Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-03-15
T Il L M O MI Or.
FUIk DESCRIPTION Or THE
NEW iScS.CLAD BATTERY.

4 FULs. DESCRIPTION Or TIE
NEW iHcS.CLAD BATTERY.
The following f, I'M the New lo,k Post was pub
lished while the En- csson steamer Monitor wa. To
ing constructed and is fuN ana accurate Jeierp-
tian Of tae cague oe var ti4s1 defea'ci tue repei
iTon clad vessels that made snsh havoc with cur
old wooden ships OF Fortress Monroe
fhcJe is now building at the ContineItai Iron
Works, Green Point, formidable iron battery,
whichsyiil probably prove noveltsna elh,1eioss
imI enent of War. Congress. at IL last session.
n.i.ue IA appropriation Of one million i've nun
drol thousand dollars for builiin: iron clad yes
sell, aud Captain Ericsson Submitted TO the com
MIS- oneEs who were appointed TO exauline ffofos-
;4 p!aa fer an imireGnable iron battery, which
shoald be novel yet simple IN III consttuction
His plans were approved and thu contract for
building tae battery awarded to {. :. Bush
neil x Go. by the terms OF the contract il Is 10
De finished and equipped for aciv. service in one
hundred days erom the 9th OF October. 1t Is aot
to be accepted il, on being subjected IT, tao ere
N.Y. guns ut TIE shortest ra.gc. IL tails to tuhl
tue pledges maze in regard TO il. - con.l.sn'
arc the inventor an contracorsoi il Aaee5ss that
oLo Of these gentlemen .eAarkei tia. hs .Eould
be perfectly ready to enter INTO ea1t,act te .1ke
any city that can be approached oy fatel.
lnsiIULL.
Avoiding Is tar pcs.io.e technical .erais and
phrases, Let Us cxlmino the vessel ant gather "a
cear idea possible Of its structure. Tho
huh is sharp 1T both enas, and. ins .eaa Vi the
grudua curve of Il cutwator, tie DOW projects,
arl com ng to q polrt n ar Gn"ie o. eight de-
yrees, the sides, instead Of the ordinary bulge ~
Cline at an angle oi about ilty-ono degrees I, the
vcr,i5al Line. This hull is Il tlA.-hottomed sig feet
sy rches IN deptn. and built quite light Of :-ee
eighth inch iron. 1t II one hundred and twenty
four feet long and tlriy-oar feet wide at the
Testing on this is another, or upper hull. also
Rat -bottoinel, with perpendicular SIDES ami i int
Ell ends II Is ferty.one feet four inches lc,
SO that il luts the lower hull each side
threo feet and seven inches. It - one hundred
and seventy four feet long, thus tnIiE. sscn-
iy-are iert beyond the hull 1T ench end. Tho
sides arc tive feet high. and when in fghin..
der the lower hull VIII be entirely immersed and
tn" upper one suEK three feet SIX inches, thus
leaving hut eighteen inches hath fore ana ;sbait
above water, tho battery dr.,sin, Int ten feet Of
yater.
The sides Of this upper hull are composed Of
inner gard &c iron :oats3e OF this Is strongly
fastened walof whit, oh, thirty inches thic'.,ard
csersd with iron six inches thici.n ess
The bottom Of this vessel j. joined to the hull So
that tie interior isorcn 70 the bottom as in slonp.
The deck comes flush with tho top OF the upper
L ar, and lis bomb pruoi. FRS. il Il frame CT ok
beans, ten inches sa;2rc and tNenty-six iaehcB
apart, covered with csht-inch plank, and pro.
on with two layers ni iron each an inch thick.
| There riil DO orailing o. bulwafk Of eny Lind
Hbegc deck.
tho hull, fore and abatt, serve as protection to
the propeller, rud,ler ana aucnor. Tho propeller
Is OF course at the stern, and tho cqnpose ru;der
behind that, and they are protected by the up
ler vessel thatthey cannot be struck by bali.
