The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-04-01
FALLACY OF IRON CRUISERS FOR THE

TO THE EDITOR OF TIE HERALD
An article In one OF your contemporaries 10 gov
eminent organ) OF the 18th Of February was in
tended to prepare the public mind for the an
nouncement that portion OF the eight sloops-of-
war authorized by Congress would be built Of iron
Your Washington correspondent and also sew.
eral other journals have since informed the public
that the Navy Department has determined to build
three iron vessels and five wooden ones; but as the
hus have not yet been laid it is not too late to re-
cede from such Q suicidal course for the navy
The article referred to declares that 1.-THE demand
for iron ships seems to grow in favor"
For mercantile purposes l admit that there is
growing demand for ships, and as iron ships are
cheaper than wooden ones in one sense the paper
referred to is correct. Wood must be seasoned
before 1t is proper ship TIMBER this takes time, but
iron can bent to the form required before 1t is
cold from the pudding mill, or within few hours
after it is taken from the mines, and this is the
cause OF the cheapness over wood Iron is album
dant, but good ship timber grows scarce. Any
merchant who desires his goods delivered In good
order will take wooden ship in preference to an
iron one, and as for fine lines they can as readily
be made Of wood as OF iron. Therefore l repeat
that the growing demand not for iron ships, but
for ships OF any material to accommodate the in
creasing trade OF the world.
The metallic bulls can be more rapidly and
cheaply constructed than wooden ones and mer-
chants are forced to snip In iron hus but tie
damaged cases brought to this country In those
same iron vessels.
buoyancy and all that is desirable in ship has
been fully discussed and proved during the past
few years and win not argue that point, but when
the writer referred to states that 1.-The uniform
perience OF all navies indicate very cOncusivey
the superiority OF iron shpsn am forced to the
conclusion that he knows nothing about the navies
1t was dif1icult in the discussion OF the Eight
Sloop bill for members OF Congress to distinguish
lies the whole argument. An armored ship is one
plated with iron from four to fourteen inches thick,
constructed to resist projecties thrown from guns
OF large calibre. They were first built OF wood,
with the iron boted to thick wooden pack
ing; but when wood and iron are brought
iron corrodes; consequently armored ships have
been built entirely of iron, which removes this de-
feet. An iron ship has no points In common with
an arm0red one. The former are lightly constructed
TO carry passengers and freight with plates ranging
from an inch to quarter OF an inch in thickness.
wooden vessel that the difference can scarcely be
detected It is this Kind OF ship that 1t Is proposed
to ruin the Navy with-a vessel that no nation has
yet ventured to introduce as q naval cruising
vessel
England, France and Russia and may be other
European Powers, have small despatch boats and
troop ships built Of iron, but we have yet to see
war ship OF one-half inch iron The effective ves-
sells Of war In all navies are armored ships, not
believe. agree with him In the statement that
this class Of Iron vessel does not require the repairs
that wooden ships would, and the reason Is obvi-
Ous-when they come In contact with any unyield-
ing substance they 60 down. They disappear be-
yond the possible reach OF repairs. Upwards OF
sixty have already demonstrated that fact this
year.
No wonder that shipbuilding is lively on the
Clyde; for something must be constructed at once
to make up this loss to the carrying trade. The
article referred to mentions some hastily-con-
strueted white oak and weed and iron ships to IL
speak OF the Vandalia, lately broken up-a lve-oak
ship-that was as sound as when built, and requir-
ing many tools to break her up 1t did to build
her, although her keel was laid thirty years agoS
He informs US that o. wooden vessel
was put on the ways for repairs, and
rotten timber as when she was built yet 'the
cinders and scori9 falling from her furnaces be-
tween the timbers under the engines, and kept in
motion by the rolling OF the ship, had worn grooves
and gashes in the bottom or outside planking
which had nearly cut her in twov
What confession for . writer on naval con-
struction to make One who prefers wood to iron,
tool In the first place. to allow holes for such
refuse to 60 through was culpable negligence and
ignorance and in the second place. the same would
happen to an iron hull under the same circum-
stances.
1t has on former occasions been shown that the
Hatteras and other iron vessels that were pur-
chased during the war were either sunk or badly
damaged by shot, and 1t stands recorded that an
armored vessel built for the Italian government in
this country, now remains, beyond REPAIRS sunk
by an od-fashOned teak built frigate turned into a
iron antagonist, striking her amdships, and In :
few minutes the costly fabric went to her last
resting place, and the old frigate went back to
port not very seriously damaged. OLD SALT.