The Portland daily press., 1864-02-12
Friday Morning, February IL, 1864.

ErrER BY DONALD MCKAY.


The following is the lelteraddressed by Mr..
Donald Mckay to Hon. Mr. Grimes of the Sem
(which was read by the latter in the course
Of the speech which we laid before our readers
yesterday
Dear Sir: My attention has been called to
the the controversies now before the public,
in which our naval machinery has been sever
ely criticised, and our naval steamers set foIth
as monstrous abortion and complete failures.
have watched with deep interest the course
pursued by the Navy Department, both re-
gardng the model and style and power OF the
steam machinery used, l have ideas of my
own on the subject OF the proper requisites
for as team yessei-of-war,an do know that it
Is a difficult problem to solve. Also, | know
the fact that the present war has called for
class OF steamers hitherto untried and TN
known to the great naval Powers OF Europe
The requirements of the blockade, and ofen-
sive operations on the southern coast, have
brought forth class of steamers admirably
fitted for such work, but in my opinion, hard
ly the proper model for fast cruising ships.
But am surprised TO see that there are people
unpatriotic and selfish enough to use every
effort, personal and through the public press,
TO prejudice and poison the public mind with
the belief that the recently constructed naval
steamers are failures and wholly untitled for
the work intended for them to do.
1 have also taken pains TO inquire into the
merits of the steam machinery used in the ma
val service, and my conclusions are without
prejudice and entirely uninfluenced by any
party or parties. / have fully conversed with
engineers in civil life, also with our naval en-
gineers, and l here remark that from observ-
alton and experience with the Navy engineers
1 believe them as a body TO be an ornament to
this country, and that they combine theory
with practice, and are doing and have done
much to elevate the standard of mechanical
engineering in our country. They are as
body superior TO the English engineers, but |
think not quite equal TO the French, and do
not hold so high position in our service as
the corp OF engineers do in the French navy.
We must educate these young men as we do
our midshipmen, give them the advantage OF
our dock-yard shops, and send them TO sea
on practice ships; and after this experience
then thoroughly examine them, and if they
pass make them third assistant engineers. /
consider the organization of the imperial
corps OF French naval engineers to be compile
te. They rank first on the list OF staff officers
of the navy, are educated iii the government
dock-yard, and the highest in rank, Inspector
general of naval engineer, corresponding
with our chief o. bureau, g., ranks with Il
general of division tmajor-general; ! first class
engineers with captains of fline-oi-battle-ships;
and SO down to the engineer cadets or appren-
tces. And read with pleasure in our honor
able Secretary's report that it is the intention
OF the Navy Department to educate this i'm
portant class of officers at government es-
pense.
l lind from reliable sources that Mr.. Ed
ward n. Dickerson OF New York, has been
the author OF most of the attcaks on our steam
navy, and has expended much time and mon
ey in spreading his newspaper articles and
pamphlets over the country; also that he is a
lawyer by profession, having ample means,
and interesteds in an important part of ma
rine steam engine known as the "valve gear
ing' From evidence collected from naval
engineers and those of civil life do not find
that he has any reputation as an engineer, aud
is considered as a sort OF enthusiast or per-
haps monomaniac on the subject of coal ex-
panson of steam, and his peculiar "cut off =
also that his engineering operations so far
have been complete failures.
On the other hand the representative OF the
Steam Bureau, Chief Engineer sherwood,
although not a practical man in the strict
sense of the word, that is, machinist by
trade, land do not think it necessary that a
man must file and hammer iron for seven
years to be a good engineer, for there are SO
many trades used in mechanical engineering
that it would be impossible to learn them all ]
but man OF extensive engineering expert
ence, understand the working of metals, has
had long practice at sea, land while in foreign
ports, as the English swell know, improved
his time in thoroughly inspecting the mach-
merry OF their war yessels.) also having good
education, is mathematician, and sound,
clear-headed thinker. This is the opinion of
engineers and manufacturers generally also OF
the members of his own corps. | know per-
sonally that his books have been read with
interest in England and the English engineers
have very high opinion OF his capacity as a
marine engineer, and believe his experiments
were faithfully made, land not fraud as the
public had been led to believe,) and it would
have made any American engineer proud 10
have heard the warm approval they gave OF
his systematic and thorough way of expert
menting and explaining causes, effects &c. |
will here add that the experiments made with
engines aud boilers by the Navy Department
exceed anything of the kind ever tried in Eu-
rope, tor they have been practical. and if any
experiments can give us light on such subjects
those that have been made are very valuable
70 the country at large as well as the navy
nave very little personal acquaintance with
Mr.. sherwood, and know him only from 9th
ers and by his deeds, and truly believe he
has not had fair play. He seems to be hard
working man, while those astacking him, so
far as i know, are iders and have not much
else to do. Understanding that there was to
be an Investigation regarding Mr. Isherwoods
machinery and his official course as an enge-
neer, present the following table of British
war steamers with their speed at the meas
ured mile, and l know full well what the de-
lusion of measured mile trial is, and know
that at sea under ordinary circumstances they
DO not equal the measured mile time by al
least fifteen per cent, and often more. In
running the measured mile land have seen
II done, and know all the jockeying,l the sea
must be perfectly smooth and no wind, the
ship trimmed and made ready boilers and fires
clean, furnaces full of burning coal, and steam
kept bottled up till they near the first post"
then the valves are opened wide and the mile
Is run. The tables of speed of our own naval
sloops are taken from the ships log in a sea-
way with seasick fireman, and in some cases
burning bad coal. know there are no steam
ers In the English and French nayies Of the