Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1862-01-18

10 Clnclnnatu ID
Louis IL Louisville IS
aruhdeet 10 COnesioga 10
ound City Is Lexington Is
afro l5 Tyler Is
Seven Of these boats cost eighty'niue thou
md dollars each to build. They are one
undred and seventy give feet in length, City
ne feet six inches in breadth, and draw five
,et when loaded.
The bows and bow bulwarks consist of
bout three leet of oak timber, bolted togeth
and sheathed with the best quality of
srought iron plates two and half inch thick.
he sides have the same sbeatbiDg, with less
,ulk of timber. Each boat is pierced for thir
cen guGs four on each side, four on the stern
md three at the bows. The bow guns are
lgb,y four FOUNDER rifed cannon II be others
IRE eight inch Columbiads. The sides of the
boats, both above and below the knee, incline
IT on angle OF forty FIVE degrees, and nothing
out plugging shot from high bluff coad
strike the surface at right angles. The boilers
and machinery are situated as to be perfectly
protected and may be considered quite out
of danger. The iron plating has been severely
tested by shots from rihed cannon OF differ.
ent distances, aud has shown itself 10 be
utterly impervious to any shots that have
been sent against it, even ut range Of three
hundred yards.
Tha Benton is the flag ship Of the exped.
tion. She is one hundred and eighty six feet
long on deck, and seventy five feet wide at
the beam. Her hold is eight and half feet
in depth aud with a heavy armament aud
crew on board, will draw ebout FIVE feet. She
has double hull, with wheels working in the
recess, near the stern. Her hull is Of four
inch plank, and tinbers eight by ten inches.
The hull is divided by five fore and aft bulk
heads, and thirteen cross bukhea6s, making
forty five water tight compartments. The
Geek frame beams are ten inches square.
The main deck is pianked with four and q
half inch plank. The forward defence runs
down to the two feet water line, and is of
twenty four inch timber, oil sheathed with
two aud halfuch iron plating. The entire
boat is sealed with three aud four inch oak
plank. csulked and made perfectly tight.
Classmates extend around the whole boat, and
are made Of twelve inch timber. AT the
knuckle on the main deck the timber is from
three to four feet in thickness, solid. The
Benton is pierced for, and will carry eighteen
heavy guns, which are from 81 Founders to
AZ pOuDders calib:e, some ritled and some
smooth bore, and there are two 9.Inch Dahl.
preu guns. The principal part Of the arma'
meut IS disposed in the forward part OF the
boat, there being two guns only at the stern.
The machinery, boilers, etc, are all under
The deck. The cylinders are 30 inches in dia.
inter with I feet stroke. There are four
boilers ~ feet long and 40 inches 10 diane.
ter, double hued. The wheels are 20 feet in
meter with 9J feet bucket. The wheel house
Is protected by timber from six 10 eight inches
ih ckness, and sheathed with heavy iron The
pilot house is protected by l2-uch oak timber
placed at sn lngle Of about thirty degrees
with the upper deck, is conical in shape, and
OF every Ingenious construction.
There are two magazines, one on each side
just forward of the wheels. They are each
capable of carrying one hundred rounds Of
ammunition for every gun, and afford ample
ToOm for the necessary evuutlons within
them. The magazines can be Hooded with
water in moment from the main deck, and
sre furnished and arranged 10 true naval
style.
The mortar boats are bull. of heavy tim
bers, the sides Of Boiler iron, loop holed for
musketry aud are so arranged that they can
be used for bridges They will each carry
one fifteen inch mort0r. The n,ortur boats
wlll be towed into position by tugs.
With this formidable armament, aud force
of seventy five thousand men, the onward
march must be comparatively resistless. The
progress of the hotllla will probably be by
the Mississippi to COLUMBUS aud Memphis /;
by the Tennessee to the mouth Of the Sandy
Iiyer, aud oy the Cumberland river 10 Nash
vile. Within q few days we shall make
history very fast.
GOVERNMENT MAKING WAR on the
IRISH SYMPATHY WITH AMERICA.
The following correspondence has taken
place between the O'Donoghue, NJ. r., and
the Lord Chancellor Of Ireland, 10 reference
TO the speech Of the former at a moss meeting
10 Dublin a short time since:
AoRD CHANcELLoR's SEcRErARY's OFFICE,
Four COuRTs. DUBLIN, Dec, g.
SIR:-l sm directed by the Lord Chancel.
iot to write TO you, aud state that is his
lordship has read the report, as given 10 the
Freemdn'S journal newspaper of the 9Th
inst, OF the proceedings OF wbl: is called a
mass meeting OF Irish Natioualists holden at
tie Rotunda on the evening of Thursday the
9th inst, and over which yon are stated to
have presided as Chairman. The whole tenor
OF the speeches reported to have been made
at this meeting, and the resolutions adopted.
plainly Indicate the determination of those
who took part 10 it, that If, in consequence OF
decent occurrences, war should aIise bet zee
Her Majesty aud the Federal States OF
might be in their power, not only withhold
all assistance from their lawful sovereign, but
would manifest their sympathy aud friendship
Tor those who IN that calamitous event would
be srrayed 10 open hostility against her.
Tue meeting appears TO have concluded
with the appointment OF a committee, o.
which you ore named as chairman, whose
object is declared to be to take into conside
ration the advisabllity of carrying out al
organization in the present state Of affairs a
home and abroad and looking to the princi
pies svowed by those whc addressed th,
meeting, it is to be presumed that the organ
ization thus projected is designed to advauc,
those principles and to disseminate tb,
reasonable views so publicly announced
The whole OF these proceedings appear 4
the Lord Chancellor to be altogether q
variance with the true allegiance TO ~hic
every subject Of the Empire is bound, and bi
lordship has directed this communication 4
be made to yoD, as a magistrate Of the count
q Kerry. and hoidiDg bsr Msjssiys commis
si)b, IN order that you msy make sue