Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1889-03-15
CAPT. JOHN ERICSSON.
Death of the Noted Inventor in Ne,
York City

Death of the Noted Inventor in New
York City.
The noted inventor, whose Monitor was
among the greatest achievements In useful
naval architecture Capt. John Ericsson,
died in New York, March 7th. He was born
in Sweden in 1903, his father being leading
miner.S Brought up amo the iron noun
tains Of Wermland, the youth early dis
played the natural bent Of his talents 10y
building the model of a saw mill and plan
ming a pumping engine designed to clear the
mines of water using only borrowed file, a
gmlet and a jack-knife as instruments, and
apiece of wood, watch spring an | a broken
lin spoon as materials of construction.
When IL years of age he was appointed
cadet in the Swedish Corps of Mechanical
Engineers, and at the age Of 13 was put in
charge of a section of the Gotha Ship canal,
on which his father was employed. Six
hundred of tn royal troops worked. under
his orders, yet he was such a little fellow
that servant had to carry around S ool
for him to stand on when leveling his in
struments. But in 1926 Ericsson went
to En- land and never a ter that returned
to his native country. Three years later
a seam engine of his was brought for
ward in competition to George Stevenson's
famous locomotive, the Rocket, hut the
latter won the first prize, though Ericsson
contended that his showed great r speed. In
1888 when he invented the screw propeller,
the English admiralty secuted at its posi-
bilities, and Ericsson, angered at this, set
sail for America. He was then 30 years old.
In few years more he had the satisfaction
Of seeing his propeller scheme thoroughly
demonstrate its immense value in the aid OF
navigation.
The English training that Captain
Ericsson has received led him to devote his
mechanical genius for great time to " ssels
Of l,op p,.iY, thn Ercf arch
he produced in America, but the Monitor
was the vessel that enriched his fame. His
theory was that the machinery of war YES
SCI, to be absolutely protected should be te-
low the water line and the Monitor was the
first craft ever built that demonstrated the
success Of such a scheme. Its wonderful
work during the civil war is known to every
household Of America and to every city of
the world, while the outgrowth of Captain
Ericsson's lea has given to the navy of the
United States many vessels Of great service
for this country of long coast lines and
numerous harbors. But the inventor had in
mind a still more terrible vessel of deStruc-
ton, which he rightly called the Destroyer.
| This torpedo boat was virtually completed IN
1870 at cost to its inventor Of about $40, 000
Both ends Of the boat are alike, so that the
moment it fires the fatal missile it can make
hasty retreat by simply reversing
the engines. In appearance it is en-
tirely unlike his other torpedo boats.
Instead of the old-fashioned cheese-box
it looks more like a coffin or she'll The pro-
jectile that is thrown from the Destroyer ex-
plodes the minute it touches any surface har-
der than water. One man manages the
whole machine, and spends his time in a lit
tie iron-clad cabin or box under the water.
When going at the rate of l5 miles an hour
she is enabled by an ingenious device to
make complete circle within her own length.
al bnr Ia Of
almost any direction, and makes it difficult
for an enemy to dodge her missiles.
A curious trait in the character of Capt.
Ericsson was hi total absence of anxiety to
enjoy personally the workings Of his inven-
tions. For instance, during four years after
the Destroyer was completed he only once
went on board the vessel, though in his shop
he constantly worked upon plans to
improve her power. In inventions Of
this kind he planned almost entirely from
drawings Among his other inventions Of
later years was solar engine, designed for
the utilization Of western prairies for farm
ing, the motive power coming from the heat
of the sun, so that water could cheaply be
pumped by its use. His reconstructed calorc
engine has been extensively used, and his
high speed steam engine has attracted much
attention.
Personally Captain Ericsson was of retir-
ing character, seeking no public notoriety,
ana even fecedlng from numerous Irlen =
ships. His eccentricity found vent in the
choice of a residence in a dingy, unfashion-
able quarter of New York City, an iirasci-
bilty that repelled visitors, and content
mant in life Of routine labor without re-
taxation for social enjoyments OF for friend
ly pleasures. From his fortieth
year he followed the most exacting
rules of temperance, and his constitution
continued to the last rugged and strong. At
ter each days work he would make record
of events in his diary, which had one page
devoted to each day, never more nor never
less. The diary was written chiefly
in Swedish, and has reached about
sixty volumes, covering period of
some forty years, with not day
omitted excepting for something over fort
night in 1856, when Capt. Ericsson met with
an accident which took off finger of his
right hand. Captain Ericsson's wife passed
away before him, and leaves no children to
inherit his name AMI fame.
Captain Ericsson had been i'll only about a
week. A physician was summoned when he
was first taken down, but owing to the adj
vanced age of the patient, medical skill
failed to rally him.