Steel

ve el. Steel is a later application than iron in shipbuilding; 8 or 10 years only having elapsed since this material came into common use for the purpose. Owing to its having greater tensile strength than iron, its thickne , when so employed, is usually Vs11 le than that used in an iron ve el of similar dimensions; there is consequently a considerable difference in the weight of the structures, enabling a steel ship to carry a proportionately larger cargo. Many kinds of material, however seemingly well adapted for the uses to which they are put, have yet a shady side to their otherwise good qualities; and steel forms no exception; the future only can show, whether steel will supplant iron for shipbuilding, to the extent that iron has already greatly displaced the use of wood.