New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-12-08
NAVAL kEFAzIS.
ySrce rron-Cieds Launched One Iinished'
and One Tried.


Saturday last viii prove an eventful day in the
history of cur irou-clsd navy. The Whitney bat
,erv Keokuk and the Ericsson batteries Catskill and
Nantucket mot Maui as reported were launched
Che first two here, and the latter at Boston; the
Iebigh was reported "Ieady for launching preFa'
vations" at Chester, Pa and the speed of the Wee
hawken-snother Ericsson battery-was tried III
Jersey CITY, her engines aud machinery having been
previously reported in working ORDER
TIE KEoKUK
WAS flowed off the stocks, but when set in motion
launched well, and was exceedingly buoyant. Ad'
niral Greeory, Cart Rodgers Of the Ge'ena, Capt.
RYAN A Sc Keokuk, D. Dudley Field, Edward
Mann Mr.. Whitney. Albert Swan, Mr. Hall, and
o,hers were nresent The dimensions and detailed
scconnt of the work performed on the Keokuk
have been printed. But they convey no accurate
idea to tire general reader OF ger pecuiiares These
are:
Erst, The armor Other bulwarks aud its arrange.
Second The mode of mailing her turret
Third: The speed Of the trip.
/. The bulwark or outfide armor, with which the
construction Of Monitors mas made Americans Ia
mi lar consists of iron plates iad over one another
Thus when we say battery has Al inches OF iron
armor on her sides. we mean that one-nch lla'es,
snd one hait-inch plate are hd over each over ana
fasjenel. But this is not the case with the heOhuR'
Mr. Whitney has bOOlltu "A htN piHii' O'ei q"
Groundwork of half-inch rolled plates there are
barr Of iron four inches thick, alternating with
ttrips Of yellow PIKE, of about equal Thickness
Over all lcse, then, there are two or three S-luch
plates of iron. So that, in reality the GTclESiceIy
srOn mail on he ovtssae is not quite two inches
thick while the whole aruOr, the eGge iron, WOODEN
lindg ani plates together make over SIX. Many
deem this re good ss six inches Of plate iron.
. The turret s somewhat similarly made. The
email batteries already in service except the Moni-
tor hive in their turTets eleven liuch plates,
all laid over each other, and constituting an
exclusively iron wall eleven inches in thick
ness. Tie Ke0kuks turrets have the 4-inch
iron bars, inside OF outside the plates, and al
though 1.-THE turret has Fix aud half inches
OF irou," az stated In our fret account OF the
vessel only two inches or less OF II j. laid on In
plates the rest beng edge-turned bars winch, as IN
the hull, frequently alternate with strips OF pine,
So that lie ,xcusirfy iron arpCr Of the turIet Is
ccly tvso inches, willie the mass taken together is
deemed by many strong as II all tie plates were
laid over eacl other.
3. The Keokuk was 10 be " ten knot vessel" when
she was originally designed, but more lion having
been put on her than was Intended, it is conceded
that she will lose knot thereby, only make nine.
Tie first indispensable attribute OF ram is strength,
the second speed. Hence the most impog;ant-the
last namei-pecuhari'y of this singular ship has
been overlooked by al who have written about her.
Shs will be fast aud her strength Is apparent TO all
who look at her. steam ram must be able "a
catch tire vessel enc wishes TO destroy and 10 strike
her with inuch velocity as possible i Is 70 make
the Keokuk this kind o. craft thai Mr. " hi ney hsS
70 aS.duOusiy labOred. W ere II feasible 70 orlve
her twenty miles IN hour she would be all the better
ram for IT, but she Is no. meant 30 much 10 be the
perfect thing herself TO illustrate IN what manner
perfection can DO attained. Her engines are SOC
horse power, and If they drive her nine miles au
hour as the authorities expect il would be easy 10
build one four times her siZe with prop0riiOhate
speed
|, is. therefore, as a ram, well guarded more than
al impIegnable irOn-,I4d, tuat the he0Auk chaI-
ler res criticism.
