The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-10-18
Tlte agorfulk 2ost.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER IS, 1865.
THE WINOONSKI AND ALGON-
QUIN. ,..,
From the New York Leader, October ~

naval engineering ueptu 'iient navy ~ !,
seems, conspired to defraud nm OF MS :
rights; to injure his engineering repq- I
tation, or that of his engine in the Al
ponouin. He has, according to his sto- ,
| nv i'm the papers-which, by the way,
| has assumed the style OF serlal-been ,
| cheated i'm his coal, been robbed OF his
wheels, cut off from the use of his fresh
| water supply condenser, been allowed
| four hundred less revolutions than he
actually made on trial, and one less than
he wants to make in the Navy Depart
ment.
His continued story last week is a
chapter on these outrages. His appeal
to Mr.. Welles is to obtain the 0pportu-
nifty of taking the ship to sea. T. p 10
few weeks ago we were as anxious TO
see the steamship race as any one, but
the subsequent trial has convinced us
that the interposition of some other
than human power must have prevent
ed the sea trial with Mr.. DickersOn in
charge as engineer. The rusting fast OF
that relief valve of his feed pipe-so
fast that il required six hundred pounds
pressure to the square inch to burst the
pipe, and then not remove the stubborn
valve, with the engine running two
days, Mr. Dickerson in attendance-ls
an evidence that, no matter how aole he
may be to construct marine engines
see the Pensacola-he Is not fit to take
the ship to sea.
Mr.. isherwood's suggestion of tying
the ship to the dock seems to us to have
been made from a desire to preserve hui
: man life, and for this act of humanity |
he is entitled to commentator for an
, engineer who could work an engine two
whole DAYS with q fastrusted valve
would lust as likely allow his piston to
freeze in the cylinder. With the fact OF
this rusted valve before the public, we
hope the Navy Department. will not al
low any trial away from the dock, I'M
less some one is placed i'll charge OF the
! engines who can ascertain whether the
valves are rusted fast or working.
And yet Mr.. Dickerson has our SYM
Dotby in his trials. He has worked
hard to create revolution in the Navy
Department and in the construction of
marine engines. That these naval en-
gineers and enAne constructors refuse
- to be turned over as easily as one other
engines is to be regrettedby every friend
of progress. Dickerson's engines go
slowly over the centre. But more than
this, the Naval Construction Bureau re-
nd fuse to turn at all at Mr.. Dickerson's re-
quest. These stubborn people actually
est prefer simple, servieeable engine, that
y is always ready, and never likely &c
get out of order, to a complicated
one. which is offered them al
less than double the cost, and one
on which thousands of dollars coult
T, be judiciousIy expended for repairs
and distributed among our mechanics
TIL The opposition to Mr.. Dickerson by
on, the Naval Construction Bureau is to bt
regretted for another reason: They
should have waited until he had beer
favored with three separate failures be
fore condemning his work. The Pensa
cola was only an experiment. Irue sht
was 1amentable failure, and failed at
IS. time when she would have been OF USE
inc to the country; yet she did go, contrary
en- to the predictions of our naval engineers
mo- who tested with each other about hel
ssl,il , machinery, and laid wagers that slit
the would not 60 hundred miles away from
be the place she was built. That Mr.. Dick
thss erson was right.was proven by the shll
t going from Washington to New Orleans
and back, and then--into the scrap heap
where her costly materials lie in mount
to commemorate her trial and failure.
After the Algonquin comes the Idaho
and after her the conclusion OF the con-
Rr, tinued story of very good patent law
~ yer who tried to make marine engines
2S but who was prosecuted by Mr.. lsner
| WOOu, Tile tuSlHC Va viz 49,
!, reau of Naval Construction, and, conse
quently, could not succeed IN his new
avocatiOn. -.
The army and Navy Journal, New
York, of the 9TH instant, has long edi
= toral upon "the Dock Trial. from whicl
Il, we take the annexed significant para
graphs:
"No official decision has yet bee
given, or even limited upon the particu
RAM lar question involved in this trial-viz
,Nl whether Mr.. Dickerson's engines wi
II. If" or will not be considered as performin
= the specified contract; and, accordingly
,, there is full scope for individual opinio
on that point. Our own opinion, torme
entirely without prejudice, but frol
close personal inspection of the engir
during its late trial, is that Mr.. Dickii
sons steam machinery has got to con
out of the Algonquin. And our furth'
puar opinion, as a coroliary to the proceeding
is that MIR. Dickinson's machinery hi
got to come out of the Idaho. Ana v
are sincerely and heartily sorry for M
on Forbes that such appears to to be the pro
ability.
the at NAV be suggested that the tern
'eek- of the contract are of little impOrtanc
ook. provided the machinery of Mr.. Dickil
Shoe son will be valuable addition to tt
III navy. That is very true. But it dec
dedlv would not be such an addition.
, course it was expected that Mr.. Dicke
sons machinery should equal the W
noos,Si's in durability, reliability, al
y noint of finish The apple-women wi
lilo sold fruit ON tie wharf where the tri
1''s went on could see the Algonquin's inf
riority in those respects. But these a
comparatively minor. points, for OF
ON & the puerile engineering we have ev
%, 90 witnessed, this of the Algonquin is on
ottsmpts upon the Adriatic's valve ges
OF the Detroit Waterworks, the Pensacol
the Richmond, and finally the Idaho
NJ, The same paper has the following
latiye to the damage to the Algonquin
"The Algonquin is not yet ready
les. recommence her competitive trlais WI
the Winooski, and it will probably
several DAYS yet before she Will be
ACME. condition to come up TO tlme. wen
m;n,n, told that her feed-pipe has not
g come from the foundry This iet
,,,., sv nine covers multitude of sins in OIL
o, p papt - of the steam machinery. 1t
, Va. p;,,,,e,,, obsurd TO say that it has tax