Thanks to the fact that nowadays more and more books are digitized we are able to read books that are some times for decades no longer available for the public for several reasons. That’s quite a pity while these books contains useful information while the archives are destroyed, incomplete or nor accessible.
“When the war broke out in 1861, they [he and his brother Robert] made various experiments with the intention if possible of constructing an iron clad steamer or battery which should be shot and shell proof. Their plans "and estimates were forwarded to the authorities at Washington, and on the recommendation of Commodore Perry, Commodore Stewart, and Engineer Totten, several appropriations were made by congress for the purpose of carrying out their designs; but from some cause, after a while the appropriations were stopped and the work came to a standstill. Mr. Stevens, however, was confident of the success of the vessel which he proposed to construct. In 1863 he made a proposal to the government to take the risk of the building of the vessel, should she turn out to be a failure, off their hands. He offered, for the sum of $ 1,500,000, to construct and equip in nine months time a vessel that should be impenetrable to any missile known in the world at short range (200 yards); that should have the greatest speed of any iron clad steamer in the world; that she should be more easily turned and managed than any existing vessel, and that she should be capable of throwing a broadside equal to any vessel afloat; failure in the full fillment of any of these conditions to exonerate the country from all responsibility of payment. The government did not accept Mr. Steven’s offer, nor did the naval committee of congress to whom the same offer was afterward made ever take any action in the matter. Mr. Stevens, however, was not to be balked of his pet project, and by his will he appropriated a sum of money for the completion of such a vessel, and directed that her construction should be carried on under the superintendence of General McClellan, who was to receive a remuneration of $ 15,000 a year while the vessel was building. The work is now being rapidly pushed on, though considerable secrecy is observed as to its details. When completed the vessel is to be presented to the state of New Jersey.”
Source
Jesse Haney&Co, The Rich men of the world, and how they gained their wealth: etc. New York, 1867, p. 63.
Note
1. The American Edwin Augustus Stevens was the son of colonel John Stevens III and Rachel Cox and born 28 July 1794 and deceased 8 August 1868. The Stevens Institute of Technology was named after him. Stevens was at the same time engineer, entrepreneur and inventor in the transport business. There is a publication called The Stevens Ironclad battery. See for instance http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Augustus_Stevens. This source say dealing with the battery: “Following the death of Colonel Stevens in 1838, Edwin and his brother Robert worked on a commission from the United States government to construct the nation’s first ironclad naval vessel. After conducting tests to determine the amount of armour a vessel needed to defend itself against naval guns, the two brothers constructed a huge vessel known as the Stevens Battery. Though the craft was never fully completed, it nevertheless laid the groundwork for the modern armoured warship. A scaled-down version, the USS Naugatuck, saw limited action in the Civil War. After the war, the Naugatuck and the Battery were sold for scrap.” See for the battery also the next link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevens_Battery. In this last note is even referred to earlier projects for building this battery. See for instance the Stevens battery Act dating from 1841.
“When the war broke out in 1861, they [he and his brother Robert] made various experiments with the intention if possible of constructing an iron clad steamer or battery which should be shot and shell proof. Their plans "and estimates were forwarded to the authorities at Washington, and on the recommendation of Commodore Perry, Commodore Stewart, and Engineer Totten, several appropriations were made by congress for the purpose of carrying out their designs; but from some cause, after a while the appropriations were stopped and the work came to a standstill. Mr. Stevens, however, was confident of the success of the vessel which he proposed to construct. In 1863 he made a proposal to the government to take the risk of the building of the vessel, should she turn out to be a failure, off their hands. He offered, for the sum of $ 1,500,000, to construct and equip in nine months time a vessel that should be impenetrable to any missile known in the world at short range (200 yards); that should have the greatest speed of any iron clad steamer in the world; that she should be more easily turned and managed than any existing vessel, and that she should be capable of throwing a broadside equal to any vessel afloat; failure in the full fillment of any of these conditions to exonerate the country from all responsibility of payment. The government did not accept Mr. Steven’s offer, nor did the naval committee of congress to whom the same offer was afterward made ever take any action in the matter. Mr. Stevens, however, was not to be balked of his pet project, and by his will he appropriated a sum of money for the completion of such a vessel, and directed that her construction should be carried on under the superintendence of General McClellan, who was to receive a remuneration of $ 15,000 a year while the vessel was building. The work is now being rapidly pushed on, though considerable secrecy is observed as to its details. When completed the vessel is to be presented to the state of New Jersey.”
Source
Jesse Haney&Co, The Rich men of the world, and how they gained their wealth: etc. New York, 1867, p. 63.
Note
1. The American Edwin Augustus Stevens was the son of colonel John Stevens III and Rachel Cox and born 28 July 1794 and deceased 8 August 1868. The Stevens Institute of Technology was named after him. Stevens was at the same time engineer, entrepreneur and inventor in the transport business. There is a publication called The Stevens Ironclad battery. See for instance http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Augustus_Stevens. This source say dealing with the battery: “Following the death of Colonel Stevens in 1838, Edwin and his brother Robert worked on a commission from the United States government to construct the nation’s first ironclad naval vessel. After conducting tests to determine the amount of armour a vessel needed to defend itself against naval guns, the two brothers constructed a huge vessel known as the Stevens Battery. Though the craft was never fully completed, it nevertheless laid the groundwork for the modern armoured warship. A scaled-down version, the USS Naugatuck, saw limited action in the Civil War. After the war, the Naugatuck and the Battery were sold for scrap.” See for the battery also the next link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevens_Battery. In this last note is even referred to earlier projects for building this battery. See for instance the Stevens battery Act dating from 1841.
