United States mail steamer arago

386 MECHANICS,

PHYSICS,

For the. Journal

AND

of the Franklin

CHEMISTRY. Institute.

United States .Mail Steamer h-ago. By ERASMUS W. SMITH, Resident Engineer to the “New York and Havre Steam Ship Company.” Vessel built by Jacob A. Westervell& of Captain William Skiddy. Engines, DIHEXSIONS.Length on deck, . Breadth of beam, over all, . . De;th of hold, Tonnage, custom house, 6‘ carpenters’ measurement, Diameter of cylinders, Length of stroke, Diameter of Paddle wheels, . Width of paddles, Length “ . Shafts, of wrought iron, Diameter of cr?nk journal,

Sons? under the superintendence by Stlllman, Allen & Co. .

. .

.

292 feet. 40 “ 67 “ 31 “

8 inches. 6 “ 6 “

2260. 3200. 65 inches.

’ **

.

10 feet. 33 “ 20 10

“

“

BOILERS-TWO iron flue-one forward and the other aft the enginesEach affording for fire and heating surface, 4000 sq. feet. Total amount of grate surface, 650 “ Boiler shells hack of furnaces. Diameter of cylinders, . 14 feet “ “ steam chimneys, 7 “ . Each hailer has 6 furnaces in two tiers. Average length of grates, . 6 “

19 inches.

6 inches. 6 “ 6

I‘

h-ago has three decks, the upper or spar deck being Remarks .-The but little encumbered by houses of any kind. The galley, dining saloon, ice houses, &c., being on the berth deck below, gives the spar deck an unusually plain, roomy, sea-worthy character. The materials employed in her construction are of the best description. The floor timbers are of oak., sided 15 inches, and joined accurately together, forming a solid mass of timber from end to en4 of ship, and extending transversely to turn of bilge. Frames, strengthened by diagonal iron truss work, composed of bars 5 inches wide, &inch thick, cross-laid at angles of 45”, riveted together at their intersections with each other and each bar bolted to every The truss work is applied to inside of frames, one-half frame it crosses. the bars being countersunk flush into frames, the remaining overlapping half recessed into ceiling, “Captain Lines has devoted his whole time to supervising the details throughout the ship, which are probably as complete and as comtnodious and comfortable as any yet fitted in this country. Commencing on the spar or upper deck, forward, are seen Brown’s patent anchor gearing, stated to be the most efficient apparatus for working cables and anchors at present known, combining strength, security, and great saving of room and labor. It was put inoperation during the trial trip, at Sandy Hook, From the forewhen the anchor was weighed with the greatest ease. mast, going aft, are several covered stairways, leading down to the different cabins, with large skylights. By the mainmast is a house, protecting the main stairway, containing cushioned seats for passengers-abaft this

United Slates Jfail

Steam,er &ago.

is a range of large skylights and one of Brown’s patent capstans; on the after part of this deck (300 feet long) is a circular house protecting the helmsman, with a stairway to the dining saloon, a state room for the captain and one for the first officer. In the centre is a silting room, from which is entered by folding doors a convenient smoking room, containing card tables, and a private passage on each side to the water closets. This whole deck is enclosed with strong locust stauncheons and rail, anIl a galvanized iron netting, imparting a vet-! light and airy appearance. On the outside are suspended eight large hfe boats (Ft-dncis’s patent,) fixed with oars, sails, and water casks, Erc. ‘
with

each

other.

E:Icll

alcove

has

a

iil?gc

li:sh! o;wniti<

‘a’hesc roi)ui:; tbrongh the side of the ship; a!so, 017 e in e2c.h slale room. each accommodate t\vo persons \\ith !~2rths, ~0~~3,and toiict ilXllii.C>. Advancing forward, you pass the mainmast and stairway. On &e ri;;i!! you enter die ladif?? SalfWn, taStf!,“Ully deCf)rakd Wi:b !alJle, CilShiOtle~~ seats, and mirrors. This opens into a p-irate boudoir or tlrwsing room, at!joining which are three :valer closets and a bath roon3. O;qxlsi;e ii):’ ladies’ saloon is the captain’s room, Cotivrnienlly and lastrf~tl~y Ct:eti

111’. Adjoining, g oing forwaril, you enter the steivarcl’s i);it!:ry, Cont
388

.Mechanicr, Physia,

and Chemistry.

