The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-12-30
Trial Trip OF the New Steamship Moses
~ Taylor.

Taylor.
WORKING OF THE sICKLEs CUT OFF AND THE NEW
vRLoCIMETRE-DIAENsIONa OF THE SHIP AND
DESCRIPTION OF THE rRIP-HOw THE VESSEL
BsHATn-rRIBUTE TO NEPTusE-A COLLATION.
AND RETURN.
The new steamship Moses Taylor which has just been
finished for NJ O. Roberts Co.'s United States Nail Cali
forBs line, her first trial trip Monday, and
acquitted herself to the entire satisfaction Of her owners
and those engaged in her construction
DESCRIPTION OF THE SHIP.
The Noses Taylor was built by W. a. Webb-com-
menced year ago, and launched in August last-snce
which time her engines and upper works have been com
pleted last Thursday she went on the balance dock
foot Of PIKE street, and entirely coppered in one day
she ESQ feet long beam and rs feet depth Of hold
and is between 800 and 100 tons carpenters
ment She had but about 10 feet draught yesterday with
$50 tons Of coal board and built with specific refer
ence TO light draught and speed She has accommodations
for about hundred passengers. The upper and
main saloons are situated aft The upper saloon consists
merely OF twenty state rooms, with two berths each,
and passage way Of about four feet wide between Each
ofhese rooms bcrths and is wen fitted up.
Tho doors and panellings will be painted white, with
plain gn mouldings The furniture win be Of rosewood
The main saloon Immediately beneath and about eighty
feet long 1t contains fty two state rooms, with three
berths each. The doors and panengs are beautifully
moudngs The furniture of rosewood, with red velvet
uhons. The upper and nain saloons calculated TO
accommodate one hundred and thirty four passengers.
The second cabin is still below this, and fitted up with
plain bertbs for ninety passengers There forward
accommodations for four hundred steerage passengers
All the cabins heated by steam registers. She
ries six Of Raymonds Meboats, and viii be bountfully
supplied with life preservers both of tin and cork but
mainly of cork She is supplied with three water tight
bulkheads having four compartments. She carr es Jb,
opsa and staysa forward with staysai mansail fore
and main spencer aft She cost about $3.50 600 and viii
be placed on the line filling the place of the amented
Central America, on the 5th Of January.
THE vELOCIMETRE.
One of the curioses the Moses Taylor (all of
new steamships have wonderful improvements) veo.
cmetre instrument for registering the headway and
eeway of the vessel and the number Of miles travelled
in given time. Though there is yet other machine
for recording the rate Of speed and distance accomplished
by sailing vessel without taking astronomical observa-
tons, the mechanism very simple and easily explained
fiat plate called drag, Is suspended below the keel, in
the centre Of the vessel be in the stest water
The passage Of the vessel through the water greater
less pressure this plate or drag which connect
ed by rod with circular indicator The
vessel is at q given rate OF speed, TO as
certain the practical marks required and by this
perfect index is made without relying on theoretical de-
monstraons. The hand OF the Indicator will always point
the rate Of speed n knots per hour which the vessel
then making. The leeway index is more used for sail
vessels and will show, by means of similar appara
tus, driven however, by horizontal wheel instead efs
a drag, exactly how much the vessel falls of from
direct course. system OF clockwork records the dis
tance travelled the amount Of four hundred miles.
The face of the indicator is supplied with chronome
ter and has TO be set every day the record taken
being only calculated to record the distance and rate of
speed for any time less than twenty four hours Mr. L.
ID. Towsey is the owner Of the patent.
THE ENGINES AND CUT OFF.
