Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-04-28
The BeSscmer Steamship.


The Bessemer Steamship.
A passenger on board the Bessemer
steamship on her trip from Hull to
Gravesend writes to the London Times
as follows:
''Your readers will be DESTROYS Of
learning what experience we had with
the suspended Bessemer saloon and
With the hydraulic machinery for work
ing it. Part Of this machinery was still
IN some minor respects incomplete; but
the lashings of this large heavy struct-
ure were cast off, and it was taken
charge Of by the Bessemer apparatus,
which worked 1t for the space of an
hour Or two, with heavy beam sea still
running. It was satisfactory to find
that this apparatus appeared to have
full command over the saloon, and was
capable of oscillating it easily in either
direction at the will of the manipulation.
The manipulation was effected by O.
man holding a short lever in each hand
and moving them as nearly as he could
in accordance with the oscillations Of
the ship. 1t is scarcely doubted by
those who saw the operation that with
a little practice the desired object will
be fully accomplished It was the
opinion of Mr.. Reed, however, and Mr.,
Bessemers representative, who was
likewise on board, that these levers
were not arranged in the best manner
possible for the purpose, and that
slight modification il them may be
made with advantage, with the view.
not of increasing the lower of the ap-
paratus (Which seems to be quite
ample), but with the object of enabling
the manipulation to work the governing
valves of the machinery in more imme-
date accordance with the movements
of the ship. I must say, however, that
although the handling of the machinery
was from this cause somewhat imper-
feet, it was evident that this was more
due to the experience of the man who
had to work the levers for the first time
in the ship at sea than to any defect of
the machinery itself. It was the
opinion of the officers present that had
the rolling of the ship been heavier, the
comparative steadiness OF the saloon
would have been more easily secured.
As regards the Bessen er saloon, there
fore, it.appeare1 to me that the success,
If not quite all that could be desired,
was more than what could have been
fairly expected at the very first sea trial
made of it. Certainly eeat in the
handsome saloon worked by this ma
chlnery was almost entirely free from
the Objectionable features of a Channel
passage In one of the smaller vessels.
The saloon itself Is very strongly and
handsomely built, and its furniture and
decorations in carved oak are in good
TASTE"
Prof. Tyndall's ireman's Respiratory
The Manchester Examiner, recently
had the following: A ireman's respir-
ator is one of our latest scientific inven-
tons or rather adaptations. The means
for enabling persons to breath In dense
smoke or poisonous vapor have often
engaged attention, and while not a few
contrivances have been tried. most of
them have failed in what may be called
practical operations. Prof. Tyndall
now comes forward with his fire
mans hood, and as he has already
secured the cooperation of Capt. Shaw,
the chief officer of the Metropolitan
Fire Brigade, he may at least count on
his invention being thoroughly tested.
The hood is supplied with a respirator,
consisting of a valve chamber and filter
tube about four inches long, screwed on
outside, with access to it from the in
side by wooden mouthpiece. The
respiratory agency consists of cotton
wool saturated with giycerine, and lime
and charcoal. The glycerine acts ON
the smock PARTICLES, and the charcoal on
the hydro carbon developed in vapors,
and Prof. Tyndal declared that after
putting them together he found that he
could go into an atmosphere of the most
atrocious character, and could olive
for half an hour in place where
he could not unprotected have ex-
listed for single minute The Pro-
lessor limited that the invention or
adaptation might admit of practical
development, and that is really the
point OF importance. Firemen must
not only be enabled to breathe with the
hood on, bat they must be able to move
about with comparative freedom, and
without any fear of the apparatus get
ting out of working order. A perfect
continuance of this kind would, it is OBJ
vious, be of immense use in the saving
OF life and property when engendered
by fire. not only on land but on sea.
Hitherto. unfortunately, they have
proved inventions, and nothing more.
''MY LECTURE" SAID q California ora
tor, will he brief" A turnip ht him
at that instant, and he anno uneed, s"Ihe