Litchfield enquirer., 1862-03-20


 The intelligence of the Southern slaves is real ly wonderful, my boy, and if it should ever come to . head, look out for rise in wool.
 Yours, contemplatively,
 ORPHEUs C. KERR. ' IRON CLAD VESSELS.
 The following is description of the iron clad vessels engaged in the late naval engagement al Hampton Roads:
 THE MONITOR.
 Under the act of Congress passed last Sum mer approprlating Sl ,500,000 for iron clad yes sels Tor the Navy, Captain J. Ericsson, the world renowned inventor of the caloric engine. presen. ted proposals for battery, to be launched with. in one hundred working days from the date oi the contract, the impregnabiiity of which should be tested before the heaviest guns of the enemy, and at the shortest range. The contract was signed in October, and on the one hundred ard first working day thereafter. the Monitor was launched from the Continental iron Works at Greenpoint, where she was constructed by .. 5. Bushnell & O., under the superintendence of Thomas F. Rowland of Brooklyn:
 Externally she presents to the fire of the ene- my,s guns hull rising but eighteen inches above the water, and sort of Martello tower, twenty feet in diamter, and ten feet high. The smoke stack during action is lowered into the hold, it being made with telescopic slides. The hull is sharp at both ends, the bow projecting and com ing to 8 point at an angle of eighty degrees to the vertical line. It is fiat bottomed six and a half feet in depth, one hundred and twenty-four feet in length, thirty four feet wide at the top, and is built of light three-eighth iron. Another or upper hull, rests on this with perpendicular aid ca md cho I, fo L and four inches wide, one hundred and seventy tour long, extending over the sides ot the lower hull three feet seven inches, and over each end twenty five feet, thus serving as . protection to the propeller, rudder and anchor. The sides of the upper hull are composed of an inner guard of iron, wall of white oak thirty inches thick, covered with iron armor six inches thick.
 When in readiness for action, the lower hull is totally immersed, and the upper one is sunk 5 feet six inches, leaving only about IS inches above water. The interior is open to the bot tom like sloop, the deck, which is bomb pro if. coming flush with the top of the upper hull. No railing or bulwark of any kind appears above the deck. and the only things exposed are the turret or citadel, the wheel house, and the box crown ing the smoke stack. The inclination of the lower hull is such that ball to strike it in any part must pass through 25 feet of water, and then strike an inclined iron surface at an angle of about 10 degrees. In the event of the enemy boarding the battery they can do no harm, as the only entrance is at the top of the turret or citadel, which cannot easily be scaled. and then only one man at Q time can descend into the hull.
 This turret is 0 revolving bomb proof fort, and mounts two 1l-inch guns. It is protected by elght thlcknesses of inch iron. overlapping so that at no one spot is there more than one inch thickness of joint. A shell proof flat roof, of perforated plate iron, placed on forged beams, six inches down the cylinder, covers the top. The sliding hatch in this cover is per forated to give clear light, and for musketry fire in case the battery is boarded. A spur-wheel, 5 inches in diameter. moved by double cylin. nder engine, turns the tgrret, guns and all, rod with the running gear of the engine enabling the gunner to control the aim. The guns move in forged iron slides across the turret, the carriages being made to fit them accurately.
 These guns were furnished with 400 wrought iron shot by the Novelty Works, each ball weighing ls4 pounds and costing SAY. The balls were made by forging square blocks of iron, which were afterwards turned in lathe. Cast iron shot would break against such vessel as the Merrmac, and these shot were forged for the especial purpose of smashing through her sides Lieut.. Worden intended, in case that the Merri mac did not come out, to go into Norfolk bar- Dor and lay his vessel alongside of her there.-- She has, however, saved him that trouble.
 The officers of the Monitor are as follows:
 Lieutenant Commanding, John s. Worden i; Lieutenant and Executive Officer, s D. Green :; Acting Masters, l.. N. Stodder and J. ". Web bel; ; Acting Assistant Paymaster, Vim. F. Keel CT; Acting Assistant Surgeon, D. C. Logue :: First Assistant Engineer Isaac Newton; Sec ond Assistant, Albert B. Campbell Third As sistant, R. w. Sands and NJ. r. Sunstron Act ing Masters Mate, Geo. Frederickson.
 THE MERRIMAc.
 The Merrimac was originally one of the five war steamers authorized to be constructed by Congress during the session of lS44-5 They were to be first class steam sloopsof-war, and were built as follows: The Merrimac at Charles. town; Wabash, Commodore Dupont's flagship, which did such good service at Port Royal. at Philadelphia; the Minnesota at Washington the Roanoke at Norfolk, and the Niagara at Brooklyn. The Minnesota and the Roanoke were lying in Hampton Roads. These five ves- sels were equal to any steam war vessels in the world, except iron clad vessels. The spar deck of the Merrimac was 2sl feet long, and 52 feet broad in her original condition, and she drew 23 feet of water. She rated about 4,OOO tuns bur den. Her frame was of live oak filled in solid, and caulked IA feet out from the kelson. For ward the ship had 10 live oak breast hooks fast sned through and through with copper under the water and iron above aft she had seven breast looks
 The engine was of 500 horse power, with l-bladed propeller IA feet in diameter, 80 fitted as to be raised to the deck and lowered to it's oeaming at pleasure, enabling the vessel to be lsed with or without her steam power. She ra- ed as 40-gun frigate. but could carry as much metal as 90-gun ship of the old style. She carried 24 9-inch shell guns and IA e-inch shell guns, with pivot guns of tuns each, throwing L00-pounds mounted fore and aft.
 The Merrimac was first of the five to be com pleted, being launched in 1856. She was soon after put in commission, and continued Tn the service until April, 1861. when she was lying at the Norfolk Navy Yard, in need of some slight repairs. But for the imbecility of those in charge, she might have been removed before the rebellion actually broke out in Norfolk. Under the management of Com. Macauley. however, she and the ship-ofline Pennsylvania were scut- tied and sunk, while at the same time the Navy Yard and it's 2,500 cannon were abandoned to the rebels.
 Since then the Merrimac has been raised, placed upon the dry dock, and coveredEwith an entire slanting roof of railroad iron. This addi- tional weight nearly broke her down upon the dry dock, and they found almost as much diff culty in launching her as was found in launching :he Great Eastern. Owing to mistake in cal culation, on being launched she was found to sink four feet Ceener than hefnre so as to tato