The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-03-30
FIRST STEAM wARsH1P.
Designed by Robert Fulton, Launched
 in 1914.

The first nan-of-war was designed by Robert Fulton; was authorized by Con- gross March 12, 1874; her keel was laid June 20, 1874, and she was launched Oct. 20 of the same year She was call- ed Fulton the First" was 1856 feet long, 56 feet beam, 20 feet deep, had draught of Ii feet and displacement of 2,475 tons She cost $s20,O00 and was built in the shipyard of Adam and and Noah Brown in New York City. Her engine had a steam cylinder AS inches in diameter and feet stroke of piston. She was furnished with steam by a copper boiler 22 feet long, 12 feet wide and 8 feet high, and turned a wheel between the two hulls l6 feet in diameter with buckets" IA feet long and a dip of 4 feet, The sides were 4 feet 10 inches thick, and her spar deck was surrounded by musket-proof bull warks. The armament consisted of thirty 82-pounders, intended to dis charge red-hot shot The ship was fit ted with furnaces to heat them, and some of her guns were to be discharged below the water line There was one mast for each hull, fitted with lateen sails. Large pumps were carried, in- tended to throw streams of water on the decks of the enemy, with a. view of disabling him by wetttg his ordnance and ammunition. A submarine gun vas to have been carried at each bow, to discharge shot weighing 100 pounds, at a depth of ten feet below water.
 The war of 1872 being in progress, this tremendous mine of destruction was constructed in response to a demand from the citizens of New York for a means of a harbor defense. They ap- pointed what was called a coast and harbor defense committee, and this committee examined F'ultons plans and called the attention of the general government to them. The govern ment appointed a board of experts from among it's most famous naval officers, including Commodore Decatur, Captains Paul Jones, Evans and Bid dle. Commodore Perry and Captains | Warrington and J. Lewis. They re- ported unanimously in favor of Fultons monster and set forth her advantages over all previously known forms of war
 vessels. The citizens offered to guaran- tee the expense of building the ship
 and the construction was undertaken
 under the supervision of a committed appointed for the purpose, consisting
 of several then distinguished men, both
 military and naval.
 The English were not uninformed as
 to these preparations which were mak-
 ing for them, nor inattentive to theil
 nrogress. It is certain that the steam
 frigate lost none of her terrors in the
 reports of imagination of the enemy
 Tn a treatise on steam vessels publish ed in Scotland the author assures his
 readers that he has taken great care tc procure full and accurate information
 and gives a description of a steam
 frieate. said to have been launched in New York, in the following words;
 Length of deck, 300 feet; breadth, 200 feet; thickness of her sides, thirteen ! feet of alternate oak plank and cork
 wood: carries forty-four guns, four of which are hundred -pounders; and, fur ther, to annoy an enemy attempting tC board, can discharge 100 gallions of boiling water in minute, and by mechanism brandishes 300 cutlasses with the utmost regularity over her gunwales; works also an equal number
 of heavy iron bikes of great length darting them from her sides with pro- digious force and withdrawing them every quarter of a minute!'
 The following description of the
 scene of the launching is given in the | newspapers of the day:
 Ut happened on one of our bright
 autumn days. Multitudes of spectators
 crowded the surrounding shores and
 were seen upon the hills which limited
 the beautiful prospect. The river and
 bay were filled with vessels of war
 dressed in all their variety of colors, in | compliment to the occasion. In the
 midst of these was the enormous float ing mass, whose bulk and unwieldly
 form seemed to render her as unfit for