The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1895-03-29
THE CITY OF GLASGOW.
A British Lifeboat Which Is q
Decided Novelty.
Steam Power for tho Lire-Saving Service
Where tho Water Jet Is better
Than Amy Known Means
of Propulsion.

Attempts made from shore to rescue
people on wrecked ship are almost al
ways. in the nature of things, made in
a rough sea. To propel lifeboat with
oars under such circumstances is ex-
ceedingly difficult, and sometimes we'll
nigh impossible. Then, too, aside from
the uncertainty of reaching the I'M
fortunate people on the stranded vessel
at all, there is the element OF delay
when every moment counts 1t is not
surprising, therefore, that the use of
steam for motive power on these boats
has long been under consideration.
But such plan would have to encoun-
ter this disadvantage: In rough wealth
er a screw propeller would continually
be coming up out of the water as the
boat pitched and her stem was tossed
high. A small craft would be even
more subject to this trouble than a big
one Accordingly, a fear that the ma
chinery might give way at critical
moment, through the racing of the en-
gines, has stood in the way of the
adoption of steam for lifeboats until
very recently.
When the experiment was finally
tried it was decided to apply the power
not by a screw but by jet of water,
forced ont of the boat astern. In this
way the thrust could he eXerted from
point on the hull, which. being about
one-third of the boats length forward
of the rudder. would at no instant be
thrown up out OF The sea. Jet propul
sion is not as effective u method of
using steam as paddles or screw. 1t
would be a waste of energy, therefore,
to employ it in comparatively smooth
water, or for long voyages. 1t is not
adapted to pleasure craft, naval
launches nor ocean steamships But
for lifeboatS which are seldom used eX-
cept in a storm. and then only for a
short trip, the ability to push ahead Sc
curely and resistlessly, even ut 4 moder-
ate pace. more than compensates for
IL. c:,tT. coal and steam consumed.
! When human life is at stake, govern
ments and benevolent associations
which conduct rescue service of this
class are willing to sacrifice economy
for efficiency. The first vessel of this
| type ever constructed was the Duke of
| Northumberland, completed scarcely
more than three years ago, for the Roy
al Lifeboat institution tBritish). Some
! doubts were entertained as to the re-
suit of the venture, but subsequent eX-
| pcrience, in the course of which she
has been out twcnty-cight times and
saved tifty-one lives, has disposed of
/ them. \ second boat, the City of Glas-
/ gov, has now been built on the same
general model but with several inn
| provencnt> on the original design.
The dimensions of the two boats are
as follows: Length. old one, so feet;
new, So; beam, IA and Is respectively;
dlaught, when loaded, 81 and 81; dis
placement. 20 and 80 tons. The Dukes
engines developed no horsepower,
while the Glasgow's will give 200 Both
! have Thorneycroft water-tube boilers,
| for the rapid generation of steam; and
| in both the Jets are forced outward by
a 30-inch horizontal turbine, drawing
its supply from a vertical well nearly
| amidships In addition, the Glasgow
has two powerful CENTRIC gal pumps,
which may be driven directly from the
crankshaft, if the turbine is out of or
der. The Duke delivered two jets
astern Zone on each side of the hull)
and two forward when necessary.
But the Glasgow can also throw a
stream laterally, ON both sides, thus
having q very efficient buffer when the
/ boat is alongside a ship, collision with
which through the action OF the waves
might result disastrously During her
recent preliminary trials the City OF