MR. J. BRYN ROBERTS (Carnarvonshire, Eifion)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will lay upon the Table of the House the Report of the experiments lately conducted at Portsmouth in the ex-boiler of the Polyphemus, with forced and induced draughts; whether the system of forced draught has failed and proved injurious to boiler tubes, and whether ships have been in consequence taken over from contractors with natural draught only, and not fulfilling their contract power and speed; and, if so, what steps are proposed to be taken to secure the power and speed contracted for; and whether it is intended in the future to adopt the use of forced draught for ships in Her Majesty's Navy?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Lord G. HAMILTON, Middlesex, Ealing)It is not considered desirable to publish at present the results of the experiments. Details have been furnished to the firm immediately concerned. Forced draught under proper precautions is not injurious to boiler tubes, but difficulties in connection with its extreme application have arisen with one or two special types of boilers, which types will not be repeated. The Admiralty has decided not to make forced draught trials in certain cases, and to accept the machinery after satisfactory natural draught trials. In such cases the contractors have constructed the machinery in accordance with the specifications.