THE STEAM MARINE. [From the Spectator. ]

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 646, 23 June 1852, Page 3

THE STEAM MA RINE. [From the Spectator. ]

Although our land forces may not be in a period condition, our coasts,, it i.s said, aio sufficiently defended, because onv Naval force h great, and il may at any day procure an important reinfbi cement in Hie shape of the many line steamers (hat ply at our shores Let us examine this. We hate no doubt I hat the steamers ;>re the finest of (heir kind, with excellent seanun and skilled commanders ; hut slill some doubt of their perfect condition is suggested by recent occurrences. The Amazon is the eighth of (he ships belonging to one company thai" have hern destroyed within ten years : and when we look into the nature of this (he last disaster of (he scries, the faett> are pregnant wiih mistrust. The Amazon, a splendid ship, was out on ifs first voyage, and should have been perfect in all its parts, equipments, and discipline. Ifad it been so, the fire which destroyed it could not have proved fatal, even if it had occurred.' The lire ol Heaven, the waters of the deep, the wild winds, arc powers against which human courage and ail contend sometimes in tain ; but mankindled fires ought lobe kept within the control of man. The tragical disaster has been conjecturally and severally asci ibed to two causes : one is an over-heated shiU* of the cngine-heaiings ; though it is also reported 0:1 piol>ai/le testimony ihM !ho licit had been subdual, :\ml Vug c.i^iuo was m proper comliikm ■> i i»o?t Ump hriou 1 1110 (ire burst out. Another cause i^ suppled to be the storing of some grease or tallow (00 near (iw engine; and if it is tnis (hit (here had hcvn improper, stowage of that kind, !:u l otcrhofi'lnij of the engine may have been the uilim, I: ('. oiu>h not (he direct cause of the conflagration. In any ;case, there must have boon serious negligci.ee; and it is but 100 probable that the ctil was precipitated by the haste wilh which (he ship was sent to sea and pushed on its first voyage in rough heavy weather. II may be usual^urgc ships on a first toyagc, before they have been fairly tried in the working ; but if so, we only learn how reckless is the management of new steamers in that respect. And if commercial appetite — if the desire to get machinery to work betimes and to make quick passages — can make men incur such terrible hazards, how are we to , suppose (hat the same spirit does not dictate the management of steamers in other respects? that we shall not find their machinery Selective when old, as il is unseasoned when new ; thai we shall not find (heir appointments insufficient, and (heir management untrustworthy 9 J)efecli\e appointments aie alleged ncninst (his same ship, beautiful as il was (0 look at, and elaborately con.sfiucled. The boats, il is a\ erred, were so hung as to impede (ha launching of (hem. It is represented that the captain wished the peculiar lAnd ol hanging ; but, "confusion" apart, the method seems to have cau.«cd much hindrance. They weie su'Tiebnl in imuiihuv and capacity to ha\e sated all on boaid, but they were inaccessible, or swamped in !hu hurried effort to gel them out ; and the result might ha\c been spared, at Ica'.t with such of ih< mas were not made inaccessible by the {!<iru\n, if (he hanging had not obstructed the process. Again, the ship ttas destroyed bj (Ire, and the means of check against fire appear (0 hate beciiv ludicrously ineffective. Had any steps been taken to render the Y.ood incombustible, or capable of resisting combustion for a time 9 On (he contrary > the a well-scasomxl" wood appears to have burned like the host iiiewood. Sir Win. 13urnet calls to mind that his plan of using chloride of zinc would probably hate prevented the ignition. Again, there aio methods of extinguishing fnes. The owneis of the Amazon had 1 actually procured estimates, on a plan for which Mr. Wm. Kjddle obtained an Exposition pri/emcdal, to extinguish fire t\ilh steam from the boiler ; and (hey found (hat tor .so large a vessel (2,200 tons burden) the cost would have been 200/., on which they declined thai additional expense, as sleam-veiwclb are very seldom burnt > There is also another apparatus called "Phdlips's fire anjiihilator," Ihe effects ol which are well attested, and which might have checked (he flames in a lew seconds. Hut even the ordinal y means were evidently feeble and unready — so \ that the responsible ollicers were brat ing the I terrible hazard ttilhoul eten the ordinary weans !of meeting the consequences. Bui', we icpeat, if (here is thiS carelessness in the arrangeiiK'nts , of the ship, in the woiking, ami in the precautions against lire, are wo to suppose that (here is not carelessness in other respects* ' Nor is the reckless conduct ol steamers restricted to commercial managers. A ba!!.<!ion of Hides is despatched to the Cape of Good Kope — not befoje it is wanted ; the only regret is (hat the number is not greater ;>»<! the despatch of them earlier, but "hotter laic than uovt," and t\e wore just eongi.Utilahng ourvltes on their dejwiture, when v,c Ic.un t!:af ihs Mh'gwra f.!(vn:fli, wlucli coil 1 , c)t> iiHiii, 1..\» jul into IMj inontli, " aiv-!)ie'l ! ' Ti c tvtaMu r Iwil boon ' rough, but siv.i»'<sy Mich as to acount for the immediate di.siblnm of a - i>i|> wiurn was selected to contoy 700 picked soldieis (o tlio Cape of Good Hope. r l here m<«\ :<e one excuse: the tessel WcUi so laden will) \h J1;. 1 >c^ stores, s;>ts

(he llev. Vun. Buller, Rector of Holy Trinity, Dot cheater, that the soldiers could not sknv themselves away ; (he deiL* were eiowded, and the pn-^a^e fiom ojic part of the ship to Iho oliior \\<ti> obstructed. The ship, in short, was cauyiii£, r too much, and ihal w^s ill packed, — such is (ho excuse for the iuddLrenl behaviour oi (ko hlo;in>or itself as ; % . t>ea boat. The sin vice on \\liich it \ui^ going was ol (ho most hnpnrlatt! Kirn!, ,'ni<l v.c iwi to bup]jos.c llial thnso \vl»f> .-en l it did their hist holh in selecting the luvtf and in loading it: if so, the inference is not aymiauie. On the olher hand, il the selection oi a had boat and the overloading of it were acts of careles&ncsh, then the inference is still woise, except, indeed, that oflicials can be changed more promptly than a whole fleet of ships. Jn either case, lhet>e phainoniena are not of a kind to increase the public reliance oil our steamers as a coast guard.