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

sastNS w. saa Deah "SNeNe 1880.
cred a. agencies for the deterioration Of iron
bulls. Il 10 pointed out By Mr.. Bennett, how
ever. that the extraordinary longevity OF the
Michigan IL due partly TO the fact that she has
to lie up In n winter harbor for about six months
each year.
Early in 1s42 Lieut.. w. W. Hunter OF the
navy secured n patent for . submerged wheel.
claiming = great Improvement over the ord-
nary side wheels In propeiilnG vessels. After
The Invention had teea tOs;S4 w!.h . small
boat on the old canal in Washington. tho Navy
Department ordered the building Of . vessel on
Mr.. Hunters plans. and the work was carried
ont At the Norfolk Navy Yard. Tho vessel.
named tho Union. was 1875 feet long, 80 feet
beam. and displaced 300 tons. The rig was
that Of q three-masted topsail schooner. and the
battery consisted OF four 0s- FOUNDER guns. The
engines wcro built at tho Washington Navy
Yard according TO Mr.. Hunters ideas; the
propelling wheels were fourteen feet In
diameter. and were each fitted with
twenty paddles, four feet long and ten
inches wide. In Is43 the Union was engaged In
experimental cruising about the coast. but was
unable to develop . better average speed than
I'VE knots per hour. although. with q favorable
wind. she made on some occasions, nine and ten
knots for short periods. In 1s46 It was con-
cluded that the engines wero not powerful
enough. Accordingly others were substituted.
and At tho same time the wheels were so altered
as TO have but ten paddles each instead OF
twenty. Tho changes failed to increase tho
efficiency of tho vessel. and the Union was
finally. in ls4s. put to use as q receiving ship at
tho Philadelphia Navy Yard. The total cost
OF this experiment WAS S226.e77 While the
troubles of tho Hunter wheel In the
Union were progressing. . similar experience
was being gained with . small iron steamer
named the Water Witch. This vessel was built
at the Washington Navy Yard in ls43. from
Lieut. Hunters plans. and was intended for =
steam water tank to supply the vessels at the
Norfolk station. When completed. however. 1t
was discovered that she could not go through
the locks Of the Dismal Swamp canal. which
bad to DO done In order to got at the water sup
plies. 80 she was fitted for = harbor vessel and
tug. The maximum speed Of this vessel was
six and one-half knots per hour, which was so
unsatisfactory that she was condemned. and
taken to Philadelphia to DO rebuilt The ex-
pertinent with tho Hunter wheel" In this
vessel stops At this point. but Mr.. Bennett
traces the interesting subsequent career Of
the Water Witch. At Philadelphia the
vessel. which had originally been 100
feet long. WAS heightened thirty feet. and tho
entire machinery was removed. new machinery.
driving a"Loper " propeller. rs an experiment.
being substituted. This. also. was pronounced
unsatisfactory, although when tried In tho
Delaear River n speed OF nearly nine knots
was obtained. In ls47 an inclined condensine
engine. driving side wheels. was put In. With
this alteration tho Water Witch was &C
lively employed In the Gulf during the MeIi-
can war, but she had been the victim OF so
much patchwork on an originally faulty model
that It required much labor to keep her in work
tun pr1aF In 1871 aha aaIla1 frnvp Nnr-
folk for q c%oastwise voyage. but hopclcssly
broke down on the first day out. after which eI-
plot the machinery was removed. and the hull
put tn practical use as n target for gunnery
practice at Washington. The machinery being
perfectly good. a new hull OF wood. somewhat
larger than the old, was built ut the Washing
ton yard In 1852. and . reasonably efficient
little gunboat. still bearing the original name.
was thus produced. This new steamer was en-
ployed for q number Of years In the La Plata
region OF South America. and later saw some
very active service during the frat three years
OF the civil war. On juno 3. 1864. she
was captured In ossabaw Sound by . large
boarding party Of the enemy, after q
desperate struggle. in which her paymaster
killed tho Confederate commander In = hand.
to-hand eight and also saved tho life of his own
commanding officer by killing tho man who had
-,
u oh'oh prisoners were taken 10 savAhhhh'
~n'ro .hey eAme uhuer INC ooh.foi OF the Con-
eue'A'o oAu.er commanding 'na' naval sh-
t,on' VIM, s'nkaiAr,y enough was the same
M "nos0 "Heeis u prope''eo tno ofie'hai
Water Witch. he having resigned his position
in the United States navy In 1851 and cast his
fortunes with the Cohfederacy.
u Ii navy 10
N.N W. ~ nuh.er wheel. We ma
S"~' o'' y Nh'o' u tue bureau OF
Sons'rue'.ou was o'u take proper steps Tor
'uA ',Isou'ka, a, IN 'roh steamer on
p.Aus uo euo"''e"o' L'euI W. 'hunter.
80 'osso'' ~ .no hi'eehAny, was
Ao,I u 'oomL'o'oo hprH, 1887.
~" u o'io an" M'ss'ssiopi
49, ce" of,eans u thenee steamed
'n v No'toi.,'n- u AieshahS "asiso
Ioe' cue, . oeAn' anu ID rect o inches
oan : nc { a'sp'"ceheht was
- ~ suo was oAfk riseeo anu mounted
oris'nAny 'our o-iheh iAihham guns weigh
ink i'ooo pouhus eAoh. out This battery
was rooucea ohe-hait "erore tho vessel
sA'ou u = ioreisH cruise Inc engines and
nun Wero uesiched py MT. Hunter: the hori-