Generally the most interesting part OF steamship Is
the steam engines and in this respect the Moses Taylor
bears out the idea She has two beam engines, built at
the Allaire works, of hfty inch cylinder and ten
feet stroke. The engines can be connected at
pleasure to o single shaft and work
parately. She has two return hue boilers, thirty two
feet long, twelve feet wide and ten feet high and three
furnaces each The engines taken of the old
Fl Dorado, and are comparatively new. All the working
parts new. The engines were entirely remodeed
and reorganized by Messrs. Dickinson Sickles, the
nued "cut on gentlemen Instead Of the old crowbar
method Of starting the engines they both started at
by Of simple arrangement connecting with
other e engines Sos soppoS
that the Ounce In engine could have
correcting with the bell rope in the pilot house, by
Of which, the act Of pulling tho bell the pilot stop
the engine, thus providing for the possibility OF the
to invent some apparatus 10 provide against the
pa getting asleep and the thing will be complete
Th patent Sekles "cut or has been before the publ
long that il might seem superfuous 10 say what
consists Of bat for the benefit Of the unnitaed brief
sketch may not be inappropriate Any one who ever saw
ordinary steam engine has doubtless noticed in the
engine number OF upright rods, which perio
IDEALLY raised by long horizontal arms. These rods are
connected with the valves which regulate the admission
steam the cylinder and the pressure against the
piston Without any "cut orr the steam would, the
engineers say "foow up full stroke keep entering
cylinder unul tne piston OUeCt
the adjustable cut Oh is to stop the entrance Of steam
a any given point Of the stroke, in order 10 any
seam which IS not necessary TO use There are num-
ber OF very ingenious "cnt OILS in the field all strenuous
supported by their various inventors and possessors
the design OF this article 10 discriminate between
any Of these but simply to show what was done with the
one exhibited this occasion. The dcsdcraum in n "cu
or s that shsud be adjustable readily, and operate
10 shut Of the steam suddenly. This Is accomplished
these engines tho. .sckles plan, in very simple and
apparently egIcacous manner. The machinery however,
too complicated for clear description 10 the general
reader and may suce TO say That the cut oh worked
admirably Another popularity about these engines is
Mr. sickles adjustable chain valve eccentric connections
They easily worked and present 10 the unprac
tsed eye beautiful specimen Of mechanical ingenuity
The eccentrcs ed that the valve connections
be worked either high or low, or not all by the simple
arrangement Of the wheel described above, which also
regulates the backing motion by few turns, The advan
ayc claimed for the Sckes "cut or that by the abrupt
shutting OF Of tho steam there s wire drawing In
the cylinder and all the steam that enters enters With
force and drops OF water leaking through slightly
opened cock. The advantage Of the valve gear that
the engines under control, easier worked and
managed by less experienced hand.
THE TRIAL TRIP.
About quarter past eleven O'Clock, the Quartermascr
having exercised due vigilance ~ the gaDg~ay, and kept
was cast o from her moorn II tho foot fwarrcn street.
and taking circle extending nearly across the river,
steamed the Hudson for short distance Az she passed
the Adratc the Baltic the Vanderbilt and other steamers,
she saluted with booming guns which were cordially
returned from her own poop. Her course was soon
Governors Island staten Island and Copey Island were
passed in nne style The day was rough, the sea heavy,
the andsmen plenty and The bar free and consequently
the usually straight eangways and evendccs found
by many 10 be aboundIng with sinuosities and
The ropes and sides OF the vessel were Rugged
arectionstely by those brave enough TO endure the
weather, but the greater portion remained under
cover In spite Of the heavy laboring Of the
ship the engines worked rather smoothly though not
without pcrccptbe jar. The time occupied in going
to the ghshp, distance OF about ~ miles from her
docs hour and forty nine minutes. The engines
made nineteen turns per minute with twenty I've pounds
Of steam, and cutting on with very short stroke
shortly after turning the lghtship the Moses Taylor met
the Black Warrior on her way out and turning about,
gave chase and passed her easily The Black Warrior
bad Of course, the dsadv OF being loaded The
greatest speed made the boat thirteen miles, geo
graphical measure sixteen statute miles per hour On
starting she At the rate OF nine knots and Increased
that 10 thirteen marked by the veocimetre The
whole distance travelled In the four hours and three
quarters ~ miles There we're, however, number
Df stoppagcs and experiments with the engine
TRIBUTE TO EErTUNg.
Among the pleasing incidents Of the day was the seizure
BY the sailors, OF two adventurous andsmen who had
'lmbed the rigging The sailors claimed the customary
rbute, and ascending the ladders, commenced ashing
he adventurous gentlemen TO the rigging The culpris
'ny escaped on payment Of av, with which to treat all