Having often observed, when at sea in heavy weather, how the
pitching of the vessel caused the weights on the safety-valves to
act irregularly, thus letting puffs of steam escape at every
heave, and as high pressure steam was too valuable a commodity to
be so wasted, we determined to try direct-acting spiral springs,
similar to those used in locomotives, in connection with the
compound engine. But as no such experiment was possible in any
vessels requiring the Board of Trade certificate, the alternative
of using the Camel as an experimental vessel was adopted. The
spiral springs were accordingly fitted upon the boiler of that
vessel, and with such a satisfactory result that the Board of
Trade allowed the use of the same contrivance on all the boilers
of the Oceanic and every subsequent steamer, and the contrivance
has now come into general use.
It would be too tedious to mention in detail the other ships
built for the White Star line. The Adriatic and Celtic were made
17 feet 6 inches longer than the Oceanic, and a little sharper,
being 437 feet 6 inches keel, 41 feet beam, and 32 feet hold.
The success of the Company had been so great under the able
management of Ismay, Imrie and Co., and they had secured so large
a share of the passengers and cargo, as well as of the mails
passing between Liverpool and New York, that it was found
necessary to build two still larger and faster vessels--the
Britannic and Germamic: these were 455 feet in length; 45 feet in
beam; and of 5000 indicated horse-power.
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