The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-07-27
ANOTHER GREAT RACE.
CHALLENGE TO THE KAvi DtrAKIMEN
Economy Versus Extravaganza.

Economy Versus Extravaganza.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD.
NEW York, July 25 1865
sm-The facts contained in the accompanying letter
are such as to Justify me asking the cooperation Of
the public press the effort making TO expose by
an infallible demonstration the condition OF
naval engines The letter states all the material facts
and needs no Preface
Hon. G. " Fox Assistant Secretary of the Navy
slR-The engine Of the double ender Algonquin is now
ready service, and the circumstances under which Il
built and the facts that have occurred since 1t was
finished would to require that special atten
ton should be paid to the trial which, by the contract
must be made of its qualities.
AS you remember, endeavored to convince the Navy
Department in 1852 that the style OF machinery
which was adopted for the navy was defective in
every particularviz in the boiler the engine and the
condenser but was unable to command enough atten
ton to receive reply to my letters.
Afterward, Mr. Forbes for whom had made some en-
World actuaed by desire to give the government the
benefit of those plans which he had found serceable
in hrs own % rs dnd mo BY the use OF which
Chinese waters proposed TO yoa with my approval that
should be permitted TO alter the plans OF the engine Of
one of the numerous sdoube enders then building,
as TO make it similar 10 his engines in certain particulars,
supposng that the same good results would follow az tn
his own CASE 1t being understood that to receive
no COMPENSATION for my services You objected to thia
plan, but proposed to Mr. Forbes that would give
him contract for entire engine at the current rate
thousand doarswhich he at once accepted,
without knowing nquiring how much money was TO
executed YOU imposed extraordinary terms on Mr..
| Forbes-hrst by withholding cne-third OF the
only withheld one-Gfth; and, secondly, by requiring
a stipulation s'that II, on the completion OF the ma
chinery and careful trial thereof by such persons 40
found by them that its performance either IN amount OF
power developed or in the cost pro rata OF that power In
coal less than those of tho machinery described H. e.,
OF the other double enders) Mr. Forbes will remove IT.
and replace his cost with the machinery similar
to appoint any person you chose to decide the question:
and bound Mr. Forbes to abide the decson however nm.
of his entire confidence that injustice would be dvne
Immediately after this contract was signed and beforc
the plans of the engine maturcd, Mr.. sherwood
assured different persons who reported to that he
smeant to put the engine OF the Algonquin into the
scrap heap and that declaration he has made constantly
from time to time ever since reported this fact to Mr.
Forbes but he still expressed his faith that you would
insure him fair trial. Notwithstanding the chief OF the
| Bureau of Steam Engineering.
| When the engine completed, the departments
ordered it be at the dock for ninety hours
instead Of the trial at required by the contracta
change assented to by Mr. Forbes and proper TO be
made because all the other vessels OF this class had been
SO tried On her trial Of ninety six hours at the dock,
the algonquin exhibited her great superiority over the
of her loo with the logs of The others will show have
before the log Of the Pautuxet which was built ey
the same builders and tried a. the same dock as IL:
/; good any Of her ciassyour engineer having re-
| ported that 'there vas no room for improvement"
refer to II as standard OF comparison In the oiow-
Firs-The boilers of the Algonquin worked over NO
water Those the Pautuxet worked much that
the salt donkey pump had to be run to resuppy
them frequently more minutes In one hour than the
| Algonquin required in ninetys hours-the Algonqr y
only using the salt feed less than thirty minutes in tie
whole trial. and that only to supply losses by three acoi
| dental steam leaks, since closed
Second-Thc engine Of tho Algonquin performed the
whole trial without heating any part OF It, and ran 30 sn
that standing in tho engine room could hear Is
move us your engineer on duty can verify. The Pau
heated up all the journals and had to stop frequen
~ key up and cool off, and as with all tho others OF
her class she thumped" and pounded 30 Is to jar Ire
| whole boat
Third-The surface condenser Of the Algonquin sup.
piled the boilers with fresh water without any material
loss SO that the satuaon of the water only ncreas
cd from oneeighth to ffteensixteenths In ninetyax
toned and not by any fault of the condcnser whereas
Pautuxes boilers sailed just as II jet condeu.
ser had been used as is sne ac' with AL the Osnol
which, as you know, have returned from sea with hun
dreds Of thoir tubes allied with scale and burned out
The feed water, too, In the Algonquin was returned
from condensers the boilers at hundred and forty
one degrees Of heat whereas the Pautuxet was a.
low degrees and averaged less than one
Fourth -fhe Algonquin turned her wheels sixteen
hundred revolutions than the Pautuxet In the
time; and her wheels have wider buckets than the Pau
| tuxet, and require more power to turn them =.
| FJM-The Algonquin used only nine hundred and
sixty pounds Of coal an hour making turns where
as the Pautuxet used fifteen hundred pounds an houf
making less turns The hrcmen of the Pautuxet werJ
Experienced men, selected for their skill BY Mr. 0naa
| ing and the coal was good The men who dred the
Algonquin were not practiced hremen at all ono ex.
ongncers reported on the log So little Are was needed
the hampers most Of the time closed and come
be rekindled from the other furnaces Still these 70
| markabe differences occurred In the result
BY the terms Of the contract final payment OF one
sixth of the price, less thirty three and onehrd Pet
cent due when the work was completed and the BAH
certified by the superntendng engineer Aosordns
usual BILL and II duly endorsed by Mr. Wood ana she
admiral in New York for payment When presented "a
Mr. sherwood he refused to pass It, and the contractor
Is kept of his money in plain violation OF the agrcc
| ment In answer to the demand Of Mr. Gardner, Mr.:
| sherwood declared that the algonquin was dead
flure-tha her economy Of coal was not so great q
that Of the other boaand therefore he had refused TO
pass the bill II IL had been true that the Agonquln
used more coal than the others to do the work. u
IL would justify this refusal TO pay because there
no protence that during trial the engine failed in
Of the particulars which by the contract this trial
| was made TO test. This was not q test OF econo-
my, and so the contract shows Inc reaI ,ris1
thus stated 1.-THE ubr cation rs to be thorough and
easy the journals free from hea,ins the stationary parts
from working motion their fastenings and te
whole performance Of such character to demonstrate
the satisfactory strength, reliability, practical efficiency
complied with ali these conditions the only
out Of the whole twenty eight which has done 30
Every other has heated journals, or been
compelled to stop because IL would be dangerous u
continue running at some time during tho trial
Sui, in the face Of these facts she Is Officially
her rum and entire knowledge Of her performance
derived from the official report OF his officers inform
ing him that In all these particulars she Is perfect But
she used much less coal than any other boat-not hall
that some used-and made more revolutions than any
have known.
This conduct on the part Of Mr. sherwood antioi.
mated and II NJ with his repeated decarAs
ton that he meant 10 put the engine Of the Algonquin
tho scrap heap" but needs argument to show
that outrage upon Mr.. Forbes, and gross viola-
4 ton of the contract.
In this state OF the case II is apparent that the Algon.
gums engine is the why 10 destruction eness VOC
interfere to have trial made such as the contract call.
she must equal Of her class In the amount o.
power developed and the cost pro rata of that powot
in COAL in order to comply with the agreement There
is but one way known TO man by which that question
can be tried, and that 10 to bring her into COM
parson with of her class under the same condii
tons There twenty five Of her class now IN
| existence of which some are, like the Algonquin
Just completed. You have the choice OF tho whole
twenty five, made by eighteen different builders on the
plan, 20 select the one which is the most perfectly