“On the berth deck, under the main deck, is seventy feet long, lighted 1 he longiand aired by the galleries and skylights already described. tudinal bulkheads are delicately ornamented and beautifully grained in Alcoves intersect oak, having side sofas, covered with crimson plush. every 12 feet, leading into the different state rooms, all of which are well lighted and ventilated ; in each room are two berths,-sofa, and toilet fixRooms communicate where required tures, &c., similar to those above. by families. Reyond the forward stairway, leading up to the dining saloon, are rooms for servants, stores, luggage, &c.; between thisand forward lower cabin, the space 1s occupied with engines, coal, &c.; after this, descending by a stair-way, between the two half circular stairs forward, you land in a similar saloon or passage to that in the lower cabin There are water closets on aft, with alcoves leading to state rooms. each deck, all ventilated on a new plan, with Perley’s patent ventilators. “The ship is thoroughly ventilated on the outside with Perley’s patent ventilators, between every frame, thus allowing free circulation to the floor timbers. “The &ago can accommodate, comfortably, 250 passengers, and carry Her draft, with ail about 900 tons of cargo, besides 900 tons of coal. on board, is 17 feet’4 inches.” Most The painful experiences of the past have not been forgotten. judicious means have been adopted to prevent the sinking of the ship, and also, for pumping water and extinguishing fire. The engines and boilers are enclosed in a tight compartment composed of longitudinal aud transverse bulkheads of two thicknesses of two inch plank cross laid. Other transverse bulkheads divide the ship forward into several sections. The coal bunkers are on either side of ship, opposite engines and boilers, and between side of ship and longitudinal bulkheads. The bunkers communicate through doorways rimmed with iron and fitted with iron The advanslide gates, which can be closed in case of disaster at sea. tages of such an arrangement in case of collisions with vessels, rocks, or iceburgs is incalculable. The engine department is fitted with two very large fire and wrecking pumps, each operated by a separate steam cylinder, and capable of deThey are three times the size livering 700 gallons of water per minute. commonly used on steamships, and got up expressly for the ./9rago by the builders of the engines. They are provided with a small independent boiler for working in port, but at sea are connected with the main boilers. The arrangement of engines is peculiar, and the first of the kind. The cylinders stand nearly opposite each other fore and aft, inclining, when on their centres, towards a vertical line through centre of shaft, an angle centre-shaft cranks, and centre-shaft of 24O. The usual centre-shaft, pillow blocks, are dispensed with, the arrangement affording tneans of connecting the engines at right angles by means of a simple union link, As the link which is made of wrought Iron and forged in one piece. suffers only a tensile strain, it is considered safer than a centre-shaft which The performance of the suffers both A torsional and transverse strain. ‘l’h,e steam and exunion link for two voyages is highly satisfactory. haust valves are of the usual double beat balance description ; the valve chambers, induction and eduction pipes, are cast with the cylinder, thereby

NEW

YORK AND

HAVRE

2260

STEAM

TONS.

SHI

United Slates .Mail Steamer .&qp.

