A General Plan for a Mail Communication by Steam, Between Great Britain and the Eastern and Western | Page 5

and others would be glad to take a portion even beyond that, to aid them in completing their cargoes, instead of remaining, as vessels both at Liverpool, Glasgow, &c. frequently do, some time, till they can obtain a sufficient quantity of goods to enable them to do so: while such vessels could at all times furnish in this way a sufficient supply of coals, at moderate rates, and still afford to them a fair profit; such assistance in loading, by enabling vessels to sail at short and regularly stated periods, would become of the most essential service to the commercial interests of this country.
The time hitherto occupied by steamers in taking in coals, in almost every place, has constituted of itself a considerable drawback on steam navigation: it may, to a great extent, be avoided. Let carriages, such as are used on the railroads for carrying coals at Newcastle, &c. be constructed with iron handles. These may be made to hold one and a half, or two tons of coals (either of these weights, it is supposed, might be hoisted into a vessel without difficulty), and be all filled and placed on a raft or punt ready at each dep?t, thirty to sixty in number, according to its importance, awaiting the arrival of the packet steamer. The moment she comes into port, the punt will be alongside, and the whole will be hoisted in in a few hours, the place for receiving them being always, and during the voyage, (p.?006) prepared for them. In this way 120 tons of coals may be taken in within a very short space of time; the buckets first emptied, refilled, and emptied again, to a considerable extent, in a period of no great additional time. At smaller dep?ts and ports, the steamer might hoist in thirty or forty tons of coals during her shorter time of stoppage; and thus steamers, without any material delay, would always have a sufficient and certain supply of fuel. The coals at all the dep?ts should be well covered and protected from the sun.
Further, on this head, most of the small coal (the best) which goes to waste at the dep?ts, may be saved by the following simple process:--Let it be mixed with a little clay, considerably diluted, then made into small balls, and afterwards dried in the sun (a rapid process within the tropics), and then taken on board with the others when wanted. It burns with great force. It is so used on estates in the West Indies for Stills. The saving is great, and the labour of making it up exceedingly light. A child may almost perform it.
It is necessary to observe, that steam-boats for the torrid zone must be fitted up and out in a manner considerably different, more especially in their hatches, from the best and most splendid boats in this country. For the convenience and health of both the passengers and crews, those for the torrid zone must, in every part, be more roomy and airy, yet so constructed as to be closed in the speediest and securest manner in the event of a hurricane; consequently they will require less expense in building, and fitting up of cabins, &c. than the crack boats in this country, in order to make them so.
In all the distances stated, there are, be it observed, included in the time allowed, three or four hours to land and take in mails and passengers at every place where the steamers may have to touch; and at the more important stations, at least six hours beyond the longer periods allowed for stoppages for coals and mails, &c. It will be necessary to give six or eight hours at Barbadoes before the departure of the steamer, that Government despatches may be forwarded. In fact, the steamer should always, and only leave that island at sun-rise on the day following that whereon the packet arrived from England, (p.?007) because by doing so, it would reach St. Thomas at daybreak on the second morning (the navigation at that island is rather dangerous during the night), clear it, and reach St. John's, Porto Rico, with daylight, and in consequence Cape Nichola in daylight also, on the second day thereafter.
The old Galatea frigate might be carried up from Jamaica and moored at Cape Nichola Mole, on board of which those mails and specie may be deposited, that require to be disembarked from such steamers, &c., as cannot be detained till the packet arrives to receive them. This, however, will seldom be the case, nor to any great extent; as the homeward-bound packet, whether steamer or sailing-vessel, will almost always be at Cape Nichola before the steamer gets up from the leeward. She may also be used to hold coals for a supply for the steamer