New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-01-22
ORR STEAM NAVY.
Reply tn Mr. Dickcrson's second A""c"
upon the Chief of she Steam Bure"u.
g. n, Edirc- Of The N Y. Tribune


Occrson attorpts an answer TO the refutaon of his
Facts and exposure his fasehoods in relation 10 the
Navy steamers by another accumulation OF misstate
ncnis and f,sehoods which be exposed stih more
easily than TIE preceding
lie Says the true question is whether Jour snps q
ar use steam expanSyey other ships do and cites
the Iroquos and others Of her class Navy vessels built
br fine last Administrator, which ho eulosi2cs as
.tt,irctotv At tie time these engines adopted
h, assaulted them in almost the very terms nc now uses
In regard 10 Mr. lsherwoods engines, and by wholesale
Encouragement prevailed upon Mr. Toueey, the then
Secretary with the assistance of his Secession allies in
m. Senate Committee on Naval Affairs 10 alter TIE
xnlve gear OF the Richmond. which 20 have been
Tie same as the lroquoie 10 his valve gear, and
u,cte Of the notorious Pcnsacoa's was put on the
Richmond ly him. The resnlt miserable faiinre,
every person having any knowledge OF naval affairs
Knows.
The engines Of the Iro0rois class cut of from
third 10 WCrds the stroke OF the piston by separate
cut-ofi valve sliding on The back OF the main valve;
fhey low steam the boilers owing the size of the
cylinders only supplying steam enough for 30 pounds
Wien cutting oil at the shortest point The valve gear
the engines OF Mr.. IsherWood's construction has
he same rugc Of expansion, variable at will and while
,he engines are IN notion like the others nv simply
running Wheel The results are precisely alike but
In r lsherwoods mechanism they are all produced by
single slide valve instead of hy two slide wolves in
tbo ioqu0is The Iuh Of these statements Is perfect
" wei known 10 eyciy marine engineer In The land
The Indicator diagrams OF tie lrOquois class of engines
eNu o! Mr.. Is cfN OOOS engines. are IN Inc hhDus OF
almost M who interested professionally in This ques
tiOo. They can he produced by the DOZEN and have
been. Mr. lsierwOOds smaller cylinders result fiom
The faCt that he steam Of double the pressure used
In HE lroquOs engines.
The subj Get the valve gear used on Mr. Isherwoods
ecew engines was submitted in February, lstR 70 !
board oi nine OF the principal engineers in civil life
who reported, in answer 10 nterrOgntory Of the
Nasy Department rs 10 whether the valve gear ad-
'LS of using the steam with such degree of expansion
~ Is usual or desirable with marine engines for the ma
Nal service as follows namely: cit ia considered hs
tle Board (wiiA the exception OF two members named
hrrCscr that the rriHs,Yie adopted IN admitting and
exA1asins steam by slide valve nctuated 10y the
link motion though not deemed the best in a cases is
ell things considered proper In the present case COM
Inning simplicity Of construction with such range OF
ehpsnSioa as s usual or desirable in the naval service
mile tits Board was in session. set Of questions
" IS sent tot by the Senate Committee on Naval AZ
fl'is framed il ia understood by Dickerson and adj
-ssed 10 this subject OF valve gear The replies
gwen by majority Of the Board The first question
VS. rs follows: namely " Is II not certain, IN Your
opinion that engine having cutoff which cuts OF
q steam nv motion independent Of the motion Of TIE
..t0H.tro!rs must Of necessity. produce more power
fOm certain quantity of steam than con be developed
from the same quantity Ivy engine whose cutoff is
dependent upon the motion which operates the exhaust
valves r.