The anchor is IN front and is sh or. bu; very heavy
it Is heistcd by chain running into the holI. up
into place fitted Tor il, outside of the lower hail.
but within the impregnabc walls Of tho upper
hull
The inclination Of tic lower hull is such Il, at a
Ill gt-tt- ~
lea St twenty live feet u water, aEd then strike al
incliaod iron surface, At an angle of about ten
degrees. II is, therefore. absolutely Protected
yet light Is to give great ouoyancy. A ball
striking the eighteen inches Of exposed uppr
hull. to 10 material damage. must pass through
six iuches Il iron, thirty inches Of white OAK, ard
then about half an inch more Of iron. Il is ex-
cecdngly doubtful whether southern ingenuity
has invented gun that will accomplish it.
The hull being finished, we viii (, Oh board
Only three things are exposed above deck. In tho
ccatre are the tur.et or citadel, the whcc!-house,
All possibly box around the smoke escape.
TIE wHrEI.uoJsE.
The battery viii! be steered from the front. and
the wheel-house will stand before the turres. 1t
will be Of iroa, very strong, though during action
it is not intended that IL should be exposed. it
can he lowered into the hold like a bale Of d,y
gods Of tho broadway sidewalk falls.
When ieyeTed, the top, TLicn is bamb-proof, is
le, e with ard forms part ot the deck ne joints
arc vatertisht. The house will bo pierced fer
shar!sho,teCs.
THE CHIMNEY.
The draft fer the furnances IS a forced one, and
in actio.l no chimney will be used as tho smoke
will through bomb-proof gTatings ia the deck.
As the deck will be continually washed by the
sea, the accumulation Of oinders, &c, will be of
! no consequence. Probably small guard will
| surround the gratings, to prevent heavy seas
breaking over them, and a contrisancc is made to
prevent what water may dash ever from going
! into the furnaces.
/ THE 7UREET.
| The whole vessel thus described IS but a bed 10
support the castle. The turret, which il the i'm
portant feature of the structure is round eylin-
| der twenty feet in interior diameter ard nine feet
high. II is built entirely of iron plates one inch
in thickness, eight Of them securely boltei on.
! ever the other, with the joints overlapping each
| other Within this there is lining of iron
| inch thick, thus giving nine inches OF solid iron.
1t rests bed plate, or rather ring made of co,n
| position, which is securely fastened TO tho deck.
To help support the weight, which Is about hum
dred tons, vert :al shaft ten inches IN diameter
| is attached and fastened to the bulFhead. The
ton is covered with forged iron beams and rerfo-
rated iron, she'll proof. The top is perforated TO
allow the smoke Of the JAMS, AMI, even more, the
c7ncusson Of the air, to pass off. The concussioo
from gun fired in a small, close room, would kill
| the inmates as quickly as though the ball had
| struck them. In small classmates cannot
| wol k for more than a couple Of hours az tue,
the conclusion OF the air causing sometimes
| bleeding at the nose and ears. frequently tho
| men have to be rubbed down as carefully as q
| race e-horse after its victory. Tho top has also
somo small sliding hatchways composed Of two
| inch plate iron, to serve as entrance ways.
The turret has two circular port oles, three
feot aboye the deck and just large enough for the
| mouth oil the gun to be run out.
/ TIE ARMAMENT.
The battery will carry two very heavy ride
| epns Tho carriages of wrought iron will run
| back on iron slides, which made to fit worry &C
curately. The whole turret, By an arrangement
/ worked by a sfecial engine, is made to revolye.
The operator within, by rod connected with the
| engi,e is enabled to turn it at pleasure. II can
be made to revovo at tho rate of sixty revolutions
a Minutes speed which it would be uncomfor,-
able to endure. 1t is so accurat ,!y madc that it
can be regulated to within half degree.
TIE WORKING.
In action the guns will be loaded and run out
while the PORTFOLIOS are away from the enemy
When ready the turret will be turned as nearly
: accurate as possible. BY nicely adjusted wheels,
a very precise aim ;s quickly obtained, the gun
fired, and instantly the turret is turned to bring
the gun out of danger, Tho gun is then drawn
in and loaded as before. While one gun is being
aimed and discharged the other is loading, 50
tha. almost . continuous discharge Is taking
place.
, THR NACHI ERY.
There will be two engines, ono for the propeller
with 40-inch cylinders and Pinch stroke. The