Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1862-03-21
Correspondence Of the Free Press.
THE IRON-CLAD MYSTIC.
III ZOE, Mareh Do. ID.

NV ON March ~, leb-.
| Msisrs. Edfo-s;
| since the Monitor, Of which have
already given a short description, has proved 50
efficient, in fact has saved the nation from ire
trievAble disaster and disgrace, it may not be ams
to write you few words about our second iron
clad vessel, which has taken the place Of the first,
at the dock of the Continental Iron Works This
gun-bost was launched at Mystic, Conn, some
three weeks since. and is here With fair prospect
Of speedy completion.
In her appearance she differs in every respect
from the Monitor, and resembles rather an ordn-
AIRY gun-bost, very long in proportion to her
Withholding 200 feet long and s. feet wide, with
her sides sloping inward at an angle Of about 80
degrees from the perpendicular, and her stern
rounded hemispheri,ally. The curve is every
where admirably arranged that only by the
merest chance could ball strike any spot at right
angles, and so must glance of She will be pro-
PEELED by sails as we'll as by siesm, and has two
nasts, light and rakish.
! The plating of the sides is put on in a very
peculiar aud novel way. It is the shape Of bars,
each "a feet long and or inches wide. They
are wrought in a Eigzag form, or in the form Of a
CHAIR so that each bar overlaps By its width
the bar next below it. They are fastened to the
side Of the vessel by bolts, so that they can
be frightened or taken Of at any time. The thick
ness viii be about p inches. This mode Of putting
on the iron sheathing is said to add 70 the strength
and stability Of the boat, instead Of diminishing it,
or the inside arrangements Of this vessel. il
will be difficult to convey an adequate impression
Entering the vessel by way Of the upper deck,
two things strike you once: first, her length in
proportion to her width; and second the absence
of any bulwarks. In a rolling sea ones footing
would be rather precarious as the deck seems to
be lit lie rounding and the sides slope of at an
angle Then you notice that the masts would no,
probably stand long in a close sea~hsh,, and it
seems as though they would in such case clog
the action Of the vessel.
Descending upon the gangway you find yourself
upon second deck, open from stem to stern, only
broken by small cabin for the captain in the
centre. The between decks is about feet high
This is the gun deck. The portfolios number Is.
There are to be but Fix guns; but ways are to be
constructed SO that they can he rolled from one
port-hole 10 another as occasion requires. The
DICK is spacious and airy. The sides are very
thick and studded with the screws which fasten on
the armor. The port holes arc to be closed so as
to be as invulnersble any other part.
The upper deck being covered with iron plates
serves as bomb-proof covering to the main or
gun-deck. I should have said that the sides Of
the vessel begin to incline inwards from the level
of this gun-deek. Below this to the level of the
water they are nearly perpendicular. The only
part of the side which can possibly be pierced, it
seems to me, is this perpendicular part. It nay
be somewhat doubtful whether it is strong enough
to resist the heaviest ordnance Yet the armor
seems capable Of greater resistance than that of
the sides Of the Monitor, which consisted Of sew
eral thicknesses of iron plates. whe cas- the mail
of this vessel is Of solid wrought iron
Below the gun.deck, tue arrangements are |
much the same as in ordinary gun boats, and will
not tire you BY detailing them. As whole, this