THE SHALLOWEST DRAUGHT STEAMER IN THE WORLD.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1899, 3 February 1875, Page 2

THE SHALLOWEST DRAUGHT STEAMER IN THE WORLD.

The increasing necessity for effecting communication between distant places in foreign countries by means of water transit has, where such means of transit exists, led to a demand for vessels of a light draught in order to navigate very shallow rivers, Builders have gone on reducing the draught from' two feet to one and, even less, but as civilization spreads the navigation of still shallower streams and "the supplying of still lightec draught boats become necessities. It thus happens that Messrs. Yarrow md Hedley, of Poplar, have been engaged to design and construct some steamers of exceptionally light draoght for the navigation of t/ie upper waters of one of the rivers in Brazil. These boats are intended chiefly for tbe conveyance of passengers, and the first of them has just been launched, and made a satisfactory trial trip on Saturday last. In ail probability she is the shallowest draught steamer ever built, her draught, with steam up and fully equipped, being only 7 inches. This formed one of the conditions imposed upon her builders. The others were that she should not draw more than 9 inches of water with 20 persons on' board, and that* she should be of such a Size as to> be capable of being carried whole on a ship's deck to the Brazils. The steamer has, therefore, been built with a flat bottom, 'and has a length of 45ffc., and a beam of Bffc., with a depth of 2ft, She is propelled by a pair of paddles 54in. in diameter, 2ft." 9in. breast, and each having eight floats. Her paddles are driven by a pair of inclined directacting engines, with cylinders s§in. in diameter and lOiri. stroke. She is roomy and comfortable both fore and aft of her engines, there being accommodation for about 40 persons in all. Upon her trial trip on Saturday, with 18 persons on board, she drew B|in. of water. Her engines ran at an average rate of 80. revolutions per minute, which gave her a speed of about eight miles per hour. On her first contractor's trial she made the same speed with the same number of revolutions, and with 1301b steam, the stated consumption of fuel being 401b of coal per hour. The run made with the little nraf'fc from the Temple to Greenwich and back on Saturday was thoroughly satisfactory, and demonstrated both her speed and hardiness. Now that it has been satisfactorily shown that such a light draught, is perfectly practicable, it will probably follow that districts hitherto unexplored and lying up rivers previously deemed nnnavigable will be opened np and new sources of commerce developed. —Times, sth October.