The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-03-21
"The M nitor."
LETTER OF CAPT. SINNERS. HER zxeluzzR.

| ~ ne vi nj { or" {.
LETTER OF CAPT SINNERS. HER ENelNzER
Remarks OF Capt. Ericsson.
At special meeting of the New York
Chamber Of Commerce, held last Wednes.
day, to consider the condition of Naval
Affairs and the Harbor Defenses of New
York, Capt. ERIossoN, the inventor of the
monitor" was present, and was loudly ap.
pIauded: .-...
CAPTAIN ERICss0N's STATEMENT.
Capt. Ericsson, on the invitation of the
Chamber, arose, and was received with sp-
plause. He said : have the great salts.
faction to tell the gentlemen that this NOR
| ming, few minutes after was called upon
to attend this meeting, I got letter from
Mr.. sinners. I sent copy of it to The
Evenimg Post, 90 that the press should have
it in the morning. [ will now read you
Capt. Sinners letter:
Iron CLAD MONITOR, Hampton Roads,
MY DEAR Sir - After a stormy passage,
which proved US to be the finest sea boat was
ever in, We fought the Merrimac for more than
three hours this forenoon, and sent her back
to Norfolk in sinking condition. Iron clad
against iron clad. We maneuvred about the
bay here, and went at each other with mutual
ferceness. l consider that both ships were
well fought. We were struck twenty-five
times-pilot house twice, turret nine times,
side armOr eight times, deck three times. The
only vulnerable point was the pilot house. One
of your great logs g by IL inches thick) is
broken in two. The shot struck just outside of
where the captain had his eye, and it has disa
bled him by destroying his left eye, and tenn.
Dorarily binding the other.
That is proved since not to be so. 1t
was imagined at first that bis eye was lost.
The log is not quite in two, but is broken and
pressed inward Il inches.
This shows the immese force of these
shots. This beam is inches by IL, and OF
the best wrought iron. This gives an idea
of the difficulty of resisting these shot, and
yet we have succeeded in the turret in doing
so.
She tried to run us down, and sink US as she
did the Cumberland, yesterday, but she got the
worst OF it. Her bow passed over our deck,
and our sharp, upper.edged side cut through
the light iron shoe upon her stem, and we'll
into her oak. She will not try that again She
gave US tremendous thump, but did not in
jure us in the least. We are just able to find
the point of contact.
This is gratifying, that after such a con-
cussion it was difficult to see where she
struck her.
The turret is splendid structure. l don't
think much of the shield, but the pendulums
are fine things, though cannot tell you how
<I,nxvx and bot f1nxv
hit.
The shield is an extra thickness of two
inches on the fighting side. 1t was placed
there principally on account of the sound.
l was afraid that the force of the shock
would knock the men down.
You we're correct in your estimate of the eff.
feet of the shot upon the man on the inside of
the turret when it was struck near him. Three
men were knocked down, of whom was one /;
the other two had to be carried below, but
was not disabled at all, and the others recov.
cred before the battle was over.
Before the Monitor left charged the Of
6cer particularly to tell the men not to be
frightened. l told him to tell the men, let
every man 60 down on his knees, and don't
be alarmed when the Rebel shot strikes you,
because it won't hurt you. They all put
the question to him, "Wont the shot go
through PIANO." says he, sit will stay out"
''Then we don't care" they said. But for
this precaution there would have been great
CONSERVATION when the turret was struck.
You may estimate the shock when shot of
200 pounds weight moving at the rate OF
1000 feet in second, strikes within foot
| of a mans head.
Captain Worden stationed himself at the pi.
dollhouse, Greene fired the guns, and turned
| the turret until the Captain was disabled, and
| was relieved by Greene, when l managed the
| turret myself, Master Sudden having been one
of the two stunned men.
l proposed to the Captain to let the
sailing master turn the turret On one side
of the turret there is telescope, a reflector,
the image being bent by prism. This
sailing master who has nothing to do on
the Monitor, | proposed that he should be
stationed there. He not only looked through
the telescope, but by means of "a SNAIL
wheel be turned the turret just exactly
where he liked He did that to ads
miration, pointing it exactly on the enemy
AS the Monitor went round, the turret
kept turning tit 20 doubt astonished Capt.
BuchanaU) so that wherever the Monitor
was. in whatever position it was placed, the
two bulldogs kept looking at him all the
time.
| Capt. Ericsson, | congratulate you upon
| your great success. Thousands have this day
| blessed you. l have heard whole crews cheer
you. Every man feels that you have saved
this place to the Nation by furnishing US with
the means to whip an iron.clad frigate that
was, until our arrival, having it all her own
way with our most powerful vessels.
am, with nluch esteem, very truly yours.
| ALBAN q. SINNERS.
Capt. J. ERICSSON, No. IS Franklin st. MY.
l cannot permit this opportunity to pass
without saying that look upon the success
of that as being entirely owing to The
presence of master mind. The men were
new their passage had been very rough,
and the master had to put his vessel right
under the heaviest guns that are ever work.
ed on ship board. 1t is evident that but
for the presence of master mind on board
that vessel, that success could not have been
achieved. Captain Worden, no doubt,
acquitted himself in the most mastery man.
ner. But everything was quite new. He
felt quite nervous before be went on board.