fter
intervals of a few months took up their stations on the Transatlantic
line.

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 Germanic: these were 455 feet in length; 45 feet in beam;
and of 5000 indicated horse-power. The Britannic was in the first
instance constructed with the propeller fitted to work below the line
of keel when in deep water, by which means the "racing" of the engines
was avoided. When approaching shallow water, the propeller was raised
by steam-power to the ordinary position without any necessity for
stopping the engines during the operation. Although there was an
increase of speed by this means through the uniform revolutions of the
machinery in the heaviest sea, yet there was an objectionable amount of
vibration at certain parts of the vessel, so that we found it necessary
to return to the ordinary fixed propeller, working in the line of
direction of the vessel. Comfort at sea is of even more importance
than speed; and although we had succeeded in four small steamers
working on the new principle, it was found better to continue in