Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-08-16
COMMUNICATIONS
no THE EDITORS.

Ideemit worthy place in your widelvcrcula,ed
journal Comment IS wholly unnecessary: the fact
Itself is host Of unanswerable arguments IN favor
of the Wilmington and Philadelphia artisans.
| A higher compliment could not be paid 10 ,be;r
superior skill and abilities than is told in rumne,.
tones by the simple circumstance that the acute dol
larand-cent philosophizng merchants Of Maine and
Massachusetts, by force of proft-and-gain princi-
pies, are at this late day compelled to leave their
own ship-yards workshops, and foundries, come all
the way to Wilmington, Delaware, to get iron steam
ships built and then go TO Philadelphia for steam
engines, boilers, and propellers. Surely we on
the verge of a new state OF things
| The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal is to be COM
pleted forthwith, when this District OF Columbia
will possess incalcuable advantages over any other
part Of these United States, far regards the
building of iron vessels, and every thing else that
can be manufactured from that material. Cum
berand coal and Cumberland iron, generally admitted be
the best in the known world will then abound here in endless
quantities and a natural consequence egions Of iron and
coal depo shpyas foundres Tor making ordnance steam
engines boilers, &c. the most extensive SCALE will be es
abhed along the banks of the Potomac IN and adjoining this
metropolis
AT the present moment, all Europe to be running
mad on the subject Of wroughron vessels War steamers,
merchant ships canal boats and every description of vessels
must according the rage Of the day. be made Of wrought
iron.
In this country where capital is none abundant
least where little money well be spared or thrown
away upon idle experiments only few iron vessels have
vet been built for service and perhaps would have been
quite as well if we had never built even single one
The quaint aphorism of lamented DAyY CROCKETT,
First be you right, then aiedd should always
be kept fresh in mind of every American II is patca
standard which We individuals, nation may adopt
all times, and in all places, with the utmost safety and
propriety.
Every person possessing the least experience must be con-
vesan with destructive effect produced upon wroughtiron
plates made into stovepe &c and exposed the
Il 4 thpvc mir hOh i'm
pegnated with salt And should those cellars be kept closed
so prevent free circulation Of air and the wroughtiron
plates occasionally be sprnked with weak brne with od
nary seawae OF decay would follow similar that
which continually going forward upon the inner surfaces Of
the plates composing wroughtron ships, when at with
matches caked down, and more or less bgc water con-
| stanily splashng about in their holds
Wroughtron fences ratings placed on the shady side
of buildings particularly that portion OF them near the ground
afford other by which some idea may be formed OF
the rapid decay that in spite of paint gavanism, any
thing es be constantly gong on inside OF wroughtifon
employed in navigation This nsilous and al
invisible rsng decayng OF the inner surfaces OF
going vessels constitutes one OF the most serious
objections that be urged against them Their outer sur
faces being painted and always exposed to the rust but
moderately in comparison with the decomposition which, as
already stated continually be working its way into their
surfaces Besides this universal tendency of wrought
iron rust particularly when situated to be occasionally
with salt water, it is subject to other insumoun
able objections such its expansion and contraction from the
effects of heat and cold, its want OF elasticity, &c.
Il
seen in the ghness and ooseness Of the gates of
woughron fences Between wrought and cast iron there
is no comparison durability the former being liable
to decay in the course OF few years while the latter ike
pot metal pots and kettles, will stand for Scamen COM
plain bitterly of the neastcy Of on and positively affirm
that is destitute Of the giving quality SO necessary IN bodies
that have contend with the mighty heayng and wrenchng
power Of the vessel built of wood, when old will
use nautical phrase "cork and ttcia like old corn
basket" and still hold together As IN point the read
referred the history Of the celebrated Capt Kdd who
A. lAa.t T,1,ao h. y, a.
hrapped or bound together with ropes, hawser, &c which
were removed than she almost instantly spread
DER filled with water, and sunk
is contended or pretended by pseudo scientific characters
that wrought for going vessels be preserved from
corroson by gavanizng with zinc copper There
may be truth at the bottom of these preiensions
however, their vercaton scale OF any importance re-
mains ms vet in the womb of time The experiments of Sir
Humphrey Davy upon the bottoms of ships many since
established the fact that the coosion of copper is the sole
principle that prevents vegetation and animacua bar
naces &C. from adherng TO copper bottoms readyas they
10 TO any kind of wooden bottoms.
Sir Humphrey Davy means the first discoverer Of
the phenomenon Of iron being were, food for copper
Seame long before his day had this saying Feed copper
NTH iron and sH last forever The knowledge of this
principle is the Of copper spikes and bolts called faen
mg being put into the bottoms of vessels intended to be cop
peed Where ships iron fastened and then coppcred,
Is well known all nautical men of experience that in the
of three four years the "copper" through INVISIBLE
process, will almost entirely devou decompose the iron
Now this salt water propensity of copper to eatiron,
former And should zinc I've used the galvanzng agent
barnaces grass &c will luxurate upon It the if
ii soft wood.
In the early part the present century Of eneps
ing merchants fitted out large ship with wroughron lower
rigging He her the East Ines and her
this country he astonished find his iron rigging had
been superseded by good old reliable hemp The neastcy
the iron shrouds made dangerous carry sail upon the
shH in heavy weather, when she rolling and pitching
consequently the captain laid aside his iron cordage and
suted in its place that which elastic and which
ceiyes the eye Of sailor This affair the time occurred
considered complete abortion, and well deserves being
called the alpha and omega Of standing rigging expert
mens of magnitude ever attempted this side OF the
Atlantic
Hemp cables Sheets ties truses and other portions Of the
running rigging Of merchant ships have within the last
thirty given place to iron but extremely doubtful if
utterly impossible that iron standing rigging except for bob
only short pieces be made stand successfully
board vessels propelled by wind power.
As TO the respective strength and durability OF wood and iron
in large Of equal weight and equal surface there
be question but that ships and bridges be constructed
vastly stronger and durable Of so pine wood than is
possible for them to be made Of the best wrought iron, Is
equally true and such will ultimately be admitted when iron
bridges and iron vessels shall have plunged beadong into
premature graves their full complement Of human beings
For the purposes Of eshwar canal and for river noviga
ton, wrought iron may to certain extent and
doubt the boats destined TO be employed the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal WILL in due of time, all be
made Of Cumberland iron
II the general impression among the prac
ca portion Of people, that when the butts veed parts
an ship sea, in heavy gale Of wind become
oosencd in the least from the effects Of rust heat
and cold snng with heavy cargoes and the labor
conending against the elements speedy destruction must
hc Inv