The Marine Engineer.

LONDON, OCTOBER 1, 1896.

(OUTHAMPTON has been honoured by the meeting there of the Association of Chambers of

Commerce of the United Kingdom, and the meeting was utilized by the Association to once more press upon the Government the necessity of providing an adequate Royal Naval Reserve. The part taken by the Association in the passing of the Naval Defence Act is well known to their credit, and now that a large addition of ships has been made to the Navy, they are prepared to follow up their first success by being the mouthpiece of the nation to insist upon adequate additions to the Naval Reserve, to properly man those ships. A formal resolution to that effect was duly passed, and Lord Charles Beresford, in seconding the resolution, again gave full expression to his views as to the inadequate supply of men at present, even for the ships now built and building, without regard to the 46 vessels of the 70 provided by the Defence Act, that still have to be built. Lord Charles complimented the various Chambers of Commerce of London and Liverpool, as to the active part they had taken in impressing upon the Admiralty the urgent necessity for increased means of Naval Defence, and that the nation at large were quite prepared to pay for such extension, and now they were completing their good work by insisting upon an organised supply of men, to man the fleet efficiently. Lord Charles does not hesitate to say that the First Lord of the Admiralty is self-deceived to the extent of 10,000 men, in his estimates of men available, as such esti

mates include 5,000 boys, clerks at the Admiralty,

naval cadets, &c., who were not available for service in the Fleet. The first Lord apparently admits hat he is short at the present time of 11,000 men to man all possible ships, and if this admitted deficiency be added to the estimated "paper men," pointed out by Lord Charles Beresford, the deficiency appears to be about 20,000 inen. Lord Charles, therefore, advocates a complete change of system, and the formation of a trained Reserve of not less than 70,000 men, who could be called upon to oin the Navy without depleting the Mercantile Marine of its best men. It is hardly likely that the old system of impressing from the Mercantile Marine can ever be revived, or that seamen so impressed would be of any value, for at least a year or more, in the complicated mechanisms now constituting our iron-clad Navy. The nation must be prepared then to pay for the

willing call of such services when required, and that the services when called shall be sufficiently trained to be of immediate value. This can only be effected by short service, and a trained Reserve retained. during peace at a fractional pay, as in the Army. We think this scheme is likely to work out better for the men than the Army Reserve, as the Reserve seamen would have no difficulty in obtaining adequate probably be much sought after as men accustomed to civil employment in their own profession, and would probably be much sought after as men accustomed to discipline, of good character and excellent seamen. Owing to their Reserve bounty they would thus supply a most valuable supply of best trained British sailors, who could afford to engage their services in civil employment as seamen, at a price that would compete with the very various nationalities who now throng the Mercantile Marine, and would doubtless at a fair wage be much preferred to foreigners. The British Naval officer might object at first to the constant succession of raw seamen that would follow from short service, but when the urgent need of such a Reserve is seen, the British naval officers may be depended upon to sink their personal convenience for the good of the nation. The Hon. T. G. Brassey contributes his quota to this subject through the medium of the Daily Press, pointing out that we have almost inexhaustible resources for the formation of an efficient and trained Naval Reserve in the fishing and seafaring population of Canada and Australasia, who would doubtless be well pleased to serve six months or a year in Britain's Navy, and to retire to their former occupations with the honour and solid comfort of a Reserve annuity. This scheme would form Reserves of seamen of excellent efficiency, in all our maritime colonies, and would further aid in knitting together the interests of our colonies with that of Great Britain, as one glorious Empire. This would be a step to the

amalgamation of our colonial navies with that of the

mother country, with equal rating and professional standing, and would be one of the best steps towards Imperial Federation.

