The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-07-18
THE NEW IRON STEAM-RAM

The NEW 1RON STEAM-RAM.
We think the subject of sufficient interest to
justify our copying at length, from the London
Times, the following description of the means by
which the destruction of human beings may be &C
complished on the easiest and largest scae,is rapid
ly taking its place among the applied sciences of
the 18th century. Since the DAYS of cumbrous
ordnance and old Brown Bess, when the butt of the
musket used rs effectively and fatally as its
bullet, Mooch has been fruitful of suggestions how
to KILL and the fields of Magenta and Solferino are
still numbered with the CHASTITY evidences of the
proficiency which has been already attained in the
new science. But sanguinary these contests have
been, they, after ALL afford but slight indications of
the real progress which has been made in destruc-
tive branches of the art of war; and it is only when
naval engagement takes place that maritime
powers will with dismay the awful effects of the
weapons which science has placed in their hands.
An engagement between two hostile fleets in the
present day would probably not last an hour, for
by that time two-thrds of all the ships engaged
would be sunk or blown up. The time when ships
lay yard-ar to yard-arm firing into one another
Tor whole day, has gone by for 1t will be
short and sharp work now -a-days. 1t is perfect
knowledge OF this fact, and certainty that wooden
ships, after receiving one at most two well con-
centrated broadsides must sink Immediately, that is
leading maritime powers at the present moment to
see If science cannot devise some for render
ing their ships lnvulnerable, at least for time.
But, while securing this object, a still more awful
element is introduced into the art of naval war
fare, since these ironcased monsters are be used
not alone for defence, but for running down and
sinking by wholesale the vessels of the enemy
The attempts to make iron shot-proof vessels have
hitherto proved downright failures, both in the
French and English navies Efforts in this direction
have therefore been discontinued, and the French
Emperor has set to work to see if he cannot case
large vessels with sufficient iron to give fair
immunity from the effects of shot, whilst their pro-
dlgIous strength and weight may be turned to aw-
ful account In running down opposing first-rates.
The idea a good one, but it went no further
than as instead n hui
constructed for the purpose, the two vessels which
the Emperor is now with such vain secresy having
coated with iron plates, are old sailing three deck
erS, which can never carry a sufficient weight of
IRON to answer the purpose, and which, even when
htted with machinery, will never it is said attain
rate OF more than four five knots an hour or So
The English government have very wisely deter
mined to adopt a different plan, and to build
wrOught-ron vessel of immense size, strength and
steam power, specially adapted as a vessel OF war,
and for running down ships of the largest kind, not
even excepting the Great Eastern itself. The
contract for this tremedOus engine of modern war
has been taken by the Thames Iron Shipbuilding
Company, and sufficient progress has been made
with the iron work to be used in her to make GER
tain that she will be a1oat and fitting for sea by
June next. Her dimensions will be extreme
length, $50 feet; breadth, IS feet depth, Al feet
inches; and her tonnage less than 6,l77 tons.
The weight of the empty hull will be $500 tons.
The engines are to be by Penn Sons of 25O horse
power, and of these we shall give description on
IL, s.
be $50 tons. She will carry $50 tons of coal, and
her armament, masts, stores, &C., will amount to
LOO tons more. Thus, at sea, her total weight
will be 5000 TONS which will be driven, when so
wanted, through the water against an enemy's ship
at the rate of sixteen miles an hour. 1t is difficult
by mere description to give adequate idea ofthe
tremendous strength with which this vessel is to
be built. The keel, or rather the portion to which
the ribs are bolted, is made of immense slabs of
wrought scrap iron, an inch and a quarter thick
and three feet six inches deep.
