The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1862-05-22
u. =. Iron Plated Gunboats.

The bureau of Construction Of the Navy
Department have prepared plans and s~pecihca-
tions for the twent; iron-clad gunbOats, in
accordance with the Dill passed some time since
by the House, and IN Friday by the Senate.
Subjoined il a condensed description Of one of
the boats
The length Of the-vessel on deck is to be two
hundred and sixteen feet two inches extreme
breadth forty-eight feet and depth o: hold amid
shirs thirteen feet eleven inches. The hull j. to
be built throughout of white oak, and copper
fastened 20 within FIVE feet Of the top Of the deck.
The deck pianks are to be of white oak, five and
one-half inches thick and nine inches wide. On
this deck there will be deck-lights, fitted with
shutters to make them water-tight from below.
and two coming houses (for guiding the ship,)
one at each end, which are to be of wrought
iron plates, round in form, of TWO feet diameter
in width, and ~forty-six inches high, the sides to
be six inches thick, composed of one thickness OF
fsur-inch and one Of two-inch iron. The Idiot
of the box is to be four inches thick. At ten
inches below the bottom of this cover the sides
are to be pierced with four tapering peep-holes,
two inches in diameter on the outside and six
inches on the inside while three inches lower
down there will be, in intermediate spaces, four
other Veep-ho!es-
The armament of the vessel is to be contained
in two revolving : Cole towers whose outside
dia-etef Is to be twenty-one and one bali feet,
height somewhat over eight feet. The tow
es are to be composed of two thicknesses OF
wrought IRON plates, securely DOiteu " DdCAH'S
Of oak ten inches thick, on vertical tImbers.
The outside plates u be three inches, and the
inside two inches thick and all plates and ap-
Icndages to be of irst quality wrought iron
scrap, capable of sustaining n tensile strain OF
1000 pounds per square inch.
Each tower will have one portfolio cut in Its
sides for n gun. This hole is to be twenty-four
inches wide and forty-one inches extreme height,
top and bottom to b, semi-circular- In the roof
is to be a grating, composed of slabs of wrought
iron six inches deep and one inch wide. Each
: tower rests on twelve wrought iron cOnIcal rollers,
eighteen inches diameter, seven inches width of
face, turned and polished, and with steel axles to
work in n wrought iron circular railway secured
to the deck at every eighteen inches of its cir
conference.
On the outside of the tower, the base, to the
height Of twenty-six inches above the deck, Is to
be a glacis, or inclined plane, extending ten feet
in every direction from the circumference Ot the
tower itself, and composed of two plates, each
one and n quarter inches thick, fastened on prop
er timbers. This glacis viii protect the railway
on which the tower revOlves with Its machinery
The sides of the vessel are to be plated with
four and a quarter inch wrought iron plates,
except for thirty feet from the stern and stern
posts, where the plates are but three and three
quarters, and nearer the bow three and n quarter
inches thick. The deck is to be covered with
ten thicknesses of rolled iron plates, each three
quarters Of an inch thick, and not less than
fifteen feet long and three feet wide. The entire
weight of iron plates needed fo- one of these YES
sells Is estimated ut o,9l6 tons
The motive power Is to consist OF two horizon
tai direct acting engines, to work two screw
prOpellers, one under each counter OF the vessel.
The screw propelIers are to be four-bladed, Of
ten feet diameter. and with n mean pitch of
twelve feet six inches. The grntOwers will each
be worked by an oscillIting engine. For yentIlat-
ing the berth deck there are, besides these, to be
four blowing engines and blowers