Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-12-10
THE EVENING STAR.
OUR IRON CLADS.


EagH roUR IRON CLADs. .. Fs-.
The following Is a description Of thr Iron.
Clad. Ksokpk ssd Cstrkiii, Iassstea o. Sal.
krday nernin iass, at New York, md which,
are destined ere long to play prominent parts
an the history 81 .ha war:
The keokuki IS not only q two turreted ves-
SCI. tut IL also FrnidabIe ram. She l.
su-allsr than the Ericsson Monitors. being or,,:
hCndrsd md fifty nine f-~: s.I inches over all,
tnelhdins he rsm- " hich is Ave feet long. Sh-
hiss beam Of thirty-eiN feet. with depth OF
hold thirteen. feet six inohrs, and draws rIn"
frct OF wnu-r. Her sides slope inward =. an
sogie Of tbirty-seyen degrees, TO she'd the
tnemy,x shot.
she is built of from. ard her amor extends
nearly four feet below the water liBe. The
horizontal desk Is n We feet above the water line
Her pIopulsive power il furnished by two
rrcr4ISr< ard two Engines Of i've hundred
hcfFe power.
The hull Of the vessel is constructed Of half
Inch rolled iron. She has ;hree keeisons run
ninesthe whole Iength OF the vessel. and two
fore and Aft bulkhsads, leaving each aide a
space and forming inner skin, which would
probably keep out the water In the event Of me
Cuter skin LeInE pierced by shot. In addition
20 thsse she has two bnIkhsads-one forward
and or aft-which can be nIied with water, SO
WV '"e ~. Hrs.r. J.. ao ~. Whn" IN aeaon:
---ss can be .,u%n ,......,,s
Furped out IN forty minGtss- In using the
Tsm. should The vessel be- wrenched Ed As TO
cause feakinx, The compartment alluded to
rcnId preservs tbs vessel from sinking. The
sessel Is subnerged one foot BY the appliance
Of these wateT tanks. ~
The turre,s are imrnovaSle, the gun revolv.
ing 70 The three ports pierced in each turret.
They weigh zach forty toms, and are built of a
groundwork Of hslf-inch rolled plates like the
hall, covered with bars OF iron four inches
Thick, standing edgeways, placed one and a
edarter inches apart, the interstices being filled
ith yellow pine. Over all this there ara three
plates, eaeh fiye-eighis Of an inch thIck-the
whole structure boitsd together with one and
one-eigh tn inch hol,s, " it'll countersunk heads,
one foot apart. The turrets, therefore; are six
and i quarter inches thick. Each turrrt is 70
have three por's, with heavy shutters, working
In two halves one port on each sid, and one
forward and aft. Each ,urret will hs-- II
inch ,-,yyrrra Iso-ponnd she. These
inns move on revol Wing slides, aieh are placed
on floor twenty inches neiow the level OF the
deck, thus giving krratrr hPi>ht 10 the turrcts
which are twenty feet in diameter at the base,
fourteen at the top-b.ing cone shaped-eight
feet eight inches high. The turre;s are addi-
tioneliy supported Within by bars OF ave by one
inch iron set edg@ways, fifteen inches apart,
and the ports suffi cientiy large ~ i've
the guns ten degrees vertical and eish; degrees
lateral range.
The following are the dimensions and de.
seription OF the Cstskill:
I<rgth over all, 2osi feet; beam. IS feet; depth
OF hold, 70 feet; draught of water, equipped, 9
Tet6 inches; lam ching draught. feet9 inches.
The form OF this vessel is not unlike the
Mentor, excepting that her lines finer,
iron hull is built OF three -fourths inch iron
plating. fastened on 10 a frame of angle iron,
rix inches wide by thrrr-g quarters OF an in oh
thick. From point 81 feet below the water
like q shelf extends outward, on which r-sts
TIE wooden ba king for the arrnor plates. This
u cuyered by 1--WE wrought iron plates, ea n
on- inch thick and i've feet long by five feet
" id%. In addition TO the armor plating LII.
CGtskiil has wrought iron stringsrs four inches
thick inserted under the plating for distance
Of 50 feet from the bow, making the arnor nine
inches thick, and giving this vessel immense
power as ram.
The deck beams re Of oak, twelve by twelve
inches Ia the center, and ten by tweye at each
end, placed only twenty four inches apart.
Tie deck is planked with piae seven inches
wide by eight in chee deep. The deck is flush,
win gentle sloIe upwards from the center.
The matches are wrought frames let in
'hush with tie deck, and in action they are
Close " tth wrought iron covers, which are
---iy fass Md from below. The headlights
a. ~. ~ which light up the lower. deck are
- c,.st,,, -">eTs. and fasten in the same
uapnpr u the hatch g. -s
The plating on the deck is ~-fo-in1 i,
p'ass, one inch in thickness, IT, -
bomb. proof The ;urret is twenty-one IL. A
diameter and nine feet in length II il con-
srruct OF eleven thicknesses of one in ch iron,
and IL pierced for two guns, which stand paraI-
lei with each ether in the turret. The pilot
house Is placed On top of the turret and is eight
riches in thickness, six feet in diameter and six
feet in l-ngth. II is pierced with eight look
cut holes, 20 that every part OF the horizon is
visible, each hole covering about forty i've de-
gress OF II.