The Placer herald., 1862-09-20
Defects in the Monitor and Galena.

Ue1ecC8 In Cue WOuACOI Auu OdAoua'
From an officer on board the Monitor we
have received letter, from which we take
the following extracts:
The present hot weather is making apparI
ent some of the defects Of our vessel. The
principle one is the want of sufficient ventil
alton. 1t was supposed that the air forced
into the engine room, taken under the floors
and admitted by means of registers into dill
ferent parts of the vessel, would be sufti
cient, but it does not prove to be 80. AS
long as the weather was cool. II was we'll
enough; but AS soon as the hot weather came
on, we found that the air in its passage
through the fire room (where the thermom
eter ranges from 1870 to 140 deg,) becomes
heated. The galley, if you remember, is in
the fire room, just behind the boilers. conse'
quently the smoke, gas and eff1uvia arising
from the culinary operations mingle with
the current of heated air from the fire room,
and give it an additional stencil from the
bige water, as it passes under the floor OF
the vessel; before we get it for ventilatng
purposes 49,,
But it is with the decklights and matches
closed, as in action, that we experience the
greatest want of pure wholesome atmosphere
and more perfect ventilation. The draught
at such time, what little there is, is upward
through the turret, which formes a sort of
chimney for carrying off the noxous gases
from below, so that the gunners therein,
whose labors are severe, inhaIe the air that
has not only taken the route have just des'
cribed, but has deem deprived of nearly all
its oxygen by passing through nearly forty
r
pair of lungs on the berth deck, before reach
ing them. All on board suffered severely
from this cause in our late fight with the
Richmond batteries.
Again we find the pilot house is in the
wrong place, as it prevents the boat from
being fought head on which is her best POI
sition. as her side armor and all that portion
of her aft the turret would be much better
protected.
We find, too, that our guns cannot be
fred aft over the smoke hatches without
endangering the boilers. This would sug-
gest the expediency of having but one4open-
ing of the deck from the furnaces. which ar
rangement would allow the guns TO be train
ed further aft.
The ports do not allow of sufficient eleva
tion-only 5 deg.
All of these defects with many smaller
ones which exist, will be remedied, | am
told, in the new vessel now building.
The severest blow we have yet received
Oh the turret was at Fort Darling. 1t was
a solid ten inch shot fired with very heavy
charge of powder from distance of about
800 yards. 1t struck very nearly perpendic'
ular with its side, making An indentalion of
81 inches, without any visible fracture OF
the plates On the inside, opposite the in
denation, the plates were somewhat iractur
The iron clad Galena was severely handl
led in this fight, the fire from the batteries
being mostly concentrated upon her on find
ing that their shots were penetrationg her
sides. am not positive that any shot pass
ed entirely through both sides, but | saw
where ten inch shot had gone through her
port quarter, where her plating is 2 | inch
es thick with six inches Of wood backing,
and after passing over her gun deck had
gone through the wood backing on the star
board quarter and crowded off the iron plat
ing. Shells penetrated her side where it
was of the thickness have stated above,
and exploded on her gun deck, making ter
ribe havoc among her crew. In two or
three places where her spar deck was struck
by ricochet shot, the entire substance of the
deck both wood and iron. for the distance
of three feet and the width of the shot, was
scooped out leaving clear opening through
to the space below. This deck, however, is
ridcuously light; being made of two inch
plank covered with two IA inch iron plates
As far as resistance to shot is concerned she
is a miserable failure.
NJ Y. Scientific american.