New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-06-08
TIE [. $. WAR STEAMER NIAGARA ~
ENGLAND.

TIE L. 5. VAR STEAMER NK1GARA ~
ENGLAND.
A few months ago were furnished by The LoHd0H
Times with graphic description of the United States
sieam.frigate Merrimac, then lying at southampton,
and an object Of good deal Of attraction to visitors.
In TIE Times of the 2lst ult. fiud the following
description of the Niagara then lying in the Thames,
near Gravesend. and . miles from London. From
the short distance at which she lay from the meropo-
lis she attracted good deal of attention. and was
daily thronged by fashionable visitors. She was about
to leave in few days for Liverpool, where she
to take board onehafthe Atlantic cable for the pur
pose of deposng It the western half Of the desg
mated tclegraphc line, after it shall be united at
central point in the line with the other half which will
be conveyed to the point by the English steam-
ship AganemnOn-the former half to be extended
thence To- the western terminus of the route
the coast Of Newfoundland and the latter to the east
ern terminus the coat Of Ireland. IL was appre-
hended that the placing of the cable on board the ship
would be attended with good deal Of delay:
Half mile or 50 below Gravesend, Just about where
the river tourist might expect 10 from having
seen the Great Eastern at Mlwa another monster IT
the deep stands full in view. She Is vast rs an ark.
with peculiar defiant air, and an expression which
tells YOU at that She made Tor other than The
reaccfu rurpo,es of commerce. though nothing in tho
vav Of armament or in the trim OF yards denotes
the man.ofwar. This ship, along whose decks crowi
# fashionable visitors daily and hourly stream, ana all
round which lie a fleet OF boats, " masters OF the
situation" and making as much of Il ii the Presi-
&, III himself was ON vcw IL the iardlncd irgate Nj
apara She Is we believe the first States iIlsae that
lac III rayesen nd Let there
tle or at least such of them as love {" gaze upon no.
u,cmeu. of naval architecure avail Themselves OF
the Unusual opportunity Such au Que will not soon
again present ,ef, for in size, form, speed and IN,
tended weight Of armament, the Niagara Is beyond
doubt the first maDOt-war OF her class ~ the whole
w,id As the visitor approaches her oity sides he 10
stuck with the easy, graceful manner IN wmch she
sit,' the WATER with her bows well up slowly rising,
and showing oil Der beautiful lines and clear run l.
fine advantage. Bot beyond this feature thu genera
effect of her eNrrrr il hot very pleasing Inc DARK
black lnll, uurelieved by single streak of white,
Dives heavy appearan: quite foreign To her shape
She is also very hollow IN the waist, which lmpart
TINT walrded aspect characterstic OF the Aneri-
can liners but which their tine ngates, except IN this
instance have managed 10 AVOID or at least mitigate
She is shiprigged, with tall and somewhat heavy
nara novel feature ia American screw,
a. their builders have justly pflded tnen-
selves on avoiding our practice OF over-ina't-
ug steamers. But, teavy as the Niagara seems
aloft she ha- lot a rope or spar too much On the
contrary the marvel is that they can do the work
ascrbed to them fer under sail alone she can run, II
il said. from sixteen 10 seventeen Knots an hour'
"A speed which our rVer steamers would count
a. excellent From, the spardeck the Niagara looks
by 10 means imposing. The bu!warks are OF such
Unusual lottiness and so curved in a. apparently TO
diminish her al size. la fact, many Of our ifgateS,
les than half her size, aud not to be compared 10 her
in any waIlike sea-golng quality seem larger on
the deck Not Til the visitor bas walked iorNaru ana
uerched himself somewhere near the bo"sprt can ne
fuy aptreciae her Immense size and beautiful form,
and feel that he il looking down on such war
sfearrr rs the world has not yet seen the equa oil,
ard by the side of which the English navy can snow
nothing 70 compete. e,..
