The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-03-16
SANDS REPORT on
TUE EniCsSON PROPELLER.
w..u,,arSv. "Wednesday. Feb. q, 1853


Sin - have the han.r II ackn.wlrdsr thr
rec..ipt 81 your letter II the 22d inst AM: in
nb.diency {, your instructions beg leave to sub
init The f,!l,~iny brief statement:
My .,hjrct in requesting permission to max"
passage il the cal r;c ship, en- her recent trip,
was tn witnss the pract. cal op ration ct the new
upe,ive powrr aud it frtunat~l, happened that
the weather which we enc uat.red was such as
enabled me TO satisfy myself on tn p n,s with re-
gard to which had entered dcna's ! was an
prehcnsve that wi h the new engine II would De
imp. .ssiblc obt,ia that c6n;inu.tv Of action IN
a sraway which the steam rngin" lias. L" my
nstonishmen', h,w..w 81 t'und that, during
run - seventy old h snrs c,nscclt;yely, there
va. moi a single sop in the engine, nor was
there the slightest check TO the steady m 'venrni
Of the paddl,. heels, although the ship often
rolled her w.a her wheel out OF the water, and
pitched ons!d-rahly. was also opprrhensive
that tive Immense size of the piston, ani the
rlevat, 4 position Of the upper cylinder, would
be likely ti'pYudnc. arrangement when the sill p
rolled and pi ched h avily noticed very
carefully that there MT the sill yhtest giving
way in any part, everything remaining as ilrm
IS If the ship was laying at her DICK
The piston moved perfectly steady and
smoothly while the ship was ro!hrC and Pitch
i'm.
had heard good deal said Of the grea. heat
applied I, the engine, and therefore frequently
visited the firm rooms, and found, to my surprise,
hey were as cool as a cellar. was much
. struck will, the tact TINT only one fireman was
required duty at time, and that he had only
to supply snail quantity of coal occasionally
learned that the regulation wasto put in sky
live pounds every eighty m'nu'es In each OF The
eight furnaces.
Thr shp encountered gales or head-winds
alternately much Of the time from leaving San
! DIV Hook last " ednesday morning, between 8
| and 10 o'clock, until the anchor was let 60 near
the mouth of the Potomac on Saturday morn
ing, in sno storm, it being imp ssble for the
| pilt to proceed.
/ The weather was such durin. the voyage
that the canvas could be used to little advan
tage at any time. My attention was particular
!; " called to the pressure ksptcpon tfc' engines,
which, Captain ERic ~sos strictly limited to eight
| poun,is The speed during tn, gale averaged
TX aud a.half turns Of the wheels a minute /;
when t.,s wind was moderate the los indicate
six to seven knots at soa.
! II would be useless to notice particularly the
speed, as the working pressure was limited, as
/ have aIread, stated; at the same time must
say that the result was altogether satisfactory.
/ On the VIII lie, deem the test trip of the
| Ericsson az canclusively establishing the sue
cess Of the new principle !; and trust the day
| is not remote when its introduction into our ma
val service may free our ships from the danger
nf being blown up by chance shot through a
boiler, perhaps in The very moment Of victory
| have the honor to be, Sir,
4 Your obedent servant,
/ joshua SANDS,
Cnmmand.r United States Navy.
lin JONI KExHEDY, Sec'y Of the Navy