The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-01-07

Isncaster COS, as7 500 and weighed 24GA Tons Ihat
os the Hartford cost @ih ,4oo and weisned 80 sa.
Knots and garry in the space originally aiotsea coa
enough for eleven daye moderate steaminR lnoy 49,
stsnt sse always ready and reliable; While the only
stesming done BY the PENSACOLA Sas r"u ~ .hass
Navy Yard New Orleans wnich cry 49,. sno
With dyouty and with miserane 'nacn'ne'y ia 30
un,elahe condition as 10 bring fofih report from
engineer the Admiral .na' nc c'uio MOI o0a's on
snce tha ,,me she has lain anchor front az New
Orleans as hulk or floating battery, ana has been
telv useless as steamer Notwithstanding the pressing
need OF her services The blockade and the esrts Of
~ ,aw moatbs since DicRerson assured the Nayv De
Ia The world thar the whole difficulty Pay want
Of capacity Of her engineers, against whSm they are
naval eBgn eershe RACES IN his speech. Ho promised
that the department would place the machinery his
hands, be would those who would soon demon
strate tie perfecton ana the department took him al his
The vessel was handed over 70 agents with psroe-
tons that every fssy which sho large squadron New
Orleans and she machine shops Of that cy could aerd
should be placed At his disposal.
No expense spared Tor the services Of the vessel
were urecuty needed and IL q mediocre perform
could be obtained IL would be great benefit.
The work went and at last reported ready for
trial Much time had been consuused, great deal OF
money expended, large promises made The result APP
IN the report tho feet engineer OF the squadron
WIN. Il Shock who W as ordered by the Admiral TO at
tend and report on the trial. which was made wholly by
D,ckessns agent without interference from the naval
engineers From that report, dated New orleans, Sep
durngshe late trial of the machinery Of the Pensacola
ass ass ssa.
~ Il. had r.. s .s
having At his command all the facilities that could az
sa,5sd ne ~ .a!a:ssa ave
cula.ed to improve eciency and the sh made The
trial Mr. Cameron Informs me that she exceeded his
snicpated but lite. You WIN observe that the expend
Ions that the of the engine ranged
S.s S
hundred and forty hundred and hfy degrees
he
engines were esr the minimum 20 averaging
M i5S inches speed Of ship Ttsots
pounds q sSa eSn:a%ss From what have
hersn. dssecs in design. and comsnatien Of the
sS@S mot keep in Opsraon
ss az SO low speed q; 70 render the ship worthless as
ene and Are rooms which is more than human nature
Now il build machinery like that OF the Pensacola
which Dckerson Is urging through the medium of abusive
articles IN newspapers He wishes 70 have navy Of
Navy department. on tho results just given OF vessel
slowly and deliberately built by himself, without stint
OF money time, and by the best tools and mechanics
in the country declines IL duplicate IT, and prefers the
well known md well tried machinery OF ordinary design
such abortons, that attacks 1t, and all
with it, with effrontery and rage impossible to be
believed except by those who know the man. But the
Pensacola the only naval evidence his per
friends to nearly eecuay 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 great fail.
ure as the Pensacola. lis valve gear was put
in this vessel by the same influence and against
the Same opposition in the Of the Pensacola
She has the scwest speed OF vessel in the
cept the Pensacola and wholly unreliable OF
continual breakdowns. Such the engineering ante.
cedents OF Dckerson and the grounds OF his modest
hands When man undertakes to be wholesale critics d
to o1er himself solely qualified, and to pronounce all
others In the wrong wrrofessional matter it
before accepting his volunteer statements inquire
the competency Of the would-be reormer. Such in
quiry shows the machinery OF Dickerson to differ
petey from the matured producti OF engineering skill
as sound mechanical philosophy differs from the absurd
ties OF an empiric.
