TRIAL TRIP OF THE WARRIOR.

New Zealander, Volume XVII, Issue 1638, 28 December 1861, Page 5

TRIAL TRIP OF THE WARRIOR.

[From the “ Times.” September I. I ).] The Warrior made her first real seagoing trip on Thursday last, in a voyage from Grecnhithe to Portsmouth. As far as can be judged during such a short run, over water as smooth as glass, t'ds trial more than realised ail the expectations that had been formed of this splendid vessel. It was, in fact, almost monotonous, from the quiet unvarying success with which everything connected with the ship and engines worked from first to last. She answered her helm like a yacht, was most astonishingly free from vibration or movement, even going at speed, seemed light and buoyant to the gentle swell site met with here and there, and, above nil, even in her unfavourable condition as to a foul bottom and the launching cleats being on, made her way through the water faster than the average of quick seagoing mail steamers. It only wanted a still breeze and heavy beam sea in the Channel to makethc trial perfect, but neither of these was she fortunate enough to meet. Before the middle of next month, however, she will he out of her dry dock at Portsmouth—at least, completely ready for sea—when it is stated she is to take a cruise in search of bad weather. At such a time of the year her search for a storm is not likely to be a long one, and if it ;s possible to predicate anything from what she has already done, and from what may he expected from her size and power, she will pass through the last and worst her ordeals as triumphantly as the rest. During the time she has been moored. apJLireenh it he a great deal of work has been nearlv all her internal fittings and arrangements have been finished, her stores, guns, ami powders . got* on board, and her seagoing equipment thoroughly completed. The iron tower on her deck has been finished, but, unfortunately, in such a rough and unworkmanlike style that it literally almost spoils the look of the vessel from the deck. This portion of the iron work was fitted by the dockyard authorities at Woolwich, and its appearance in close proximity to the beautifully finished plates of the Thames Iron Company naturally enough provoked comparisons in tue highest degree unfavourable to the skill of the former. It is to he hoped that this is no criterion of what, we may expect to sec in the Achilles, which they have been so long and are still so constantly threatening to begin building at Chatham. It was no’t publicly known that the Warrior was to make her first trip on Thursday, and no one who saw the state of the ship on W ednesday could have believed that it was possible to get her to sea on the following day. Her departure, however, was imperatively necessary, as, il she failed to take advantage of the spring tides of Thursday, there was no chance of getting into dock at Portsmouth lor another fortnight at the least. Hut that the public might he incredulous at the Admiralty being accused of any oversight, wc should be inclined to say that it was a decided blunder to build ships of the Warrior class, having only otic dock large enough to repair them in, and even that only accessible once in each two weeks. The Warrior slipped from her moorings at Greenhithe soon after noon on Thursday. Only Sir Frederick and Lady Grey, Admiral Elliot, Mr. Penn, the maker of the engines, Captain Ford and Mr. Holt, the contractors for the ship, with a tew of the dockyard officials, were on board. There was no stir, no public excitement, no boats on the river to see the departure. So quietly was everything managed that it was hard foi those on board to know exactly when she did get under weigh, and the first public exclamation was given bv the seamen, riggers and workpeople on the hulk alongside, who gave three tremendous cheers as the great vessel slowly and heavily moved down the stream. In an instant the crew of theWarrioi stemmed into the rigging and returned the compliment in such a way as only English sailors can, and with this faint show of ceremonial the first voyage of the firsthand finest of our iron frigates was commenced. The \v arrior was in charge of Mr. Barnes, one of the most experienced of the Government river nilots, and in the crowded state of the river it required all his skill, care, and knowledge of the stream to save his own t barge from injury while avoiding injury to others. The Warrior averaged a depth of -•> feet 11 inches —viz., 2 : i feet 9 inches forward and 26 feet 3 inches aft. With a ship of such depth, length, and weight the most unremitting vigilance was necessary. Off Gravesend the river was so blocked wi'.lt craft that there seemed to he only a choice ol two evils—cither to get the Warrior aground, or to run over some of the ships in her way. At one lime the iattci seemed inevitable, and nothing but the instantaneous manner in which the Warrior answered the least movement of tier helm, and the care which Captain Cochrane took to sec that the pilot's orders were carried out upon the word, averted the unpleasant chances. After passing Gravesend the river soon grew clear of shipping ; the two tugs which had accompanied to assist in case of accident turned back, and the Warrior, followed by the Admiralty yacht Vivid, was loft to her own resources. Up'to this time the engines had been moving easily at 3-1 and 36 revolutions, working with a noiseless force and regularity, that, considering they were then moving almost for the first time, filled every one acquainted with the ordinary eccentricities of steam machinery on these occasions with surprise. The revolutions were, therefore. now that the way was open, increased from 36 to 40; but beyond this they were not allowed to go at that time, as the ship was fast passing from fresh to salt water, during the first hour ot which transition the