The Daily Madisonian

THE BAD QUALITY OF THE IRON OF THE PRINCETON'S GUN PROVED.

The subjoined letter, written by a practical and scientific gentleman of Philadelphia, gives the proof of the base quality of the iron of the Princeton's gun, which fully explains the cause of the accident that occurred. It will be seen that the specific gravity of the iron with which the gun was fabricated, is nearly nine per cent. lighter than the standard gravity of bar iron.

The above fact, as well as the remaining part of the letter, will, we doubt not, command extensive notice.

PHILADELPHIA, March 2d, 1844.

To WM. Strickland, Esq.

My Dear Sir: I duly received your interesting letter of yesterday explaining the particulars of the deplorable accident of the Princeton. It was very satisfactory, and gave a perfect idea of the occurrence, which I had not been able to gather from all I had before read about it. You will please to accept my thanks. A small piece of the gun, weighing about one pound, was sent to this city by some one, which was obtained by the actuary of the Franklin Institute. Mr. Joseph Saxton, of the Mint, ascertained its specific gravity to be 7.114, which is 0.674 lighter than the standard gravity of hammered iron - standard gravity of bar iron being 7.788.

I have written to one of the Engineers of the ship to procure for me a piece of the gun, that we may test the quality of the metal in various ways. Now that I learn that the gun must have had a seam passing through and around the centre of the cylindrical part or breech, I am anxious to procure a piece of the outer cylinder, and also of the inner cylinder or part immediately surrounding the charge and forming the breech as explained in your letter.

Will you interest yourself, if you can do so without inconvenience, to procure such pieces as I wish of the two parts of the gun above mentioned, and I will have them examined and tested by a committee of the Franklin Institute. Such inquiries can do no harm, and may do good, or throw light on the subject which may be of importance in future.

No occurrence that ever before happened in this country has caused deeper feelings of regret than this. It has been the sole topic of conversation with all classes of society.

As you may naturally suppose, many absurd reports obtain currency in relation to it, but the public mind is rapidly arriving at the truth and proper conclusions.

I have heard no censure of Capt. Stockton.

Deplorable as it is, however, good may result from it. It should soften and allay hostile and bitter feeling between men holding high and responsible stations in all branches of Government. And above all, it should wake up Congress to the importance of making immediate and ample provision for a National Foundry, and for an immediate prosecution of further experiments upon this kind of ordnance. I would not be daunted by any casualty. It is clear to me that Capt. Stockton has been pursuing the proper track. He has, however, been thrown too much upon his private and individual resources in these national experiments. All that skill and sleepless vigilance could accomplish, has been performed by him, and has resulted in the most triumphant and brilliant success.

In the language of President Tyler, this sad accident "in no measure detracts from the value of the improvements contemplated in the construction of the Princeton, or from the merits of her brave and distinguished commander and projector."

I deplore this accident the more that it has happened upon the threshold of important negotiations with our old and grasping enemy. It has deprived the Government of the services of two of its most able officers, and the President of his very best and most sincere friend. Besides, it will enable that same power to congratulate themselves secretly, but temporarily, I trust, on what they will term the failure of improvements which gave them no little uneasiness. A proper consideration of all these facts should be made by Congress and Government-the Princeton should be immediately refitted with armament of unquestionable soundness and power-and an appropriation for another vessel of greater capacity upon the same principle should at once be made.

These are my notions and I can't avoid an expression of them.