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Archiver > TheShipsList > 2002-01 > 1010165360


From: (Harry Dodsworth)
Subject: Re: [TSL] Quadruple expansion engines
Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2002 12:29:20 -0500 (EST)


,

Thank you, Marj, for the description of the engines of the Oceanic;
however those were not a quadruple expansion engine but a pair of
compound engines - each with one high and one low pressure cylinder.

Incidentally the ship was the first Oceanic (early 1870s), only
mentioned in TSL once, not the famous Oceanic of 1899.
The tipoff was that the boilers only operated at 65 lbs pressure;
the development of very high pressure boilers and multiple expansion
engines went together - You can't have one without the other :-)

I recently posted the story of the engine explosion on the maiden
voyage of the Aurania (1883). Again the engine was a compound
engine on fairly low pressure steam - the second engineer was able to
shut off the steam after the explosion. Very high pressure steam
often scalded everyone in the engine room to death after an explosion.

--
Harry Dodsworth Ottawa Ontario Canada
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