The Pioneer Steamship Savannah Part 2

There remain a number of matters that do not directly concern the reconstruction project but which are of sufficient technical importance to warrant comment. Apparently the engine was mounted on a wooden frame consisting of two large oak timbers on each side, say about 10" 10", one above the other, that probably supported iron saddles in which the two cylinders rested. Between each pair would have been the iron track, or channel, in which the ends of the crosshead travelled, along the axis of the engine in elevation. These frames measured about 9 feet 2 inches, outside to outside, and reached from the beams of the upper deck on either side of the crank hatchway to abaft the mainmast on the lower deck. It is probable that the fore and after ends of the frame were supported by stanchions stepped on the lower deck at the fore end and in the hold at the after end. The crosshead was of iron and probably had shoes at the ends to work in the tracks or channels in the frame. To help steady the crosshead, these shoes probably were a foot or more long, for the loading of the crosshead is spread out. The pitman to the paddle wheel shaft is to starboard of the centerline of the engine; the steam cylinder piston is slightly off center of the frame and crosshead; and the piston of the air cylinder is close to the port engine frame. The steam lines to the valves of the steam cylinder come in horizontally over the frames.

As has been mentioned, the frame may also have supported the paddle wheel axle bearings at the crank.

This engine has been criticized by some writers (see Tyler's[25]

resume of Gilfillan's[26] comments), but the _Savannah_ logbook shows it gave no trouble, and should be compared with the logs of _Sirius_ and _Great Western_ as summarized by Tyler. The relatively slow piston speed and small power put little strain on the moving parts. Tallow was probably used for lubrication, being introduced into the valve chest by pots on top of the casing, where radiated heat would melt the tallow. From the valve chest the melted tallow was carried into the cylinder, and from there probably pa.s.sed into the jet condenser. No doubt the lubricant became a sludge that had to be removed from the condenser at least once every 48 hours. There is no real evidence that the engine and boilers suffered any great strains; the operating pressure of steam must have been low at all times. The boilers were probably of very low efficiency and made steam slowly. Fuel consumption was high, and, according to the logbook, the vessel ran out of coal when she reached the English coast; however, she had enough fuel left to steam up the Mersey to Liverpool, probably using wood. At the time she ran out of coal she had used her engine about 80 to 83 hours. While this indicates a fuel consumption of almost a ton per hour, it must be remembered that the intermittent operation of the engine required expenditure of fuel to raise steam in cold boilers over and over again. This was one of the weaknesses in the auxiliary steams.h.i.+p, particularly, as in the case of the _Savannah_, when the engine was used a number of times during a voyage without long periods of continuous operation. Also, there is doubt that the vessel carried as much as 75 tons of coal; she probably had no more than 55 to 60 tons aboard, if the figure of 1,500 bushels is correct. It is impossible to establish exact weight-cubic measurements with the available data.

Though the authorities quoted seem to agree that the _Savannah_ could steam only 4-1/2 to 5-1/4 knots in smooth water, her logbook credits her with 6 knots under steam alone at sea. However, this is probably an approximation affected by current and sea rather than a truly logged speed.

Judging by references in the logbook, the _Savannah_ carried one boat on the stern davits. The davits, shown in Marestier's sketch, would handle a boat of about 16 to 18 feet in length. At sea the boat was probably carried on top of the deckhouse. The vessel obtained a new boat during her European trip. It is probable that the lack of pa.s.sengers is why a second boat, which could have been stowed on the deckhouse roof, was omitted.

There is no record of how the _Savannah_ was painted, except that the logbook refers to her "bright" strake. Packets appear to have followed what once was a Philadelphia practice in having a varnished band along the topsides. Marestier's sketch indicates that there may have been four or five bands of color, beginning at or a little above deck and wide enough for the top band to be up about two-fifths the height of the bulwarks. The hull was commonly black. The bands were red, white, and blue and there was a "bright" strake, or alternate black and varnished bands. These bands were about 3 to 5 inches wide. Sometimes the "bright" band, as mentioned in the _Savannah_ logbook, was along the topside just above and adjacent to the top of the wale, or belt of thick planking, or might be the uppermost strake of the wale. Perhaps the _Savannah_ had a wide bright band above the wale and multicolored bands just above the deck. The headrails were painted black, with mouldings at top and bottom of rails and with knees picked out with very narrow bands of yellow, or "beading." The figurehead was then commonly painted in natural colors, to suit the form of head if a figure or a bust. The bowsprit and davits probably were black. Deck structures were probably white, the neck natural, with waterways and inside of bulwarks white, the stack black, and rail caps varnished.

