THE GREENPOINT MONITOR MUSEUM PS 161M April 4, 2003

THE GREENPOINT MONITOR MUSEUM
"ROAD SHOW"
April 4, 2003

Presented At:

P.S. 161M
New York, New York
Page - 2

George explains that The Greenpoint Monitor Museum
is a State Museum without a home. It is visiting New York City
school children through its "Road Show".
The Museum's goal is to establish its home in
Greenpoint, Brooklyn, on the East River,
where the famed Civil War ironclad USS Monitor,
was built in 1861.

The USS Monitor was designed by Swedish immigrant,
JOHN ERICSSON.

John Ericsson invented a steam fire pump engine in 1829
while he was working for the London firm Braithwaite.
He called the fire engine the "Conqueror". The Conqueror was
pulled by horses and the steam from its boiler worked the water pump.

Previously the water pumps were hand operated, requiring two men to
work a horizontal pole.

Over the years the steam fire engines improved, no longer requiring
horses to pull them.

George demonstrates the power of steam using
a model steam fire engine. The boiler of the "Road Show" fire engine
not only activates the water pump but also makes the fire engine move.

The "Road Show" model fire engine is a
model of a German fire engine built in 1903.

John Ericsson sailed into New York Harbor on November 23, 1839.
The United States at that time was an inventor's paradise.
The commuter steamboat service was busy.
However, the United States Navy was not as up to date.
It still was proud of its largest and finest wooden sailed frigates
the UNITED STATES and the CONSTITUTION launched in 1797
and the PRESIDENT in 1800. The Constitution
is still in service today. It can be seen in Boston, Massachusetts.
One of the last sailing frigates designed for the
United States Navy was the CONGRESS.

In the 1850's the US Navy included some wooden steam powered frigates
which also had auxiliary sails, but the older wind powered frigates
with their deep draft were still in use.

The Congress was sunk in the battle of Hampton Roads
in Virginia in 1862 during the Civil War.
This battle saw the introduction of an entirely new form of warship,
John Ericsson's ironclad, the U.S.S. MONITOR.

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THE GREENPOINT MONITOR MUSEUM
P.O. Box 220378
Brooklyn, New York 11222-0378
718-383-2637