety. And yet the history of The past
is calculated to make the impression that
the progress of steam and its utility are
only III their infancy, and thar n century
hence will unfold still more extraordna-
ry wonders. A lale number oflhe Lon
don Quarterly Reviaw. contains an article
upoi III. subject, in which many inter
e>ting facts are grouped together "Ar-
rangemeuts are in progress for continuing
the British trade across the lsthmus Of
Daren with steamers, which are to ply
on the great Pacific ocean, between Valpa-
raiso and Panama, distance of about
2,5O0 miles. By this means, the voyage
round Cape Horn to Lima, which has hlh-
.erlo occupied about four m,nths, will he
reduced to about thirty days." In the
Mediterranean, steam vessels are used by
Christians, j Jews and Turks, while as early
as 1924, steamer made four successful
voyages between Bombay and Suez.-
The Irish sea, German Ocean, and The
British Channel, are traversed by steam
ers, while in the American rivers and lakes
there cannot be less than 1000 steamers in
operation.
In reference 10 the last important enter
prise, as connected with steam, we mean
the establishment Of packets between The
old aud new worlds-lhe greatest trip on
record was recently made by the Great
Western. The distance between Bristol
and New York is 3l50 geographic miles.
the whole Of which was accomplished in
l3 days and hours. In little more 'han
a fortnight, several British Officers dined
in the old worl.i, lat their barracks, in Wool
witch, beyond London, and in public no.
tel in Baltimore-haviuG in that brief
period, passed across the ocean, and thro
New York and Philadelphia The Great
Western is 24O feet in length. She has
two engines OF 225 horse power cach.-
Her cylinders are 73a inches in diameter,
and YET she is quite a small vessel when
compared with several Others constructed,
or in process of construction. The British
Queen, for example, is believed to lie the
largest steamer in the world. Her length
of keel is 233 feet. Extreme length 275
feet. Breadth Of beam 40 feet. 1ncln-
ding guards Is feet. Deph of hold g
feet. Tonnage 1862 tons. Diameter Of
cylinders. 774 inches; length of stroke 7
feet. Diameter of wheels 80 feet. Esti-
mated weight of engines, boilers and wa
ter $40 IONS; do, ofcoals for 90 days con-
sumption 6uO tons. Draught Of waite.
with the above weight l6 feet.
The Gorgon is the largest steam ship
in the British navy. She is 1850 tons,
and carries 20 days coal, and stores for six
months. Her service has been of the ex.
perimen,al kind, and the greatest part of
the past winter she has been cruising in
the Bay Of Biscay, and so well satisfied
are the British Government Of her eapa-
city 10 contend with boisterOus weather,
that they are now constructing some FIVE
or six others, one Of which, The Cyclops
will measure two thousand tons. The
engines of The Gorgon, il should be rcco-
lected are only of the same calibre and
power as those of The Sirius of 700
tons, which proceeded the Great Yves.
tern on her first trip to New York. If the
Gorgon, which is 430 tons more burden