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RE: The shrinking St Michel III

From: wbutcher <wbutcher~at~netvigator.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 17:33:23 +0800
To: "'Jules Verne Forum'" <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>

Some of the French authorities say "28 metres", which gives only about 93
feet...

And mightn't high-risk clients feel the need to over- rather than
under-insure?

Best wishes

Bill

1/F, 46A lung Mei Village, Taipo, Hong Kong wbutcher~at~netvigator.com
http://home.netvigator.com/~wbutcher/

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-jvf~at~Gilead.org.il [mailto:owner-jvf~at~Gilead.org.il] On Behalf Of
ithompson~at~geog.gla.ac.uk
Sent: 09 July 2003 05:10
To: Jules Verne Forum
Subject: Re: The shrinking St Michel III

Many thanks for the various suggestions re the variable geometry
of the St Michel III. She was built of iron so if warpage was the
explanation Verne did well to sell it. Mis-transcription of figures is a
possibility but Lloyd's Register is a printed publication and I would
imagine that considerable care was taken given that the insurable
value of the vessel was at stake. Looking at pictures of the vessel
and given the metallic nature of the hull, alteration to the bowsprit
seems the only possibility of a reduction in length. I know nothing
of the basis of nineteenth century maritime insurance, but if the
vessel's length was a criterion then there would be a vested interest
in reporting a reduced length. I will look at the registers for the
intervening years to check what lengths are recorded. My interest
in this is less trivial than it may seem. I wanted to check if Verne
would have been able to pass through the Crinan Canal in the St
Michel III, the route followed in The Rayon Vert. On the basis of the
1880 Lloyds Register this would not have been possible and so this
part of the narrative was probably not based on first hand
experience.The route through the Crinan Canal to Oban was the
key part of the "Royal Route" (travelled by Queen Victoria) and was
a famous tourist itinerary. Verne would have had no difficulty finding
descriptions in guide books as a basis for this part of his
narrative.Certainly he gets the name of the canal steamer
correctly...the SS. Linnet.
Ian Thompson
Received on Wed 09 Jul 2003 - 12:35:21 IDT

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