In this period it was unusual to copper a wooden s.h.i.+p before launch, so it is doubtful that the _Savannah_ was copper sheathed. Since her voyage occurred during a period of financial depression, it is probable that her bottom was "white" (tallow and verdigris).

The reconstruction described herein produced a plan for a model that complied to the fullest extent with all the known dimensions and descriptions of the _Savannah_ that have yet been found. The result showed that the United States National Museum's old model could not be altered to agree with the known features of the _Savannah_ and that a new model was therefore necessary. So that the new model would be comparable to other models of early American steamers, existing or intended, in the Watercraft Collection, it was constructed on the scale of one-quarter inch to the foot. The new model (figs. 2, 8, and 9) is now on exhibition at the Smithsonian Inst.i.tution.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 8.--Stern-quarter view of the new model of the _Savannah_, showing one wheel partially folded and the iron frames for canvas wheel-boxes in place.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 9.--Bow-quarter view of the new model of the _Savannah_, showing deck arrangement details.]

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Carl W. Mitman, _Catalogue of the Watercraft Collection in the United States National Museum_, U.S. National Museum Bulletin 127, 1923.

[2] Jean Baptiste Marestier, _Memoire sur les Bateaux a Vapeur de Etats-Unis d'Amerique_, Paris, 1823.

[3] A memorandum dated April 20, 1899, in the ma.n.u.script file on the watercraft collection shows that the Museum had both the rigged model and the original logbook at that time. Also in the collection were a coffee urn and miniature portrait of the _Savannah's_ captain, Moses Rogers, that had been presented to him abroad; later, these items were returned to the donor. A cup and saucer belonging to Captain Rogers also had been given to the Museum, and they are now in its historical collection.

[4] Robert Greenhalgh Albion, _Square Riggers on Schedule_, Princeton, New Jersey, 1938. Between the years 1817 and 1837 the yard of Fickett and Crockett also operated at various times under the name of S. & F.

Fickett and the name of Fickett and Thomas. The yard appears to have specialized in the construction of coastal packet s.h.i.+ps, because only 4 ocean packets, against 24 coastal packets, were built by the various partners.h.i.+ps in which Fickett was a member.

[5] L. M'Kay, _The Practical s.h.i.+pbuilder_, New York, 1839.

[6] Howard I. Chapelle, _The Baltimore Clipper_, Salem, Ma.s.sachusetts, 1930, pp. 112-134.

[7] Sidney Withington, translator, _Memoir on Steamboats of the United States of America by Jean Baptiste Marestier_, Mystic, Connecticut, 1957.

[8] _Ibid._, pl. 7, figs. 32, 33, 35.

[9] _Ibid._, pl. 3, fig. 10.

[10] Geo. Henry Preble, _A Chronological History of the Origin and Development of Steam Navigation, 1543-1882_, Philadelphia, 1883.

[11] John H. Morrison, _A History of American Steam Navigation_, New York, 1930.

[12] David Budlong Tyler, _Steam Conquers the Atlantic_, New York and London, 1939.

[13] S. C. Gilfillan, _Inventing the s.h.i.+p_, New York, 1935.

[14] Charles Frederich Partington, _An Historical and Descriptive Account of the Steam Engine_, London, 1822.

[15] J. Elfreth Watkins, "The Log of the _Savannah_," in _Report of the U.S. National Museum for the Year Ending June 30, 1890_, 1891, pp.

611-639.

[16] Previously, the author had a.s.sumed there was one boiler with two flues.

[17] _Op. cit._ (footnote 4).

[18] William Morgan and Augustin Creuze, eds., _Papers on Naval Architecture_, London, n. d., no. 12, p. 387.

[19] Letter from Carl C. Cutler to the author, November 24, 1958.

[20] _Op. cit._ (footnote 5).

[21] Withington, _op. cit._ (footnote 7), pl. 9, figs. 55, 56.

[22] Report of Malcolm Bell, Jr., and Frank Braynard.

[23] M'Kay, _op. cit._ (footnote 5).

[24] Darcy Lever, _Sheet Anchor_, London, 1808-1811. (Reprint, Providence, Rhode Island, 1930.)

[25] David Budlong Tyler, _Steam Conquers the Atlantic_, New York and London, 1939.

[26] S. C. Gilfillan, _Inventing the s.h.i.+p_, New York, 1935.