ABSTRACT
The opening of the line to India by way of the Red Sea depended to a considerable extent on the success of the steam engine. Despite the funds subscribed, the active propaganda, and the voluble arguments of enthusiasts, the development of the overland route kept even pace with the mechanical evolution of the means of transportation. Coal placed at the stations along the route, at such points as Socotra, Aden, Mocha, Jeddah, Cosseir, and Suez, had to be sent out to Bombay in sailing vessels, and reloaded and reshipped to Arabia and the Red Sea. With coal practically gone and paddle wheels battered by the heavy seas, the vessel had to return to Bombay. Of the new steamers built, some were constructed with a view to constant service on the Bombay-Suez line, but all of them were adapted for duty as armed naval vessels whenever need arose.
