Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-11
ERICSSON THE INVENTOR.
Sketch ofthe Remarkable Career Of the
Man who Built the Monitor.


last Friday, was born, says the n. Y. Herald
in Langbsnshyttan, in Sweden, and in that
quaint village stands an iron shaft ON pedestal
of granite bearing an inscription, of which the
following is translation:
| In miners hut at Langbanshyttan were
born the two brothers, Nils Ericsson, January
81, 1902, and John Ericsson, July 81, 1908
Both honored their native land. Their way
through work to knowledge and lasting fame il
open to every Swedish youth.
| Olaf, the father of Ericsson. was a miner in
humble circumstances. His mother Sophie
| however, was woman of excellent family and
| superior education. whose father had lost for
| tune in unlucky Investments. John Ericsso q
was born in the midst of mines and iron works
| and showed signs of his genius at an early age.
| Before he was eleven years old he had designed
the model of saw-mill and a new variety OF
pumping engine, which, when shown to Ad-
miral Count Platter, chief of the Gotha ship
canal, under whom Olaf Ericsson was working,
| gained his admiration.
Thenceforth Count Platter became interested
in the studious and busy boy. He procured for
| him cadetship in the Swedish corps of me-
| chanical engineers, which he entered at the age
of twelve, and in the following year he was
made leveler on the canal At the age of
seventeen, despite the protests of Count Platter,
the lad entered the army and was rapidly pro-
NOTED to the rank of lieutenant in consequence
OF his beautiful military maps, which had at
| tracted the attention Of King Charles John
| (Bernadotte).
YOUNG ERICSSON GOES TO ENGLAND.
The young genius showed an inventive fac
| ulty which had but little chance of reward in
Sweden, and in the year 1926 he visited Eng
| and, where he introduced flame engine
With mineral fuel it proved a failure; but he
was not discouraged, and soon after, upon be-
| ing promoted to q captaincy, he resigned his
commission in the Swedish army and devoted
himself to mechanical pursuits Numerous in.
ventions followed. Among them was the first
| steam boiler constructed on the principle of an
artificial draught, which effected great saving
| Of fuel and dispensed with huge and expensive
| smoke stacks. In 1929 the Liverpool and Man.
chester railroad offered prize Of $500 for the
best locomotive capable of fulfilling certain
stipulations. The prize was awarded to Geo.
Stephenson with the Rocket, planned by his
father George; but his sharpest competitor in
| the contest was John Ericsson.
INvENTs THE SCREW PROPELLER.
But by far the most important invention to
which Ericsson laid claim, and which must be
assigned to him according to the present ac-
cessible testimony, is that of the screw pro-
peller. England, France, Germany, and
Sweden all contend for their own inventions,
and even China asserts priority. Nevertheless
it may be safely said that Ericsson's claim to
| tho invention stands ON a firmer foundation
than any other. In 1886 his boat, the F. B.
Ogden. was propelled on the Thames at the
rate of ten miles an hour. In 1887 he took the
Admiralty barge in tow and steamed nine miles
an hour up and down the same river.
ERICSSON COMES TO AMERICA
Captain r. T.. Stockton, then in London, q
friend and relative of John T. Stevens, of Ho-
boken, was so satisfied with Ericsson's success
that, in 1888, he engaged him to construct a
vessel for the Delaware and Raritan canal.
This boat, called the Stockton, was sent from
Liverpool to New York under sail in the spring
OF 1889, her machinery being slowed in her
hold. BY an act Of Congress her name was
changed to the New Jersey. and she did service
for many years.
Soon after his arrival in the United States
Captain Ericsson's abilities were recognized by
the government. He was employed to design
and construct the first steam man-of-war built
In the western world, the Princeton, launched
in 1912. This was the vessel in which the
Peacemaker gun burst, in 1874, killing. among
others. the Secretary of the Navy She re-
manned in commission seven years. Mean
while, the first French screw line-of-battle ship
the Napoleon, was launched; also the first screw
vessels OF the British navy, the Dwarf and the
Rather.
SOME REMARKABLE INVENTIONS.
In 1851 Ericsson exhibited in the United
| States division of the London Industrial Exhi-
bition an instrument for measuring distances
at sea; the hydrostatic gauge for measuring the
volume OF fluids under pressure; the recipro-
eating fluid meter for measuring the quantity
OF water which passes through pipes during q
given period; the alarm barometer; the prone
ter, intended as the standard measure Of tenn
perature from the freezing point of water to
the melting point OF iron; a rotary fluid meas
ure to measure the velocity Of fluids passing
through pipes of different dimensions and a
deep-sea lead, contrived for taking soundings
at sea without stopping the vessels way and in
dependent Of the lead line. For these novel;
ties he was awarded the prize medal.
In 1852 Capt Ericsson introduceda new form
OF caloric engine on the ship Ericsson It pro-
PEELED this ship of 1000 tons from New York to
Alexandria in rough weather. in February,
1888, the engines being kept in operation con-
five tons OF fuel being used every twenty-four.
THE CIVIL WAR.
At the commencement of the civil war Capt.
Ericsson was intrGsted by the Federal govern
ment with commission which fortunately and
greatly enhanced his fame. He built the first
iron-clad war vessel which had ever been mad G
with revolving turrets for guns. The Monitor.
the first, was completed in one hundred days.
She reached Hampton Roads on the evening of
March 8, 1862, and next day defeated and
blockaded the rebel iron-clad Merrimac Up to
that period this was one of the most remarka-
bic episodes of the war.
Other iron-clad vessels of the Monitor type
were built with extraordinary rapidity after
| the first victory of Hampton Roads. Six of
them in Charleston harbor, within fifty-two
days. were struck by hostile shots an aggregate
| OF 629 times without one penetration of side
armOr, turret or pilot house. The Weekawken
defeated and captured the confederate ram
Atlanta. and the Montauk destroyed the Nash
viile. In 1864 the Monitor captured the ram
| Tennessee.
Russia, Sweden. Norway and Turkey then
adopted the American turret system, and when
Mlantnnnmnh he = L.
British construction yielded and carried it out
| on a far larger plan.
Still another instrument invented by the de-
| ceased is the pryheliometer, designed to show
the intensity of the suns rays, and also his in
vestigations of the surface and temperature of
the moon. Pursuing this subject Capt Erics-
son has shown exactly how the annu!ar glaciers
| are formed by vortex columns of vapor and
| how the conical hills within the circular walls
| are formed. One of his conclusions is that the
| water on the moon bears the same proportion
to its mass the water of our oceans to the ter
restrial mass, and that the water of the moon
| is 2,028, GOO cubic miles.
Ericsson in later years turned his attention
| to the problem of making direct use of the
enormous dynamic force stored up in the sun 9
| rays. To make the enormous and as vet I'M
| used dynamic force of this radiant heat availa-
bic for mans use was the problem to which
Ericsson principally devoted the closing of his
| life.
| Various Swedish orders and decorations were
conferred upon Captain Ericsson during his
| lifetime, and besides the monument to the
brothers Ericsson referred to above u special
| prpcta6 in 1897 i'm honor of I'm t,ioe-