Fourth Funnel a vent

[Dave Gittins]

G'day, Paul!

My standard excuse is senility. What's yours?

 

[Paul Wilkinson]

Beer

 

[TitanicNerd]

The 4th Funnel

So, I know it was a fake, but it was ventilation for something.... people say it was the boilers but don't the 3 normal funnels do that? Some say it was ventilation for the kitchens, but what to ventilate? Did a little steam come out of the 4th funnel?

[Moderator's note: This message originally started a new thread even though there was an existing thread addressing the same subject. For the final time: USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION!!! MAB]

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

The 4th funnel was not "a fake". It was used for ventilation of the turbine engine room and also for the smoke from the kitchens and 1st class smoking room, so yes, some steam was coming out of the 4th funnel.

 

[TitanicNerd]

So many people say it was a fake, sorry. But I believe you. Thanks for your answer!

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

It is usually called that it was the dummy funnel (also some crew members called it so) but that did not really match as it has it's own function.

 

[Athlen]

The galleys had a number of coal- and coke-burning appliances as well as a boiler for "clean steam." I can't recall whether the ship's low pressure steam was used in the galley at all. So that created a need for ventilation.

Besides the galleys and boilers, the 1st class smoking room was the only place where coal was burned. When it was launched, Olympic's smoking room vented out of a small stack on the roof. This was inadequate and resulted in the boat deck becoming smoky in low wind. It was replaced by a smoke pipe leading to the 4th funnel. I believe Titanic was constructed with the smoke room ventilation through the funnel but I can't say with absolute certainty.

 

[TimTurner]

I expect that one of the main purposes of the funnels was emergency ventilation. If a steam line burst in a sealed compartment, it would fill the room and pressurize it with steam, broiling all the crew in the compartment. Not a particularly pleasant way to go, and messy to clean up. By having a large opening at the top of each compartment, you give a place for the steam to go (steam rises) while the crew huddles low and waits for the boilers to stop producing steam, or escape into another compartment. All of the major compartments with steam piping therefore have ventilation.

That may not be an obvious use for people who have never worked in a steam plant.

The first three funnels vent the 6 boiler rooms, there is an un-funneled vent for the reciprocating engine room, and the forth funnel vents the turbine engine room.

 

[Elle Bee]

Yes, there were pipes in Kitchens which collected steam and the steam travelled upward and out of the funnel. A fan was suited inside the pipes to let the steam out quicker. There were also vents in the Kitchens which collected steam with a fan. The fan sucked in the steam and out of the smokestack.

Brian - this is great info! Can you point me in the direction of any blueprint or graphic that would show the position of those fans in the 4th funnel? Many thanks!

All best,
Elle

 

[Elle Bee]

Stanley,

The No. 4 Funnel had absolutely nothing to do with ventilation of the boiler rooms. The boiler casings through which the funnels rose from the boiler rooms were transversely subdivided into several sections. The larger mid section contained the lower funnel, while the smaller forward and after end sections were further subdivided into two trunks each. The trunks at the very ends of the boiler casings were the stokehold ventilation trunks; each one terminated in a fan room located on F Deck. Each fan room contained two large Sirocco fans which supplied air through ducting which terminated in the firing aisle in front of each boiler. The trunks within the boiler casing sandwiched between the funnel casing and the stokehold ventilation trunks were the fidley trunks. In addition to acting as a conduit for plumbing and low pressure steam lines for the heating apparatus, the primary purpose of the fidley trunks were to act as an outlet for the hot air rising upward from the boiler rooms below. The stokehold fans were adjusted to supply air in somewhat greater volume than that required by the furnaces so that when combined with the natural draft created by the rising hot air in the fidley trunks, good circulation of fresh air was obtained throughout the boiler rooms. The screened inlets for the stokehold ventilation trunks are easily spotted and can be seen around the bases of the first three funnels in many photographs. The spilled gratings which were placed over the tops of the fidley trunks are harder to spot because they were flush with the top of the boiler casing surrounding the base of each funnel. These are most easily spotted in photos such as the one taken from the top of Olympic's No. 4 Funnel, and in overhead photos of the wreck.

Regards,
Scott Andrews

Hello, Scott -

The detailed info you give above leads me to believe you might be able to point me in the direction of visual sources (photos/blueprints/graphics) of the 4th funnel. Is that possible? I'm newly Titanic-curious and would deeply appreciate any guidance on this.

All best,
Elle

 

[Mark Baber]

Hello, Elle, and welcome---

Please note that the two messages you're responding to are from 2007 and that neither author is still a registered member of the Message Board.

 

[Elle Bee]

Hello, Elle, and welcome---

Please note that the two messages you're responding to are from 2007 and that neither author is still a registered member of the Message Board.

Hi, Mark -

Thanks for the welcome! I guess I was hoping that other members would spot the new post and feel like discussing the wonders of dummy funnels. Guess not?

All best,
Laura