The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-29 00:00:00

7HE IRON-CLAD BTEAMBR IRON SIDES

This steamer, launched at Philadelphia on Satur-
day last, is thus described in the Philadelphia
papers :—" This vessel is the first iron-plated sea-
going war steamer of large size built by the United
States' Government. She is constructed from plans
and specifications presented to the Navy Depart-
ment last September by Messrs. Merrick and Sons,
of this city, who are sole contractors with the Go-
vernment. They in turn have contracted with
Messrs. Cramp and Sons, of Kensington, for the
hull, with the Bristol Forge, and Brown and Co.,
of Pittsburg, for the 4in. plating, and with Trailer
and Mercer for the inch plating, reserving to them-
selves the construction of the machinery and the
general arrangements of the several parts. The
contract is dated October 15, 1861, and the vessel
is to be ready for steam Jaly 15, 1862. Chief
Engineer W. W. Wood, of do Navy, superintends
the machinery and plating, sad Naval-Constructor
Henry Hoover the hull. She is 240 ft. long, 58ft.
6in. wide, and 25ft. deep, being 3,250 tons, and
having a berth, gun and spardeck—the latter being
shotproof. Her frames are of white oak, filled in
solid and caulked, and the average thickness of her
sides is 20in. The iron-plating commences at a
point 4ft. below the water-lice, and extends to her
spar deck ; the lower course Wm:, all the rest is
ell in. thick. All the plates are 15ft. long, the
width varying from 25in. to 30in.; each plate is
fastened to the vessel by 20 %- in. screw bolts, 23in.
long, which secure the several thicknesses of tim-
ber to the plates, thus tying all together. The
machinery consists of two horizontal direct action
steam, with cylinders of 50in. diameter and 30in.
stroke, intended to make 85revolutione per minute,
and drive a brass four-bladed propeller of 13 feet
diameter and 18 feet pitch. The boilers are four in
number, horizontal tubular, each 17 feet front, 11
feet deep,of a collective force of
1,600
and 11 feet
armament
will consist of 16 11-
inch Dahlgren guns on the
horses.
The high,
tun-deck, and two 200•
pound Parrott guns on the spar-deck. The port-
holes will be closed by iron shutters 5 inches thick,
worked from the inside. As this is a seagoing
steamer, intended to sail as well as steam, she will
have three masts, and be balk rigged, her topmasts
and yards being so arranges that in action they are
lowered, and leave simply tie three lower masts in
view. When in action all the men on board are
protected from shot and atoll, and aro below the
spar-deck. The commancer only is above that
deck, and he occupies a slot-proof iron look-out,
which rises above the spar-deck, and from which
he can see all surrounding objects, and by signals
communicate with the offifts below. Unlike the
Monitor and Galena, this vessel can carry a large
crew, sufficient to board end capture any vessel.
Impenetrable to shot or siell, she will seek close
action, and by means of he; iron prow sink, or her
heavy guns capture, her opponent ; her light
draught of water (15 feet) vill enable her to enter
all our southern harbours. Even Moultrie and
Sumter can be visited by he., and she may be able
to make an impression on toss forts before they
are repossessed by the Unitd States."

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE:

GREAT WIS TERN.

An adjourned special mating of this company
was held yesterday at the [addington station ; the
Earl of Shelburne in the elixir.
Mr. Saunders, the secrehry, read the heads of
" A bill for transferring tle Hereford, Ross, and
Glocester Railway, and foi leasing the Ely Valley
Railway, to the Great Western Railway Company,
and for other purposes." The object of the bill was
to give the Great Western Company more complete
control over the Hereford, Roes, and Glocester Rail-
way, which had for several years formed part of
their system. The Ely Valley Railway formed a
feeder to the South Wales lite, and it also pointed
towards the Great Western ,:olliery, which might
hereafter be placed in direct communication with
the Ely Valley line, and thus making the latter as
a feeder to the South Wales ins more beneficial to
the Great Western Company
On the motion of the CHAMIAN a formal resolu-
tion approving the bill wascarried unanimously,
and the meeting was further Idjourned to the 14th
of June for the considerationof other bills remain-
ing on the list.