The daily union., 1852-05-09

" Fro tue ssperleai had The opportunity
Of maAos these ships appeared "a abont the degree o
readiness Tor immediate conversion into steamers Tx
purposes as merchant ships, according 10 their size and
speed are n.o sass OF Other elssse Of war pos
paciy permitting, II reqaired, the additional materials
be placed on board 10 make them war vessels"
Extracts from letter to the Secretary OF the Navy,
from Commodore M. c. Perry OF the 18th OF February
1852:
twill be well. however. premise thar. under no cir
cunstances and whatever vessel built
expressly Tor the transportation Of freight passengers be
made in any manner equal In convenience and efficiency
10 vessel iu,endsd for purposes, even assuming thai
the materials OF which the respective vessels constructed
are IN all respects eqaaand Tor the Obvious reason. ha
the keel OF the vessel s IN the progress OF com
rangemen OF tho aunamen The safe eepiag Of tho mun-
tons provisions, waer Nc, aud The berhng OF the several
seamers-n this counuy--no preparations made Tor
any armament, tho ingenuity OF the builder being alone
taxed render them exavaganty snowy and best adapted
for the accommodation OF passengers and the
stowage Of freight,
80 lestion first. Whether the steamships employed in
the transportation Of the United States mail, under con
with the Navy Department. any other steamships
em ployed in trans portaon of foreign mails
in all respec. suitable for immediate conversion into
Tor purposes capable OF carrying the arma
ment OF battery appropriate the class specified in the
Tin anwer to the foregoing Tsl question: am Of opin
ion that they are NOT in all respects suitable
81. should be taken into view that those mail steamers
called into service vessels, would be considered
forming auxiliary force 10 the regularly constructed ships
and hence the mpocy Of expendng much money on them
The requisites OF sound hns and powerful engines, with e
cen armaments, should alone be consldered leaving
perhuous ornament out OF the question"
could 60 further and produce you the same sort OF
testimony from other sources; but that is enough l
know the friends of the amendment rely upon letter
which Commodore Perry wrote, and which, suspect,
is TO be Interpreted into an opinion that the ships might
suit Tor temporary purposes-for Transportation, and
kindred services looked into the proceedings OF the
special committee which have referred, raised in the
British Parliament, in 1913. upon the subject OF steam
ships. and found there the opinion expressed ny
Captain Henry d. Chads and by Captain Henderson, and
by Admiral Napier. all OF the royal navy They said that
their merchant steamers could not supersede the war
steamers, and were not equal to them Tor war purposes
They all said that such steamers were not ht TO- send
abroad, and would burn out all their coal before
they could get abroad. But they sad-what is true in
their countIy-tha they might be eminenty serviceable
for purposes OF defence IN time OF an inyaslono de-
end the channel in their country should be invaded
1t is evident that this examination made under great
apprehensons OF French invasion; for their inquiries
seemed to be directed 10 that contingency Upon being
questioned in order to ascertain whether they could make
steamers out OF those ships Captain Chads said that
if they strengthened fore and aft, so as TO make
them capable OF carrying guns they would lose The quail
ity OF superior speed and he intlmated that British
steamer was moi much more valuable for the quality
Of superior speed if she able to fight anything OF
her cost and size OF what advantage was that 10 her
but TO run away and was that quality which was val
ned in British steamers Sir i that is quality which
is not to be valued in British steamer, | would ask
whether should be highly valued in American steam
ship -olwar.
Now, if you will look to the testimony of Commodore
Perry, you will find that he had some ideas oil the
sort; ior he talcizes the words "or temporary pur
poses" And why for temporary purposes' You could
not use them long They would soon burn out their coal
and use up their fuel They could not carry guns
enough for any extensive service But they might be
made emnently useful for channel defence in England
because in such country, without very many forts, they
could prevent for while the landing OF troops and in
such case check for few hours might infinite
mischief 10 the country.
They could carry armament enough too TO protec, the
otAat limit hon
ever that when you look al position the map Of
The world and that of England, you will nd that the
circumstances OF the TWO countries are very different
We should want such steamers only for purposes Of
transportation. We might now aud then need a swift
side. wheel steamer to bear dispatches We might want
them TO transport our troops, aud ordinances aud stores
but our own commercial marine would furnish steamers
enough OF that character We should find difficulty,
if we did not give the bountes which are proposed
But sir, 90 further am authorized in saying, from
all that and from all that can learn, that il is
now admitted lact amongst professional men that
with the paddle wheel cannot be made efficient
steamershat the screw propeller is The only mode
Of making steamer which be efficient. That is
distinctly proved as the opinion OF those English officers
who examined al the time 10 which have referred,
have recently read book OF great interest," written by
Captain Halstead OF the British navy, in 1850, in which
he demonstrates that FACT The screw steamer is supe-
rior for these She can carry whole broad
side, which paddle wheel steamer cannot carry. Her
machinery be efectuay protected from shot; and
told that II was bu, last year. or the year before that
~
shot fred from SLAYER OF the coast OF Africa. She
can 90 TO with much less supply OF coal, for she
uses steam only auxiliary power TO sails. She is
capable OF being built upon the finest models Tor strength
and speed which cannot be done with the side paddle,
because the necessity of carrying the armament fore and
alt mpairs the force of the ship.
The propeller thus having the advantage in all Of these
eemensthat OF carrying greater weight OF metal, that
Of going less expense, that OF fighting with
greater safely, and oil being built on finer model-there
be possible reason for supposing that steamer
with paddles would come into competition with a screw
propeller shipofwar The French, as understand,
using the screw-propeller. The English are now
using auxiliary 10 sails, and applying 10 their
ships. oil -the-ne am told that they putting
than the Pennsylvania. They building for pur-
poses none but screw-propeers believe that il 10
the universal opinion of the navy-certanly Il is the
opinion OF every officer OF navy with whom have
conversed-hat there is other mode oil using steam,
which adapted 10 war purposes except by the screw
propeller Captain Halsead gives the reason for this
He says 10 reduce the matter TO axiomac form, "hat
best with the and OF her sails, and sails best
with The aid OF the while paddle wheel steamer
paddles best withou, her SAILS and sails best without her
paddles" In the case the two are auxiliary. while
in the latter the the efficiency ef the other
Another difference Captain Halsead says s that with
propeller you 90 TO sea with small supply
of COAL and carry large freight OF other things, whilst
with the side wheel paddle you have TO 20 10 with
large supply OF coal and small supply OF other things.
He says has been proved in the merchant service that
the auxiliary carry freight at twenty
two per cent less than the others. He says. further,
that the expense OF ten-tbousand horse power, with
paddle wheel machinery would be f2f5,0o0 Just one
.Erracfs from the Sfnu Of Evids~ee fakew before the
Ssc Cemriifies Stssp, Navy" ordered by hs Brish
i .<ofn. IL