The daily Wabash express. (Terre-Haute, Ind.) 1857-1867, 1862-11-24
The Iron-Ciads MT Pittsburr.

The Pttsburg Gs-sff, has the following |
particulars regarding the new iron eunboais
Of the Monitor pattern which are building
near that city
They will have length OF che hundred
and seventy-two feet, with fifty feet breadth
of beam. and seven feet depth Of hold. In
appearance, when finished. they will differ
| materially from any war vessel ailoat. AZ
| ter looking ut the plans. as drawn by Mr..
Gengamber we should say that we're one OF
our large coal barges made quite sharp at
the bow, and then covered with flush deck,
through which We will suppose the usual
Monitor turret protruding. II would not be a
bad representation of what these batteries
will be when completed. The sides will not
be so perpendicular those of barge. and
the depth of hold will. OF course, be grea..r;
but in other respects the illustration will be
found a good one. sufficiently good. at
least. TO enable the reader 10 form tolera-
bly, fair idea OF what they will look like
when ready for service.
Though the first blow npon them was
struck in August last. 80 tedious has been
the process Of their construction that but
for their iron bows. pointing high into tho
, air. you would find some difficulty in deter
mining what the immense iron surfaces
4 which greet your yision..as you enter the yard.
D are intended for. The bottom OF each will
a be entirely fiat, the hull rising out Of the
, water and becoming quite sharp ms il nears
u the bow The hull Is being made Of boiler
i iron, and is being bolted and riveted togeth-
e or in the strongest manner. There are
i, | over one hundred men employed on these
batteries now, and the riyeiing. pounding
II punching aud hammeriong, kept up from
Q early morn till night. seem enough to deafer
a the leighborhood. Compared wth'tho nos,
here, the din of dozen boiler yards sink
10 into insignihcance: vet no one seems 20 min,
% it, and everything works as smoothly ali,
OF with as little interruption as though Oh,
" | strictest silence prevailed.
Thus far the bottoms have occupied In
principal attention of the workmen. The
re are firmly braced. so that t will be next &
Of impossible TO strain them. The ribs to re
ceiye the sheeting for the sides are now be
ing bent, and as soon IA they have been 70
i in place the work will go rapidly forward
IT. IL was first intended to make them of 4 iron
n, but IL was found impossible to bring it to tn
proper shape, and angle-iron had 10 be sui
stituted 1t is the intention to plate the hu
on with 4-inch iron, we believe, two feet bclo
10 the water.line The deck is to BE of WOO,
-, | covered with iron. and will, II a certain e,
tent, be bomb proof. The turret will al:
e. DO of iron, six inches thick, with tho pilo
TO | house on the top. and carefully protected
Sc Each boat will be propelled by four engine
will carry two of the heaviest guns. and VIII,
-" loaded and ready for action, will not ORA
II moro than fye feet of water
he The contractors are Messrs. Tom.inso
J.. | Hartufee x Co. but the work Is being dol
under the superintendent of Mr.. Easle
who has the reputation of being thorough
familiar with his business. Ii is the inte
ton to have them ready for service by &
= first Of February; but, looking at matters
they now stand, We doubt the ability OF q
NJ contractors TO finish them so soon. +
tprrets are heipr rpadn at Tnsnlipso~ 4 -
" shop, on the wharf, and are well adyanc
ion | toward completion: but We understand tn
the | as vet tho first plate for mailing the vess
has not been rolled This does not look
though they were TO DO finished by Fcbru
lie nv: but the contractors are men of ener
md | and when they put on steam they arc capal
al, Of making great Roadway.
These boats. as is evident from their bui
IN are intended wholly for river service.
tile | connection with this article We may ST
n, that the contract for third Monitor
been given out here, AMI arrangements
Nv her construction are now in progress 5
ard | will be two hundred and sixty feet in len,
e." by sixty feet breadth Of beam. with ele,
!, feet depth OF hold, and will he far more pc
erful than eithor of those above motto
'ed We may refer to her again.