boilers generally prime fiercely, and give tnc engineers much trouble. Contrary, however, to what is uerriy always the case, the boilers of the Warrior did not prime at all to speak of, and during the whole rim the engines may be said to have been left entirely to themselves. Off fihccrncss Admiral Johnstone came out in the Wildfire to see the ship en route. to her destination, and the Warrior sainted his flag with 16 g'ins from her tremendous battery of 68-pounders. Much interest wat evinced by those on hoard to observe the effect of the concussion of these heavy ordnance on the great ship, and, above all, to sec what foundation there was for the rumour that her narrow ports would keep in smoke enough to almost suffocate the men on the main deck. The result, as usual, quite upset the predictions of the alarmists. The shock of cadi gnu was sharp and sudden, but less than half of what is felt on the same occasions in wooden ships, no matter nut their size. Of smoke on the main deck there was reallv scarcely any ; the small ports kept it out instead of in, and when the salute wnp over the main deck wan

almost entirely free, while the spar deck was wrapped in a dense cloud. While upon the subject of her guns wo may state that the Warrior has as yet only two 100-pounder and four 40-poundcr Armstrongs on her upper deck, with two 25-pounder Armstrongs for fieldpieces and bmt guns. The whole of her main-deck guns, 36 in number, are all solid 68-pounders of 95 cwt. each. There is no other vessel in the world with such a terrific battery. Eight or ten of these midship guns on each side may, probably, hereafter be changed for 100-pounder Armstrongs, but a certain proportion of 68 pounders will always be kept, partly to throw shells filled with molten iron, and partly because there is a most decided opinion in the navy that for close range they are even better than the Armstrong itself. After passing Shcerness the pilot proposed to anchor for the night, as there was not water enough to take the vessel with safety over the flats. Capt. Cochrane, however, was not to be balked by all the flats in Europe, lie knew that it was absolutely necessary the vessel should he at Portsmouth the following day, and suggested the passage through the Swin, outside the Goodwins, and by that channel the pilot was desired to take the ship. Ihe course was accordingly kept along Ihc Harwich side of the river, and, a light breeze springing up, the trysails and courses were sot, not so much with the view of aiding the speed of the ship as to increase the draught up the funnels. The engines then gradually increased their speed from 40 to 48 revolutions, the steam, which had been kept as low as 151h., was got up to 201b., and with this, at threefourths speed, the Warrior bowled along through a sea like glass at a rate of rather over 13 knots, or 14 ami a-half miles an hour. When the foul condition of the ship’s bottom is considered, that the launching cleats were still fastened to her, and that the engines were only sivimr 48 instead of 58 revolutions, this rate of speed surpassed the most sanguine hopes. From this trial, incomplete as it was, it is now judged almost certain that her speed at the measured mile will he 14 and a-ha!f knots, or not less than 16 statute miles an hour. The engines work really wonderfully. Their I vast but simple proportions—their union of strength j with lightness, and even almost elegance of form—the treinehdous concentration of force within the closest | compass and in the smallest number of parts, and, | above all, the perfect finish of the workmanship, make | it impossible to survey these great machines without feelings of astonishment and almost of awe. Nominally yielding an aggregate force of 1,250 horses, llicw indicated power is probably little, if at all. short of 6,000 horses. Each cylinder is 9 feet 4 inches m diameter, and they require for their joint service the evaporation of 16,250 gallons, or 2,600 cubic feet, of water per hour. If the render bears in mind that every cubic foot of water yields 1,000 cubic feet of steam, he will cease to he surprised when we say that the main steam pipe is 2 feet 8 inches across, and that a big man could not only pass down it and either of its branches into the cylinders, hut thence through the passages of the side valves into the condensers themselves. In these latter lie would find himself in a two-roomed space 15 feet long by 12 feet broad and 9 feet high, each compartment supplied with a 9-feet pipe (the size of a large street main) for condensing purposes, and with a 7-inch pipe for conveying the hot water back again to the boilers. It is difficult for the most lively imagination to realize the extent of the chymical and mechanical agencies which are intended to operate within the limits and proportions wo have thus partially in dicated. To set them in motion 10 boilers are ncces- | sary, ranged live on either side of the ship, each boiler ; ted by four furnaces—H) in all—with a stokehole or passage between more than 12 feet wide, every boiler with a complement of 440 tubes, through which the flame passes, and capable of containing, when filled to their working level, If) tons, or 4,256 gallons of water. Let ns suppose the 40 furnaces lighted, the 10 great boilers, each 14 feet long by 10 iect 3 inches broad, and 12 feet 4 inches high, all charged with water, and the steam rushing down the main pipe, mad to escape from its iron prison. It can only do so by forcing its way through the slides, pushing to and fro the huge piston, and dashing through the slide valve to be quenched in the condenser; yet what a tremendous force is required to overcome even these obstacles ! The weight of the piston and the parts connecting it with the crank is no less than 13 tons, the stroke 4 feet, and the number of revolutions calculated at 50 per