The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-01-12

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man. But the Pensacola is not the only naval
evidence of his performance engineer. He
was enabled by his political friends to nearly as
effectually ruin another steamer, the Richmond,
by placing on her otherwise excellent engines his
own absurd system of valve-gear, which has
caused her to be almost as great failure as the
Pensacola His valve-gear was put in this YES
sci by the same influence and against the same
opposition as in the case of the Pensacola.
She has the slowest speed of any vessel in the
Navy except the Pensacola, and is wholly unre-
liable on account of continual breakdowns.
Such are the engineering antecedents of Dicker-
son, and the grounds of his modest request TO
have the engineering of the Navy placed in his
hands. When man undertakes to be whole
sale critic, TO offer himself as solely qualified,
and to pronounce all others in the wrong on
professional matter it is as well before accepting
his volunteer statements to inquire into the COM
potency of the would-be reformer. Such an in
ouiry shows the machinery of Dickerson To differ
as completely from the matured productions of
engineering skill, as sound mechanical philoso-
ply differs from the absurdities of an empiric.
There remains to add, in connection with the
delay experienced in finishing theP ma
chnery, afewwords in relation to the detention of
his partner, Sickles, board until it tried,
and Dickerson's fear visit to Washington at that
time, stated in his speech. In truth heapparant
ly never intended the vesselto be finishedin in time
to be used when wanted against the rebels. At
that time they expected every day to seize WASH
ington, and they wanted the Pensacola as a prize
1t was supposed she would be q tolerable good
vessel instead of the wretched failure she proved,
and had she answered this expectation and fall
len into their hands, she would have been inyal-
liable to them.
1t should be added that in no way or manner
did Mr.. sherwood have any connection with
this vessel; she failed, simply because success
with such thing was impossible.
In regard to the Navy sloops ofthe Ticondero-
ga class, the machinery of which was designed
by Mr.. sherwood, they have a maximum speed
ofl2 i-2 knots per hour, as will be shown by
suboining extracts of official reports to the Ma
Wy Department. These vessels have beam of
3s feet, and mean draught of water of Ii feet
inches. Their burthen is 1888 tons. There are
no screw-steamers afioat of their size that have
such speed or make it with SO little coal, and
there are but few steamers in the world of any
size that can equal this speed at sea when at their
load draught
They have chased and captured the fastest
blockade running steamers that have been built
on the Clyde, of which the following two are
well known instances. The first was the case of
the Thistle, captured off Charleston by the U. s.
steamer Canandaigua, after chase of fiye
hours, the Thistle having abont six miles start.
So confident was the captain of the Thistle in
the superior speed of his vessel notoriously one
of the fastest Clyde steamers, that he boldly at
tempted to enter at midday, and when the
Canandaigua gate chase laughed at the id ca
OF the possibility ola capture. Tha reported
speed of the Thistle on her trial on the Clyde
was fifteen knots.
The other case was that of the capture of the
Neptune by the Lakawana off Mobiet The Nep-
tune was known as the fastest steamer ever
built on the Clyde, the official report of her
trial giving her speed at is knots. She had
about fifteen miles start of the Lakawana, which
vessel overhauled and took her after a chase of
$50 miles; during which the Neptune threw over
board her entire cargo to tighten her speed.
These illustrations might be multiplied if neces-
sary, but they are well known and sufficiently
establish the high speed of these Navy sloops.
u ven the latelyconstructed gunboats are official
ly reported with speed of II 3-4 knots at sea at
their deep load draught of water. The fine
new double-bowed, paddle wheel steamers have
speed of IA knots.
The small sloop of the Iroquois class which
Dickerson lauds. and they were built during
the administration of his secession friends, are
about "a feet beam, and draw IL feet of water;
their burthen is ,0l6 tons; they have precisely
the came kind and quantity Of boiler as the
sloops of the Ticonderoga class, and they have
much larger engines. The highest speed under
steam alone in the log of the lroquois-the fast
est-s Ii "a knots; the hull being fully 30 per
centum less in midship section and resistance
than that of the Ticonderago, The Imaximum
speed of the Niagara built by Steers, and great
ly Landed for speed, is barely IL knots.
well-known lap valve and Stephenson link, of
almost universal use in the screw steamers of
Europe, whether in the naval or merchant SER
vice. BY this arrangement the steam can be
cut off anywhere between one-third and two
thirds the stroke of the piston, at the will of
the engineer, by merely turning wheel; yet
Dickerson attempts to produce the impression
that this valve gear is a non-expansion one, is
worthless, and that it is Mr.. Isherwood's inyen-
ton; whereas it is the most simple elegant, con-
venient, well known and best gear for screw
engine ever contrived.
Il is very rapidly being introduced on Ameri-
can steamers, and will soon supercede all others
here as il has already done in Europe; but it is
| not patent in which Dickerson is interested,
and is, therefore wrong. This question of ralve-
| gear was submitted at the last session of Con-
| gress by the Senate Committee on Naval Affairs,
| at the instance of Dickerson, who drew up a
catalogue Of questions, to Board of Engineers
in civil life. This board was composed OF
Messrs. Hibbard and Loring, of Boston; Messrs.
| Everett, Copeland, Coryell and Bromley, of
New York; Mr.. Wright, of Hartford, and
| Messrs Merrick and Bartol, of Philadelphia,
| who decided against all the positions taken by
| Mr. Dickerson
| Extract from report, dated of Nassau, July
26, 1862, by Chief Engineer Alexander Hender-
son, of the Adirondack, one of the navy sloops,
| Of the performance of the vessel at sea:
'.Steaming outside Orders we're to run as economi-
cally (of fuel possible so slowed down to about
| fifty revolutions" mo chance was given to open
the throttle until last Tuesday when chased and
| captured the schooner Emma the engines running
up to about sixty eight revolutions Sail was made
TO topsail with light wind and sharply braced up,
the ship going through the water over twelve knots.
The performance Of the engines was very satisiac-
tory.n ~ am perfectly satisfied with the engines in
every respect, they work smoothly, with cool jour
nails, and in any ease of emergency can drive this
ship, without sail, twelve knots" ''our coal has
been most inferior anthracite, burning freely but
| leaving immense cent. q nshes.f
Extract from report, dated Hampton Roads
| August 4, 1862, by Chief Engineer Alexander
Henderson, of the Adirondack, of the perform
ance of the vessel at sea:
''we came in this morning, and have already
| sent a report to Captain Ganseyoort regarding our
| machinery Not journal has shown any sign o
| heating, and the engines worked smoothly all the
time making ON two occasions, seventy revolutions
| per minute.n The coal we received in Nassau was
the most miserable trash ever put on board of q
| steamer, being small anthracite mixed with fine
Welsh slack, and soaking wet at that. Ii taken
from the wreck OF the English steamer Karnak after
| being about two months under water.
1.-The boilers tight and steam WE'LL and the
blowers have never been necessary-only tried at
| intervals TO keep them In order.
'The starting and reverse gear still continue to
give satisfaction and while the vacuum remains
person easily and quickly raise the link 'The
ship making IL 3-i and the engines 20 revolu-
tions, with light breeze ahead and strong head tide
| and some swell on"
Extract of letter of Chief Engineer Hender-
son. Of the Adirondack, dated navy-yard, New
York, January II, 1862. after the loss of the
vessel on the reef:
"0ur cruising certainly was under most disadyan-
tageous circumstances but at the same time we did
well, and must her machinery was the most per-
| feet working screw engine that ever saw, and that
the good success of the vessel may he fully acknowl