This article is classified "Real"
About three-quarters of the surface of the planet known as Earth is
actually not covered with what the inhabitants of that planet call "earth", but rather a strange li
quid substance consisting of oxygen and hydrogen.
This substance is known among the Earthlings as water, and the water-filled
areas are called "seas" or "rivers" or a number of other names depending on
the structure of that particular area.
Most inhabitants of the planet can't travel over water without aid from
some kind of vessel. One person was actually able to walk on water, 2000
years ago, and he is still famous for that feat. The rest build "ships"
for their travel. However, the ships need to be propelled somehow, and
due to a beautiful coincidence water can be used in that process as well.
If a certain amount of water is heated, it will cease to be liquid and
become gaseous, increasing its volume. If the water is heated in a
container - sealed except for one hole - a jet of vapour ("steam") will result. The kinetic energy
in that jet can be harnessed and utilized in
making the ship move water in the direction opposite to the preferred
direction of movement. One side effect of doing so is that the ship will
move as well, in the other direction.
Since the invention of the steam engine other types of engines have been
devised. They may be simpler in construction, or more efficient in the
conversion of chemically bound energy, but in my opinion they lack the
"soul" of a good old steam engine with its rhythmic combination of sounds
and motions. Some people claim that a steam engine should be fed with
stored energy of a particular form, most often wood or coal. I'm not that
picky. Wood, coal, oil or even a nuclear reactor - it's still a steam
engine. The "four elements" of ancient Earth lore are present, and in
harmony. Earth (wood or coal), air (steam), water (liquid water) and fire
(burning fuel).
Now, where would a hitch-hiker go to see and experience the beauty of a
steam ship? The obvious answer would be the local harbour (a place where
ships every now and then go to have contact with solid earth and load fuel,
cargo and some occasional passengers). This will, however, most likely not
be the case, since most steamships have been taken out of business and/or
converted to use some other type of engine. This is a terrible shame, but
fortunately there are surviving steamships in some places on Earth.
Istanbul in Turkey is said to have the largest number of steamships.
I have never been to Turkey, so I will tell you some more about number two
on the list: Stockholm, Sweden.
Stockholm is the capital of a country known as Sweden, and is also - at
least among its steamship captains - known as the steamship capital of
the world. You will find that several steamships are running westward
on Lake Maelaren and eastward in Stockholm's archipelago in the
Baltic Sea. At least they are running in the summer. These steamships
are parts of a living tradition of communication among the thousands of
inhabited islands of the area. What you have to watch out for, however,
is the modern landing craft type of ships, designed to take the maximum
number of passengers to a destination in a minimum amount of time. They
are no fun at all, except possibly to poke fun at...
With a little luck, you will find a ship with a captain (or more likely
a tourist guide) who will tell you about the history of the places you
pass by. There are about one thousand years of ever-changing war and
peace and other interesting episodes to tell about.