THE collapse of the dispute upon the Clyde without a serious strike is probably a matter for congratulation, both to masters and men especially interested, and to the nation at large. The comfort and general wealth of a nation is in direct proportion to its steady producing or manufacturing capacity, and the averting of a partial stop in the producing capacity of so important an industry as marine engineering is a gain tɔ the nation at large. Were we, as a producing or manufacturing nation, alone, or without rivals in the world, we could afford to contemplate with equanimity the cost and succession of strikes in all trades, where

the respective interests of capital and labour must sometimes clash; but the general damage to the nation at large is much more affected by the disturbance of trade and contracts, and their consequent diversion to our energetic foreign rivals, who fully utilize such opportunities to pick up our disgusted customers, than by the damage done by the strikers to their own pockets and those of their direct employers. We have no doubt that though there is considerable hard ship to be borne by the working classes during such conflicts, the workmen somewhat enjoy their entire cessation from labour, and the excitement of the struggle. Similarly, the employer can get off their accumulated stocks, can thoroughly overhaul their plant and boilers, and get them into first-class condition for resumption of work; which thorough overhauling they might never have had the opportunity to effect had work continued in ceaseless round. The inconvenience and loss also occasioned by such strikes bring home to the employers the necessity of being independent, as far as possible, of the caprices of labour, and they thus receive a particular spur towards the invention of labour-saving appliances, or the substitution of unskilled labour with perfected machinery, for pure handicraft skill, which proves to be unmanageable. The introduction of all revolutions of trade by the substitution of machinery for handicraft skill has been forced on by labour troubles, and the workmen thus cut off their noses to spite their faces. We doubt whether workmen, as a class, will ever be brought to see this: that the reserved power to combine and stop production in face of unjust tyranty and grinding down by employers, is an enormous boon to their class, but that the active exertion of such power has, by its very fulfilment, destroyed its value, and results only in an industrial loss, both to the striker, the employer and the nation. Strikes are now so constant in one trade or another that we have no doubt that they represent a very regular percentage of enforced stoppage of production in every year; just as if employers and employed were obliged, by a higher controlling power, to actually desist from production for a stated period in each year. We wonder what the working classes would say if it was put to them in that way-that each trade, for instance, was obliged to strike or stop production, say for two months in every two or three years? We have no doubt statistics could be used to define almost definitely what such average of enforced stoppage at present amounts to in any trade by the wilful action of the employés. Employers should provide for this during active seasons, as a certainty to be covered by an insurance, and the working classes practically do the same by banding in unions and subscribing part of their hardcarned wage during activity. We think they might

as well have their holiday without the quarrel, and, by due notice, might save their trade much of its diversions into foreign hands. That strikes have ever effected for he working classes an important or permanent increase of remuneration all facts disprove. The relative average range of remuneration is always decided by the state of trade and the purchasing power of customers, and last, but most important, by the appreciation or depreciation of gold relatively to labour; but we are afraid that the working classes will never have sufficient education or far-sightedness to see this. So many of them also love a row now and then, and capital and labour can no more, we fear, live together in monotonous harmony than other wedded couples do. We must therefore be glad of the passing of the threatened storm.

DR. FRANCIS ELGAR has been enlightening the British public at the Philharmonic Hall, in Liverpool, upon the progress of safety in ships during the last quarter of a century. It was Professor Rankine and other collaborateurs, who did so much by theorizing upon the stability of ships, stream lines and the action of waves upon a floating structure, that have enabled the practical constructors and the Surveying Bodies to increase so largely the safety of ships. It was the proud boast of one Liverpool company that they had never lost the life of a passenger through any fault in their ships; and with cargo steamers, it is the chief object of good owners to make them as safe as possible against the risks and the trying conditions under which the transport of goods must be carried on, if it was to be kept in British hands. Notwithstanding the increased demands constantly being made in the keen competition for trade, upon the carrying power of ships, the losses of British ships and of those in them at sea has been continuously and materially diminishing during recent years, and the increase in safety of all classes of ships is still going on. The conditions of safety now generally recognized, are the height of the upper deck, the range of stability and structural strength, and the circumstances affecting them. Vessels are now much less often lost through instability; and wher such losses happen, it is to the stowage of cargo we usually require to look for the cause. No shipowner has any difficulty nowadays in obtaining information as to the precautions required in carrying any description of cargo to prevent the stability from being dangerously reduced; and when that is known, it is only necessary to effectually secure the cargo against shifting at sea. The structural strength of a ship is beyond all ques-tion if she be built to Lloyd's rules, or by any good ship constructor. One former frequent source of danger in

S.S. "TUTANEKAI," FOR THE NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT.

