The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-03 00:00:00

THE MONITOR AND THE MERRIMAC.

Lieut. W. M. Jeffers had been appointed to the
command of the Monitor. A correspondent, who
accompanied him on board, gives an interesting
description of the vessel :
" As we approached this novel naval wonder I was
struck with the pertness of the Norfolk description
of her as A Yankee cheese box on a raft.' It gives
a better idea of her appearance than any of the
engravings or descriptions in the New York papers.
They all fail to afford a correct idea of the general
appearance of the vessel, and especially when she
is in action. She is oval-shaped, 172 ft long and
41ft in with at the centre. Her hull rises perpendi-
cularly out of the water, as straight all round as
the sides of a stone wall, and as flat on the top as a
table, without any rail or guards around her.
She has two square smoke stacks, about 7 feet
in height, but in time of action these are re-
moved, and the smoke and steam come through
grates in the deck, the iron of which is about 8
inches thick. Nothing remains on her deck but the
pilot house, which is a square iron statue, about aft
high, about the size of an ordinary dry-goods box.
When walking her deck, although anchored at the
end of Hampton Bar, where the sea is quite rough,
not the slightest motion of the waves could be felt.
Her deck is as firm and steady as a rock. The tower
rises about 9ft. from the deck, and looks, when close
to it, like a large gasometer or gas holder. On
closely examining it, however, you find that its
sides and top are about ono foot thick, while the
whole tower is 22 feet in diameter, and that it has
two oviii-shaped port-heles, elos‘ GZI Ana'
side, not more than two feet aPart, and'not ;
than three feet above the deck, The interior of
the tower exhibits still stronger the superior strength
of the vessel. There is a solidity about it that makes
the thought of any earthly power disturbing its
movements or penetrating its interior seem simply
ridiculous. An examination of this part of the
vessel explains the confidence which her officers and
men have in her entire and complete invulnera-
bility. They say, We fear nothing on land or
water, and are ready, whenever the order is given,
to proceed to Norfolk or Richmond.' The guns set
side and side in the centre of the tower, and are
intended to be fired simultaneously, the close proxi-
mity of the muzzles of the two guns enabling the
two balls to strike the sides of the enemy in similar
proximity to each other. The'moment the guns are
fired two immense pillars of steel on the inside,
about six feet long, two feet in width, and one in
thickness, slide before the portholes, completely
closing them, and protecting the gunners from the
balls of the enemy. There are marks on the tower
and hull of about 20 balls, and some of them seem
to have struck the tower fair and square, with no
more apparent effect than could be produced by the
blow of a sledge-hammer. The paint is rubbed off,
and, if repainted, it would be difficult to discover
where mcst of the shots struck. The gunners of the
enemy seem, however, to have clearly abandoned
the attempt to damage the tower, though most of
their balls, even there, were aimed at the portholes,
three striking in close proximity. Two of the six
or seven marks on the tower aro said to have been
accidental shots from the guns of the Minnesota.
The greater part of the shot-marks are on
the edge of the hull, which, it should be remem-
bered, does not rise more than 12 inches out of
the water. They seem to have been under the
impression that there must be a weak spot under-
neath the water-line, and they hammered away
all round, but here too the invulnerability of the
Monitor was equally great, and the indentations
are only to the extent of the fraction of an inch.
There is a small fracture of the edge of the iron at
one point, which only seems to show its great
strength at a point which might be supposed to be
the weakest. The shot that struck the square
pilot-house did little more than knock the cement
out. Had the pilot-house been round instead of
square, as it is now proposed to make it, the ball
would have glanced off and lost half of its force,
I and failed to injure the eyes of the gallant com-
mander. He is, however, I am pleased to learn,
rapidly recovering. The retiring of the Merrimac
from the contest with her insignificant antagonist
is not to be wondered at when the exercise of all
the power she possessed, for 5 hours, had done little
more than deface her paint. The attempt of the
Merrimac to run her down left no mark on the
h hull.
on er
iron except some splinters from her ti
on
which
aro sticking to a nut and screw
She struck her precisely
experiment
site the centre of the tower, and, this
having so entirely failed, it was evident. that no
amidships,
.directly oppo-
site
its repetition. The
not over. five knots an
hopes could be entained
speed of the Merrimac is
On
of the Merri-
hour, while that of
athetoMoonneitoofr is about outseven.
patting the question runners as to
e speed, and the ability
their relative
mac to run sway from the Monitor, he replied,
AVe would like to see her attempt it. She would
following be at our mercy, and, by then close in her
wake, w© could soon ;
eLpple, if not destroy, her
rudder and propeller.' A more enthusiastic and
confident set of men never manned a ship, and they
all express an anxiety that they will soon have
another opportunity to meet her."
One of the crewf
othe Monitor, describing the
passage of that vessel from New York to Fortress
Monroe, says
" The vessel proceeded safely and comfortably
until the afternoon of Friday, March 11, when the