Hunchback photo questions

Mike Serpa

Lt. Colonel
Joined
Jan 24, 2013
View on deck of sidewheeler "Hunchback" - National Archives photo #525047
525047a.jpg

What is the name of the big piece of equipment and what does it do? Is that a nozzle for a fire hose right above the gun? What type gun? Thanks.
 
This is the "walking beam" structure that transfers the vertical stroke of the (ginormous) one-cylinder steam engine to the crank on the paddlewheel shaft. This type of engine arrangement was very common, although not preferred for warships, as it was vulnerable to enemy fire. (Hunchback was originally built as a civilian ferryboat.) What's visible here is only the very top part of a large assembly. This is a diagram of a larger example, but the basic elements are the same:

Engine.jpg


Here's another view, also reportedly of Hunchback:
33832v.jpg


The crew of boat got in on the action, too:

33829v.jpg
 
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The gun in the OP is definitely rifled. The one behind the gents in Andy's pic looks like a Dahlgren 12 lb. smooth bore. The thing on the walking beam that looks like a fire hose nozzle has really got me stumped. My first reaction was part of a grease gun, maybe?
 
I love the views of the naval uniforms. Now I will have to buy the book Bluejackets so I can lean more about Civil War naval uniforms.
 
Seems like an appropriate place for a fire hose. The boiler that created the steam that drove the cylinders that moved the "walking beam" would have been directly below the right hand side of the diagram that AndyHall posted (imagine a steam locomotive standing on end).
 
There are narrow openings in the deck there for clearance of the connecting rods at each end of the diamond-shaped walking beam. These openings give a clear means of access all the way to the engine space at the bottom of the vessel. So arguably, yes, this is where you'd want a nozzle producing a high pressure stream, as opposed to pouring buckets of water or sticking a burble-gurgle hose.
 
We've discussed those gunboat images before. There are images of clearly different vessels that are captioned with the same name. Not sure if anyone can sort it all out now.
 

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