The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1862-03-19


Norfolk, no doubt, if possible, to get her
in the dry dock for repairs. The Mime
sofa is afoat, and being towed toward
Fort Monroe"
The two irou-clad vessels fought, part
Of the time touching each other, J'ons s
a. M till noon
BALTIMORE. March II, 1862.
The Old Point boat has arrived. We
learn through Lieut. Hayward, that a
copy of The NolJoH Day Book bad reach
ed Old Point. It contains highly col
ored account of Saturdays fight, and pays
great compliment to the bravery Of the
crew of the Cumberland. 1t admits that
some of the shot from that vessel entered
the Merrimac. One shell killed II N IN,
and wounded Capt. Buchanan, who sub
sequently died The Monitor is admitted
to be formidable. 1t says she appeared
! like a black Yankee cheese box on raft.
The Merruac on Sunday was under com
mand of Catesby Jones The account is
mainly confined to Saturdays fight. 1t
saws some slight repairs will be necessary
to the Merrimac The reason why the
Merrimac did not first attack the Con
gress, was because Capt Buchanan had a
brother on board as Paymaster
Lieut.. Wyse of the Navy, was the first
to board the Monitor after her fight with
the Merrimac Descending through the
man hole, he unexpectedly found himself
in neat pa lor confronting a m.dshiD-
man washing blood from his hands at a
stand and an officer con- bing his bair at
mirror. Lieut. Wcrden laid on a sofa
blind aud bleeding. Recognizing Wyse
by his voice, he inquired Have | driv-
en- eff that monster ?" "You have -
+ Then | am willing to die, SAID the gal,
LIANT sailor Wyse insisted on his going
home with him. He is now his guest
here The President who honors 6ght-
ing men, called upon him last night, and
nervous from his recent afliction, and
grateful to courage, aud sympathetic with
the wounded, burst into tears while greet
ing the sailor.
The following is the description of the
Monitor a. given in the Tribune:
Under the act of Congress passed last
Summer appropriating Sl,500,000 fur
firon-clad vessels for the Navy, Captain j.
Ericsson, the world-renowned inventor of
the caloric engine, presented proposals
for a battery to be launched within one
hundred working days from the date Of
rhe contract. the pregnability Of which
should be tested before the heaviest guns
of the enemy, and at the shortest range
/ Tie contract was signed in October, and
on the one hundred and first working day
I thereafter the Monitor was launched from
the Continentil Iron Works at Green
point, where she was constructed By G.
s. Bushnell & Co, under the superin-
ienden7e Of Thomas f. Howlaud of
Brooklyn.
Externally she presents to the fire of
the enemy's guns hull rising but about
eighteen inches above the water, and a
sort of Martello tower, twenty feet in di-
alneIer, and ten feet high. The smoke
stack during action is lowered into the
hold. it being made with telescope slides
Tie hull is sharp at both ends, the bow
projecting and coming to point at an
angle of eighty degrees to the verticie
line 1t is fat pottomed, six and half
feet in depth, one hundred and twenty
four feet long, thirty four feet wide at the
top, aud is built of light three-eight inch
iron Another, or upper hull, rests on
this with perpendicular sides and sharp
ends. FIVE feet high, forty feet four inches
wide, one hundred and seventy-four feet
long. extending over the sides of the lower
hull three feet seven inches, and over each
end twenty FIVE feet, thus serving as
protection to the propeller, rudder and
anchor. The sides of the upper hull are
composed of an inner qua. d of iron, a
wall of white oak thirty inches thick,
covered with iron armor six inches thick.
When in readiness for action. the low
er hull is totally emersed, and the upper
one is sunk 3 feet 6 inches, leaving only
/ Is inches above water Tie interior is
open 90 the bottom like soop, the deck,
which is bomb proof, coming flush with
the top of the upper hull. No railing or
bulwark of any kind appears above The
deck, and the only thing exposed are tae
turret or citadel, the wheel house, and the
box crowning the smoke,stack. The in-
cIination of the lower hull is such that
ball to strike it 10 any part must pass
through at least % feet of water, and
then strike an inclined iron surface st an
angle of about 10 degrees In the event
of the enemy boarding the battery they
can do no harm, as the only entrance Is
at the top of the turret or citadel, which
cannot easily be scaled, and even then
only one man at time can descend into
the hull.
This turret is ravolvinp bo,ub. proof