From this spring the ribs-massive wrOught-iron
Tshaped beams, which made in Joints about
five feet long by two deep. up to where the armor
plates begin, five feet below the water-line These
beams are only three feet eight inches apart, while
for distance of ten feet each side of the keel
they are bolted in at only half this distance asun-
der. Five feet below the water-line the armor
plates commence, and, to give room for these, the
depth OF the rib diminishes to about half or nine
inches. Over the ribs, and crossing transversely,
are bolted beams OF teak a foot and a half
thick, and outside these again come the armor
plates Each of these plates is to be fifteen feet
long by four feet broad and four and half inches
thick. Several of them have been made by the
company OF puddled iron, of annealed scrap iron,
and OF scrap iron unannealed; and experiments are
now being made at Portsmouth with view of test
ing practically which best withstands the trench
deus attack of GO Founders. 1t is almost needless
to say that each plate is the very perfection of ma
terial and manufacture. These ponderous slabs go
up to the level of the upper deck. The orop-deck
will be of wood, and "a feet above the keel The
main deck will be of iron, cased with wood, and
feet above the orlop. The upper deck will also be
ofwrOught-iron, and feet inches above the main
All the decks are carried on wrought iron beams
of the most powerful description to which both the
ribs and iron decks bolted; while along the
whole length of the vessel from stem to stern are
Immensely solid wrought-iron beams at intervals of
hve feet inside the ribs, which are again crossed
by diagonal bands, tying the whole together in
perfect network.
The armor plates not intended to shield the
whole vessel, only the fighting portion, about 220
feet of the broadside being thus protected This
broadside, however, will mount IA of the Arm
strong lOc-lb guns, which, with two broadside guns
on the upper deck and two pivot guns of the same
kind forward and two aft, will give her total ar
mament of Sc guns, each throwing lOO-lb shot over
range of nearly six miles. Neither the bows nor
stern have any of the large armor plates, but are
coated with wrought-irOn plates of nearly one inch
and half thick over two feet of teak, which will
offer sufficient resistance to prevent most shots
from going through. But to compensate for this
apparent deficiency, both bows and stern are so
crossed and recrossed in every direction with
water-tight compartments that it is a matter of
perfect indifference whether they get ridded or
not, and each of these ends are shut off from the
engine-room and fighting portion of the ship by
continuous massive wrought-iron transverse bulk
heads. 80 that, supposing it possible that both
stem and stern could be shot away, the centre of
the vessel would remain as complete and impene-
trable ever, still Offering in all "a inches of teak
coated with inches of wrought iron to every shot
But both stem and stern are built inside of such
immense strength that coating with armour plates
would be almost superhuous. The bows, as the
spot where the whole shock must be received in
running down ships, inside perfect web of
ironwork, strengthened back to the armor mates
with no less than eight wroughtiron decks an inch
thick, and crossed and recrossed in all WAYS and
methods with diagonal bracings and supports In
the design sent into the Admiralty by the Thames
Shipbuilding Company, the shape of the bows was
made exactly after the outline of the neck and
49, III
that would strike enemy's vessel the b. east,
which was placed under the water-line.
In the Admiralty model, according to which the
Cram is to be built, the bows form obtuse angle,
the point of which is just level with the water,
cediDg back at rather sharp slope both above and
belowit This peculiar shape, however, will be con-
cealed under the usual fgurehead and forward gear
with light artificial cutwater of wood so that, ap-
parently, the vessel will be ordinary frgate OF
the largest size. The Admiralty, doubt, intend
by these devices to disguise her real character but
need hardly point out how utterly futile such
attempt would be. Could any naval officer be de-
ceived by any amount OF painting, about the char
acter of ship of 5000 tons, nearly four hundred
feet long, rugged like three-decker, vet only car
rying broadside of fourteen guns on her main
deck Or do the Admiralty suppose that there will
not be perfect. photographs OF her, when finished,
taken for all the foreign powers which will be re-
produced and distributed among their navies, with
strict lnjunctions, in case of war; always to avoid
such vessel, if they can The very idea of at
empting 10 conceal the real purpose of vessel so
remarkable, and the only one of its kind aloat,
seems absurd. Coming up into action with other
first rates in line of battle, no doubt she would
pass muster unobseryed, but under such circum-
stances even as we'll known to the enemy as to the
the English, the knowledge would avail nothing To
the former. Once general engagement was COM
menced, the cram would be able opursue her mis-
sion of destruction by running into the sterns of the
enemy's vessels almost without hindrance When
such is ayowedly her purpose, it seems to say the
least unwise to cumber her with the and rig
ging of a line-ofbattle ship. The shock of strik,
ing the first vessel would bring down all her masts