TRIAL TRIP OF THE COROMANDEL.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 5310, 3 October 1885, Page 2

TRIAL TRIP OF THE COROMANDEL.

The s.s. Coromandel, the latest addition io the fleet of the Peninsula and' Oriental Company", went on her trial trip on August lin superb weather. An unusual interest has been centered upon this vessel from the fact that it is the first belonging to the company which has been fitted with triple expansion engines. In nearly every other respect the Coromandel is similar in construction to the Chusan and the Tasmania. According to this new principle, she has inverted direct-acting c mpound triple-expansion, engines. There are three cylinders and three doubleended boilers, with a working pressure of 1401 b steam and 3200 indicated horsepower. The cylinders are respectively 36in, 56in, and 82in, with sft 6in. stroke. The number of furnaces 13 25 ; the condensing surface is 7000 square feet ; and the fire-grate surface 328 square feet. By the adoption of the triple expansion engines an immense saving is anticipated, especially in the fuel department The principal dimensions of the* Coromandel are :— Length, 400 ft; depth, 45ft ; breadth of beam, 31ft 9in moulded. Her displacement on a draught of 25ft is 8800, and she carries 4200 tons dead- weight. The gross register is over 4487 tons, and the nett register over 2649 tons. The vessel has accommodation for 111 first-class an^ 44 second-class -passengers. There are 195,000 cubic feet of clear cargo space, exclusive of large mail andbaggage rooms, and there are the most recent appliances for the easy loading and discharging of cargo. The Coromandel can easily be converted into a Government transport, her lower decks being specially fitted up for troops. The steamer has been built entirely of mild steel. She is divided into eight water-tight compartments. The vessel has been buill with a straight stem, eliptic stern, and three decks, with full poop and .topgallant forecastle ; houses on poop for companion, captain's cabin, smoking-room, galleys, &c., and rigged as a three masted schooner. The poop, main, and lower decks are of steel from stem to stern, sheathed with teak three inches thick, while the top deck has the usual stringers and longitudinal ties sheathed with pitch pine. The vessel is fitted with Hastie's patent safety rudder brake. The construction of the vessel has been carried through under the supervision of Mr W. J. Taylor and Mr Pettigrew, the company's superintendents, and under special survey at Lloyd's. Both on Saturday and the day previous, when the official trials were made, the rate of speed attained was about 15|- knots, the guaranteed speed being 14£ knots. General satisfaction was expressed by all those interested, and it was considered the experiment of the triple expansion principle had proved successful even beyond expectation.