389 affording a very short and direct connexion theremith. The rock &aft and valve gear combine the latest improvements, and are cited with “ .41lens 8t Wells’ ” variable cut-off, which is adjustable for cutting ,,K at different points of the stroke by the hand of the engineer \Tllile the Each engine is provided with “PirssotI’s’7 patent engine is in motion. Surface. surface condenser, supplyin g 2000 square feet of condensing Tubes, of copper, one inch diameter. Until late years, the oscillating engine was not considered so well adapted for ocean steam ships as the side lever, beam, and other stationmade in this country and Europe. ary cylinder engines, extensively The oscillators were considerably used in the latter place, but on comparatively a small scale, when they were invariably fitted with the slide, steam, and exhaust valve, and if a separate expansion valve was introduced, it was generally the old fashioned swing-valve, inserted in the steam pipe outside the cylinder trunnion, which necessarily occasioned a Thus arranged, it could not comgreat loss in the expansion of steam. pete in service for an equal amount of fuel, with similar size, stationa!y cylinder engines, having better valve arrangements. To American engineers, and chiefly to Horatio Allen, Esq., of the house of Stillman, Allen Sr. Co., belongs the credit of modifying and improving the oscillating engine, until it now combines the same fuel saving appendages adapted to the best stationary cylinder marine engines, while its efficiency in other respects is unimpaired, and it may be considered a successful competitor with the side-lever and other popular forms of engines. American engineers can also take to themselves the credit of having Stillman, Allen led the way in building the largest oscillating engines. h Co., in 1551, built a pair of oscillators for the steam ship “ Golden Gale,” of 85 inches diameter of cylinder, and a stroke of 9 feet. In 1852, they constructed a single oscillator for the “John L. Stez~ens,” of 85 inch cylinder, 9 feet stroke; and the following year, one for the “Aqusta,” of 85 inch cylinder, 8 feet stroke ; then followed the “Knoxville” &d fhL’ “Jlrago,” by the same builders. When it is considered that in the arrangement of the “.&go,” when compared with side-lever double engines similar to those of the “Collins” and “Cunard” steamers, two steam cylinder cross-heads, four cylinder side connecting links, four side levers, four cross-tail links, two tonne ting rod cross-tails, two connecting rods, t_yo centre-shaft cranks, 6 ne centre shaft, two centre-shaft pillow-blocks, m all tzclenfy-thee purls of what may be considered Ihe harness between the power and resistance are dispensed with, and the piston-rod attached directly to thecrank-pin; The risk of breaking any some idea of its amplicity may be conceived. one of the above enumerated twenty-three parts, whi& wowld disable tbe The union link, substituted to connect wheel-cranks engine, is avoided. in place of centre-shaft, is the only part added between the piston rod and paddle wheels, and is so simple of construction as to create no fears of its frailty. which some eminent engineers hare conThe cylinder trunnion, sidered a questionable feature of the oscillating engiae, have invm.iably worked well, and I believe that none of the Ame~+can en&es&r@ given 33

??

dfechanics, Physics, and Chemislry.

390

difliculty from that source, there being no beam in the arrangement through which the power is transmitted, the pressure on the cylinder trunnions is only one-half what, it would be on beam centre journals; the bearing surface of the trunnion journals must necessarily be large to give sufficient capacity of steam and exhaust opening; and, moreover, the current of steam constantly passing through the trunnions when the engine is in motion, tends to keep them at a temperature corresponding with that of the circulating steam and prevent them from accumulating heat of a higher degree. Abstract

of “Arago’a Log” onjrst

Outward

Passage.

-, une, 1855

1Lverage steam. --

Revolutions.

Distance.

-_

-.

lbs.

Miles. : : : 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

--

-,-

I

190 215 2a3 262 268 27.6 243 260 270 250 278 294 120

Tons coal, [anthracite.) --

16,144 16,064 17,708 19,716 19,664 19,807 20,906 20,346 21,055 20,107 21,115 22,620

_-

:: 30 30 30 30 30 25 30 22 25 25

2 44 49 60 46 47 47 47 44 45 47

.-

1 3144 -

I

i

Stopped off Cowes, 10 P. M.; deduct 4 degrees 50 minutes for differeuce in time, and 5 degrees 10 minutes for stoppages and slowing, leaves 12 days passage. Homeward

Passage from

Cawes.

J uly, 1866.

1Revolutions.

Distance. .-

.- --

1

I

125 268 268 248 270 260 198 273 282 298 304

-

Tons coal.

-_ --

_-

lbs.

Milea 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 14 15

4 verage , steam.

-

The accom anying illustration is a correct li E euess of the ship.

10,198 20,827 21,693 20,667 21,756 21,059 19,345 22,645 23,735 23,372 23,645

26 30 -32 30 30 3u z 30 30 30 -

-

(Plate V.,) exhibits

36t 45t 424 694 64% 63 62 63 494 46 46

the style of rig, and