Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-03-15
CURRENT AFFAIRS.
JOHN ERIC1SSON
DEATH OF THE GREAT INVENTOR.
A sketch of his Life aud Remarkable
Career.

]
Mus before he had reached his twelfth year
and when he entered the Swedish army il
1890 he was rapidly promoted But when
five years later, he visited England and ex
hibited caloric engine of his invention, h,
received such encouragement from capital
lists in that country that he resigned hi
military commission and never saw his ma
tive land again. He remained in Englan,
fourteen years, during which he produced
some forty inventions in mechanics includ
ing the steam fire engine, the improved cal
oric engine and the locomotive Novelty,
which, in 1929, ran thirty miles an hour OF
the Liverpool and Manchester railway, but
proved inferior in traction power to Robert
Stcphcnson's Rocket"
His supreme achievement. however, dur
ing hi, residence in England was the scre,,
propeller, which he applied in 1881 for tn,
first time to a tug He invited the British
admiralty to inspect it, and although it wa,
perfect practical success, their lordship,
frowned upon it because they decided that
no vessel having its motive power in the
appreciation did not discourage the ndum
table young Swede, and he lived to see the
propeller principle operate all the fast ship.
Of the world aud crowd out the side whee
machinery
lie came to the United States in 1899
aud found warm official announcement
the result Of which was the construction
from his plans of the steamship Princeton.
"A war vessel which was as much Of an i'm
provemeut upon all existing types ffty
years ago as the Monitor was upon the fish
ing craft Of lSGl The Princeton was the
first man of war that carried it. machinery
hrlu,, the. wnter line and -u out of the reach
of hostile shot. and in it we're also intro
duced direct action engine Of unusual
cnmpactnes-. a gun carriage that took ut
th,. reroil of the Gun. aud "A centrifugal
blower to furnish draft to the furnaces. By
most formiIuhl. shin of the time. and wa.
also the first practical nc.au. going propel
Ter.
After the Princeton cam. the Monitor
I'm 1851 Ericsson proposed t. the Emperor
| NAPOLEON the construction Of a floating bat
terv. In. ,rius ia Ii. mounted In a revolving
turret placed upon a hull with very little
| fr..hnard Nnfhirg came of his negotia-
tions with tb. French monarch and the de
vice was laid away until the exigencies Of
the government Of the United States called
il into life The Monitor was built. under
from the laving Of the keel plate. and ar.
rived in HAMPTON Roads on March g. 1862
IN time To crippl. and drive back to the
shelter Of the Confederate guns the rebel
ironclad Virginia. with which jefferson Da
yis's.goyernmeut had expected To sink the
ports. The ease with which the Virginia
wbiuped the wooden vessels at Fortress
Monroe. ,,a, evidence. .nougb that but for
TN. apuearauc4 nf tb. Monitor the Copf4d
erate program might have been carried
ont the Who'll. fnce Of the war changed.
and the naval power Of the Union crushed
Ericsson vastly improyed upon the primi-
tive. design. Of the Monitor afterward. and
some fifty vessel. Of that type shared in the
naval battles Of TIA. war. while several of
| th. Inter fleet demonstrated their sea. going
cnpacities hy VOYAGE, to Europe and in the
Pacific ocean Some are still retained in
the navy of the United States and the PA
rltap and Dictator especially remain as the
! bi,bast dav.l,u,u.ut If the turr.t class Of
! sbirs The HIGHEST naval authorities ulac.
,,reat confidence in them for coast defense.
npd if i NOT ,mprobabl. that when furnish
Ell with engine. 10 produce sufficient speed
| they ma, tax. the sea The honor, If in
v.pti,u of the. tnrr.t shin have bean claim
ell for CAPTAIN Cowper Cole. Of the British
navy Lut Ericsson was uuuue,tiouably in
advance Of him in the practical maturing
of IN. idea
Although the invention Of the screw pro-
p.lIer and In. submer,,e5 war shin gave
hin, r,,,r. ir,,r,Iiot.. anil brilliant fana Il
,yos IN. invention or IN, c,loric .p,ina
which first made him rb. hero If popular
int.r..t H.. hal ;n,a,t.d tho coIar;, ON
.,ina in 1s39. il vos his met idea and Iorg
aft.r ba hal ,,,,iual tb. bi.,bast rama that
he could expect. This retained his ardent in.
t.rast ,rd h. b,,,,d to 500. II vet in rracti.
c,bla s.ryi,. Tho caIoric engine tool the
scientific ,,,rIJ nf ENGLAND I, stor,, . moth
in, else vos talked of Dionvsius Iardner
and Michael Fnrad,v mod. il th,. theme of
Is.tpras I-re o,ur,vad il and il scanned ss
| if II ,,or. =, IN. i,coIculsLIv yalusll. Rut
! this sbnws boy, uncertain immediate iudg
ments may be II WAS in 1873 that Mr..
Ericsson first launched his caIoric shin
named arter himself IN the barbor of New
| N,rL An tb. ,.,,nt,.,. ,,-as intarest,J in
IT, trisI trim il sailed Cr,,n Nav, York ~
V,.bip,,tor aud bsck hut lis snaeJ WAS
not sufficient T., ,,r,,ata with steam and
,,o+ ,,.,, ,,..,,.,i..all,. ,ba .rJ ,f tb, d,,ica
os ou,li.j IN ro,,i,,otiou Rrt the caI,ric
ar,,in bo. I..,.,, s,,,...ssf,,lIy anuIiad IN sta
tionsr, ,,.a ,.,.,. sinca and mara than GOOo
war. Luilt mn 1SS- For this invention
Ericsson receiyed in 1850 tba ,,oId and Ill
v.. RurC,rd n,.l,ls r,,. rho caIoric sr,,in.
-tb. se,ond b.sto,yoI of tba honor in mi.
,.,.,,,r,
Eri,ssor,s ,tbs, i,v.rt;ons ,youId 6l n
lonp cataIo,ua II r.onired volume of
GOO pages to dascrihs his contributions n
the Centennial exbibition of 1875 Six Years
ago he marked his investigation of solar
bsot oud of the mechanical enerp,v which
the great mminarv has in store for the
world when the coal fields shall have he.
! rnne exhausted by tLe construction of a
.,,,, r,,t,,. a,, ,,;,,. ,,,,.atsd l,, solar bsat