Litchfield enquirer., 1862-02-13

.0pon this deck, even at an acute angle, would go through, and heavy shell SO entering would blow up the boat; but the chances of this occur ring are not one in . thousand.
 The boats are intended, in action, to be kep, ubow on ;" hence the superior strength of the bow battery Broadsides can be delivered with terrible effect while shifting position. To faci litste movements in action, the engines and machinery are of the most powerful kind. Tn, boilers are five in number, constructed to worl in connection with or independently of eacl ether. In case of damage done to any one 0, more of them, . valve closes the connection be tween the damaged and .undamaged boilers, anl the latter operate as if nothing adhappened.
 The most dreadfully savage contrivance upol these boats is that to prevent boarding. Eacl boat is supplied with number of large hose pipes for throwing hot Water from the boilers with force of POO pounds pressure to the squar, inch. Any human being who shall encounter .this terrible stream of hot water will be boiled in an instant.
 The three last mentioned boats in our list 9th, Conestcga, Tdytor and Lexinaton,) are not of thu same model or character as the others, being simply Mississippi River steamboat ts rebuilt witt perpendicular bulwarks and pierced for guns.
 COMMODORE ANDREW H. FoorE. who so gal lantly led the gunboats in the action in the action at Fort Henry, is a native of Connecti cut, and entered the service from this State in 1922. Since that time he has been continu- ally in service, making the whole time of his na- valcareer extend over forty years He is still how ever, full of the fire and vim of youth, and is one of the best specimens of the old sea dogs in America Over twenty years of his time he has been on ocean service, cruising in almost every sea ten years he has been on shore du. ty. and twenty years of his time has been what is designated d unemployed. He received his sommission as commander in 1852, and was lest at sea in 1858. Since that time he has been on service in the Brooklyn Navy-yard but about eight months ago was assigned to the duty of experimenting the putting up of the great Mississippi fotila. Commodore Foote is known in the navy as one of it's most efficient officers. and distinguished himself greatly in China by the bombardment and preaching of a Chinese fort, the fort, in all respect, superio, work of masonry. The feat called forth the praise of all foreign naval officers on that coast Conmodore Foote is an affable gentleman. and as will be seen by his reply to the rebel Tilgh. man. never suyrendeys
 Carr. PoKrER-Capt Porter of the gunboat Esser. who is reported as badly scalded by the bursting of his boats boiler, is native of Louis jana, but entered the navy from Massachusetts in 1923. He is . son of the renowned Commo dore Porter, who figured 50 prominently in the W1f Ol 10l[. 11e uoo Uecu tuiTty-cIkut ye1I D in the service and has seen twelve years sea du- ty. five years shore duty, and the rest of the time unemployed. He was last at Sea in 1850, and was then and has been since until recently in command of the sloop S. lEnry's. His com mission ae naval commander dates only sInce 1855. When the Mississippi Aotilla was pro. Seeted, he was detailed to the command of Q eunboat. The Captain christened his boat the Esser, after his fathers renowned vessel, and judging from precedent, Capt. Porter is the a bull-dog," or fighting man of this expedition He has Dahlgren guns for his armament and delights in :" shelling." He worked prodigious ly getting his boat ready. and since then he has keen cruising round, stirring up the rebels where es<r he could find them.
 It was the boast of Commodore Perry that he built some of his vessels on Lake Erie in twentysix days. Capt. Porter took the ferry boat Ness Era, completely stripped her of eve rything but the framework of her hull, and en tirely remOdeled. rebuilt, and planked her strengthened her with additional timbers and knees. caulked her, put in bulkheads, built strong and ample gun decks, cased her hull with iron plates. in fact, constructed a new yes sel carrying nine heavy guns, and 6oated her out of her dock in fourteen ddys. The mechanics fell with considerable zest how, on the four. teenth day. Capt. Porter, who had been crowd.
 
 tice, opened the gates of the floating dock let on the water, and to the astonishment of the industrious artlsans aboard, the craft was in her element.
 It is earnestly to be hoped that tho gallant Captain will speedily recover. and be ready once more for active duty on his beloved element. Fort Henry. who was 50 gnllantly captured by hove is q nativo of Norvlor1 oroC West Point as cadet in 1881 was made bre vet Second Lieutenant in the First Dragons in 1880, but shortly after resigned, and became division engineer on the Baltimore and Sueque hanna Railroad, and afterward on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. In the Mexican war he rcentered the service as volunteer Aid de- CamI to Col. Twiggs, and was present at the battles of Palo Alto and Risca de Ia Palma. He com. handed Volunteer force till October le46 and in January, lS47, was made Superintendent of the defences of Matamoras i; finally he acted as Captain of Volunteer Artillery in Hughes regiment from August, l947, till July, Ie4s. At the close of the war he again entered civil life, and was chosen principal Assistant Engin- ser in the Panama lsthmus Railroad. On the breaking out of the war he was acting as rail road engineer, but joined the rebels, and was appointed to command at Fort Henry, where hs has been ingloriously captured.
 Trs GREAT MORTAR FLEEr.-A number o vessels attached to Commodore Porter's mortar Aeet have sailed South to the point of rendez vous, and others will soon follow. The expedi tion has been forming here for some months and many experiments have been made to test the strength of the mortars.
 The heavy mortars were cast at Pittsburgh and have an average weight of IT, 900 pounds The diameter of the bore is l3 inches, and tn, depth :85 inches, with athickness of metal around tt s.of IS inches. The diameter of the trunnion is IS inches. and the complete length of tn, mortar is 50 inches. They may be used alk' upon sea or land, and are elevated and depress ed by means of projections on the breech. is stated that accurate firing may be made at distance of 2i miles.
 The circular platform which sustains the nor tar carriage is constructed of heavy timber foot in depth and l2 feet in diameter, and il made to revolve so that the mortar may be aim ed in any direction.
 The mortar carriageis made mostly of wrough iron, having a length of about g feet and { height of 4 feet. It weighs about two tons, ant ;is capable of resisting Q pressure of about l5( tons.
 The bombshells to be used weigh, untitled 200 pounds each, and when filled, an additiona weight of l2 pounds is given. About 5000 O these missiles have been manufactured for tht fleet.
 Each vessel has been provided with two 31 Fcanders, weighing 3,700 pounds. They art smooth bore, and throw solid shot and shell.