Ann Brophy

A little boy sat alone on a mountainside in Sweden. He was studying the tall pine trees, the lights and shadows of the surrounding forest and the mist hovering gently over the Swedish streams. He was glad it was summer again and the long, dark winter months had passed.

His brother and sister were too busy playing to notice him. They also knew enough not to bother him. They knew that he would never join them in foot races with the other children or in paddling on rafts in water races. He had far better things to do. He had to think and study and try to understand the wonders of the natural world. He seemed much older than they were, even though he was the baby of the family. He had more questiions, more curiosity, more impatience to learn. There was so much to the world, so many people making so much happen. He wished to be one of those people. And fifty years later, in a battle that took place far across the ocean, John Ericsson's wish would come true.

The basis for all the achievements in the Industrial Revolution was the valuable use of machinery. Machines were making machines, and suddenly anything became possible. All that was needed was someone with an idea. John Ericsson had plenty of ideas. Was he a dreamer? Yes. He dreamed of the practical application of screw-propulsion, and the commerce of the world was revolutionized. He dreamed of making naval warfare more terrible and the Monitor was built. Again he dreamed and the Destroyer with its submarine gun was born. He dreamed of hot air and ten thousand caloric engines appeared. He dreamed of the sun's rays and sandy deserts, where water was hard to get and the solar engine came.