The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1889-03-14
CLOSE OF An EyESrFUL LIFE.

John Ericsson, whose name Is al
ready famous in history as the In
ventor OF the iron-eiad Mouitor.
which did such excellent service at
Hampton Roads, for the Union
cause. died In New York City, on
last Friday, within n few months Of
the advanced age Of 81 years, having
been born July 81, Is03. He first
saw light at Wernaldno, Sweden, and
was the son Of an iron miner. His
inventive genius began to develop it.
self before he was 10 years old, and
lac il on record So having invented
several mechanical rOntrivAnees be-
fore he was - years Of age, or in
ls,.E. when he came To America. In
the present era Of great speed, 1t 10
interesting TO recall, that In 1929 he
surprised England with q steam To-
motive that ran thirty miles an
hour. Medals and other honors
were bestowed upon him. A brief
account Of his life gives the follow
ing further facts:
Ericsson invented the screw pro-
peller, which has revolutiOniZed
ocean travel within half a century.
Indeed, the stupid failure Of the
English to appreciate the screw pro-
peller il what sent Ericsson to
America, where his advance ideas
found better treatment.
During John Quincy Adams term
- president, the government backed
successful experiments with the pro-
Peller. The boat in which 1t was
tried, the Princeton. was also the
first steamship ever built with ms
chinery protected from shot by be-
ing placed below the water line,
making il the pioneer In modern
naval construction. Its guns, more
over. had the first self-acting locks
of the kind that are now In general
use At this time the committee Of
the American institute formally
said: Nothing In the history Of
mechanics surpasses the inventive
genius of Captain Ericsson
The public exhibition Of the
Princeton at Washington was at
AtAl AOl
Ericsson was ia no way responsible.
The great gun called the Peace
maker" exploded, killing the secre-
tary of state, the secretary Of the
navy and three other persons.
Strange TO say, Ericsson was never
reimbursed for his expensive expert
ments with the Princeton, his modest
claim for $1,000, the actual cost,
having been disallowed by Congress.
stranger still, Ericsson was never
paid a dollar for deyisiDg and build
ing the wonderful gunbOat with
which his fame IL inseparably con-
nected. The suggestion Of the
Monitor was first made by Ericsson
To- Napoleon III in q letter dated at
New York in 1854. For eight years
the idea awaited its opportunity.
The board to inspect designs for
irOnclads, after the war broke out,
not only discouraged the Invention,
but actually snubbed him, so dense
was their inability to appreciate his
advanced ideas. The story Of its
final acceptance IL a long and q
particularly gratifying one. hut
the "cheese box on a shingle" sur
pri=ed the world one day al
Hampton Roads, and Ericsson has
had record in glory, though an
ungrateful nation never paid him in
cash.
The Monitor revOlutiOniZed naval
warfare as the screw had TevOlu-
tiOniEed ocean travel.
In recent years Ericsson had
devoted his unwearied and ever
youthful brain TO problems Of
submarine naval attach, the famous
torpedo boat, the Destroyer, being
the most conspicuous Of his achieve
mentS.