New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-01-07

contract under which she was built required she would
not 20 to exceed IL knots an hour but 10 fact she can
not exceed .iry revolutions minute and bold it up fol
an hour.
You also state that the Sacramento has made - nau
zeal miles an hour as Capt. Boggs reports She has
the samc engine as the other. and do no better
Her greatest revolutions G3 minne md her speed
not ten knots: and this Is true Of all that class.
sherwood himself only claims that the ships will 50
faster than (heir sc,cws run through the water, and
that when going 60 revolutions they will make l0l knots
hour. This wa. under OATH and the following are
the questions and answers page 81, Pamphlet cass,:
20. And yet the vessel in question was reported rs
having gone IL. knots
a. The maximum speed was reported as IL knots
an hour--that was the report of the officers.
II they reported the vessel was going le knots and
the only making GO turns per minute. no.
the report necessarily false
"A think not. knew nothing about the clrcur.
stances
% Is possible FOR these ship. TO go more u an 10
knots IN hour with only 60 turns 10 the minute
"a Iscpposc about 10! knots"
I advise any wlo Is going into the fight 10. TO
claim any more for the ship than sherwood claimed
when on the stand Tor he certainly did no. urderas
heir spesd
Now as to the siie.uh.e, boats II which you gave
list Of o. aud report four Of them tried 6ne Of which
went IA knots Thee vessels have inclined engines Of
the ordinary type with a Stsrens cutoff" aud are
not made as the scrcw.vessels are on the new dis
coycry that O cutoff has material advantage. But
they are very ignorantly made md will not do any
thing ne they should They have about half the
section Of the Eage:he Havana slip Of Mr.. Iileston-
and yet have moro boiler surface than the Eagle has,
and blowers to force their fires. which she has not.
rbav I'M ianst times much coal the
Eagle can they choose to drive the two blowers they
lave: and when they tral you may be sure they
are driven to their utmost Yet you only claim II knots
for one l2 knots for two and for exception-4
knots Now, as they are ell alike e1aetly it is proba'
Die that they all go alike. and that tie "a.
knot one Is only fancy. But in practice they
have proved TINT they have not power enough to 90 to
wiudward against al ordinary blow of Cape Sable
The Agawau tried to pursue the Chesapeake and took
soldiers aboard from Boston, but when she got to Cape
Sable she could not pass 1.-THE wind being naad-and
came back Boston and discharged her soldiers. Here
is the account Of H. published in al the papers Dec 10;
The ganboat Agawam experienced very heavy
gales and was unable 10 double Cape Sable. She there
fore obliged ~ return She was quilt only ipr q
river boat-long. narrow. ana WIN y 'ouoe' u u"'n
ends. Her soldiers have Just dcbarAed."
But why should th. question of speed be e to depend
on what some engineer wrote 10 Mr.. Delanoi year
ago wrote 10 the Secretary and begged him to have
one Of these ships measured distance. say
from Sandy Hook ughtsLip to Delaware lightship and
back for day and by that ascertain the speed
bat he won't do that Whenever that is done. min,
sao sa ho4r rU 5es; The sl. But until tnat Is done,
ANY amount q. lying h. resorted TO- and as In the
case where sherwood about II. the speed be
made up 10 order at tie expense II performing
impossibiliiies. Yours truly, J.. n. DicxERsoS.