The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-31

THE SU
steamer. She was employed On GENERAL cruising
duty IN the home squadron and West indies for
several years. was one OF tho vessels OF the
Paraguay expedition in 1885, and in 1901 was
laid up In ordinary at tho Pensacola Navy Yard.
The Pensacola yard was yurrendered TO the
Confederates on Jan. 10. 1861. and the Fulton
TINS fell into their hands: she wna then in very
bad condition.. having SONS time previously
been stranded and nearly wrecked near Pensa-
cola: her csptors. however, hsuied her on tho
building ways snd began repairing her. on
May o. 1852. military operations compelled the
Confcderstes to abandon the yard. and they
burned everything in II, including the Fulton.
which was then on the stocks.
The author Of this book says truly that the
story Of Fulton ii. would be incomplete without
. special reference to tho Invaluable services
rendered by Capt NJ. C. Perry to the steam
navy. which her example called into life. His
able. u%ntirlng. and successful championship Of
engines ana engineers. In connection with that
vessel. have properly given him q place In our
naval history as tho father Of the American
steam navy. IL Is we'll known that Matthew c.
Perry was . younger brother Of that other
Perry who overcame the British on Lake Erie
in 1913. which event is 80 nearly synony-
nous In the public mind with the name
OF Perry that tho deeds OF the younger
brother. some OF which were, perhaps. Of more
lasting Importance even than the winning Of .
brilliant battle. have been dimmed by contrast
From tho first Matthew Perry foresaw that
Jealousy. amounting almostt to animo.ity. would
spring up between tho limo and stan officers,
between the deck and tho hold. and he deter
mined to reduce 1t to q minimum. He resolved
to provide precedents to act as .anti-friction
buffers. so as to secure . maximum of harmony.
He believed that responsibility helped vastly
to mako the man. It was he who suggested
that naval engineers should take the oath. and
from nrst TO last DO held to those sanctions and
to that discipline which would. create among
them the esprit so valued In the line Officers.
Before tho completion of Fulton II. . single
steam vessel had appeared In the navy In the
form OF q small paddle heeled 'tugboat OF l43
tons. which was bought In Baltimore IN 1890
for about 49, 900 and was named the Engineer.
She was used as q tug and despatch boat about
the Norfolk Navy Yard for q Der Of years,
and also did some surveying service on the
Southern coast. Although not q war vessel In
my sense. this craft 10 mentioned by Mr.. Ben
nett because she was for . short time tho only
steamer In the navy. and was . familiar object
to tho early member of tho engineer corps,
many OF whom were assigned to her for tempo
rary service while getting broken In to the rules
OF the navy. In 1912 two steam f~rigates. the
Mississippi and Missouri. wero completed. They
werc built under the supervision of Mr.. Has
well. Mr.. Copeland. and Of Mr.. Faron. who. In
1910. was made q chief engineer. These frigates
wero o29 feet long. 40 feet broad. and their dis
placement was AERO tons. They were bark
rugged. spreading 10000 square feet OF canvas.
Each vessel had three copper boilers Of tho
doublo-return ascending iuo variety, with three
furnaces aud 30 square feet OF crate surface in
each boiler. Tho heating surface Of each boiler
was 1000 square feet, or exactly twenty-five
times the crate surface. Tho paddle wheels
were % feet In diameter and IL feet
broad. The battery Of each vessel con-
sisted of two l0-inch aud eight S-inch
shell guns. Tho Mississippi had two side
lever engines. with cylinders 20 inches In
diameter and 7 feet stroke. and the Missouri
had two inclined. direct.acting engines, with
cylinders G2ta inches diameter and 10 feet
stroke; the cubical contents of tho cylinders Of
the two vessels were practically tho same. q
difference being made In tho length Of the
stroke. TO test the relative merits OF long and
short stroke engines. The hulls were of wood.
that Of tho Mississippi being constructed at tho
Philadelphia Navy Yard, and that of the Mis-
souri, at the New York Navy Yard. The actual
cost Of the Mississippi TO the time OF her first
sailing. exclusive OF ordnance. WAS $5o9.67O.
and that Of the Missouri $5eS. soc.
After the appointments for the two new steam
frigates were made. there wero twenty engineers
in the service. and II was expected that many
more would be needed In tho near future. as tho
eIpediency Of building war steamers was now
thoroughly acknowledged. Tho engineers were
much dissatisfied with various anomalies Incl
dent TO their recent connection with the navy
and they began an agitation which speedily re-
suited In the legal establishment of the engineer
corps as n permanent part of the naval organi-
ration. They complained that their pay did not
compare favorAbly with the wages OF competent
engineers In civil employments. Other grIev-
ances were the irregular manner In which they
were appointed and their uncertain tenure Of
onHce. Early In tho year l8+2 an incident
occurred which 80 provoked tho engineers
that they felt constrained to lay a petit
tion before Congress. This incident was tho
appointment, as AM engineer In tho navy. of .
young man, the protege OF a powerful politician.
who made no prctenco to knowledge OF engi-
n~eerinG. but who simply wanted q salaried POSI-
ton under the Government. That the engineers
then In tho service resented this appointment 10
PROOF tnRt tnero already existeu among them q
pride In their calling and . developed esprit de
corps. The outcome Of the petition was an act
of Congress regulating tho appointment and
pay OF engineers In the navy.
We recur for q moment to the story OF the two
steam ~frigatcs above mentioned. The Missouri
had but . brief existence. She was burned ut
Gibraltar on Aug. 20, ls43. tho engineers yeo-
man having broken q demijohn Of spirits OF
turpentine In the storeroom, which ignited and
started q fire that spread so rapidly that all
hope Of saving the vessel had to be abandoned.
and tho crew barely escaped with their lives.
1t 10 noteworthy that In tho previous year tho
chief engineer of tho Missouri had asked for q
metallic tank In which to keep tho spirits of tur-
p%entIne. but the reQuisition had been refused.
The Mississippi had . long and famous
career. but eventually met with q fate
even more tragic than that OF her sister
frigate. Sho Is said to have been a beautiful
vessel, and. from having had . succession of
able commanders and common sense officers in
full accord with each other. she won the envi.
able reputation OF being . happy saip." OF
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