The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-03-26

"a
Whcwl' whistlcd an old captain whose
opinion was asked. that's u great idea, pat h
ing new ship. II won't stand. It's bound to
work loose; Every part. Of u. Wooden ship
gives a little. All the tlmbcrs Of the vessel are
ntnt IN 10 meet the stern post. and there's
natural tendency in them to spring oil. OF
course where that stern post l. cut there i
weak point Her panks couldn't be spiked to
tie stern post there, and. naturally, the burden
oi sustaining them must fall on the parts above
and below. just wait I'LL she strikes the bot
tom with her s'rew. She IL liable to 20 down
stern nrst ii is the rule. rather than the cNccp-
uoni WIN every big ship that comes through
sandy Hook. tO strike her heel on the bottom.
lhrre only twenty-iodr feet on some OF the
bars, and II there's a sea on she Is liable to
toM,h with three feet moro Of water"
, Yes. indeed. said an old captain. who ran
me blockade oiten"r than any other man IN the
Confederate service, "ThatHih the weak point IN
the Old c. with half dozen sticks OF the
d@ad Wood ga from h1r siafni hoI rammed
SOC. 6y the force Of the pr"posr' Many time
rs I've stood on deck with good sea on. when
the vessel pitehcda little. I've started around
under the impression that we'd struck. But II
was only the blade of the propeller that hit the
water as her heel came down. Once the stcrn-
post IL weakened in u wooden ship. don't be-
ilcNe you can save II 10y putting any amount OF
iron around II, because. you see. with the con-
tlnua pounding. she has II tendency to shake
1t may be remembered that Chief Engineer
Clark OF the Rus land gnve i rs his opinion that
the tube that enclosed the shaft of her propeller
had been split 10y the shock. and that she filed
in that way.
In tho testimony Of Chief Engineer Hender-
son; taken at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. May 2.
1876, before the Congressional committee being
asked about the Trenton springing a leak when
she was launched TO bn taken over To the
Morgan Iron Works to have her machinery put
in. he replied: The vessel WIS rrdoeked the
second tim" on account of the propeller having
p@n 'auLHt IN tho h,aNy buoy OF the mrorints
on the navy yard, and the SHAFT partially drawn
9ut thereby. The injury was Ia the stuiling box
inside. II was repaired in "a few hours. and tho
vessel taken away" This looks very much like
continuation Of the opinions oi the two old Cap
taius quoted above. II TN" mere foulng of her
propeller with u movable buoy in the river in
lurod her stuilng box 80 that she sprang a leak,
how Will il be when she hits her heel on a lar
like that at Sandy Hook Or. When She V encoun
tors heavy sea. viii she not like the vessel
Of the mld blockade runner be liable to have
INC s'liiing Knocked out of her
Mr. Ron chs own explanation will he intor-
Willis. as follows:
Q-Was not some of the machinery Of the Nevada nnt
into ne rrcnioni A-ies sir The Nc,alas cns,ncs
q mat work VA. good q. could he done The ,ha Of
IT.. ~ "ui hA IN our yard some time after n was pur
sne feqire. certain SEA .lait' Ne Knew what Il
was amt ~ alterations which made in ~. 1t an.
,,wcrsd tor ihi' .ig ant lrobaey saved u lsr
VA va. Concerned sou We could not nave made an
question arose between self amt the Government As
Thcy called or s RSm t% nrGss a s NS amy a9
would net lu IN aud guarantee the result AMI sent
sne- hath IN ihs country ana el.ewhefc AID they sa,r
paper. about boring ont Sow could have urir tie
that We could out the vessel '"' '''''' VI '' ''''
Whatever may bee tho fact about tho comnara-
tive cost of cutting down the shnft nttnehIJ Ia
engines Of $500 horse power. from fourteen
u twelve inches in diameter. and cutting "A
lWriN"-m'h moi" two inches larger in 20 post
nliv times ~ l,reHt. the weakness of Mr. Roa.h's
H9- rlion lg- IN IN" fact that he did not honr the
cost pi 10. The hulr wis enlarged hy carpenters
III we employ "l lh" pNernmeut. under TIA" i'm
m.ilni', ,lir. ton OF the foreman o. the yard.
A. ~ VI. Roach : pr't"n'e that ih' reason he
put lh iuurt"n-in ID -huu when only twelve
inch shan WIS .all ior hrraus, re- would NOT
guarantee the work at the fist.numei w.,
those who know him ana Sncur Rohe-ou and
their way of doing bus nnss IAN read his true
motive between the lines uf his own testimony
H' sand ln the same answer qifot.d above:
W. iurth"r used IN that ship tho rrnchair whi was
who had M "Isna'd , r n, s9 ,, iar
and on hat pronfJy We mshi lave saved s.,pi,ore
ini ~ 81, We OF that old machinery ,Avfo s-ht have
Ave paid Tor the whole thins SOON
Mr.. Nhithorne asked him later:
o. understood YOU to state In answer 90 Nr willis.
thHi NJ '.mi q the Trenton and ts stern piece came
Q-NNihiu. ,I.of A-N,t that brow of. Anan
quo ','r .i woe :, new.lai.r 'i -i fNH' le $50.
,aop,o .,e ~au w. VINE ' ia- u''' '"' s' ''' 'D'
I, l. tru" that gentleman visited tho Morgan
Iron Works al the request of inE SUI. ant lu-
spe tri "a" ma 'hinrry uhNut tne time THAT a. Wis
ready to d.. lut into the Trenton. H. WIS mot "a
Eiu''r ami naN nl-t. n report tn THE ~UN
was Slightly contradictory of Mr.. Euaru' Is f.~fl-
mo ms. II WIS in tlr r'f'.t that many important
paris of tine ma 'hinNry hr-ldns the shalt end
81 'rn-pi"'" Nn boon refused. an ons tN"n fh.
main connections. the main cOunr,tInA rod
having ilrrn cat down srNrn-s Ntrrntl- of au
ia thht me INKS Whrh worked Do" valve
motion, many OF tine ket, aud hra-er- md
even the steps mad been iurDi-h"d to luoh n'w
a. a. the story that I,nueh bought the q 'rn-
piece from third party. who bought tine v"--rl
from ~" Government. the testimony of Mr. JOnn
II. Draper the aurtiunnor. before the snfua com
Itf l-I F