Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-05-22


tween this paper and the Mechanical En-
ginccr of New York, has attracted wide
attention.
The latter is endeavoring to maintain,
in substance, the proposition that nobody
but Captain John Ericsson and Captain
Ericsson's agent, Mr. G.. s. Bushnell of
Connecticut had anything worth record
ing to do with the construction of the
Monitor The FREE PRESS insists that
the men who secured the favorable atten-
ton of President Lincoln, and who as
sumed thrce-fourths of the risk, and fur
nished over iive-siXths of the capital re
qured in the experiment of the construc-
ton of the Monitor, are also entitled to
an honorable place in history. This pa
per, of course, does not claim original ac-
quaintance with the facts-noither can
the McchuHicdl Engineer but we have
taken some pains to seek original sources
of information. The editor of this paper
has consulted, in person, Hon. John f.
Winslow of PoughkeepSie, one of the
builders of the Monitor, at his home ut
Woodcliif ON the Hudson has examined
copies of the original contracts and of
letters and papers connected with the
subject and has endeavored to arrive at
the truth. Our statements, when not
resting on documentary evidence, may be
understood to rest on Mr.. Winslow's au-
thorty and this is gOOd authority. John
+. Winslow is known and hOnored by d
wide circle He possesses the highest re-
spect and esteem of all who know him.
His truthfulness no man will dare i'm
pugn. He is broad enough to accord full
credit to all his associates. But he is also
justly proud of his connection with that
most important passage of our country's
history, made notable by the creation and
achievements of the first Monitor and
when any man or paper attempts to deny
TO him and his deceased partner, John A.
Griswold, anything but nominal or in
significant part in that enterprise, he has
Il right to let the truth be known.
We print in another column the Engi-
nCcr'S last article on the Monitor, mark
ing for reference some of the singular
and in view of the facts most surprising
statements therein. These we now take
up in their order.
(U. Our authority for the remark that
Mr.. Bushnell went to Washington as
Capt. Ericsson's agent, is the MGchunicdt
Engineer. In its issue of January 10Th,
that paper stated that Captain Ericsson
showed his plan for the Monitor to Mr..
Bushnell in New York that Mr.. Bush
nell proposed that the plan be entrusted
to him. to submit to the Secretary of
the Navy; that this was done, and that
Mr.. Bushnell went to Washington, eX-
planned the invention to the Secretary
and also went before the Naval Board
and worked hard to persuade the Board to
adopt it. If this was not being Captain
Ercsson's agent, what was it ? The En-
gihCcr' later denial is evidently "A bubble
on words, an assertion that Bushnell was
not Il lCgdlly appointed agent, or some
thing OF the sort. Even on that point
there might be an argument for Bush
nell so far acted as Ericsson's legal agent
as toarrange with Winslow and GriswOld
the division of profit Off there should be
any in the building of the Monitor) be
tween Ericsson and Bushnell and Girls
void and Winslow, before the latter had
ever seen Ericsson. But we have no time
or space to waste on bubbles We notice
this one, only to show our readers what
sort of a critic we are dealing with, and
to lead them to remember in considering
the further comments of the Engineer
that what may seem on its face to be the
controverting of "A statement of fact may
be merely captiOus quarrel with word
or phrase. For our part, we are trying to
state facts and it is of not the slightest
consequence to any material point we have
made i'll this controversy whether Bush
nell was technically and legally Captain
Ericsson's "agent"-or simply his spokes-
man and representative.
on. Mr.. Winslow says there was no 'as-
ISOLATION" with Ericsson and Bushnell till
after the rejection by the Naval Board
of the plans which Bushnell, as Ericsson's
agent, had been laboring with Secretary
Welles and the Board, for weeks, to gel
adopted. When Bushnell first endeavor
ed to interest Griswold and Winslow il
those plans, he was, as he told them, de
spairing of success by his own efforts
Those gentlemen probably knew as wei
as anybody what called them to Wash
ington and they ICcre there on business
connected with the furnishing of the iron
plates for the plating of the Gdlenn
which We're made by them at their works
in Troy, n, Y.
(c) The members of the Naval BoarC
are all dead, and cannot be called TO ties
tify whether or no President LincOln'
opinion had any weight with them. 1t il
not possible that the Engineer can know
that his favor did not influence the Board
We submit that it stands to reason, to be
lieve that the approval of the Command
er-in-chief of the United States Army ant
Navy, lCOuld influence his subOrdinates
And we have no doubt that it was thu
thing which changed their attitude of op
position, to willingness to consider tn
plans, and, aided doubtless by Captain
Ericsson's explanations, and by the i'm
portant circumstance that responsible
parties had offered to back him witt
money and credit, secured the favorabl
report of the Board.
Cd). The report of the Naval Board
recommending that IAN experiment b
made with one battery of this description
on the terms proposed was made Sci