Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-04-08
rnE LOST STEAMER.
What has Probably Become of Hcr-Lct.
ter frOm nm Engineer.

What has Probably become Of Hcr-Lct-
ter from an Engineer.
CFrom the New York Evening Post.
In your fourth edition of last evening
I notice an extract taken from q Pat
terson paper, which was intended to
suggest the probability of the City Of
Boston having taken fire from the heat
ing of the journals of the machinery,
caused by the increased speed due TO
the substitution of q two bladcd for 4
three bladed screw.
As many of the friends of those on
board may feel additional anguish from
the fact that their friends have suffered
the dread terrors of fire OH board 4 ship
at sea, it may be rs we'll to show how
ridiculous the conclusions Of the paper
quoted are. In the first place, the
speed at which q screw Is driven, de-
ponds on the pitch or distance the screw
travels ahead in one revolution, and
not upon the number of blades, the
resisting surface being divided into two,
three, or four portions, according to
the judgment of the engineer; two
blades being used generally where YES
sells are dependent principally upon
sails, rs atfording less resistance Y len
the blades arc placed precautionary
and the vesiel driven by sails alone.
Again, the shaft and all the bearings
Of an engine run In metal, and have no
wood whatever hear them, and arc
never, under any circumstances, al
lowed to run above tho temperature ut
which water eyaporatcs-2l2 degrees;
for, before reaching the point ut which
the dryest wood ignites, they would
60 out and bind in the journals Of a
large shaft 10 rs to stop the engine.
The probable fate of the City of Bos-
ton has been III encounter with an icc-
berg. One will naturally say that the
Captain, being careful, would reduce
the speed of his ship when the depres-
sion of the thermometer would show
that there were iccbergs in the neigh
borhood. Suppose, then, that the speed
had been reduced to ten knots an hour,
and let lis see with what force the City
of Boston would strike an iceberg of
sufficient magnitude to remain perfect
" immovcable when the vessel struck
1t. The City of Boston probably
weighed 1000 tons; water in boilers,
say 50 tons ; passengers, baggage, etc,
so tons; freight. 500 tons, making in
all 1900 tons. At n speed Of ten knots
an hour, she would move seventeen feet
in one second, which would give the
vessel q momentum, Or q force with
which she would strike, of -, 900 tons,
a force sufficient to crush in her bows
for many feet. Besides this, let II
imagine for n moment the effect upon
all pOnderablc bodies partially secured
to the vessel. The vessel suddenly
stopped, boats, masts, furniture, pas
sengers, everything about the vessel,
would virtually be driven ahead at q
speed of seventeen feet Il second the
boilers would probably be loosencd
from their ~fastenings, the masts would
be broken of, the boats would he car
ricd away, terror would prevail which
the shrieks Of frightened and wounded
passengers would hightcn. The vessel
would sink Immediately; no boats
could be lowered, no provision be made
to save a single person. Should she
have taken fire, there would have been
at least q short time to lower boats and
prepare RATS, Oh which some would
have remained probably long enough
alloat to have been picked up by some
steamer or sailing vessel passing over
the same route.
A long enough time has now elapsed
to have heard from almost every port
for which q steamer or sailing vessel
on that route would have sailed, and
hope for the safe arrival of the City Of
Boston has almost died ont, even in the
minds of the most sanguine. Y. 4.