Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-09-04
dQuttester Daily Spp


From the Freemans Journal, Dublin Aug. IL.
The War sIoop TuscarOra at KingstOwn.
The federal sloop of war Tuscarora arrived
at Kingstown at one o'clock, from Holyhead,
on Saturday. When she hove in sight, num-
bers flocked to the piers and wharves to see
her entering the harbor, the first man of war
belonging to our transatlantic cousins that
ever cast anchor in it. On coming to anchor
between the piers, she was boarded by Capt
LOTUS Robinson, r. n, inspecting command
er of the coastguard, and senior officer of the
port, in the absence Of Captain de Courcey,
of II. NJ. S. Ajax, Capt Hutchinson, r. N,
harbor master, and Mr.. Withicombe, chief Of
ficer of coastguard; Mr.. II. b. Hammond, U.
S. CONSUL, proceeded on board at two P. NJ.
The Tuscarora is long, low, dark, rakish
looking craft and commanded by Capt. Au-
gustus Craven, Of the United Suites navy,
who we found most civil obliging, hospita-
BILE, and gentlemanly officer-every inch
sailor-a fine blunt and honest tar. He is a
native of northern state. The other officers
are first lieutenant M. Z. Jones, acting masters
Croll, Stannard and Staples. These gentle
men are captains in the American mercantile
marine, and hold their present commissions
for the war, surgeon Dean, paymaster Clarke
and Mr.. A. j. Kiersted, chief engineer, to
whom we must return our thanks for his kind
ness in atfording the necessary particulars of
his department. Her officers and crew, in
Guiding marines, number two hundred and
four altogether. The Tuscarora's keel was
laid down in the Philadelphia navy yard,
September 9th, 1861, for the Northern
States, and on January Sth commenced
active service for her government. She
cruised to Algesiras, Gibraltar, paid visit to
Tangiers, and looked in at Cadiz. We have
already heard of her watching the confeder-
ate steamer Nashville at Southampton. She
afterwards sailed for Cork, put to sea and re-
turned there, and afterwards sailed for Holy
head, where she was given twenty -four hours
notice to quit, in accordance with the queens
proclamation Of neutrality. She is 2l7 feet
in length, with 80 feet beam, and 300 tons
burthen. Her armament consists of eight
guns, comprising six 32-pounders and two IL
inch bore 10l Founders, to work on traversing
platforms. These latter are swivel pivot
guns, and are ponderous pieces of ordnance.
The men are supplied with Sharps breech-
loading rifles. Her engines were built by
Messrs. Merrick and Sons, Philadelphia;
they are certainly very fair pair, and kept
scrupulously clean. They are what is tech
nically called double piston rod, direct-acting
horizontal engines, of ~ inches diameter of
cylinder, and 30-inch stroke, 240 nominal
horsepower, but capable of being worked to
(late chief-engineer U. S. n } approved verti-
cal tubular boilers, and a surface-cendenser
of Sewells plan containing about three miles
in length of solid brass tubes, five-eighths in
external diameter, and lined both inside and
out, calculated to return 80 per cent of the
water produced from the steam to the boilers,
which renders the operation of ''blowing"
rare thing except on long passages. The
screw is of gun metal, with four blades of y
feet inches diameter, having an expanding
pitch, the mean of which is 10 feet, the
style is of that known as Soper's. The ship is
also furnished with small boiler of the Near
tin plan attached to minute condenser capa-
pable of furnishing 400 gallons of water per
diem for the use of the ship. The consump-
ton of fuel is not great, the largest expendi-
ture up to the present being less than sixteen
tons of English bituminous Goals daily. The
engine-room is furnished with Geographic
apparatus to act as a communication between
the commander and engineer. Her speed av-
erages IL knots. About one-half of the ships
company are American born, the remainder
belonging to other countries many a son of
Erin is to be found amongst them, several of
whom received permission from their kind
captain to visit Their friends residing in Cork,
Kilkenny, and other places. The Tuscarora,
in the matter of cleanliness, is pattern for
some of the English -of-war We en-
tered into conversation with several of the of
ficers, who are very polite and obliging to
visitors The American service has, it would
appear, ignored the red coat altogether, for
the marines have blue uniforms, differing
slightly from the tars. They can be soldiers
or sailors as occasion may require; for in
stance, on last July regiment raised in Mass
achusetts applied to be sent on active service,
but the governor of the state had no power to
send them, and they were Immediately trans
ferred to men-of-war. The sailors of the
Tuscarora designate their ship gunboat, and
on expressing our surprise at her magnitude
they replied ''we belong to a monster ma
ton, and we must have monster gun boats"
The uniform of the officers is tasteful, with
caps something like the British service, having
Il gilt spread eagle in front We did not
see epaulets worn. When the Tuscarora
arrived in harbor the usual invitations were
forwarded on board from the Royal St. George
and Royal Irish Yacht clubs to the officers Of
the ship, permitting them to be honorary
members of the clubs during their stay in
harbour. 1t seemed a matter of surprise to
many that she did not fire a salute in entering
the harbour; but, according to the law of ma
tions, no vessel under ten guns is expected to
do so, although she saluted the Admiral at
Queenstown, At all events there was moth.
ing in the harbour to salute, as the Ajax had
left for the northward. Had she been here in
all probability the usual salvo would have
been given. We observed the ensign hoisted
in the harbour commissioners yard, COM
pGment, we presume, to the stars and stripes.
and vessels as they came into harbour sal
uted, which the Tuscarora gracefully return
ed. Captain Craven, we understand, wished
to take in a supply of Goals, but the authori
ties prevented him doing so until they COM
municated with higher officials in London.
The rail, road, and water conveyances con-
veyed hundreds from the metropolis to visit
the Tusrmora, and were most kindly received
by the officers, who took great pains in show
ing their visitors round The ship. She will
probably remain in harbor until Friday. Be-
fore concluding this cursory sketch of a very
fine and well kept vessel we cannot refrain
from congratulating Captain Craven and his
officers upon the general appearance of their
craft, and if the other vessels of the United
States navy are at all like the Tuscarora they
/ reflect muph credit on orr American cousin.