Transport Through Water

     At first man might have moved through water clinging to a log and paddling along with his hands and feet.

     The early boat was made by burning the inside of a tree trunk and chipping away the charred wood. This was made to move through water with the help of oars.

     As centuries passed, the single-masted sailing ship changed to the three-masted type of the 15^th Century AD, and latter to the fully-rigged ship of the 18^th and 19^th Centuries AD.

Montgolfier Balloon

      Exhibited here is a small scale model (Scale 1:50) of the Montgolfier balloon in which Pilatre de Rozier made a captive ascent on 21^st November 1783 in the garden of Mr. M. Revellion in Paris. The model, which was made in the London Science Museum workshop, based on a contemporary illustration, has been loaned to the Government  Museum, Chennai. The original balloon was about 48 feet in diameter and 74 feet in height. Its weight is stated to have been 1,600 pounds (approx 700kg)

The Steamers

     The first steam-ship was built by John Stevens and Robert Fulton. It was launched on the Hudson river in 1807, and given the name "Clermont". It plied between New York and Albany. The hull of the ship in those days was made of wood and later iron was used. The first iron-hulled steamboat, "Aaron Manly" was built in Britain in 1822. Steam boats were first used to carry passengers on the Thames in 1815. Tugs, little tramps, freighter, oil tanker and luxury liners are the types of steam ships.

     The scale sectional model of the steamer "S.S. San Francisco Xavier" built by the Green Oak Grangemont Dockyard , Scotland, is exhibited here.

Model of S.S. Irwin- Ship

      This is model of the ship, "S.S. Irwin" which was plying between Dhanushkodi and Talaimannar Pier. The ship was built in 1929 and put on service in the year 1930. The tonnage of the ship is 970.11 gross and 377.39 registered. The overall length and breadth are 259 feet and 38 feet respectively. Its passenger carrying capacity in fair and rough weather is 1552 and 1045 respectively. The normal speed of this is approximately 10 knots.

     This model was presented to this museum by Southern Railway.