“May I urge upon shipbuilders the importance of endeavouring to extend the application of power riveting to the shell plating of iron vessels. By this means we shall both increase the frictional resistance, and also, by more completely filling the rivet holes, vastly improve the rigidity of the riveted joints. The difficulty of completely and exactly filling the counter-sink of a counter-sunk hole with a machine-closed rivet suggested to my friend Mr Kirk the idea of entering the rivet from the outside, both the rivet and the counter-sink being made to gauge, and then closing up with a machine snap-point on the inside of the ship. What progress he has made in this direction I do not know, but the difficulty does not appear to be an insuperable one. If however, we are prepared to sacrifice a fair appearance to utilitarian simplicity, there seems no sufficient reason why, above water, all the rivets should not be closed up with snap heads and points, both inside and outside. In whatever way it is accomplished, I look to the use of machine riveting as one very great step in advance in the future improvement of the riveted joints of iron ships; and if the weight of iron vessels is to be reduced in any important degree, or if the dimensions and proportions of large merchant steamers are to increase in the future as they have done in the past, I feel sure that one of the first steps must be the reconsideration of our butt fastenings.” The increased engine power now demanded in steamships undoubtedly points to the further adoption of mechanical riveting—if vessels are to successfully withstand the enormous strain and vibrations to which they are thereby subject. While several have already shown drawings of the shell difficulty having been met, Mr Tweddell, whose experience in common with that of his manufacturers and co-patentees, Messrs Fielding & Platt, of Gloucester, may justly be considered greatest in this branch of engineering, has never illustrated this. It may be mentioned, however, that excellent flush riveting is constantly done by the Tweddell hydraulic riveters, and that the same plan suggested by Mr Kirk of entering rivets with prepared counter-sunk heads from one side, and snap pointing them by machine on the other has been long in use by Messrs Fielding & Platt. In conjunction with Mr Tweddell, this firm have also designed several efficient arrangements to ensure the machine being kept in position until the unfinished head of the rivet is formed. Judging from these facts, there seems good reason to hope that the production of riveting machines required to overtake the remaining features will not be very long delayed.