The Keokokis 100 feet in length, sc feet beam.
and 10 feet inches depth. Her capacity is 500
tuus Her shape Is almost tina; OF an esg, the sid
tspeing toward Tie central deck 30 AS 10 cause the
glaucng of Of any sho. w4,Ch NAV strike. Sic
has Two turrets. each having three portfolios. IL
each ,urret Will he an ll-inch Dahlgren gun. TIE
- guns axe TO revove within the turreis winch
N be stationary The turres will be 20 feet Ia diane
TEL at their base and II feet in diameter at the top
and Will rise above the armor 81 feet. She has rau
forced from solid wrOu, h-iron, projecting five fee
from her bow, which constitutes part Of her kee
or, In fact, is part Of the backbone Of the yesse
She has water tight compartments az each eud, b
means Of which size may De suok at pleasure dunn
action. The smOke-st2ck rises about SIX feet abOY
the main deck, and is located eIaidslips, betwee
the two tnrrets. She will be 90 fitted TO be steere
from the aferpau OF the forward turret, the pilot
hOu1e 10 be amp " mailed AID shaped like az egg
She will have two propel.srs driven by two coubl
engines Of 80 horsepower each, and tire speed 10
which she is calculated IS about 10 knots Lour.
she was commenced about lst OF May last, and
month. 800 men have been engaged upon her s0c
TIE laying OF Ter keel, ana her estimated cost wi,
be s>-O,OJO Her bottom VIII be covered with
Composition paint which resiss cOrTOsiOu ana th
attachment of bGrnacles.
AFTER the launch, upward Of 1000 ladies' an
gentlemen adjourned fran the ship yard TO th
boiler shop Of the Dry Dock Iron Works, where
bOunti4ul collation. WAS LrOyI,ct for them. Ampl
jus 10 was GwaIde to al that was Tie tables
Afer cuioying this rcqast the after lion Of th
euoieace was called u NJ. {. W. Whitney, wh
VS. cheerec enthusiastically rs the constructor O
tie kc0kuk. Then y. = Unlerhi the b0i der Of Tho
vessel, acting ~ lie name OF the WOrlneu who had
been eugsgsd on the keokuk, presented Mr Garry
WHO had Oeen TIER cay ERIN eudeut, with gol,
watch aud chain, valued a, 500
TIE heOkuk was built By Mr. j. s. Underhill, o
the Dry Dock Iron " oIks sAe wa Constructed By
C. w. Whitney, esq; M. john Faroa was tlt
Government superintendent, ana Mr. VI. Mar. su
pernteBOed The work on behalf oil ar. V hitney.
Tie Navy "as on the gNi TO know who f4oul,
have commend Of The KeoSuk. Being tho frs; iron
clad over .uit jn ire Ci.y OF New-Yor.i i- was
deemed ONLY night that "her skipper should he d
Gew-lolE-r HeHc-, Alexander G. Rbiud, one NJ
tie regular officers Of the oj Navy, got tie appoint
Intut lie J. one OF tue hIest oil IL the eery
md D. shown on board the Seneca one OF tLe n
new cOl.rar. wooden CnnlOats which be recently
Commanded that L. KNOWS now - handle shin.
bi.gular.y enough, his tirtn, appointment and c.i-
tera5i9 are credited 70 different STATES. lie was
loIn ia New-Iork, as already minated WIS ap-
pOil,ed from Alabama IN 1888 and Is q citizen OF
Minnesota. He has been twenty ycarei in tie Navy,
OF whish eleven were spent az sea. When tue Coz
siCll4iiC2, corvette, was Commodore Inmsn's flag
Etip d TIC Coast Of Airca 10 wa Is Lieutenant Oh
bOlld.
LAUNCH OF THE CATsKUI~
The Edc.8on battery Casnll was eucceasfully
fo ted oil a. Gresnpolut, about 10 clock S.t.r-
ca.. Ii there is Guy slight differences between the
niuc MOritcr batteries building in different r!, cs,