The Niagara is one of twelve steam-tngates which
Al l,tu L. ii 10
way al a couuterbaance u the enormous Increase oil
the English and French marine. The construction Of
the Niagara was mtrusted by reclamation TO MI
Steers the builder of the celebrated clipper yacht
.n,e,ics In buildiu0 her. he had four conflicting
rurrcses 10 reconcile, to make her good gunb0aL
good .eaboat. good saIler. and good steamer Inc
resul, is the Niagara IN design KIM Oi compromise
and "a bch leaves her the fastest salcr IN tue Woru
ore ~ tn. fas.st steamers fine seabOat aud very
cod uAp-of.nar. Her length over all i $40 teeI
breadth cxtreme 81 feet inches, depth oI mold -
feet d inches, aud her bnrueh . ~ tun' ~ m'oily
2COO turs larger than the Hmalaya. Now, Sne
has ON board only four small guHs-that H. SAA
IN con parisoa 10 the armament she ls loIeHaeu %
cauy; but when the peaceful tasE 81 laying the Az
lautc submarine cable i cohPTteu, luo SiAsu ..r
vii be fully orned and equipped Tor war Sne VIII
then carry IL DahgIeen guns, ii inches diameter III
tie bore and throwing solid shot OF the enormous
WEIGHT IL 40 N. distance ot wv yards of laur
uirs The shells OF these guns Will g@igh l'V d.,
.td ,ba our. themselves II tuus. These monster
urduaLce which serus a. II W. were fe'tt.ins ~ 'de
IA, hori. ~ gunI cry and would come At 1881 Ia ID"
p,,yiIdl, ma, ces Of she Dardtnelles, WIN Dofes 81
y ircbe. diaineur, have already been cat al the
W,.t Point Foundry, near New oFk.. We aihes'iy
wish that the Niagara had had tuly one oi ines We
- a,,iiar, an board q. il would have enabled
a. L,,sr -, .trr. e;ate her waIl6e capacities. ln-
.recrg a n ~ -ef-war without her alnament + much
X. u,9,,-iu, OF the strength of Ion by hls skiD.
4, -,~t Twelve runs seem bat a small oEslslve
u,ver ior u ssel Of upward " 3,VO iuns, an 10 j.
only by rejecting on the s'upendous GallDe' oi hsr
esUpus Mt that Uur begins "a Ih1eislahu 10" A. M
~ r. vii be- and a. feel curious doubts AZ - the
-, 80 n contest between such fng-te ana the
lsr,.t tby., ierker We have sal that WDse along
sise ,b usrs seem heavy. yet. from tt deck con-
p,rsd with the vast bulk OF the hui, tnsJ appear
limo, too GyLt Their eAtreue leEsh -fC&h Sep 10
uu,k i ualnuast 143 i'ei, lVeul'-s@ - AZ. me-
10 III ,irvard i Ot feet long, and -be ioreyart
"a. Between the bulwarIs, whispering PPes are 'aI
rrunir f,.n the quaItel deck - iOreeastle ahd al
~ -. orirrs are thus transmitted Nth the nosi
rrfet ce,teir " and speed without some cghtt'S-
aarc. of ~ lind a vessel OF such enormous lesyth
vopd tr both difficult aud dsngerous to manage rof
no matter how large ships may 90 Duiii there are
most narrow limits to Whit one par oi Iuitr ~sI
Effect and I'M Dreeay weather. SieGlpr Minis "VAu
! be iIaud;blr AZ h,lf the length Il he NulgGa.
| The eppire-r,ym Of tbs magnificent Vessel L ~
deerl i7re.tie 10 the visitor as any tth r par oi
| her Tn Nh. motive power is placed amldsmps,
az a. ,.srs,. constructed ~ occupy 80 space
w,,b ~ force en-; 10y ed than h. engines OF any
cr3insv seel Sore and aft the naCLneEy in all It's
= /. boauded BY two transyerse wat1rugnt
c.ruErtn+pt. which completely saut Il m nom ths
IT, ret # n vessel The ensine-room Is ABOUT =
l.et hong l., % WIDE and nine staigca.es are 50 ar
ragged o: " make ~ gsTIs VI u saS'v se"esS'61s