New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1862-02-05

OF the SUnnOaIS.
Tie following description Of the gunboats, fur
nshed by a Cairo correspondent of the Cincinnati
Gazette, is interesting:
The gunboats intended for the Mississippi are
twelve in number (ncluding those altered from
steamboats,, and which have been sometime in use)
and may be cassed as follows: Benton, Sc. Louis,
Carondelet, ;Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Louisville,
Mound City and Cairo--all new, and built especial
ly for gunboatsnot quite finished as yet but will
probably be completed and ready for service in a
week or ten days The first named is the flagship,
and cased on all the sides and front, and other
posed parts, with % inch iron, the thickness dimn
ishng at the less exposed points, She is 1876 feet
in length, and mounts eighteen guns, six on each
side, three in the front and three astern. Some of
these guns as well as those on the other boats,
the heaviest Dahlgrens and columbiads for throw
ing g5a sae111 afSer arc ,so enst onn
thirteen guns each of like caliber, four on each
side, three in front and two astern. They only
cased so feet long mdships, and in front (or fore
castle.) These. several of the officers with whom
talked contend, are the vital parts, and that the
| chances are exceedingly remote of their receiving
damage from any other quarter. 7".... q.
! To give the reader some idea of their construc-
ton Uhe details Of which wonld require too much
srace) will add that they present very much the
shape Of a turtle. They entirely closed in, ex-
cept the portho for the guns. The one-shaped
pilot-houses, which are entered from below, are
heavily cased with loop-holes left for the pilots to
!
| lowered to nearly the level OF the roofs. The
Benton's roof is cased with iron, and has several
iron gratings to assist in lighting and ventilating
| The remaining four are the Essex, Lexington,
Taylor, formerly the A. o. Tyler) and Conestoga.
The first is an old st. Louis ferry-boat, cased all
| but the wheel-house the other three steamboats,
| altered, and wooden bulwarks erected as proec-
| ton against musRet-balls.
The MORTAR B0ATS.-Thirty eight in number,
are finished and lie tied to the shore about mile
| above the town, awaiting the mortars, Of which
they are to carry one each of the heaviest caliber.
J They are very simple in construction, the hulls
| being composed Of solid timbers bolted together,
! with eight small chambers in them for storing
| ammunition. They have nothing but wooden COW
| erings set over them to protect them from de-
| scending shot and she'll They can however,
| easily be covered with iron.
| The boats have buwarks Of about one quarter
! inch iron extending around them, and reaching
some eight feet in height above the deck (With iron
| windows or openings for ingreSS and egress) to
| protect the crew from musket balls, and with loop
| holes in them from which rjflemen can fire. Can.
vas will be stretched across above those to shelter
| the crew, when necessary from the weather. They
have anchors to hold them in any desired position
| in the river.
! They are about sixty feet in length, and twenty
sinks them to within about a foot Of the level Of
| the decks, and with the mortars on (Which, be
lieve, will weigh seventeen thousand pounds each)
the water will be up to or above the level of the
decks, but being lined with tmbers inside, caulked
| and waterproof, for some two feet above deck
| will keep the floors dry.
A number of little screw propellers were built IL
st. Louis designed for the towing of these boats
each tug to tow two mortar boats. one on each
side of it. There conflicting statements as tc
when the mortars will be ready for these boats
none having yet arrived.