New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-03-18

mhDy nAle du6nttrs WHICH ORC uc'ct S"hcu "
the right name. There is a method of massacre
peculiar to the present which sends scores Of our
fellow creatures, uDknelled and uncoffned, to the
nav of tie Unsuitable sea, or which heaps upon the
railways q writing mass of expiring wretches
When one Of these ireh'ful events has occurred,
We are accustomed to speak of it s "a terrible
accident az 80 dispensatiOn Of Providence, asa
"mysterou, calamity as il it had not been
purely the result Of reckersntss, of negligence. and
of went OF that extraordinary care" which the
law demands for boxes and bales, if not for human
beings. How long we she'll con'inue to cheat our.
selves into this complscency we cannot say; bus
we think that public good sense aud the steady sd-
vance Of science, which must ratursly press its
cams and just as naturally repudste cant will
finally triumph over our Indifference and our love
Of money.
The subject Of Ocean Steam Navigation would,
from ito great social, political aud commercial i'm.
portsoce, at all events have occupied the public
mind, and have stimulated the ingenuity OF the
sQe, even if those catss rOphes which have sent
so1ow into so many homes and so startled the
civilized world had never occurred. But, what
with the temptation to travel, and the desire TO
travel securely, there is DOW scarcely subject
connected with the mechanic arts which is re-
celvipg 20 much attention that of the construc.
ton of ocean steamers. What is desired, and what
10 demsrd ed and expected, Vas well expressed by q
correspondent of this paper, when he' pithiiy re-
marked that any new ste9mer which is not an
improvement is q failuIe." In this there is
nothing unreasonable. The requisi'ion is justified
by the mo gniude of the Interests at stake and BY
she present position of the arts and sciences. We
will try Is succocty as possible to stste the sus-
q cations which We hear very often offered IN woll-
infoi med circles.
The art of constructing steamers is yet in very
unsettled condition. 1t requires much Internal on
IN various branches of sc ence. Those who profess
it, SO far from possessing this informst on, are con-
PEELED to feel their way, like bind men, step BY
sep, their difficulties being not seldom multiplied
by the crude lotions of owrers. What is espe-
cialy needed is an individual mind, which shall be
entirely d. voted to a work. the details Of which are
insepsrsbIe end mutually dependent. We never
hear that the building OF q steamer was suPerin-
tended by ouch civil engineer, upol whom must
be bestowed the shame Of fsilure or the glory Of
ssccess. The De TspspeIs tell rs that the hull was
constructed in tbs yard, and the engine in that
slop; ard that 10 all We know a,Out the matter.
The new steamer Adra.,c, OF which so much has
been said has once been nearly ready for trial
trip but has been laid up to rearraDge her una
ehnery. There is then time to make her what
she should be in every respect. We do not
pretend TO have On exact knowledge OF her COD
sh uction but we know What the events of the past
and the Fad experiences of ocean navigation have
tsr chit US, and ~hat We have right TO expect in
this latest specimen OF naval architecture. Since the
Year ls49, the English and American people have
,een I'd 10 CONSIDER the Atlantic Ocean a. vast
fed wheron to play a sort of nautical tournaments
in the excitement Of which few hundred lives,
more or lees were of no consequence. In tie be-
ginning The Epglsh hsd line of ordinary steamer,
performing their voyages in fourteen or In sixteen
days, bid making lelsJrely trips once in week In
the Summer and once a fortnight IN the Winter.
Tie Apericaus started line Of two steamers,
which made their trips in eleven and twelve days.
Gradually the English withdrew their old boats,
and alio accomplished the feat of crossing in eleven
dsys We added new vessels aud did the same
tbirs in ten Gays, minus an hour or two. People be-
gan 10 count Duies; the game grew very exciting,
ard econ the English lines had equaled our own.
When this delightful equality bad been Obtained,
Ole vessel vas cut through and went down, and
.oop another vas missing, never to be hear3of.
Well, we have attained, probably, the maximum
of veil city. At shy rate, we do think thet nobody
CD chit 70 talk another word about accelerated sped
uu iii We shall have done something tor !eennty.
which we have din iDi,hed in proportion to rapid
" Of two 10 one There are several Improvements
ard precautions which We hope have been adopted
the construction, or will be stoptsd IN the
NAVIGATION. of the new steamer. Let vs. see what
hey Gre.
In the first place TO avoid collisions at se, we
must have more perfect stem OF sBang by lights
ard sounds. There should be TWO stsan whistles, the
first placed in The routh Of q cone opening toward
the Stern This should be sounded OOce Id every five
seconds in CAGE of fog. second WHSLE also
| placed IN q core opening toward the bows Shon'a
be sounded twice n quick suceessloD' every Eve
secencs, Immediately after the her. Inc whsaes
beng pitched in the ssme key, il Is evident that
asy vessel within bearing, in a fog, VIII know the
eouIse q the steamer BY the difference OF sorority
With which the sounds reach the ear. VI course
prin'eo statements of he method adopted saould DC
widely circulated. A system Of colored ilgA's ana
rockets has been org in use, but va thihA II
susceptible Of improvement BY new regulations
GONE time sgo. machine for prOddcog az intense
electrical light BY steam was exhibited Ia this ci'y
L. .F.6 nc