he answer 10 This question was as follows n.me-
~ II If not certain IN all cases that engine which
cuts Oh Tho steam by motion Independent OF the
motion OF the exhaust-ValVe produces more power frUl
IL" quantity of steam, than engine whose cut
az is dependent on the motion Of the exhaust"
me second question " as as follows namely is
MT imrOrtant difference between the sort OF tot
produced by the valve the recent steamers
bdt on Mr. IsAerwoods plans and the cutoff used OF
Tie engines OF the irOqG0is aud the steamers Of the
NV. and of the world generally that in the recent
fins the CrtOf IS GepeH0e1. upon the motion
witch exhauSis the steam from The cylinder while IN i
Tie older war vessels ard IN The vessels OF the world 2
GeGcray the cutoff is independent Of that motion and
may Therefore be varied ot pleasure without interfering
with the exhaust notion -
The answer to this question follows: THE y
sot Of cutoff used in the engines Of the steamers
recently built while differs from those Of vessels
lsfst In
toned IN the nerIOgaOTy. does not differ in principle
from tlat usually employed IN the naval service and
however. true that IN all cases In this country the in
dependent cut of used variable at pleasure. while the
en- zines are in morton"
1he third question was follows namely; Us ID q
possible to produce cutoff Of any considerable ex .
Ss,t on a by using single f'ide !. per
ont inpariny the efficiency OF the exhaust apparatus
sld thereby unnecessarily losing poweTr
Tie answer 70 tbs question vas as follows namely; II
IN is possible BY nse Ink motion Estd n,
ss recently ba 70 obtain all desirable range in ts en9f
apparatus Vit0E losing yocr Jy compilation Of e 2
c1dH'i at the md Of Ae sirote than is requisite "a svsl
Sbsy reeT0eatfag enH IA oTder 70 oofasB an edsy
iran yEssi0H Of o' rom ride 10 he 0sr Of n. pi,
AID IL deiierSd that tie loss Of Poyer fors such
preston Is nearly, II quite made ~ By The sarns 3
al for the sfroks Of ne piston mi. l.
'ro6ored BY ne prae'ice Of the best E4ropesn engine
builders" lI'
Tie fourth question was as follows namely: "Is il ~
not universally that unusual results IN power are
produced only by engines having independent cut.
oil wiih long range Of expansion, and by reason Of
that iact." n
The TO this question was as follows: namely II
Ii IS not universally true, II by tie word unusual is
meant unusually good. although such relalts may be q
obtained in cases, yet il s also true that in the
only steamers Of the navy Ghe Richmond ana Pensacola
built by Dickegson) having complicated Independent o.
cutoff apparatus with long range Of expansion the
suits inferior those attained i'll other engines in
..e navy not 80 provided /.
The ninth question was ss follows; namely, Are Il
Z en ines built for the United States ships
cordng to Mr. Ishcrwoods plans, and PIT into tie
4nbOas and slOOps Of war, capable OF developing os
much propelrR power from certain amount 81 steam
their finders increased IN siza, and they
were fitted with an independent eutoff II
he 10 this question was os follows, namely
Ii the size OF those cylinders be increased increasing
rcat, the proportions Of other parts OF tie engines
using certain amount Of in both u Is not
believed that practically any advantage would accrue
IRON The change Under tho same conditions, we be-
icye that ia engines Of this class independent cut
oil presents no advantage ever the kind a va'e gear
Now II must be distinctly r,conectei that TIE whole
fault found by Dckerson with Mr. IsherweOd's engines
consists h. the fact that they 10 not use an independent
cutoff valve and he has endoavored by every possible
mode OF misrepresentation and ialsebOod 10 p-Oduoe
The ifrures that therefore they do not Htee
pansiyely at all The reader Of foregoing wl per-
ccye that majority OF bocFd Of Tie mot prominent
engineers Of the country uDsuabhedy Sasteins the
val,e gear Of Mr. IsleTwood- Tho Department had
sbreforc their recommsDdLsca Of IL N pc4ng il OH
Diner Vesses.
There s space for only eupo.a-s o. Dioker-
.ons alsehoods In his rcDy se quotes from the evil
dence Of Mr. sherwood IN the Iai before the supreme
Court OF the District Of Columbia fellows; Question
from Dickeson 10 lsherwoc1 Is II pSosbl5 for thes,
alma Che navy sOops) 70 90 more than tea knots al
hour with only sixty tGrn5 % the miau,eP Answe-.
suppose about ten and half knots On this Dick.
er,on semaIks as follows; The complies answer 70
MS (Mr lsherwoodS present Etate-ae1t. that at sIty
revolutions these ships 70 eleven and n1ah knots an
hour. is 10 be found IN bis testimony, When % swore
4. lfnx.o