THE STEAM SHIP WESTERN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 106, 19 March 1862, Page 4

THE STEAM SHIP WESTERN.

'- The steam ship Western, which arrived on Satur- _ day last from Melbourne, and is now lying at Por! ! Chalmers, is a fresh addition to the increasing list ol 1 steamers now trailing- to this Port, and by her clia--1 racter as a steamer built upon the most approved ' principles, and fitted with boilers and engines ot novel and peculiar construction, promises to be a > valuable acquisition'to our local mercantile marine. ' The Western is from the building yard of the wellknown ship-builders, Alessrs. Mitchell and Co., oi ! Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and has only lately arrived in ' colonial waters, her p: escnt trip to Otago being her j firet under steam, with the exception of a short ex- ' perimental trip which she made from Port Phillip to Portland, previous to bemsr put on the Alelbourne and Dunedin passage. The voyage from England to Victoria she made under canvas, and, though under the circumstances, this first trip which she has made to Otago, has been one promising well for the future, it will take a trip or two yet, thoroughly to test her capabilities, and to confirm those hopes which woro;.entertained of her when she left the hands of the builders and engineers at home. The Western is about 20S feet in length, and the sharpness of her lines at stem and stern, indicate her capabilities for swift sailing, apart from the superior propelling power with wliich she ia furnished. In dimentsons she is thus less than the Aidinga by about 12 feet, but by the limited space which is occupied, by her toilers and engine : she is enabled to carry a heavier freight—heavier than almost any steam vessel of her size and fine formation. From the same cause her deck room amidships is very considerable, and permits of the after part being occupied with a neat and comfortable deck saloon, beneath which are situated the state-rooms of the firstclass passengers. Her second-class or steerage accomodation is not excelled by that of any vessel in the colonial trade, it consists of two seperate cabins, one for male passengers, the other for females, and by the removal of one of the bulk heads, the accomodation for male passengers can be increased to double its ordinary extent. In both places the provision made for lighting- and ventilating the cabins and berths, is greatly superior to that common even on larger vessels, and there is a cheerful lightness and airiness about the whole which is rarely to be seen. AVhat the Western is chiefly remarkable for, however, is the peculiarity cf her propelling power, her engines and boilers being constructed on a plan not hitherto seen in the colonies, and, as yet, only very partially introduced at home. Her engines are constructed on what is known as Rowan's patent, the charaeteristies of which aro (1) a saving of fuel to the extent of about two-thirds of the quantity ordinarily consumed ; (2) the use of fresh water in the boilers; and (3) the condensation of the steam, so that the original supply of water serves throughout a whole voyage. The saving of fuel is so great that, while a vessel provided with ordinary'ensines exerting the same power would use about 30 tons of coals per day, the engines of the Western require only about 8q tons. She is furnished with only two boilers, each boiler requiring only one, furnace, and it is to the careful feeding of those furnaces that attention has to be given to secure_ regularly the considerable rate of speed of which she is capable. The use of fresh water—and of sseh water only one supply —is the circumstance most peculiar iv the case of a sea-going vessel. The way in which it is achieved is this. At the commencement of a voyage the boilers are filled with fresh water. The steam, of course, is produced in the ordinary way, but as soon as it serves its purpose, it is re-converted or condensed into water, which is done with only a trifling waste, and this goes on ad infinitum. To supply the little waste which occurs in the process, a small spare boiler and condenser are on board, by which the sea water is deprived of its salt, and the fresh water preserved througbouc. The nominal horse-power of the engines is 110, but they arc capable of working-up to an effective power of from 300 to 400, using high nnd low pressure steam. _ Notwithstanding one or two slight delays, the engineer in charge of the vessel considers the recent passage to Otago to have been a most satisfactory test of the qualities of the engines, as regards both the saving of fuel and iu'other particulars; and, with a commander such as Captain Lucas, who has been long and favorably known on the Victorian Coast, wo may reasonable expect that, on whatever passage she is placed, the Western will become an effective and favorite acquisition to the steam power of the colonies.