The Steam Engine Familiarly Explained and Illustrated: With an historical sketch of its invention and progressive improvement; its applications to navigation and railways; with plain axioms for railway speculatorsLardner, Dionysius
History
The Steam Engine Familiarly Explained and Illustrated: With an historical sketch of its invention and progressive improvement; its applications to navigation and railways; with plain axioms for railway speculators
Lardner, Dionysius
Steam-engines -- Early works to 1850
Whichever of these courses may be adopted, it is clear that the
difficulties, so far as the powers of the steam engine are concerned,
lie in the one case between Socatra and Bombay, or between Socatra and
the Maldives, and in the other case between Bombay and Muscat. Even
the run from Malta to Alexandria or Scandaroon is liable to objection,
from the liability of the boiler to deposite and incrustation, unless
some effectual method be taken to remove this source of injury. If,
however, the contrivance of Mr. Hall, or of Mr. Howard, or any other
expedient for a like object, be successful, the difficulty will then
be limited to the necessary supply of coals for so long a voyage.
This, however, has already been encountered and overcome on four
several voyages by the HUGH LINDSAY steamer from Bombay to Suez: that
vessel encountered a still longer run on these several trips, by
going, not to Socatra but to Aden, a point on the coast of Arabia near
the Straits of Babel Mandeb, being a run of 1641 miles, which she
performed in 10 days and 19 hours. The entire distance from Bombay to
Suez was in one case performed in 16 days and 16 hours; and under the
most unfavourable circumstances, in 23 days. The average was 21 days
for each trip.
(125.) Another projected line of steam communication, which offers
circumstances of equal interest to the people of these countries and
the United States, is that which is proposed to be established between
London and New York. On the completion of the London and Liverpool
railroad, Dublin will be connected with London, by a continuous line
of steam transport. It is proposed to continue this line by a railroad
from Dublin to some point on the western coast of Ireland; among
others, the harbour of VALENTIA has been mentioned. The nearest point
of the western continent is St. John's, Newfoundland, the distance of
which from Valentia is 1900 miles; the distance from St. John's to New
York is about 1200 miles, Halifax (Nova Scotia) being a convenient
intermediate station. The distance from Valentia to St. John's comes
very near the point which we have already assigned as the probable
present limit of steam navigation. The Atlantic Ocean also offers a
formidable opponent in the westerly winds which almost constantly
prevail in it. These winds are, in fact, the reaction of the trades,
which blow near the equator in a contrary direction, and are produced
by those portions of the equatorial atmosphere which, rushing down the
northern latitudes, carry with them the velocity from west to east
proper to the equator. Besides this difficulty, St. John's and Halifax
are both inaccessible, by reason of the climate, during certain months
of the year. Should these causes prevent this project from being
realized, another course may be adopted. We may proceed from the
southern point of Ireland or England to the Azores, a distance of
about 1800 miles: from the Azores to New York would be a distance of
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