THE PIONEER OF THE PANAMA ROUTE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 1152, 30 August 1865, Page 5

THE PIONEER OF THE PANAMA ROUTE.

(From the Times, May 30.)

A most important era in ocean steam navigation, iv relation to the communication between England and the colonies, was inaugurated on Thursday and Saturday last, in the trial of the Panama, New Zealand, and Australian Royal Mail Company's twin screw steamship Ruahine, a trial that was attended, in every seuse, with the most brilliant success, giving a promise of more rapid and regular communication than is existing at present between this country and the most vigorous and flourishing of our colonies, and also of increased dividends to the shareholders of an already very prosperous company, that up to the present time has performed the inter-colonial mail service between Sydney and New Zealand and the various provinces ot the latter colony, and for which a subsidy of L 42.000 is paid. The establishment of a direct mail and passenger rouie between New Zealand and England via Panama has been freely agitated in the colony, and urged upon the attention of the Government for some time past; and at length the required direct service Las been sanctioned, and will be opened by the Ruahine, the first completed of several vessels building by the company to run between Panama and Wellington, New Zealand. It is stated that, by runniug boats direct between these two ports, the distance between Englaud and New Zeal.md will be shortened by 2000 miles, as compared with the present route via Point de Galle; while at the same time the always disagreeable voyage round Cape Horn, with its attendant dangers of storms, fogs, and icebergs, will be avoided, and thus render the passage U England from Sydney, via New Zealand and Panama, far preferable in the opinion of the public to the old route by Point de Galle and Suez. In building vessels, however, to ruu between New Zealand and Panama, there were two paramount considerations that had to be entertained in preference to all others. The first was that, by the terms of the contract entered into by the company with the Government, a speedof ten knots had to be made from port to port. The second consideration was, as tha distance between the two ports is 7200 mile?, the selection of an efficient form of vessel and description of engine, with a sufficient fuel carrying cipacity. A brief description of the Ruahine, and* of the trial she has undergone so far, will best show how far these considerations have been met, and what are the chances of the com pany successfully carrying out the condition* of their contract j the exact terms of the contract being that if the mail service h performed between Panama and New Zealand at a 10-knot speed, the company sh ill receive a subsidy of UIO,OOO. This part of the service between England and New Zealand will he done by the company's owa boats, but the Atlantic part of the service, from Colon to Southampton, will be done by the boats of the West India Royal Mail Company, who thus participate in the general scheme, and give considerable prestige to the younger company's success in their undertaking. The chief duties of the boats will be the conveyance of the mail*, passengers, and specie, with but very light goods as cargo. There are six lines of first-class steamships, all c/mverging at Colon, and it isnot unreasonablyexpscted that all these lines will bs to a certain extent '' feeders " to the new line. Reverting, however, to the Ruahine—she is a vessel of 1640 tons builder's measurement; 280 ft. length between perpendiculars; 34ft. Gin. moulded breadth, with a depth of 28ft. from top of keel to the underside of her spar deck. Her load draught is ISffe, and her load displacement 2440 tons. She is fitted with two pairs of engines of the combined power of 400----horse, nominal, with two pairs of annular cylinders, the diamster of the inner cylinders being 26.5 in, and of the outer ones C2.sin, the length of stroke being 2ft. Working independently, as it now the rule with twin screw engines, they drive two three bladed sarew*, having a diameter of 10ft. 6in, and a pitch of 18ft Gin. The boilers — and this is one of the peculiarities of the vessel — are only on a miderate scale, with 10 furnaces, having a fire-bar surface of 200 square feet. The surface condensers are Davisan's patent, the water passing through the tube 3 with the steam on the outside of the tubes, with one air pump and one circulating pump to each condenser, b.ith of which are driven direct from the piston; so that these condensers can be mcd in the ordinary way without any further trouble than closing one valve and opening a cock, without even slowing the engines. Messrs .7. and W. Dudgeon, of Millwall, the builders of the Ruahins and her engines, have, by the adoption of boilers to their 350-horse-power engines, the latter fitted with high expansion, gear and with surface condensers, and the power of the engines being expended on twinssrews, which may be driven together or separately, accordingly as the vessel may have tha wind, thus endeavored to solve the somewhat difficult problem of economy of fuel with the maintenance of a ten-knot rate of speed iv a stretch of 7200 miles across the Pacific. The wind may be said to be nearly abeam each way on the run between Wellington and Panama, and ai the Ruahine is brig rigged, she will be enabled to take due advantage of this circumstance; but, putting aside considerations of advantage to ba derived from the 'vessel's canvass, her coal bunkers have a measured stowage for 1200 tons of fuel— much beyond what her requirements would be if steaming at full power all the distance, la her external appearance the Ruahine is a bold, handsome looking vessel. Inside she has a wonderful amount of accommodation for a vessel of her tonnage, carrying on her main deck berths for 70 first-class passengers, 46 second-class passengers, and 70 third-class passengers. Her after saloon, 77ft in length, is richly 3'et chastely fitted, the predominant colour of the fittinga and upholstery work being a pale sea green. The first trial of .the ship took place on Thursday, when she left the City Canal at 2.15 p.m, for the Maplin Sands, drawing 15ft. 3in. aft, arid 14ft. 3in« forward, having 350 tons of the ." navigation steam coal" on board, of the kind stored at Portsmouth Dockyard for the exclusive use of her Majesty's yachts. The tide was at high water, with the wind light from S.S.W. It was the builder's trial day, Messrs Dudgeon very justly desiring to have a quiet day's experience of the ship's power of steaming under ordinary circumstances, and without any effort being madeinjhe

