The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1862-05-29
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.


the Minnesota has gone To New York for rcpairs,
having no less than 50 plugs in her hull filling
the holes made by balls from the Narril'ac.
None o. the published descriptions of the MyH'-
tor which 1 have seen are as complete - the
public desire, and | have been endeayOrIng I, 90
down to Fortress Monroe in order to give the
readers Of the Bulletin n fuller description, and
also with the hope of being permitted T. 90
thence to share in a view Of the impending at
tack upon Norfolk. But the War Department
has suddenly stopped all passes in q II direction
except TO persons on " military business" 1T
can succeed in making any such " business
through the aid of army friends within a few
days, \ shall avail myself OF the opportunity.
In the meantime, q correspondent of the Balti-
more AusTIcan gives some interesting particulars
an regard To the Monitor and her recent trial bat
tie, from which 1 extract the following:
AS we approached this novel naval wonder, /
was struck with the pertness Of the Norfolk des-
cription Of her ~ "a Yankee cheese-bOx on n
raft" . She il Oval-shaped, l72
feat long and Al feet in width at the centre.
Her hull rises perpendicularly out Of the water,
u straight all round as the sides of Il stone wall,
and rs dlt on top as n table, without any rail or
guards around her. She has two square smoke
stacks, about seven feet in height, but in time Of
action these are removed and the smoke and
steam come through CRATES in the deck, the iron
of which IS about 3 inches thick. Nothing re-
mains on her deck but the pilot-house, which is
n square iron statue, about 2 feet high and some
thing like an ordinary 6rygoOds box in size
When walking her deck, although anchored at
the end Of Hampton Bar, where the sea is quite
rough, not the slightest motion of the waves
could be felt. Her deck is as firm and steady as
a rock. This position, halfway between New
port News and Sellers Point, has been chosen in
order TO keep watch and ward over the Merrimdc,
should she attempt to make another visit to the
Roads Steam is all the time kept up, and q man
on the lookout with a glass keeps Il constant
watch from the top Of the tower.
The tower rises about Q feet high from the
deck, and looks, when close to it, like a large
IRON gasometer or gas-holder. On closely exam-
lining it, however, you find that its sides and top
are about one foot thick, whilst the whole tower
is 81 feet IN diameter, and that it has two oval
shaped portfolios. close together on one side, not
more than two feet apart, and not more than
three feet above the deck. The interior of the
tower exhibits still stronger the superior strength
of the vessel. There is a solidity about it that
makes the thought Of any earthly power disturb
ing Its movements or penetrating Its interior
Seem simply ridiculous. An examination of this
part of the vessel explains the confidence which
her officers and men have in her entire and COM
plete inyulnerability. They say, g We fear moth
ing on land or water, and are ready, whenever
the order is given, to proceed direct to Norfolk
OF Richmond" The guns set side and side in the
centre OF the tower and are intended to- be fired
simultaneously, the close proximity of the muz-
zies of the two guns enabling the two balls to
strike the sides of the enemy in similar proximity
to each other. The moment the guns are fired,
two immense pillars of steel, on the inside, about
6 feet long, 2 feet in width and / foot in thick
mess, slide before the portfolios, completely clos
ing them and protecting the gunners from the
balls of the enemy.
There are marks on the tower and hull of
about 20 balls, and some of them seem to have
struck the tower fair and square, with no more
apparent effect than could be produced by the
blow of a sle~dge-hammer. The paint is rubbed
of, and If repainted it would be difficult to dis
cover where most of the shots struck. The gum
ners of the enemy seem, however, to have early
abandoned the attempt to damage the tower.
though most of their balls, even there, were
aimed at the portfolios, three striking in close
proximity. Two of the six or seven marks on the
tower are said to have been accidental shots from
the Minnesota. The greater part of the shot
marks are on the edge of the hull, which, it
should be remembered, does not rise more than
IL inches out Of the water. They seem to have
been under the impression that there must be n
weak spot underneath the water line, and they
hammered away all round, but here too the in
vulnerabIlity Of the Mentor was equally great,
and the fluctuations are only to the extent of
the fraction of an inch. There is a small frac-
ture Of the edge of the iron ut one point, which
only seems to show its great strength ut a point
which might be supposed to be weakest.
The shot that struck the square pilot-house
did little more than knock the cement out. Had
the pilot-house been round instead of square, as
it Is now proposed to make it, the ball would
have glanced and lost half of its force, and failed
to injure the eyes of the gallant commander. He
u, however, l am pleased to learn, rapidly recOy-
ering- The retiring Of the MerriHlac from the
confess with her Insignificant antagonist is not to
be wondered at when the exercise of all the pow
er she possessed, for FIVE hours, had done little
more than deface her paint. The attempt of the
MerrimGc to run her down left no mark on the
iron except some splinters from her timbers,
which are sticking to a nut and screw in her hull.
She struck her precisely amidships, directly op-
posite the centre of the tower, and this expert
- = -. =. . 80 "A
that no hopes could De entertained from its repe-
tition.
1 had q conversation with the gunners, and
they are thoroughly satisfied that at least three
of their balls passed through the iron roof of the
monster, and they think that if they had used the
wrought iron balls. they could have sunk the
monster rebel they had positive orders from
Capt. Dahlgren not to use them until they were
first experimental with, and none were used, the
impression being that they would be liable to
burst the guns.
Beneath the deck the Monitor is as neat and
compact as above deck, and has been fitted up
with n great deal of taste for the comfort and
convenience of her officers and crew. The ward
room is very pleasant. and the state-rooms quite
comfortable. The engine-rooms are large and
we'll ventilated. As to her propeller and rudder,
it is difficult to find them when inside of the YES
sci or outside of it, and l should judge, from the
general silence on the subject, that the peculiar
character and locality of these important adj
juncts Of locomotion are not to be made public at
present. Suffice it to say that they are not visi-
BILE outside of the vessel, nor is it observable
which is her stem, or which is her stern. as she
moves with equal facility both ways, and l was
assured that she can move at better speed than
her monster antagonist. The infor-
nation has gained ground that the MerTindc is
superior in speed to the Monitor, and that if the
former chose she could run past her and go out
to sea. This, l was assured, is an entire mis-
take. The speed of the Merrimac Is not over FIVE
knots an hour, whilst that of the Monitor is
about seven. On putting the question to one of
her gunners as to their relative speed. and the
ability of the MerrIm1c to run away from the
Monifor. he replied. 8. We would like to see her