The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-11-24


favor of converting quite number of Frigates int
steam propellers, public opinion in England i
settling down to the conviction that, in future
iron must supersede wood in the construction o
vessels of war. An article in the London quar-
terly ReCieO, for October, under the caption O
'Iron Sides and Wooden Walls,' discusses thi
question very thoroughly. 'FWhen,' says tn
writer, Gin the Spring of last year, it was officially
ANNOUNCED that the French navy was PRACTICAL,
superior to that of Great Britain in steam line
"of-battle ships, and at least equal in the smale
"casses of vessels, there ensued something like
''panic, followed by the most extraordinary &C
''tivity in the English Dock Yards, and the resor
''to every class of expedient, 10 make up for lee
"way." But when, by talmost unheard of ex
''ertions and by the most lavish expenditure" III
English had succeeded in placing their navy OF
what was supposed to be satisfactory footing, i
was discovered, in consequence of the DESTRUCTIVE
effects produced by rihed ordnance, 'that wooder
vessels were no longer fit for war purposes, ant
'that ships protected by an iron cuirass are alone
'to be trusted in action" The Admiralty and
Dock Yard authorities are, however, said to be O
different opinion, and the superiority of wood
over iron, for naval purposes is still conended fol
by Sir HOWARD DOUGLAS the author of valua.
BILE work on naval gunnery. But it has beer
Significantly remarked, that Sir BALDWIN WALKER
'who is chiefly responsible for the construction
1.-THE Navy, has, both in words and deeds, acted
ION different conclusion" Captain HALsTED,
one of the most scientific officers in the service
Captain SHERARD OSBORNE, and almost all the
younger officers, are also of the opinion "that the
"day of wooden ships is gone, and that some means
must be taken to protect vessels against the raw
ages of recently invented proecties or fight
ling will be impossible from the certainty of de-
struction that awaits every vessel that gets within
"range of another" If only solid shot were
used, there would be no cause for anxiety. It is
the destruciveness of the new classes of shells that
Is feared. Of these there are now four kinds en-
ployed in the Navy. The first is an Improvement
on the old conclusion shell, which, on coming in
contact with ships side, ''bursts either in the
Side or between the decks tearing up everything
Tin its neighborhood, throwing spnters about,
ana knocking over guns and men az if n
''mine had exploded on the spot" The second
even more dangerous-is carcass, filed with
molten iron, which, on penetrating ships side,
"
DESTROYS eyerythi it. 'h'o contact viii
TuIra IS also carcass, pierced with holes and
fillet with combusGble composition which is TO-
nied in tie process of firing it from the gun, and
which ''emits flame that water will not ouencb."
fourth is what is known as NoRToN's she'll 1t
is filled with a liquid that takes fire on striking
ship, and 'burns with fierceness that nothing
"can extinguish." It is commended that these
shells can be delivered with as much precision as
round shot; that 6rst-class lrigate can throw
from twenty-five to thirty Of them in a minute
aud that less than this number would tear out
the sides of any vessel in the British navy; would
set her on fire in half dozen places, and that
"her between decks would be so filled with smoke
"from the explosion that men could not live be.
low" A well conducted series of experiments
has indicated that the only protection to be
had from such shells is to cover the wooden
bulls OF ships with iron plates. Those experiments
proved also that iron plate of one inch in
thickness would stop any shell; but that this
thin skin Of metal would be utterly broken I'D
'by broadside of solid round shot" and that
the vessel would then be left as pervious to shell
as before. The conviction has thus been forced
upon naval men, that adequate protection can
only be obtained by coating of iron 'tof such
thickness rs shall resist both shell and shot. if
''such can be obtained That it can be, and
without seriously affecting the sailing qualities of
the vessel, appears already to have been demon
straed. To the late Commodore STEVENS of New
Jersey, the credit is given by the English Reviewer
of being among the first to appreciate the value of
iron in the construction of vessels of war and "to
ascertain and measure the resistance of iron
''plates to shot and she'll" BE found that plate
OF less than inch in thickness would resist the
impact of any shell then known and that a
thickness of six inches of iron was Uncomfortable
Ito every projecte that was brought against it,
mo matter how great the velocity or how short
The distance at which it was fired. These re-
suits were communicated to scientific men both at
Paris and London. In the latter capital thew |
elected no special attention. in the former they
attracted the notice Of NAPOLEON III, who, on the
breaking out of the Crimean war, designed and |
caused to be constructed class of iron-pated YES
sells, whicf|were employed in the reduction Of |
Klnsurn with such success that although ex-
posed for a considerable time to the fire of heavy
guns, they came out of the battle absolutely
scatheless Boats constructed after the French model
were also built in England, but were never brought
into active service. The objection which was
successfully urged against their adoption was
that "they the slowest and worst sea boats
lin the navy" and so they were cast aside and
cleft to rot" But the quality of invuInerability
was one which Napoleon III. was not DISPOSED to
give up. He gathered, from various quarters all
the information upon the subject that it was pos
slble TO obtain. He directed a new series of expe-
riments TO be undertaken 10 test the requisite
thickness and texture of iron plates TO be
applied, as sheathing, to the sides of wooden
ships He took counsel with distip-
If constructing iron-plated war steamers The
conclusions finally reached were "that the vessel
Should belong TO the class called Corvette" and
hould not be less than two hundred and fifty
eet in length, or of a less breadth than ffty-fve
aet. Such vessel, having but a single deck,
nd carrying from thirty 10 thirty-sx guns, all of
be largest class, was fonnd, on trial. to be supe-
or to the old class ofshps of in every respect
ut one--that of steadiness in very heavy sea.
o sooner were these facts ascertained than orders
ere issued to construct and get ready for sea by
lie spring of 1861, fleet OF vessels of the class |
e have described, one of which, the Gloire, has +
,cently been launched at Toulon, and the re- I
lander are in rapid process of completion. The !
1loire has been pronounced of the finest speci-
lens of naval architecture that has ever been S
armed out of the dock yard of any nation, and so I
rofound is the impression which she has made q
pom the English mind that experienced naval u
Ulcers join with The most influential of the iopr-
ais in declaring that if England would maintain =
Ter maritime supleniacy, she tust either bnild
miar vessels or plate her wooden shps securely E
18th iron Under this pressure, the English naval
authorities have so far yielded to the popular wish II
to order the construction of four ships so nro. "
cted-two of them being of the class of froates II
nd two of smaller size One of the former. tho Of
Warrior will be completed some time next wear R
he work on the others goes on more slowly and :,
omplaint is loudly made, that by the time thew N
re ready for sea the French will have launched Fl
ght ten of these formidable vessels to compete Il