There remains 10 add in connection with the great de-
lay experienced In finishing the Pensacoa's machinery
few words in relation the detention Of his partner
Sickles on board until was tried aud o, Dickersons
visit Washington at that time as stated in his
speech In truth he apparently intended the
TO be finished in time 10 be used when wanted against the
rebels At that time they expected every day seize
Washington and they wanted the Pensacola prize IL
was supposed she would be tolerabv good vessel
stead OF the wretched failure she proved and had she
answered this expectation and fallen into their hands she
would have been invaluable to them.
II should be added that IN way or manner did Mr.
sherwood have any connection with this vessel. She
failed simply because success with such thing was i'm
possible.
regard navy sloops OF the Ticonderoga class
the machinery Of which designed by Mr. sherwood.
they have maximum speed Of twelve and half knots
per hour. as will be shown by suboined extracts OF off,
cal reports to the Navy Department. These vessels
have beam OF thrty-eisnt feet and draught OF
SIS tons There are no screw steamers aoai OF their
size that have such speed or make II with 50 little coal.
and there are but few steamers in the world OF any
that can equal this speed Al sea when al their load
draught
Tney have chased and captured the fastest blockade
running that have been built the Clyde. OF
which the following two we'll known nstances:-The
arst the the Thistle captured Charleston
by the United States steamer CanaDdagua after chase
OF five hours. the Thistle having about six miles start
50 confident was the captain a the Thistle IN the Superior
VIDE
steamers-tha' be boldly attempted to enter midday.
and when the canaudasna chase laughed the dss
of the possibility o. capture The reported speed the
Thistle her trial trip she Clyde eileen kucts
The other tina; OF the capture OF the Neptune
by the Lsckawanna oil Mobile. The Neptune known
the fastest built the 'yss the oaical
report Of her tra giving hsr speed eighteen knots
She had about fifteen miles o. the Iacsaw which
vessel overbauled aud took her chase Of three
hundred aud hSy miles, dur which the Neptune threw
ne e 1r cso '. hsr ,or SEED
they well known and sufficiently establish the high
speed OF these navy sloops Even the lately CONSTRUCTED
gunboass are officially reported with speed OF esyeo
and ttreeourths snots at hes deep load drsGght
OF water. The hns rew double bowed, padds.whesl
steamers have speed 0, fourteen knots.
The small sloops 1roluois class which liclsrsen
lauds. and they buit during the administrator or
his friends. are about thirty four feet beam
aud twelve OF water: their bUhor IL thou.
sand and sixteen tons they have precisely the kind
and Quantity OF boiler tho Tconierosa class and they
steam alone 10 the log Of the lroauois-the fsstests
eleven and three fourth knots ns hui berg fully thirty
per cent w section anu reslStan1
that o! the Tioonderga The maximum speed OF the Nj
agara built BY steers and greatly lsuied Tor speed,
barely eleven knots
The valve gear OF these sloops Is SIMPLY tbs well
known lap valve and stephenson linz OF almost universal
use IN the screw steamers OF Europe, whether 10 the
naval merchant service. BY this arrangement the
steam can be cut OF anywhere between one third aud
twothrcs the stroke OF the piston at the viii Of the en-
gineer, by merely turning Wheel Yet Dickerson
attempts 70 produce the impression that this valve gear
is expansion one, is worthless, aud that is Mr..
sherwoots Invention: whereas 1t Is the simple
elegant. convenient. well known and best gear for
screw engine ever contrived " very rapidly being
introduced 90 American steamers, and will suIer.
seie all others here. as It has already done iu
Europe; but II IL not q patent In which Iickersou
s Interested and is, therefore. wroag. The oues.
ton OF valve gear submitted AZ the last OF
Congress by the senate Committee on Naval Affairs. NJ
the instance q nickersOn drew W a catalogue Of
questions to Board q Engineers in civil lite This
Board composed o. Hessrs. Hubbard mud Ioripz OF
Boston Messrs Everett, Copeland, Corye and Bromley
Of New York Nr. Wright Of Hartford, and Messr Ner
rtrk and nf to ag all