JOHN ERICSSON. 



Ericsson's skill as an engineer. Ericsson was subsequently 

 commissioned to draw maps to illustrate the campaigns of 

 Bernadotte as marshal of Napoleon. He passed the exam- 

 ination for and obtained an appointment on the survey of 

 northern Sweden, and in connection with that -work made 

 detailed drawings of fifty square miles of the country. 



On the advice of friends, including the king, who considered 

 his abilities greater than could be adequately rewarded in 

 Sweden, and himself, no doubt, willing to seek a larger field of 

 usefulness, Ericsson in 1826 secured a leave of absence from 

 the service and went to England. He took with him plans, 

 including a flame engine which he had experimented on suc- 

 cessfully with wood as fuel, but which was not available when 

 coal was used; and a still undeveloped idea in his mind of 

 a vessel which "it was possible for Sweden to build, and 

 which would render the wooden walls of England of no avail 

 against her." He had intended to resign his lieutenancy, but, 

 overstaying his leave of absence without obtaining an accept- 

 ance of his resignation, he was placed in an embarrassing posi- 

 tion, from which he was extricated by the intercession of the 

 crown prince; and in October, 1827, he received a promotion 

 to a captaincy and an acceptance of his resignation. The 

 title of captain thus obtained, and a degree of LL. D. from 

 an American university, were the only honours he cared to 

 display to the public, though he had many others equally 

 high. 



In the two years 1828 and 1829, after he went to England, 

 Captain Ericsson completed seven inventions. One of these, 

 a machine for compressing air, was used in clearing one of 

 the Cornish mines of water ; another involved the use of arti- 

 ficial draught for steam-boiler furnaces. Sir John Ross was 

 preparing for his second arctic expedition, but not wishing his 

 purpose known, concealed it in ordering the engines of his 

 vessel ; and the contractors, Braithwaite and Ericsson, suppos- 

 ing that the voyage was to be of an ordinary character, put in 

 one of these engines with other appendages not adapted to 

 arctic navigation. When Captain Ericsson learned the destina- 

 tion of the vessel, he warned Captain Ross that the engine had 

 not been built for that kind of work and would be useless. His 

 prediction was fulfilled as soon as the vessel entered arctic 

 waters, and the engine was thrown overboard. The principle 

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