The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-12-16
The First

Lie E1TSL SL6amOOdC'
The honor of this invaluable discovery
undoubtedly belongs to an Ayrshire man,
Mr.. James Taylor, of Cumnock. In the
year 1885 the late Mr.. Miller, of Dalswin-
ton, was engaged in speculations on the
practicability of prOpelling vessels by pad
dle-whee's; and 1887 he constructed a
double boat of sixty feet long. with paddle
wheels In the space between the two vessels;
these were worked by capstans, turned by
men. The speed of this vessel was tried
against a row-boat belonging to the Custom
House. which was distanced in the race, the
men at the c4pstans having had to m Ike
e~xertions which could not be maintained for
any long period. Mr.. Miller became de-
sirable of substituting some other mechan-
ical power for that of the men, and consult
ed Mr.. Taylor lat that time the tutor of his
sOns) regarding 1t. On this. Mr.. Taylor
proposed that a steam engine should be sp-
piled to give motion to the paddle-wheels.
After making some objections Mr.. Miller
consented to be at the expense of an expert
ment. and authorised Mr.. Taylor TO en-
ploy a clever mechanlcian of the name of
Symington to make a small engine with Il
four-inch cylinder. This was accordingly
done, and. on the 18th October, 1888 this
engine having been erected on ii win boat,
the first steamboat voyage ever made w 5
successfully performed on DalswInton
Lake.
Encouraged by the success of this trial
Mr.. Miller agreed to make another on a
larger scale, in consequence of which Mr..
Taylor and his engineer. Mr.. Symington,
proceeded to Carron Foundry, where an
engine with a cylinder of eighteen inches
diameter was prepared and fitted to a vessel
which was tried on the Forth and Clyde
Canal, for the first time. in November,
1889. This vessel was moved at the rate
of seven miles per hour. The expense of
this experiment having exceeded the esti-
mates Mr.. Miller became dissatisfied and
declined to proceed any further, nor could
he ever be induced to resume the subject.
In 1901, Lord Dundas, the Governor of the
Forth and Clyde Canal Company, employed
vi ~ ~ AiohC I'LL X " all
experimental vessel for that Company. The
vessel was soon after completed, and made
many experimental trips on the canal, but
being found to create a wave destructive to
1t was this latter vessel (the third in sue
cession from the>frst triaD which was visit
ed and studied by Mr.. Fulton, the Ameri-
can engineer, whose first steamboat was
launched in 1907, nineteen years after the
successful trial at Dalswinton Lake. Mr..
Henry Bell, of IIelensburgh, who con
structed the steamboat Comet, on the CLYDE
in 1912, accompanied Mr.. Fulton on his
visits to Lord Dundas's vessel. The above
noted facts are supported by vouchers from
various persons, and are fully corrojor"ted
by accounts published in the Dulatries
Journal. and the Scots Magdzine, of 1888,
and in the Edinburgh newspapers of Feb
ruary, 1870.
Many old people will remember to have
seen in their youthful days the comet OF
1911, which in the period of the ascendancy
of the first Napoleon was looked upon with
much dread. This wandering star was
supposed to be the precursor of still greater
triumphs to Buonaparte, and there was
still wanting many who regarded it as
ominous of greet calamities to Britain. In
1912 the first steamer began to ply on the
Clyde, and as the public mind was full OF
the great comet the boat was named after il
the Comet. This was the beginning of that
gigantic industry which places the Clyde
now on the first rank in shipbuilding. Ac-
g. cording to a recent statement in the Glds-
goeo Herald this industry alone brings to
Glasgow about four millions annually. The
Comet steamer piled upon the Clyde for
thirteen years, but on the 2Ist October, 1925
it was run down by the Ayr steam packet,
when upwards of 40 persons lost then
lives-Nener, az HIZnaarmock Standard