THE

HE above-named vessel, the trial trip of which we gave in our August issue, was built for the owners by Messrs. Dunlop & Co., of Port-Glasgow, is designed for several purposes, the most important of which is the repairing of the New Zealand Government cables, and Messrs. Johnson & Phillips, of Charlton, who have had such large experience in machinery for this work, were entrusted with the complete outfit of apparatus, accessories and stores for this purpose.

A novelty in the design of all the deck cable machinery and fittings is that it can all be easily removed, so that when the ship is not required for cable purposes the whole of it can be taken away and be put into store, leaving the decks free.

All the holding-down bolt holes are provided with sockets into which plugs can be screwed, so as to leave the deck perfectly watertight when the gear is removed.

The picking-up and paying-out machine which we illustrate is extremely compact, though it is a double machine and is designed to pick up cables under a strain of 20 tons, it only weighs 91 tons, and occupies a deck space of 8 ft. 3 in. by 11 ft. 6 in. It is very similar in design to the gear recently fitted by Messrs. Johnson & Phillips on the Japanese Government steamer, except that it is not quite so powerful and has horizontal engines instead of vertical. The machine is built on two frames made of steel plates, with steel angles inside and outside, with welded corners. The drum shaft, which has large collars welded on for attachment to the frame, ties them well at the top. The forward bottom ends are tied by a steel plate and also by a flange shaft, which carries the fleeting knives and takes the eyes of the main brake straps. There is also a "T" bar stay at the bottom after end, as well as diagonal stays at each end of the pairs frames, thus making a very stiff job and allowing of the whole of this part of the gear being lifted out in one piece without fear of the shafts or bearings getting out of line.

The machine is designed for two speeds, which can be geared on to either drum, but the port drum only is intended for the heavy lift of twenty tons, for which purpose it is built in steel, whereas the starboard drum is of cast iron. These drums are 6 ft. 7 in. diameter by 2 ft. wide over all. They are internally geared and have a rim cast on for main brake, and so combine main drum, brake drum, and gear wheel. These drums are arranged to run loose on the shaft and are capable of many combinations with the gearing as follows:-Both drums can work loose without the engine. Both drums can work at the same speed with the engine. One drum can be driven by engine while the other runs independently. One drum can be held by brake while the other is being worked by engine. Power of both brakes can be put on to one drum by keeping the pinions in gear.

All wheels are arranged to draw out of gear where possible when not required for driving, so as to avoid rattling. In the case of the pinion which gears with large drums this necessitated cutting large holes in the frames, so that the pinion could pass right through them. The frames at these parts are provided with large circular cast iron pockets, which carry bearings

at each end, so that when the pinion is in work it is close up to a bearing, thus ensuring a very sound job. The brakes consist of steel straps with elm blocks attached, the ends of the straps being fitted with steel castings, which carry nuts with right and left hand threads to take the brake screws. The screws and rods are taken down to the after end of the machine so as to be worked from the main deck. The lower part of the brake strap is fitted with a large cast iron eye, which transmits the strain to the lower part of the machine frames by means of a steel shaft, which is secured to the frames by large cast iron flanges.

Hauling-off gear is driven by a chain from intermediate shaft, so that its speed is always proportionate to that of the drums. For holding back purposes the sheaves have a brake rim cast on them, and on these rims a steel strap with screw adjustment is fitted, so that the amount of "drag" put on the cable can be adjusted minutely. adjusted minutely. The sheaves can slide along on their shaft to suit an inside or outside lead.

A small Worthington pump is fixed between the frames to supply the main and holding back gear brakes.

The engine has cylinders 9 in. and 16 in. by 10 in. stroke, suitable for steam 160 lbs. per square inch, and it is complete with automatic bye-pass valve, steam valve, and link motion reversing gear, all of which with the main and holding back brakes are within reach of one man at the after end of the machine. The gear was run under steam pressure at Messrs. Johnson & Phillips's works, and also on board the vessel to the satisfaction of the consulting engineers, W. H. Preece, Esq., and W. R. Culley, Esq., of H.M.T.S. Alert. The bow gear consists of two steel sheaves 3 ft. 2 in. diameter by 11 in. wide, which run loose on a steel shaft supported in cast iron brackets attached to three steel girders. Each sheave is provided with whisker guards to prevent the cable getting off the sheave, these guards also being bolted securely to the whiskers. The girders are fitted with eyes and bollards to secure the stoppers. A davit is provided between the sheaves for launching mushrooms, &c., and is arranged to fold down out of the way when necessary to let go the bight.

