The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-08-16
About the Monitor.

| At no great distance from the Minnesota
lay the strange.tlooking craft ever saw.
Ii was platform of iron, SO nearly on q
level with the water that the swash of the
waves broke over it. under the impulse of
| very moderate breeze and on this plat
form was raised circulor structure, like
wise Of iron, and rather broad aud capaci
| Gus, but Of no great height 1t could not
| be called q vessel at all it was machine,
and have seen one Of somewhat simi.
F., liar appearance employed in cleaning out
the docks; or, for ack Of better simili,ude,
| it looked like gigantic rat trap. 1t was
ugly, Questionable, suspicious evidently
mischievous.-nay, will allow myself to
cali 1t deyilIsh for this was the new war
fend. destined, along with others OF the
same breed, TO anuIEiiate whole DavIes
and batter down old supremacies. The
wooden walls Of old England cease to exist,
and a whole history OF naval renown
rea hes lis period, now that the Monitor
comes smoking into view while the bill
lows dash over what seems her deck. and
storms bury even her turret in green
water, as she burrows and snorts along,
of,ener uoder the surface than above. The
singuarity o. the object has betrayed NE
into a moIe ambitious vein Of description
than | often Indulge. and after all, might
as well have coutended myael. with simply
saying that she looked very queer.
Going on board, We were surprised at
the extent and convenience OF her interior
accommodations There IL a spacious
ward room. nine or ten fee. n height, be-
rides a private cabin for the commander,
and sleeping accomua uaodations on an ample
scale; the whole well lighted and venti-
lated, though beneath the surface OF the
water. Forward, or aft, (for 1t is impossi-
BILE TO tell stem from s;ern,) the crew are
relatively quite a. Wei provided for As
the officers. IL was like !iudng a palace,
with all lis couvenIcLc!cs, under the sea.
The igaccs>sibilIty, the apparent inpreg
liability, of this subneIged iron fortress
are most satisfactory; tue officers aud
crew get down through little hole n the
deck. hermetically seal themselves and
go below and until they see fit 10 reap
pear, there would seem 10 be no power
rireu TO man whereby they can be brought
10 light storm OF cannon shot damages
them no more than \ handful OF dried
peas We saw the shot marks made By
the great artillery of the Merrimac on the
outer casing OF the iron tower they were
about the breadth and depth OF shallow
saucers, almost impercep;tle de..ts, with
no corresponding bulge on the interior
surface. In fact, the thing looked alto
gether too safe though it may not prove
quite an agreeable predicament 10 be thus
boxed mp in :mpenetrable iron, with the
possibility, one would imagine OF being
sent 10 the bottom Of the sea. and, even
there. not drowned, but stihed. Nothing,
however, can exceed the confidence Of the !
officers in this new craft II was pleasant
TO see the!r benign exultation in her
powers OF mischief, and the delight with
which they exhibited the circumvo.utory
movement Of the tower. the quick thrust
ing forth OF the immense guns 10 deliver
their pouderous -issles, and then the
immediate recoil and the security behind
the closed port-ho!es. Yet even this will
not long be the last and most terrible i'm.
provement in the science of war Already
We hear Of vessels the armament of which
is to act entirely beneath the surface of
the water; so that, with no other external
symptoms than great bubbling and foam
ing and gush OF smoke, and belch Of |
smothered thunder out of the yeasty
waves, there shall be deadly fight going
on below--and by and by, sucking wairi-
pool as one Of the ships goes down.