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72 "AROUND THE LAKES." offered advice and warnings of many engineers in prominent positions, who, with superior foresight, predicted an early and disastrous collapse of this hot draft and the boiler of the New York City. As the boiler most inconsiderately treated these predictions with open disrespect by continuing to work most satisfactorily voyage after voyage under the trying conditions described, some steamship owners at last plucked up courage and ordered new boilers on this system for their steamships. The first firm of importance to begin was Messrs. George Smith & Sons of the City Line of Calcutta steamers, who, in the early part of the year 1886, contracted with Mr. Howden to convert the compound engines of their steamer City of Venice into quadruple expansion engines, having their steam from two hot draft single ended boilers 14' o" diam. by 10' 10" long, and of 150 pounds pressure, with six furnaces instead of the four boilers previously used with 12 furnaces. The new engines were to work from 1600 to 1800 I. H. P. at sea as required, the power of the compound engines and boilers at sea having been 1300 I. H. P. This contract was successfully accomplished, the steamer being tried in January, 1887; and .since that trial all other steamers of Messrs. George Smith & Sons which have been refitted, and every new steamer they have built, have been flitted with the Howden system of hot draft. It is unnecessary to extend greatly the account of the introduction of this system. The White Star Line applied it to their mail steamer Celtic at the end of 1886, and eventually to the Teutonic, Majestic, and other steamers, and are making at present other extensive applications. The Allan Line ventured in 1888 on their first application of the system, and the same year the Clan Line applied it to two steamers. Since then the Allan Line have refitted the other three of their steamers and built three new steamers, all of which have this system; while the Clan Line have already refitted with new boilers, etc., 15 steamers and built 6 new steamers, making 21 already fitted with this system, while several other steamers are in course of being refitted, so that very shortly this company alone will have 30 or more steamers working with it. Other first class companies are falling into line. The largest and most important British company, the Peninsular and Oriental steam Navigation Co., notwithstanding their conservative tendencies, have now adopted it for their newest and fastest mail steamers, three of which are already running, and their new steamer now being built, the largest and fastest of all, which will approach in speed the fast Atlantic mail steam steamers, is also having this system. The total result is, that since the start described as having been made in 1886 after about two years' continuous running of the New York City, at this date there are close on 200 steamers fitted with this system, many of them among the largest steamships afloat, and very few being of the smaller class of steamers. Following is an extract from the account of the Steamship Teutonic in "The Atlantic Ferry," by Arthur J. McGinnis: "If the air required for combustion of the fuel was delivered cold to the furnaces instead of hot, some 20 tons of fuel extra would be required per day. The design of working boilers by fan power instead of chimney draft, using the suction of the fan to exhaust the base of the funnel and draw in the air rapidly through the furnaces—is to fulfil1., in short, the effect of the blast pipe on the fire of a locomo-