The vessel is fitted with the usual dyamometers, lead wheels, deck leads, troughing, &c., and is fully equipped with a complete outfit of stores and accessories, including grapnel and buoy ropes, grapnels, mushrooms, buoys, chains, sounding shot, steam sounding machine, steam hauling gear, &c., and the testing-room is provided with a set of first-class instruments.

BEVER'S PATENT DUPLEX PUMPING ENGINE.

WE

E illustrate in the adjoining diagrams a duplex pump, with a form of valve-gear which is very ingenious and has some very good features.

The ordinary duplex pump is so well known that it is hardly necessary to describe the working of the valve-gear, but we would point out that after one piston has completed its stroke, it has to wait until the other piston has made about seven-tenths of its stroke before it can move again for the return stroke, and during the whole of this time the full steam pressure is still acting on the piston, although it is at a stand

still. In consequence of this condition of things the speed of the pump is limited, and for all practical purposes, only one piston is moving at a time. It is obvious that a considerable waste of steam must occur during the time that the steam is acting on the piston whilst it is stationary.

The Bever pump,a perspective view of which is shown in Fig. 1, a side elevation in Fig. 2, and a plan in Fig. 3, has steam cylinders of 7 in. diameter, water cylinders of 5 in. diameter and 10 in. stroke, and is capable of delivering 18,650 gallons per hour. This pump is made in all sizes up to a capacity of 2,000 gallons a minute and more, but the particular one illustrated is of the size given.

As will be seen from the illustrations, the difficulties which obtain with the ordinary duplex pump are obviated by giving the valve of each steam cylinder

Further, this lead has the very important function of starting the pistons very much more quickly on their return stroke, thus enabling the engine to perform a very much greater number of strokes per minute with the same speed of piston, and as each piston gives its own lead, it will always make the same length of stroke, instead of making short strokes, as the ordinary duplex pumps do. It is claimed by the manufacturers, Messrs. Bever & Dorling, of Dewsbury Foundry, Dewsbury, that these improved pumps have a very much larger pumping capacity, use less steam, and work more regularly than the ordinary duplex pump.

We think that the novelty is a distinct step in the right direction, and await with interest the results from extended trials.

We understand that these pumps have been run up to 180 double strokes per minute, which is equivalent

a compound motion, which is a combination of the movements of the two piston rods. This motion is obtained by coupling both the swinging levers from the cross heads to a vibrating lever in such a manner as to combine the two motions in the proper proportions. By reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the pistonrod A works the lever C, and the piston-rod B works the lever D. The ordinary gear for duplex pumps, of course, would be connected respectively with the valve spindles, b and a, but in this gear the connection is made through a vibrating lever E, which is attached to both valve spindles, and thus gives to each one a motion which is a combination of the motions of both the piston rods.

The object of this arrangement is firstly, to cut off the steam in each cylinder before the piston reaches the end of its stroke; and secondly, to give the slidevalves lead so as to prevent them striking the cylinder ends, and to cause them to make the return stroke with only just sufficient pause at the end of the stroke to allow the water valves to seat themselves.

to 180 revolutions per minute if they were coupled to crank shaft, without the slightest difficulty or drawback whatever. For pumping against high pressures the pumps are fitted with plungers, and the engines are made compound and condensing, and for all, duties and purposes.

A

THE FLEETS OF THE MAIL LINES. (From our own Correspondent.)

Retiring from the Passenger Business.

FIRM of upwards of thirty years' standing in the passenger business. This is the old and successful Blue Funnel Line, which, under the management of Mr. Alfred Holt, has been so successful in its undertakings, although it has carefully eschewed the beaten path of its compeers. During the Japanese-Chinese war a large number of its older steamers were disposed of, naturally on very advantageous terms, and it is now replacing them with more modern vessels, which are not fitted for the carrying of passengers other than pilgrims. It has therefore no intention of, in any way, curtailing the other branches of its