The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-02-13

IoHS. Speed per hour.
Racoon ......-............l, ACT 10 knots.
pearl ..... ..-.l ,4Go 1l.3l
Pylades .4................I ,75 IO.li g
Satellite ........... 462 ia g
AS mention above, these are the fastest
OF class that correspond with the Sacra-
mento, and other o. our now slOOps, and
have an average draught Of from twenty to
twenty-five feet OF water. These vessels
would be entirely unsuitable for operations
on our coast, owing to. their great draught
OF water, and having this great draught a
large propeller can DO used, will be deeply
immersed, and can be more efficient than
with lighter draught. This is the op;n-
ion OF engineers ana has been confirmed
by experience.
The following table gives the speed of
our new steam stoops OF about ,367 tons,
and with the very light average draught OF
about fourteen feet O! water:
Tons. Knots per hour.
sacramento. ,367 IL.
Adirondack, 1867 II
Shenandoah I36? I225
TicOnderOga 1857 1875
THE above speeds were made at sea- and
| as their officers say, ''under the usual con-
ditions OF cruising ships" We can all see
that at the measured mile trial (after the
manner our English friends have of getting
| the maximum speeds) 4 much higher rate
could be obtained.
Their machinery IS much like the we'll
tried English plans, having the same valve
gearing, but with surface or fresh water
condensers," and much higher steam can
be carried by using fresh water in tho boil
ers: also many other important advantages
are gained by the use Of ''surface con-
denser. And ii seems that the ''Sewall
condenser now in use on our naval steam
ers, is all that can be desired; at least the
best in use.
lshprvNOH oHx Ofn
smaller CYLINDER and higher steam, and is
opposed 20 complicated machinery, made
! to expand the steam to its fullest extent,
believing the end does not justify the
means, and that il is safer end just as eco
| monica! in the end to employ simple and
Arrays reliable valve machinery. The sue
cess OF the English machinery is entirely
due to extreme simplicity and strength
After the painful experience with the com,
phcdted machinery of the Pensacola and
Richmond, it does seem that Mr.. sherwood
is right in his views. We are a fast people,
and want everything we have to do with to
be fast. Our nava. steamers are fast, yet
they must go faster, even if they break
down in so doing. This is the way the
public feel in this matter, and the perform
ance5 OF the Alabama and her consOrts
have made us az crazy in matters Of speed.
l. is one thing to see them ut sea, then to
| Orertoke them, afterwards to capture them.
do not think any of these privateers steam
thirteen knots, and believe they will yet
be captured by our new sloops.
II hope our Navy will he efficient, rs it
| always has done its duty, and desire that
! the best talent III the land shall be at the
helm, but do net see that others can do any
better than our present chiefs of bureaus
| have done; that our ships and machinery
are failures; or that Mr.. sherwood is in
| competent because he does not agree in all
points with those aSSaiflnQ him.
1.-The Nypsic gunboat came to the navy
yard at Boston from Portsmouth, and her
officers said ''she made eleven knots under
steam," and has since been very efficient
on the blockade. The PeQuot, u gunboat
OF the same class, has just returned from q
trial trip, which, from all that can learn,
has not been entirely satisfactory, and did
not give the speed Of the Nypsic. Also, the
SacO, of the same class, now fitting out at
the Boston yard, has, like the Pequot, new
and peculiar machinery, in both cases ex-
periments. l mention this to show that
| private establishments are engineering for
| the Navy, and without Mr.. sherwood
success.
'In writing the above, have been influ-
enced by patriotic motives. neUer haze,
neither do / expect to recciUe any fdpOrS
! from bfr. IsherpooG or the Nary Depart
ment, but think he has been abused by
men not his equals, and who can not show
l De
l have been u close observer of motive
steam machinery, both at home and
abroad, aud look at this matter from q
practical point of view, and desire to see
far play, and am confirmed in the above
opinions after hearing the views Of both
sides.
II did intend to make my views known
| through the public press, but have conclu-
ded to adopt this method, of writing to in
| fluential persons believing it to be more
effectual.
| 1.-The English are most happy to catch at
! the word failure when used in connection
with our naval vessels, and are only too
glad when our officials are abused. know
| this from experience with them and !
| think the authors of such wholesale abuse,
and untruthful assertions concerning our
chiefs of bureau, and others in authority in
the Navy Department, should be punished
and made an example of. Admitting the
Department have made some mistakes,
land what engineer, shipbuiider, or manu-
facturer, has not,) yet on the whole they
have turned out the finest naval steamers
Of their class in the world and ii is with
feelings of intense pride that see there is
la prospect Of our assuming our proper posi-
tom AS D fipst-class naval Power. have
repeatedly stated that we can only be res
pected abroad by having powerful navy,
land If this had been the case when the re-
bellion was instituted, the neutrality lawS
t00nId have 0cex better understood ty Ehy-
land and FTdnce-
| 1--WE are now building in orr dock -yar,l..
q class Of wooden cruising ships that in my
opinion, after careful examination, will
excel in speed and sea-going qualities any
steamers ever produced by any nation. I
| would guarantee the above statement
to be correct, and believe lhaving built
over one hundred sail Of square rugged
sailing ships) have constructed the fastest
sailing vessels ever built, and arm prepared
to say that the large cruising ships now
building in our dock yards can hardly be
bettercd, and we ought at once to lay the
keels Of fifty such ships, from one thousand
five hundred tons upwards, and the ma
chinery known as 'Isherwoods ought to
bo used to propel them.
| "Excuse this long epistle. 1t is intend
ed do good, and il it will add any strength
to tho Navy Department, then my earnest
wishes will be gratiiieh.
II have always been considered AZ very
unfriendly to the Navy Department, and in
a professional point Of view do not agree
with all their plans, but ut the same time