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TEXAS STATE LIBRARY
to the Top of the ·wheel House and shorten forward & aft, which when planked & cross Braced, will give sufficient strength to sustain the Engines, She will have a Spar deck, strong & well fastened to extend forward & aft to cover the Engines and the wheels to be guarded with inclined planes to secure them from injury by shot when approaching an Enemy. In sparring this vessel or any Steam Vessel for Sea I should put in long lower masts, and my small Topmasts that she can carry large lower sails to be used in Strong breezes and save fuel as sails in light winds are of no use I have obtained Estimates from the different Engineers for Two Low pressure Horizontal Engines 44 inch Cylinders & 10 feet stroke to work separate or to connect if required, to have four Copper Boilers and the Connections of the Boilers to be so arranged that either one Boiler can be cleansed or repaired at any time. The Engines are contemplated to be Injection Engines such as the common Lowpres- sure Engine used here. I herewith send you Saml Halls patent Im- provement on Steam Engines' and am c>onfident in stating that the Improvement is of Great value and Importance to steam vessels nav- igating the Bay of Mexico, and frequently entering the Mississippi or other fresh water rivers, as it would be a perfect protection against the great quantity of sediment in the Mississippi or any salt or im- pure water, which will leave a deposit and cause the Boilers to burn. Iron Boilers with Hall's patent Condenser are better than copper, as they are stronger, the only objections to them are, first the Extra Expense & should the Condensers get out of order you have not the facilities for repairing them that you have in the plainer common Boilers. The dimentions of this Steam vessel are larger than your Government may think they require, (I therefore enclose you another Estimate for one of Less dimentions see paper No 8.) I think to have an Efficient vessel and one that can perfect the object, she is not too large, her breadth of Beam will give her great buoyancy as she will draw with Engines' on board only 6½ feet water and will then displace 180 Tons to the foot. Therefore can take on board, three Hundred & fifty Tons of Coal, provisions & men & only draw 8½ feet water, with this quantity of Coal she can navigate the whole Bay of Mexico, but for the immediate guarding of the coast, and the protection of the Revenue the smaller Boat will be less expensive & could be built & completed the next summer as the Timber can be procured ready cut. In the construction you will notice that I have named twelve Ports aft & twelve Ports forward. Her Armament is only calculated to consist of four 68 pounders, say two Pivot Guns & two Shifting Guns when adding a sufficient number of 42s. to make a full Broadside would make the most efficient force that could be used against an Enemy for Harbor defence, as a Steam vessel of war can take any position to defend a narrow pass. or the entrance of any Harbor and where the enemies' vessels must come head on, having it in her power to slip her cables & recede by steam or Sail, untill an opportunity should offer for Boarding, when a force & suction Engine to throw Hot water could be used, to be worked by men under deck (the Hose to be led through apertures prepared in different places in
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