The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-05-13

We have before US pamphlet entitled "Re-
marks on some Of the causes that retard the pro-
E.ss. Of our = steam Navy" by Captain William
leading article, rather than in our ordinary lite
rary department, on account both of the national
Importance Of the subject therein DISCUSSED and of
the high character Of Cal In Ramsay as steam
sailor.
Captain Ramsay last year projected systematic
and extended work on Ocean Steam Navigation,
the completion Of which has been retarded by a
cause lamentably enough, namely, "the utter i'm
possibility Of obtaining the performances of various
steam vessels with such accuracy and fitness APP
peared to mc"-we are quoting the gallant author q
own words-"essential to the practical utility Of
such a work"
Had this difficulty of obtaining accurate reports
Of the performances of various steam vessels
originated solely in imperfect and unscientific logs,
the fact would be lamentabe enough; for though
the compilation Of an exact log Of q steamship s
much more nice and complicated business than the
preparation Of mere sailing log, still its compla
ton requires more scientific skill than all naval
officers ought to possess, demands any amount of
trouble from which patriotic officers ought to shrink.
But we fear the heaven Of jealousy has worked
against Captain Ramsay more obstructively than
the vis tnsrfie Of ignorance or Incidence.
There have for some time been, our naval
readers well know, two parties in the steam navi-
CATION world-the advocates for screw propulsion
and those for the paddle wheel Already have the
former been whispering about that Captain Ram
say - merely putting the powers of his own vessel,
lent themselves TO the dissemination Of this disin-
genuous nsinuaiion. We say Heterogeneous.
for we defy the most lynx-eyed critic, who pos
sesses an honest heart, to detect any evidence in
Captain Ramsay's pages Of wish to exalt the
qualities of the paddle wheel at the expense of the
screw propeller. indeed to provoke comparison
between the two. Captain Ramsay admits the
merits OF each, ard evinces an honest wish, by
looking at the whole subject comprehensively, to
indicate to the Admiralty the best mode of secu-
ring an efficient steam navy for Great Britain.
Upon the vast, the vital Importance of this sub
ject, there cannot be any dispute, however multi
form may be the suggestion of means to attain the
desired object IT ia idle to attempt to resolve this
steam question into one of general prediction, or
of individual taste, and to say, If steam fri
Sor Of fifty gun frigates.' eve quite allow OBJ.
serves Captain Ramsay, "that the feelings Of the
sailor, and the lover OF all that 10 lovely and poeti
cal connected with the ocean, must be against Va;
but il must be remembered that mere sailing ships
however crack, belong to system of war that ia
past and will never return. The ships that we ad-
vocate belong to the system Of war which is now
coming en- This system may be itself superseded By
neO di.coUeres out as yet no essential change has
taken place."
We have marked Captain Ramsay's last remark
in italics. because it is suggestive to minds of
many reflections, and is the thought-impresscd re-
mark Of thoroughly practical well az a medi-
tative and philosophical officer.
There has often been uttered in our presence
hippant observation, uttered amidst portentously
wise looks, that "steam is only in it's INFANCY
What idea presents itself to the mind of those who
thus pirate, we will not labor to divine; the Sin
FAINT" steam 10 at any rate goodly sized babe, and
requires stupendous swaddling clothes For our
part, 10 far from expecting any much greater de-
velopment of steam, we are more inclined, as Cap.
tain Ramsay evidently is TO look for the revelation
OF a mighty motive power which will supersede
steam itself What this agent may eventually be
we know not, nor presume to conjecture; whether
electricity, electro magnetism, electro. gal
vanism, or gas, or atmospheric air under compress
sion, is to be the destined motive power which shall
hereafter walt men across the deep without
curing heavy feeds of Goals, or huge apparatus
OF wheels. beams, and pstons to sustain and re-
cruit its forces; but we know that many busy
brains are ut work this problem, and that
dry promising experiments have been exhibited Of
motive powers in Scotland, the United States, in
Russia, and in our own country. Return we, how
ever, from philosophc reveries respecting proba-
bic future, to existing powers already developed
among
As we have already intimated, Captain Ramsay
does not debate the comparative merits of screw
propelers and paddle wheels; but he stoutly main
tains this proposition-that there ia economy in the
use Of large steam vessels, inasmuch the con-
sumption Of fuel does not increase in proportion to
the size of the vessel and engines. Neither does
he institute that comparison between private yards
and naval dock yards, to the disparagcment of tho
latter, which some naval critics have recently been
doing:
"Of steam-ve building by private capital
and enterprise" observes Captain Ramsay, .'we
often hear such remarks as these: Sin merchant
yards we seldom hear of these blunders. At pres
the Clyde is fully occupied; and there is no doubt
that the steam vessels ihat at present so often
being launched at that and other ports will fully
answer the various purposes for which they were
intended
"No doubt" continues Captain Ramsay, sthis
is perfectly true; but in reply it may be said that,
ii the same means could be used in the navy, the
same results would follow. Our naval dockyards
otit hot f.t .,az-
ships have always proved superior to what the most
sanguine expected. The elder MIR. Lang has nearly
completed the Royal Albert, of 100 guns, which for
holiness OF design, symmetry of form, the various
devices for obtaining strength and beauty of car
penters work far surpasses any thing that has ever
been done in this country. We have also the pres
ent excellent builder at Portsmouth, MIR. Fincham,
who 90 ably joins practical knowledge with scicn
tito requirements. Now, if any of these eminent
men could have had defined to them what was
wanted in the same manner as the merchant does
to his builder, similar results would have ensued
No doubt that was often done when our sailing
ships were to be constructed; but, with steam ves
sells, 1t appears that this method could not be
sy carried out First the surveyor of the navy por
toned off part for the lower decks, cabins, holds
&c. Then from another department would come
board, often totally disturbing the previous calcu
lations which the builder had made regarding the
trim of his ship. The spare space which was left
was reserved for any engineer who professcd to put
into it the greatest amount of horse power The
last was great mistake; because from it engines
were adopted which, from their being inadequate,
or inadequately placed, could not do their work
without constant repairs. 1t thus appears that,
partly from the different nature of the equipment
required, and partly from the mode in which bust
ness is carried on in public Offices, the same
means to obtain perfection for our steam men of
war have never been adopted, as have been found
to answer in merchants yards. Several other
causes however, might be mentioned, which have
retarded our progress, and caused expenditure of
money, We more especially allude to the habit of
undertaking experiments in ship building and en-
gineering without making the necessary calcula-
tons, so that at least an approximation to the re-
suits might have been obtained. No doubt, at our
naval yardr, as in mercantile establishments. the
proper Investigations were always undertaken; but
in TOO many cases the plans emanatcd, and that
defnitvely, from the superior boards Take this
case as an example: 1t was determined to convert
one of our old frgates into steamship, in itself
very proper experiment; but the manner in which
this was done was such that nothing but chance
could have prevented the failure which ensucd
The frigate chosen was the Penelope, which was
cut in two and heightened in the middle sixty feet