Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-03-07
to friend, exclaimed, "By heavens there's
nothing in the world like our navy p'
The Mortar Boats-Gen. Lane not I,o.ted


From Correspondence of the Missouri Democrat.
CAIRO, Feb. 2o, 1S62.-The pilot houses of
the gunhoats here are being cased with six or
eight inches of green oak. This will be heav.
lily plated with iron, and then they will be in.
vulnerable. The experience of the boats al
forts Henry and Doneson proved that they
could not withstand heavy shot. They SEEM
ed to have been the object al which the enc
my's gunners directed their fire. This was
doubtless 10 disable the pilot or the command
er, who makes the pilot house his place of
observation during an action.
The Benton has the commOdores flag flying
from her masthead, and will be ready in few
days to make her first appearance at Column
bus, to acqut herself in manner that will
make ample amends for hardness.
Great confidence is entertained in the etfec-
tiveness of the mortar boats, and the people
are impatient TO hear the result of their first
engagement. Commodore Foote command
my all OF them, they will be distributed into
subordinate commands of eight each, every
four boats having a mortar, and every boat
a hat-boat, captain, and fifteen men Tor its
crew.
he shell will be prepared as they are used,
II being lmpracllcable 10 do so beforehand with
any knowledge OF the kind Of fuse which re-
CURES TO be inserted. Ii shell miss fused
"isi " hAtSCh oSCOilu luoRt Wllen IL came TO be
Hired 1t might not seem long enough or it
might seem too long, to correspond with the
distance the enemy were from the mortar.
line time OF the fuses will be regulated by the
distance OF the enemy, and this cannot be
learned until the boat has been anchored for
action.
HE recent experiments of the mortars hav-
ing shown that fifteen pounds of powder was
as effective as twenty-three and less DANGER
Gus TO those serving the m0rars, the former
quantity has been chosen for the uniform
charges, and great many packages containing
this amount have been prepared
We have teen told OF an occurrence which
illustrates General Lanes knowledge of NOR.
taIs. A few weeks ago when at Washington
making arrangements for his Kansas expedi.
ton, hearing much talk about the thirteen inch
mortars which were being made for service on
the mississippi he expressed to few OF his
lflehds VINO were present, his purpose to get
half dozen and take along with him. The
difficulty OF transporting them over the prai-
ries was suggested, but the general said he
thought that could be easily done, whereupon
he was asked what he understood by thir.
teen-lnch mortar. He replied that it was a
mortar thirteen inches l,ng, weighing about
two hundred and fifty pounds.
You can conceive the generals disappoint-
ment when told that thirteen inch mortar
threw shSll thirteen inches in diameter and
weighed eighteen thousand pounds-twenty.
four thousand with the mortar bed
One OF the suspicious signs of the times is
the presence here of number of commercial
men who have applied tor and obtained the
unrestricted privilege of establishing business
relations with persons up the Cumberland and
Tennessee, by which they will be enabled .to
ship north southern products, and to carry in.
TO the loyal portions of the south such articles
from the north as they most need.
Tins may be hailed as the beginning of the
REIMBURSEMENT OF commercial relations be-
tween the north and south. There are plenty
OF enierprising Union business men, who are
only waiting for the raising of the Mississippi
blockade 10 establish business houses in every
place on the river.