“The Northumberland,” Money Wigram Line, London to Melbourne. 1872. Source: Illustrated London News [Click on image to enlarge it.]
New Steamships
We give Illustrations of two fine new steam-ships lately added to the British mercantile fleet — the Northumberland belonging to Messrs. Money Wigram and Sons, of London, for Australian traffic; and the Bertha, one of the Red Cross line, for India via the Suez Canal, belonging to Messra. C. M. Norwood and Co., of Hull.
The Northumberland was built by her owners, and, having been launched in September, started on Dec. 28 for her first voyage to Melbourne. She is 270 ft. in length, 38 ft. in extreme breadth, 2ft ft, in depth, and has a burden of 1898 tons. Her screw propeller, of 16 ft, diameter and of 22 ft. pitch, is made to he raised when the ship is sailing; and the funnel, being of telescopic construction, may be lowered at each times. The engines, by Messrs. Humphreys, Tennsat, and Co., are of 300-horse power nominal, but are capable of working at 1500-horsepower. They are on the compound or doable cylinder principle, with one smaller cylinder and one larger, bnt so arranged that the steam passes from the smaller to the larger without an intermediate receiver, saving the loss of power. The stroke of both cylinders is 4 ft.; they are steam-jacketed. The steam pressure, in ordinary working, is SO lb. to the square inob, while the boilers are made strong enough for 80 lb., and have been proved to 1601b.; they are fitted with a super-heater for the steam. The engines have surface condensers and all other modern improvements. The cabins of the Northumberland are in general arranged like those of the Somersetshire, a ship of the same line, but with additional skylights and means of ventilation for the second cabin. . . .
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Bibliography
“New Screw Steamships.” Illustrated London News 60 (3 February 1872): 120-21. Hathi Trust Digital Library version of a copy in the University of Michigan Library. Web. 15 December 2015.
Last modified 16 January 2013