St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-12
JOHN ERICSSON,

The discoveries of genius are perma-
nent. Although the grave embraced
the body of JOHN ERICSSON yesterday.
his additions to the sum of human
knowledge remain. for they have be-
come the property of the world in COM
mon. And yet the value of his inven-
lions is more to be appreciated by our
own nation than others. 1t was during
the half-century of his life passed in
the United States he earned his enduring
fame, and the service performed by
him in planning and constructing the
Monitor was probably the salvation of
the Union.
JOHN Ericsson was probably the
most prolific mechanical inventor the
world ever produced; and, so far as con-
cerned naval inventions, the most use
full. He was in his eighty-sixth year when
he quietly passed away at his mod est
little home ON Beach street, in New
York, last Friday; and seventy-siX of
the years of his remarkable career had
been devoted to inventions. The
amount of work that he did in his
lifetime is marvellous, and the influ-
ton of the world and the devel opment
of science is almost incalculable. Capt.
ERICSSON was a native of Sweden, and
at the early age of ten constructed
minia ture sawmill and pumping ma
chine that attracted the attention of
Count PLATEN, chief of the great ship
canal intersecting the Swedish PENN
sula. Through the influence of this
official he was educated in the govern
ment school of engineering, and re-
ceived a commission in the army.
When twenty-five years old he invented
a flame engine of ten-horse power, and
by permission of the king of Sweden
went to London to introduce his inven-
ton. Once i'll the British capital, he
determined to remain there, and accord
ingly resigned his commission in the
Swedish army. During his residence
in England he produced forty machines
of various kinds for which he received
patents. In 1886 he invented the screw
propeller, which revolutionized naviga-
ton; and because the British admiralty
refused to adopt it, he came to the
United States and took up his residence
in New York. The United States gov
ernment readily recognized his genius,
and under orders from the navy depart
ment he furnished designs for the screw
war ship Princeton, the first vessel
having the propeller machinery below
the water line, and out of reach of hos
tile shot. This vessel dictated the re-
construction of the navIes of the world,
as did the Monitor in later years.
Although his mind was of an es-
sentially practical bent, and his. genius
was for mechanical inventions, still he
devoted great deal of time to purely
scientific investigation. His studies were
upon such subjects as the influences
combining to retard the earth's rotary
motion, the condition and temperature
of the moons surface, and the intensity
of the suns heat. He demonstrated
that the ring mountains of the moon
cannot be composed of volcanic matter,
but are inert glaciers, made permanent
as granite by perpetual intense cold.
His later years were devoted to the de-
velOpment of his ''Sun MOTOR" which
was erected in 1888, and which develops
a steady power obtained from the sup
ply of mechanical energy stored up in
the sun. This he hoped might be used
on the vast arid plains of the West, and
of other continents, to furnish power
for processes of irrigation. Even on his
death bed this work was the one con-
stantly on his mind, and his last in
structions were to have his ''sun MOTOR
completed. which he devised as free
bequest to mankind. His last words
were, "Giye me rest"