New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-09-10
WHAT TEE ATTACK on CHARLES
TON TEACHES.


WHAT TEE ATTACH on CHARLES
TON TEACHES.
There is q great difference Of opinion among
professional ard urprCiessional men as to the
merits Of the late ard present attack on Charles
ton. Admiral Du POnt was very widely CEN
sured for not having renewed his bomlarcmeht,
although the sworn evidence Of such men a.
Drayton and Wortlen showed that it would be
mpotic to do SO, and not few have blamed
Admiral Dahlgren for tie Hardness OF his re-
cent movements. Some Of our "icadng Jour-
nails" have abused the Government for building
so many iron-clads, while Others have declared
the new ships to be failures The TRIBUNE
was the only paper which, when the iron-dalsI
were first introduced, criticized them co.
reciIy and impartaly; and we have no hesl-
tntion now in defending them when their strong
points arc asseiled. In an article, which called
forth a letter from Capt. Ericsson, we showed
that the speed Of the Monitors had failed TO
reach The required point, and also that ther
offensive attributes were not so formidable as
was claimed BY their advocates. These, how
ever. being their chief defects, it is but night TO
state how much Of the delay in taking Charles
ton may be attributed 10 Their inetciency.
In the first place, they have been proved
almost impregnablc to shot and shell. The
wooden navies Of England and France
would have been sunk by one-iiitieth
part of the missiles that have fallen harmessly
on their sides. In the first attack, even the N
convenicnces and injuries sustained on board
the armored ships arose rs much from TIE m
perfect working Of the machinery as from any
other cause. II is not generally known that IN
every one Of these little ships there are seven
distinct engines, all performing different and
distinct operation. The most triEing disaTange'
ment of any Of these engines, or the machinery
attached to them would temporarily paralyze
the craft; and when slips are new, nos only in
material but in form, Il II only natural to eX-
pcct accidents ID this sort In the present a.
tack. however, We have not head Of any serious
Injuries to even the machinery. During the
long. continuous siege which has witnessed an
incessant shower If missiles on our ships, not
hole has been made nor bolt broken. This fact,
taken by itself. establishes beyond contradiction
the UNPRECEDENTED value Of iron-clad yessels-oi-
war. Wlcro Is tho wooden ship in any navy Of
Tie world ,Lat could siald six consecutive we'll
placed shots from Il Rebel rihed gun, and iloati
Sir John Packington declared in the English
Parliament, before the advent Of irun-clads.
that a modern naval battle between two first
clas. lino-nf-bcttlc ship, would result in mutua.
anrhla'.cr-the projeciiics aud guns being too
formidable to cope with any wooden hull. Net
Sumter and Wagner and Morris Island have
poured q perfect hail Of l50-pounders on Tie
bulwarks @. these little craft without seriously
disabling one of them Iron-clad vessels
were conceived to resist projectiles, and it
ia We, to bo proved that they cannot
pas any lor, or fortress in the world
ur.ujlrel, provided tia, harbor obsirUc-
tions. which have nothing TO DO with the armor
ON their sides, are rcmoved-lheir power to
nnict damage being. Of course, secondary
consideration. Condemning Ton-clads, there
fore, because their batteries. are not 50 strong Us
they ought to be, would be like condemnng the
A;ll OF magnificent ship becau her engines
were bad. Il blame is due TO anybody, let il
fall in the night quarter. The artillcrists must
bear tie hrunL Of these failures, aud not the
lron-oad builders. Ii We cannot, firing from
sunrise till sunset, batter Sumter or Wagner 10
atoms that Is The fault Of our guns, not Of our
ships; ald the sooner the Tact is perfectly IN
ders,ood the better 70 got an idea Of the
amount Of metal wasted through deicicn, artil-
leTy in thcse attacks ON Charleston. IT is only
necessary Ia call into IcQuistion few figure
The armament ol the New lron,ides is sixteen
il-nch guns and two 2O0-pound r.lcd parott
guns. an of the monitor class have each H.
inch and l5.inch gun in each turrct. Tho H.
inch guns throw solid sho. weighing l-O
pounds, and the l5-inch gus a solid shot weigh
ing i7G pounds. The tota! weight OF metal
which can be thrown at single discharge
sums up
Twenty Eve llineh fun'.................taor ~.
ar,cn j. in'h sufs......................5,.f hN
~" B." pYth4h, N,.s........s....'sssss ~ no.
To'li GA gunsl.....................b,.@t lbs.
Buy as the New lrons.dcs viii be- able TO Use
but one broadsde at time in III attack upon
Sumlcr, onc.hali OF her broads,dc guns should
be deducted-I,i:0 pounds-which would give
n total weight of 6,792 pounds If metal which
can be hurled at given moment upon the
Rebel works, Guns Of so large CALDER cannot
be fired rapidly, not otonor than six or eight
4 lrrs I'f,t. Ia. yiN In