Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-01-20
From the baltimore Sun.

SEA STEAMERs.-The awful and distressing
calamity that has lately filled the minds of the
people by the loss ofthe San Francisco, and eli
cited their deepest sympathies for the many
lives destroyed by her being wrecked, naturally
operates upon the minds of all who have given
the subject of sea steamers their attention, and
invites investigation to ascertain the causes
which led to the bad performance of this vessel
in the first gale of wind she encountered.
Having seen considerable sea service, and
made the construction of naval architecture
my study, ] have been irresistibly led to the
conclusion, that too much attention is paid to
the beauty and fine finish of our merchant
marine steamers, at the expense of their
strength and sea qualities.
In the recent loss of the San Francisco, we
find ship said to be as strong as wood and iron
could make her, one hour after the commence
ment of the gale, with no sail upon her, the
engine in operation, broaching to in the through
of the sea, and soon after springing leak.
Again, after sail had been made on her, with
good head of steam, broaching to, all efforts
that skillful and long experienced seaman
could devise proving unavaiing. There must
have been strong causes to have occasioned
the unusual action of this ship, under the cir
cumstances.
Did this cause not exist in the position of the
wheels, they being so far aft Of the centre of
gravity as to make them act as levers against
the heaying seas, so as to keep her from falling
off before the wind Again, does not the great
surface presented to the wind by the wheel.
houses, when so far aft, in connection with the
after saloons, act as so much after sail, prevent
ing the vessel from obeying her helm when
struck BY heavy squat, or scudding before
gale.
r.. IL q
sea steamers that will forcibly strike any one
who will give the subject attention, viz that
none Of them are provided with foremost and
head sails of sufficient strength and size in
proportion to their tonnage and great length.
The average size of our largest sea steamers
foremasts does not exceed in size those of our
five hundred ton ships How, then, can it be
expected that these immense bodies are to be
kept before the wind during a gale, with only
the masts and sails required for much smaller
bodies The topmast, with all its top hamper,
may be dispensed with but give them good
lower masts, with suitable stormsails, that may
be reliable, so as to give you command Of the
vessel when the engine shall have failed or be-
come disabled.
care not what may be said as to the size Of
the San Francisco's foremost; fits switching
about like young sapling," and its final loss
is evidence OF its want of size and strength to
carry such sail as was necessary to keep her
before the wind. But for the broaching-to Of
this ship, to-day she would have been far ad-
yanced on her trip. to California, and many
bright eyes, now closed in death, would be
cheering her on in her gallant course; many
a heart now bleeding from the loss Of one near
and dear to them, would now be buoyed up
with hope Of soon hearing Of their safe arrival
in their destined haven. No one concerned in
the building or management Of this ship can be
at all censured; yet 1 hope the ideas have
hastily..given above, may elicit the attention Of
those engaged in constructing sea steamers,
and every effort that human ingenuity can in
vent be resorted TO to make them more sea-
worthy, and securer means of public trans
portation. U.S.N.
Annapolis, January IS, 1854.