Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-07-08
WOODEN A6EN-of-wAR.

WOODEN MEN-of-WAis.
The Transition Period From The Sailing
Vessel 70 the StesnshiRs
In referring to the navy Of the past
it is impossible to avoid recalling the
feeling of pride with which an Ameri-
can seaman-ofiicer or man-walked
the deck of his ship. This feeling was
commoH to the naval and commercial
marine. Our wooden ships that sailed
the ocean from 1910 to 1860 were tho
finest in the world. The old frigata
Congress in 1912 was the poblest speci-
men of the frigate of the day, and the
sloop of war Portsmouth was unsur-
passed as q corvette. The clipper
ships of that period need no eulogy
beyond their own record. These ships
were the models for the imitation of all
maritime nations, and among the con-
structors of the period can be recalled,
without detriment to many others
omitted, the names of Lenthall, Steers,
Pook and Delano. The poetry of sail
ing reached its zenith during this
period.
But there is no sentiment in progress;
its demands are practical and impera-
tive, and the great motive power,
steam, was being crowded to the front
even during this the greatest develop
ment in the era of sails Advanced
ideas could not be resisted, and steam
was admitted as an auxiliary; but our
So
stood us in good stead, and enabled US
to supply ships with auxiliary steam
power. which continued to be promi-
nent for MANY years as standards to
which others found it to their advan-
tage to conform.
Before the final abandonment in the
navy of sailing ships, pure and simple,
an effort at a compromise was made by
limiting steam to side-wheel vessels,
and a number of fine ships were built.
in the forties, which did good service,
and were credit to the country, an
swering as they did the demands of the,
time. The Mississippi. Missouri, Sus-
quehana, Saranac and Powhatan car
ried the flag to all parts of the world
for many years, some of them enduring
to bear their share in the late war, while
the Powhatan is even now borne ON the
list of vessels of the navy.
The Princeton, of great fame, and
the San Jacinto. were the only ships
with screw propellers that appeared in
the period under consideration. the use
of the screw being considered of doubt
full propriety, to be tested by tentative
These ships have long
since disappeared. but the screw re-
mains and side wheels are relegated to
boats for inland waters.
Confidence being established in the
screw-propeller. construction on the
principle of auxiliary steam-power was
decided on, and ships of different
classes were added to the navy in such
numbers as the varied duties required.
There were those at that time who,
wise beyond their generation, recog-
nized the full meaning of the advent Of
steam, and saw that it must supplant
sails altogether as the motive power
for ships. These advocated that new
should be provided with
full steam-pOwer. with sails as an aux
iliary; but the old pride in the sailing
ship. with her taunt and graceful spars,
could not be made to yield ct once to
the innovation; old traditions pointing
to the necessity of full sail-power could
not be dispelled; it was considered a
sufficient concession to admit steam on
any terms, and thus the conservative
and temporizing course was adopted
Of retaining full sail-power, and utiliz-
ing steam as an auxiliary.
The United States Government was
not alone in this policy. 1t was the
course pursued by all other maritime
nations, and for some years the United
States retained the lead in producing
The most perfect types in this new
phase of naval construction,-Rcar i'd
niral E. Simpson. in Harper's Maga-
.i,1p