Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-01-20

GmeiaE Eesorf or ksr Cosssisader Specs
sGsfcsss III she sv'OTaheFls Press.

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From the New YORK Herald, Jan. 3
The following las been received At the Navy De
HAMproS ROADS. Jan 50 p. H.
To Hon. Gideon Wells, Secrstuy OF the Navy
The Monitor, ID tow Of he Rhode Island, passed Hat
teras Shoals on Tuesday afternoon. The weather was
hne and promising
About nine o'clock ?. N. aqaslly weather commenced,
and about ten il blew hard. Al hslf-psst one A. H.. on
wednesday. the 3st; the Aon5tor having sprung aleak,
Commander Bankhoad and the officers and crew Of
the Monitor behaved nobly, and made every effort to
save the vessel.
Rhode Island. did everything In their power to rescue
the officers and crew Of the Monitor.
The Rhode Island has Just arrived. She passed the
MontaUk az half pas three ooloek this morning, fifteen
to twenty miles TO the northwest Of Hatferss doing
well. Weather hae. S P. LEE,
Acting Rear Admiral.
The Arst month Of the new yesr, 1852, saw tho advest
Of the iron clad steam battery Monitor, and in the same
month, q year ister, we are called upon to chroaicle her
destruction. like the Merrimaek. A kansas, and Cairo
she made herself famous IA q 5errihs battle, and was not
destined to DO destroyed BY an enemy guns The Non
it0r y As built under very peculiar circumstances. Wash
inton was b~lockaded, 2 rebst feet threatened It, and 8
rebel iron clad was almost resdV 70 ruin our wooden
mea.ofWar toward the close of 1861. Ia November es-
Decially, things looked darkest Something must be
done-ss iron clad built. The Monitor was conceived
ana laid upon the stocks. There was only one indispen-
sable articls that must belong TO her-she must be strOag
aed formidable enough 70 meet Our iron clad enemy
The Potou &C was a quiet river and a raft could move
on it better than q frigate. "a raft, with q new fash
toned vessel upon it" as q naval writer describes her,
was bull, and the result Of her first encounter with
Commodore TatnaIs famous vessel showed her build
err knew what they were about.
Bet there were some very imp 7rtaut matters con-
nected with her construction which are net by any
means so well understood. In the first place, she was
not exactly like she nine vessels that have been built
upon the same general theory, as many persons suppose,
from the fact Of these latter ships having been SO fire.
QHently described as in every particular the copy Of
each other, unless SOME accident occurs which has no
more TO do wi q the principle OF their construction than
thu foundsring of the Persia with the plan OF her model.
What this accident has been remains to be learned. Not
being needed for any such pressing business as their
progeBit0r" there was no necessity for making sea
going requirements secondary 70 mere fighting efficiency.
The great point Of their similarity, besides 5eligerent
attributes, u this: thai, notwithstanding the disaster to
the Monitor both the old and the new vessels are perfect
iifeboats mt sea, which cannot possibly founder. The
chief points OF difference between the Monitor and her
successors are: First, the honitor has a dead fat bottom,
with sides sloping at an single Of eighty degrees to the
vertical line.
The new Monitors have an ordinary midship section.
end an ordinary rise of flow, aud round blgs. They
possess what shipouilders term very easy midship
I'd The turreis in the new Monitors are supported
on -four bulkheads two transverse and two longitudinal
ones, very heavily braeed with what ere called angle
The turret therefore, Of the new Monitors is much
more 4 mly supported than ia the original, where it is
kept up By only a siagie ~bulAhead, rUaniug scross the
vessel
Sd The overh ang at the stern of the old Monitor was
also mach greater tha7 III the new vessels. The latter,
therefore, are subject to far less strain in ssea way than
their famous predecessor.
4th. The distinguishing point Of difference between
the two c asses Of vessels, however, Il the impreRnsble
chimney Of the new ones, which can neither be affected
by a sea or shot, which the original one did not have. e
9TH. The flesh atv for supplying tle boilers and for
veRtlating purposes is taken Ga through the tep Of the
turet in the new ships, instead Of being drawn through
air trunks, as in the dirslct Monitor, which are extreme
~ liable to be carried av5ay'in q seayysy.
These Changss were introduced by Captain Ericsson
in consequence Of the difficulty experienced during the
first trip Of the Monitcr aud out for these difficulties
the Improvements would not have been made.