The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1853-08-17
From The scisDliAe American,
History Of ear steam Navy.

heavy guns and move ~ the rate oil tour miles per hour
Ia law passed authorizing the President TO
TO be built and equipped floating batteries Tor
the defence of the OF the United States. The haIbo
and coast defence was committed 10 COMMITTEES, who
employed Fulton engineer, and who laid down the
keel OF our nrst naval steamer the Goth June, lel4
This was at the shpysrd Of A T. N Brown, in this syi
in four months this vessel launched and named
the "Dsmologos" and 'sFullon The First" II was not
until Jane 1915 that her engine put in and hiisd up
completely; on that day she made short tila TIP. 6u
the 4t OF July succeeding she made trip OF 20 miles
out into the This ship was totally unht Tor nav
CATION, and laid up at the Brooklyn navy-yard as =
receiving ship until 1922, when IN most unaceoan'aols
woundng 10; st naval steamer was an unfortunate
nearly all lis successors have been Ia 1898 tu
ton the Second" was built for The defence OF New York
harbor che made strong and carried heavy battery
but She too totally untitled for the purpose OF ocean
navigation She had two horizontal engines, WIN cyl
nders of SO inches diameter and feet stroke which were
built at the West Point foundry. and cost Si0l9S 81
Her boilers were OF copper, aud cost sassss o6m o
a%oan. OF money hf COS,
useless hulk until 1885, when Chief Engineer Stuar was
directed reconstruct entirely The old engines were
CINE, built by n. Durham & CO. along with iron
boilers put in at cost OF $75 900. By statistics OF
this vessels performance, obtained from Suarts splendid
work on naval steamers. appears that she made high
speed as 30 miles per hour For this extraordinary
speed cannot account-her engine and model would
not lead US to believe That she could make such time as
three "Fultons" had paddle wheels
In ls42 Lieutenant Huater u s. NJ. took out patent
submerged WneeI
ers, and upon the strength Of some experiments made
with small boat the canal, at Washington the gov
eminent ordered vessel named the Union" OF 1000
burden. TO be constructed at the Norfolk
TO this wheel large scale. This wheel was
submerged paddle wheel, revolving horizontally in
under water. This vessel was employed for about Is
months in the Gulf OF Mexicohad two sets OF engines
put in her. and had number Of alterations made in the
wheel, and yet never made four knots per hour
LssI mas machinery and boilers s ,.isa OUT
and was turned into receiving vessel, after costing
10 ls4a small iron steamer, named the Michigan
built for cruising the northern upper lakes, and
has done good service since
The .Mississlppi." The steamship Of Commodore
navy.yard in Philadephia. and her engines were
s,ruced by Merrick & Town. Of that city, from designs
By Charles w Copeland, Q! this city: Her cos, was
$3.50 234; repairs in 1852 1914 954. This vessel has
side Wheels and has done and good service TO the
country tits believed that she has steamed greater dis
than any steamer afoa and has required but
le REPAIRS and she will last quite number of years
yet. The missouri" built al the Brooklyn navy
ward in 1911, from the same lines as the mississippi.
Point foundry. Cold Spring from designs by MIR Cope
land Chas H. Haswel being then engineer chief Of
the United States navy. Her cost was s5ss.4ss IS On
the 23d of August ls43 this fine steam frgae was de-
stroyed by fire at Gibraltar. She was fine sailor. and
every respect like the Mississippi only she had
lo-feet stroke, with 62i inches diameter of cylinders,
while the cylinders OF the former rs inches diameter
and the stroke is only feet. The princeton"
also built ls43, with Ecssons engines and propelers
u e,
hull concerned, and lasted about years; her
speed about six miles per hour with steam alone
Two small steamers (paddle heels) named The "Sp
fire. and the "Vxen were purchased by the government
during the Mexican war. They have undergone many
repairs since. and are OF very inferior character.
The "Alleghan, was constructed Of iron ., Pi'':bug
from plans by Lieutenant Hunter, in ls47 and fitted with
two Of the designers submerged wheels. She was
900 tons burden and thirty three feet broad Her whole
coswas 1922 053 ~, including 600 for the patent
right OF the wheel-a most enormous price indeed for
small iron steamer. This vessel was sent trip to
the and on her return in lS49 the Hunter
wheel was condemned; side wheels were recommended,
but she not ht 10 TO again. During 1852 she
underwent great alterations and propeller designed by
Engineer lsherwood was substituted for The Hunter
wheel. One OF Prisons cendensers also applied,
but none OF these changes can bring up 10 six knots
hour.
In 1850 the "Saranac" was built at The Portsmouth
yard New Hampshire with engines built by Jabez
Coney OF Boston, from designs by Charles w. Cope
land. This vessel has paddle wheels, naintainsa re-
spectacle speed is very efficient and credit 10 the ser
vice
The San Jacinto' was constructed on the same lines az
The Saranac. at the Brooklyn navyyard. Her engines
U. S. N, and were built 10 1850 by Mernck s. Son,
Philadelphia She 10 be fitted with propeller by
Mr. Haswell, which was be placed at the side Of
the centre line. Before the propeller was put in Mr..
Stuart superseded Mr. Haswel, and got different pro-
peller placed in her His work says that she run at the
rate OF eighteen miles per hour in New York harbor but
these miles must have been exceedingly short This
vessel x285 500 ~, and the whole considered
have done no credit TO the service as yet
navyyard in 1850. The engines designed by G, |
w. Copeland. and built by Murray g. Hazleburst,
OF Baltimore. Her whole cost S7l0,iOs co. Sue
has paddle wheels, but has not matched the Misss.
spp.
The Powbaian' was built at the Norfolk navy-yard,
and ready for 1852 Her machinery was built
by Mehafy Il Co., Norfolk, under the charge of Engi-
neer Sewel, from designs by { H. Haswell engineer in
chief. This is large steam irigate fine sailer and
bad the San Jaonio been constructed like the
with paddle wheels, she would doubt have done credit
to the engineer who designed The engines The cos, of
her engines and machinery was s3s3,213 6s.
"Waer Witch the Second has al,o been built, |
using the old engines, but employing Morgans paddle.
wheels do credit 10 engineering genius they are
expensive, and effective than the old
fashioned radia kind Three four other steamboats, have
belonged 10 the navy-mere tug boas not worth naming
Al the present moment there only three efficient
frgales in navy; and, considering the advancement
and Improvements made in mercantile steamships
disgrace 10 government. We also that
have truly respectable steamship in our navy-one
worthy OF cousry. Our government engineers have
been peculiarly unfortunate with the propt Hers which
they have built. While the French and ERslish have
very hne large, and swift propeller line. of battle ships.
we have not propeller frigaic worth the name. We
would advise our government 10 get their steamers built
entirely by contract they pay too much for them Ooe
the Susquehan and il about one third larger There
something rotten in the system, for there able en-
gneers navy Where the fault is we cannot tell
We only direct attention oit, hoping that we may do
''the State some service"
By GREEN SCOTT, Auetionecrs.
VALUABLE BUILDING LOT ON ELEVENTH STREET,