New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-12-05

-. "tbe thicker the blades, and heavier,
tSs The Setter; for the heavier the Wheels 'H'
the werk y ,. ,or;ed from IL and
o. fcsti The ineessant jar arising IRON .,lell
.,sS;np the water was shown to DC ceae. .nn,I
,onrce of destruction 10 engine ana vessei, as aa
as waste of power. Some vessels nau :. 1LtSnI 20
wider than their decks, so as 10 MAKE ~ uolo :
.,ranrers whether the hulls were accessories 10
80 or they TO the bulls. The number OF piaues
Sao a,sn been greatly reduced. There were steam,
.rs uitb 80 in each wheel the Balllc ana Citeu
Sta,es' among others. 1t settled down 10 -, AT
which il was stationary; then Slowly iel 10 IA anu
now there are examples of only being used, as
nrced in the Report. But the most important sug-
,,ast;on-fo rm-is vet ignoredby tho sc who have
fken advantage of the rest, and, with scarcely an
execution, without the slightest acknowledgment
IN viii vet be conceded that the naked arms OF one
Of those steamers, if sufficiently lengthened would
have propelled her more easily and etfectually than
the plank buckets attached because Of their approx
mating the only true principle-that which nature
illustrates in the long, narrow, and tapered organs
of her swiftest swimmers and flyers, and when ias
there is no originating law OF principle OF our
own we must adopt in order to succeed, or frui'-
lessly oppose and fail as heretofore. instead VI
churning the waters surface with wide dashers, We
must take deep hold of it with blades that enter
without jarring and lift no loads of IT on leaving
The usual prenomen of steamers whecis a. =
wrong one, there being analogy IN ther :,
and that of the Indians paddle 10 rescl iu,oaj
the longer axes of the floats, or bueke.s' i'''Io
of being parallel with the smart, shOs'u 1t
perpendicular to it, and lnsIeSu ca "a - n
ing resistance away from lhe nun, hnt thot is
depth close TO il. The oar reaches our, pul .n. -
10 adapt il 10 human power. sweeping horiHoh-
tally through the water at much greater oslahce'
more mower is lost in being impaired 10 l.s oiaue
than TO that of the paddle. In large Wheeis tc oss
;s considerable as the power has TO pass to and
from the urthest ends of the buckets, whose action
is really that of rotating oars; widely different
from that of vertical paddles which dispense with
three-fourths of the massive overhanglng shaits.
TO use the narrow blades of paddles for understood
wheels would be qutea as rational as employing the
wide planks of the latter for propelers.
Afseres of experiments was proposed 10 tne Al
Manifestation of President Taylor, and vessel-the
Water Witch-was designated for the purpose, but
his sudden and lamented death put an end to the
design. Conducted, as proposed, under the super
vision of the heads of the Coast Survey ana smith
sonian Institution, scientific officers OF the Navy
and representatives of the franklin Institute, the
result, favorable or not to the common wheei,
would have been of immediate and lasting Value
and so will the solution of the problem be when
ever and by whomsoever 1t is accomplished. III
would have paid the cost thousand fold. Inc
Government has now another trustworthy source
of information and advice on such matters III the
National Academy of Science.
In 1855, Professors Bache and Henry, IN a letter
TO the Secretary of the Navy, stated that the pro,
posed experiments " would be OF great pracucal
value to the world at large, and OF particular advan
tage to the Navy OF the United States. But the lime
for them had not come. The reply was, The Depart
nent appreciates very fully the importance OF series
ofexperiments the best form OF propeling blades
or paddles for producing with gwen expense OF
power the greatest useful effect. 1t has, however
to regret the want of authority to undertake then
g.. and could not without Inconvenience to The
public service furnish a vessel for the purpose"
1t may be that the Department now lncllnes &c
the opinion Of some OF its subordlnates that th'
paddle-wheel so called, is all that Is wanted, and
so lar from being superseded is destined to prope
steamers so long as its prototype transmits p0We
from running streams TO mills and factories. Why
not then, on an occasion so singularly favorable
have practical demonstration of its superiority
and solve problem of so much interest to thu
Navy and the world at large-solve 1t for all um'
and reflect enduring honor on the Administration
The cost could hardly exceed the 1.-THE of a 1.-THE
the Government experiments now being made oil
steamers and steam. Were 1T as great 1t would
true economy to incur 1t. .
those who think there is natural law or princip
of velocity in steamers; or, if there is, that 1t hi
no relation 10 the form OF propelllng instrument
If they are right, the highest speed has been a
tanned, and we may sit down and rest satisfied wit
the common wheel; for there is risk in repeatin
the assertion that nothing more is to be got out
il. After undergoing endless variations III details
its dimensions have been swelled TO extreme prat
fical limits and, to meet the resistance, an unprt
eedented amount of metal put into the shafts; an
TO what puposel The largest have been straine
to breaking, and yet no increase ofspeed. But
is preaching in the desert TO reason with thOs
whose ideas OF progress are bounded by the preseI
who imagine the steam fleets of the future al
not 10 surpass those of to-day.
The sole motive in calling the attention of IL
Government once more to the subiect is deep col
viction of its importance TO the Navy The writ
has no selfish object to accomplishing wish TO d
vert dollar from the Treasury into his pocket
has nothing to gain by the adoption Of his view
and nothing to lose by their rejection.
THos EwBAYK.
Her- York, Oct. II, 1865.