engine-room to "push" the ship in any way. Tliis wish of the builders was strictly adhered to throughout the day, and under these wholfsome conditions the following very satisfactory results were attained: Steamiag down the rrver with the first of the ebb tide, Eritb pier was passed at 2.45 p.m., the engines making 8S revolutions, with a steam pressure of 261b., and a vacuum of 27 and 26^ inches, the distance gone over since starting being 10 land miles, the time 30 minutes, and the rate of the ship's speed 20 land miles per hour. In running past the measured mile in Long Ruash, the wind freshened to a force of from three to four on the vessel's starboard bow, and the revolutions of the engines were at the reduced rate of 82 and 84, as it was not at first intended to time the ship in going over the measured course; but the distance was done in 3 miv. 52 sec, which gave the ship a speed of 15.517 knots nautical. Gravesend town pier, 19J miles from Blackvvall, was passed ju9t within the hour, and in running through the Lower Hope the ship was timed over the Admiralty measured course, her time in completing the mile being 3 mm. 45 sec, and her speed 16 knots, the revolutions of the engines being 86, bath starboard and port, the steam pressure 2Glb, arid the vacuum still maintaining its rate of 26^ and 27.$ inches. In all thi<j work, as, in fact, in the entire distance to the Maplin Sanda and the Nore Light-vessel, the ship had the tide with her, but the rate at which, the ves3al was going exceeded the anticipations of all on board. So far as the run; down the Thames may he looked upon as a test of the ship's speed, it will suffice to say that the entire distance between Blackwall pier and the Nore Light-ves3el—a measured distance, as shown by "Pryce'a Distance and Knot-tables," of 42 land miles—was done in 2h. omin., including stoppages and easing of the engines caused by other vessels being at times in the Ruabine's course ahead. After passing the Nore Light the Ruahine was taken to the Admiralty official trial measured-mile course, off the Mapliu Sand?, and given a turn over the course each way, with and against the tide, her time haing taken with the same impartial strictness that is observed on board Her Majesty's xhips on their trials, but without their exceptional measures in the stokehole or engine-room, which can never afterwards be repeated in Mr steaming at sea. The two runs were accomplished as follows:— No. 1, with tide—time, 4min. 2iec: speed of ship, 14.876 knots. No. 2, against tide —time, 4min.4lßec.; speed of ship, 12.811 knots; mean speed of the ship, 13.843 knots; revolutions of the engines, 90; pressure of steam, 251b; vaccuiu, '2G±in and 27in. This concluded the trial of the ship oa Thursday, aud afcer coming off the last mile, her cjurae was laid up the river for Gravesend, where she remained in readiness for her Saturday's trip. The vessel started from off Gravesend on her second trip on Saturday, about 2 p.m., with a party of upwards of 200 ladies and gentlemen on board, including among the latter, Lord CUudc Hamilton, chairman of the company, with several directors, and the secretary, Mr Worley; Sir Charles Clifford, and Sir Daniel Cooper, from .Sydney and New Zealand; Admirals the Earl of Lauderdale and Sir EJward Belcher; Hon. Ralph Dutton, M.P.; Captains R. N. Cospatrick, B. Hamilton, G. Blanc, H. Caldwell, C.8., commanding; H.T Mijesty'a ship Asia and the Portsmouth Steam Riserve; T. E. Sytnind}, J. Kennedy, C.8., Mr John Dmnen, Inspector of Machinery Alloat to the Admiralty; Mjsirs. Lubock and Roberts, of the City ; Mr Gellattley (Dunbar and Co.), Ciptain Bemon, lately of the General steam-ship Argo, &a. On reaching the Nore Light-vessel, off Sheernew, the time was takeu thence to the Mouse Light-vessel, the extremity of the vessel's intended trip for ths day, and the distance was accomplished in 21 mm and 31secs., giving the ship a speed, with the tide, of over 15 knots. When the ship's engines were going at the highest rate of speed, the fuel burnt was measured by the representatives of the company and Messrs Dudgeon, ani was found to be at the rate of 1 ton per hour—that is, 1 toa af coal burnt in the furnaces tor the rate jf speed the ship attained, the pressure of steam during the hour the measurement vas taken, commencing at 251b, and endng with 271b. It is confidently anticipated :hat the Ruahina will make the passage jetween Panama and Wellington, New Zealand, and vice versa, in the space of 25 lays, and that the entire passage from Wellington to Southampton will be accom)lishod in 45 days. Captain Bird, fornarly of the General Steamship Company's iteamers Golden Fleece and Lidy Jocelya, s the commander of the Ruabine. la eturning to Gravesend, the numerous jotnpany on board sat down to a sutnpuous dejeuner, provided by Mr Atkins, of L'llbury. Tha vessel reached Gravesend ibmt 7 p.m., and landed her freight at Cilbury pier, whence a special traiu conreyed them to town.