minute. Here, then, is a weight of 13 tons moving backwards and forwards 100 times in that brief interval, or, in fact, driven by the steam power at the rate of more than 4<)o feet per minute. <)t course, the principles of mechanism arc essentially the same as those by which the smallest river steamer is propelled, but when one examines attentively the immense size and weight of a ship constructed like the Warrior, and endeavours to estimate the magnitude of ttie power | required to drive her through ihe water at a speed of 14 knots, the difference in degree is something very difficult to realize. If by any process site could he weighed when all her stores, armaments, and equipments are completed, she would outbalance nearly 9,000 tons, or within 1,000 tons of the weight of the Great Eastern when launching. This alone is a ws inertur one would imagine sufficiently great to overcome without a resisting medium like water superadded. gfy has been the constant study of our greatest mechascals'Cngineers to bring down marine engines to the sim^jflS£possible proportions, and to finish every detail in thw&stperfect manner, so us to reduce to a minimum tluKtax on the steam power required for mere enginc-drivhrg,' - In the man-of-war they have to combine the solution of these problems with others equally puzzling, prominent among which is that of placing the whole apparatus so far below the water-line as to be perfectly inaccessible to shot. Hence the concentration of parts we find in the engines of the Warrior ; hence the enormous cylinders placed horizontally 71t. below the line at which any fire of an enemy could reach them. The weight and size of the pistons might seem at first sight incompatible with the theory laid down, but the apparent lightness of them is indispensable in order to make the tremendous steam power fully available ; and, in fact, all the dimensions have been carefully regulated by this paramount consideration. As, all*other tilings being equal, the man with the most capacious lungs will win the race, so the marine engine which can utilize the largest volume of steam will he the best and swiftest seahorse. Surveying the condensing apparatus, with its huge injection pipes, these scientific principles become forcibly impressed on the mind. The slides may he referred to as illustrations of the furnished workmanship which characterizes every portion of the machinery, and which is so essential to the general result. 1 heir surfaces are 6ft. by sft. 6 in., yet they are scraped to a true surface with extraordinary care, in order to reduce to a nihuinuin the power exerted by the action of the eccentric in pushing them to and fro. The steam shaft is forged in one piece of malleable iron 3(flt. Jong, and 20 inches in diameter, having two cranks in its length cut out of the solid. It is not quite so large as the shaft of the Great Eastern’s engines, hut from (lie fact of its having two throwsmr cranks in it was even more didicult to make. It is a wonderful wonderful specimen of smith’s work, and a grand proof of what the steam hammer lias enabled us to accomplish in overcoming these mechanical difficulties. The screw, 24ft. in diameter, made entirely of gun metal, and weighing about 20 tons, is 120 ft. from the engines, and is connected with the main shaft by a succession of shalts each 26ft. long by 18 inches in diameter. The screw alley is 9ft. wide by 7ft. high, and at the stern there is the.nsual well, fitted with (lie hoisting apparatus for raising the screw to the deck. The hearings on which the screw works are lined with lignum viitr, a very beautiful, economical, and simple application, first discovered by Air. Penn and by which the immense cost of repairs from the effect of friction on the old brass hearings is reduced to a nominal amount. Taken altogether, the machinery required lor propulsion will weigh 8(9!) tons —a great weight, certainly, though not so much when one remembers the power exerted by it. The consumption of coals required for full steaming will be at the rate of about 125 tons per 24 hours. Not an incident occured to mark the short voyage of Thursday night, il we except the attempt of a very venturesome hark to cross the IVairioi s lams, and which, hut that the latter stuped and reversed her engine, would have resulted most disa.strou.sly lor the sniall craft. Towards daylight on Friday morning the weather grew very thick, with little squales of rain so that a wide offing was giving to the land and a gun fired for a pilot, who, as usual, came up from some where or other, five minutes after he was wanted. The Warrior then stood in towards Spithead, and made a short turn round the harbour to choose her berth, and sainted the Admiral’s flag with 15 guns. There was a slight breeze blowing at the time, and the smoke from this salute on the main deck was scarcely percepliblo, even lo sight. At a little before 8 o’clock the anchor was let go, and the Warrior thus accomplished her first voyage, of 220 miles (including all her slow speed in the’ river, three-quarters speed at sea, stoppages and delays in the offiiug), in rather less than 20 hours, or at the average rate of 11 knots an hour. Yesterday the Warrior was signalled tocome into dock at 1 o’clock without discharging powder. She will remain in dry dock at Portsmouth for the next fortnight at least, ami then, as we have said, start on a a cruise for rough weather. By the time she has undergone this last test the French will have seven iron ships afloat, if not nine. They are not vessels like the Warrior, however ; in fact, little more than corvettes plated with iron. We should be glad, nevertheless, to have one or two more ol our ironsides in commission, through the country may fairly be cun-o-ratnlated on having the Warrior ready lor sea, and not less so on Captain Cochrane being appointed to cammanti her,