The Mountaineer. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1859-1861, 1861-01-12

ship, burns witha iiGfceness that nothing
can extinguish, and IS itself sufficient 10
set any ship en- FIRE. .5a. n
4 Altthcse shells taud there arc Others
MS destructive, though not SO generally
known can be fred us easily and with a.
much prcclsioa rs round shot. aud il we
consider that q wooden ship Is wholly
composed of the most inlianHnallc mate.
rails, either seasoned oak, OF teak Tnll 81
|oil, or fit full of resin, twill lie easily I'D.
dersiood Why an experienced naval officer,
from whom we have borrowed the aboyp
classification, should exelainl, t.Eor Gods
sake keep out the slicllsl's3g. 4 ..: II
THERE'S no Hrstelass frigate or Iine.of.
battle ship which cannot deliver twenty.
Eve or thirty such shells in a animate; and
even the strongest advocates 81 wooden
ships cannot deny that that number slrik.
ing Tie SIDE Of any vessel in the British
Navy would place her Aors de oiiqbdt.
Her sides would be torn ont, she wontd
he on fire in haif.asaUzea places, her be.
tNeen5leeks would bc 40 filed with smoke
from the explosions that men could moi
live below, and, IL in sea.way, she prob.
ably would sink from the damage done to
her hull, n In fact, the FIRST half-iozen
shells planted In. a. wooden ships side
would settle the fate Of the action. III ii
not now u question of skill, or courage, or
endurance, but rs completely a mattcf Of
Chance as. n modern %dHei. With pistols,
An action will bc. an affair Of minutes,
and the only question will be, who can
haul down his flag tastestl The. d0strue.
tionoi one. or both vessels Is certain, al.
though il Is uncertain to which It may
soonest happen TO be burnt or sunk, n,
on tho other hand, two irollpIatea
trigates meet each other at sea, tie action
wilt practically becGtremciy similar In its
resultsto one in the oiden time. Shell,
firing WILDE Of little or no use, blt tile
Two vessels will hammer away Mt each
other with their heaviest solla-shot guns.
II n plate is struck twice ut or near the
same place, 1t may be cracked; II three
times, it may be splintered; il four times
Judging from the result OF the expert
nents on The rusty-an entrance may--
to use Captain HalSied's words--be If.
:tected; but the chances are hundred to
one against this happening in actual war
Fare, and the action may last for hours,
and must be decided lii favor of the best
gunncFs and the best seanen; : II, how.
ever, we could imagine Our finest frigatc,
sneh as the Mcrsey, meeting the a4oire,
or any iron.pIated vessel, as her shetEgNH.
wonld be. OF no use, She would be rrtncet
to trying TO crack her opponents plati
with her heaviest solid shot; while Thu
iron vessel, firing nothing bat shells, must
certainly set her ON fire, or tear her sides
out, and either blow her up OF. sink her ia
three; four, or Eve minutes, IL III close
action, and probably without sustaining
any damage 10 her own armour, which
would at all ihjure her powers of sailing
or fighting, The satne fate would even
more certainly await one of. our noble
liners Bcyo6d two or three hundred
yards, her heavy shot guns would con.
fessediy hare no elect ON Tie iron plates:
while, TIA thousand yards, or any less
distance, conclusion shells would be rs
eIfectaal MS at shorter ranges; and, con:
sidering Tie size Of the target, no iron.
plated frigate would ever allow her wood.
ca opponent 10 CONC within effective range
Of her, but, even il possessing less speed,
would certainly destroy her before she
came to such close quarters.--E London
Quarterly Reeietor -. 80. '