Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-12-10
ruE FEDEaAI GUNRoAT BEvTOy.

TIRE FEDERAL GENEeAE BENTON.
After announcing that this craft was abou, To-
get mp steam for Memphis and New Orleans, de
ST. Louis ElgaJirqa o, the %. gives the follow
ing description 81 the uoud-scrip-, with other
interesting particulars
Some facts concerning this war vessel, 70 leave
port to-day, for Dizie's land, may not DE uuinteT-
esting. The Benton is l-6 feet long on deck, and
- feet wide at tee beam. Her hold is y feet ia
depth, aud with a heavy armament and crew
aboard. viii draw about = feet. She has o double
hull, with the wheels working in the recess, near
the stern. Her hull is % tyur-iuch plank. and
timJers by 10 inches. The hull is divided By
five fore and at. bulkheais, and thirteen cross
huIkhea.s, making toTty-iyr water tight COM
psrtmeLts. The deck tTame-beams are lUIucAe~
square.
The main deck Is plauked with a inch plank
Tie forward defense runs down to the > feet
water line, and is Of "a inch timber, all sheathed
with y inch iron plating. The entire boat Is
sealed with tbTeasud four inch oak plank, caulk-
el and made perfectly tight. Classmates attend
around line whole boat, and are made Of ~ inch
timber. AT the kuuck.e ou the main deck, the
timber Is from three 90 four feet in thickness,
solid
The Benton is pierced for, and viii carry
eighteen heavy guns, all of which are now
aboard.
The guns are from 33-pouuders TO 4~2-pouuders
caliber, some rided and some smooth bore, and
there are two y-iuch Dahlgren guns. The priu-
cpal part OF the armament Is disposed in the
forward part of the boat, there being two guns
only AZ the stern.
The machinery, boilers, etc, are all under the
deck. The cylinders are % inches in diameter
with : feet stroke. There are four boilers, u
feet long and 80 inches in diameter, double fueI.
The wheels are 20 feet In diameter with 81 feet
bucket. The wheel-h0use is protected by timber
from six 20 eight inches in lhiekue 3, and win be
saeathed with heavy iron. The pilot-house is
protected by l2-uch oak timber placed at an au-
gle of about thirty degrees with the upper deck.
. c~.u.cal IN shape, aud of very ingenious CON
sTueuon. Itwii also be protected by a sheath
ing Of heavy iron.
There are two magazines one on each side,
just forward of the wheels. They are each ca
pable of carrying one hundred rounds of ammu-
milton for every gun, and afford ample room for
the necessary evolutious within them. The
magazines can be- flooded with water in O mo
ment from the upper deck, and are furnished and
arranged in true naval style.
~ fact the guuboat Benton appeared to MS %
be complete, and She is said by good Judges of
naval architecture to be equal TO anything that
can be produced by any navy yard, N point Of
strength, material and durability. L seems al
most impossible that a ball or shell could pene-
trate the solid iron and wooden walls anywhere.
and So Oar as appears the Benton win be able 20
make the voyage proposed without much diff
Guilty or danger.
Excellent accommodations have been fitted up
for officers, and we understand that Com. FOote
has selected The Benton as the flag ship of the
H0tilla.
IIor cacw win consist of two hundred and
fifty men, in all, and Capt John Scott, a well
kuowBp pilot, will act as sailing master. We are
not informed who IS TO De military captain.
The gruboat New Era. whose name has been
changed to ESSEX, was lately on Messrs. Morse
a. Daggrtt's docks, where she received false
sides, aud was otherwise strengthened by bolt
ING and bulkhcading. She came OH atsiN inches
lighter in draught, and altogether a much inn
prOged boat Her commander is Capt Porter, "a
SON of Commodore Porter, who commaudedNth
United States maH-cf.var Essex Of naval fame
Boo years gone By.
Two of the guub0aig built at CarOudelet-
named the ST. Louis and Pittsburg-have
already arrived al Cairo. The St Louis has her
action as a moments notice. The remaining
two boats at LaToudelst were 20 have LET for
Cairo yesterday, and they doubtless got Off and
the Essez and Benton will leave to-day.
The pr0pellers and floating batteries wiz leave
very shortly, Us 60 will be necessary TO use all
possible dispatch, ia consequence of the accu-
muIatug ice and falling river There IS still
plenty of water for al purposes of navigation,
and none of the boats will have any trouble I'D
getting 90 Cairo.