Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-04-13
The attack on CharIesiOs.

/ a correspondent Of the Pbiladelplia Pres.
writing from Hilton Head March 81, gives tb
following pasheulsrs:
The prime causes Of the delay Of the attscl
| on Charleston has not been with the armv. a
many suppose, foT it has been said from b,
highest authority chat the troops have been wait
I ing he word from the Admiral. Nor rs. the
/ delay been caused By the weather alone. but the
/ presence in Charezton barbor Of the t9roedoes
With which, It has been BT0ved, monitors. mas.
! sisted are uasba 70 cope.
j But Captain Ericsson, Of NasY York, has de-
/ vised plan By which this dilficultyis abviateI
I and has already sent down four Of these ma
chimes three OF which were lest in q gale Of
/ wind while the remaining one, with difficulty
/ the steamer Ericsson has safely towed into
/ Port Royal barber. It may be of interest 20
describe the principle on which these are
constructed An iron frame, f1sted to the
waters edge by iron sponsors, is pushed ahead
OF the monitor as she runs in. It's length. fr3n
the bow Of the monitor, is from twenty 10 tliriv
/ feet An aperture ID made next 10 the vessel Of
sn5 shspe Of hsr bows, intended to receive e.
me breadth OF the obstruction remover % az it
IS called IS twelve feet From each side Of the
extremity strong iron bar or shaft runs down
also twelve feet, the monitor drawing out rom
eight to ten feet of water. Tins rendering it i'm
possible Tor any toTpedOes over which the lob.
strueh0H remover" passes TO iniurs the vessel
number ct iron bars sFe used not only 10
form network 80 as 10 either push forward or
explode every torpedo less than twelve feet
under Wster' but also 10 strengthen and steady
the masis AT the bottom a heavy tie-bar.
onites tnose two vertlcle rods, upon which rests
the percussion torpedo containing seven hmm
dred pounds Of powder Above this is a ham
mer vhioh catches in q spring so stiff as 70 re-
euire two men TO set it, but constructed so that
the lever which PrCtrudes in the front forming
tho handle or other end of tee hammer. viii
cause the spring g. give with little pressure.
This is to remove piles. The experiments
made upon this machine in the North. have dem
oHstrated the fact that it is a complete success.
and an smounE Of powder greater than has ever
Deen proposed tcr any torpedo before, caused no
injury to ihesvesseL and indeed did not disturb
any OF the ties of the obstruction remover. Ii
will be readily seen that under no cireum-
stances can any STRAIN be given TO the monitor,
Tor supposing the apparatus TO be destroyed, as
i floats independently Of the monitor. support l
ing ITSELF the worst that can hsppen is It's loss |
It will Be granted By even the most sanguins I
Of our "On TO .Chsriestoners," that with the |
experience Of the Moutsuk staring Admiral Du- |
pont N the face, It would have been criminal /
folly to send m5nitoTs uuPTepared 80 meet what I
these arrangements are devised to overcome 4
=
leWs; The Passaio, Captain Drayton: The Pa
tapsc0, Capt. Almond; the Weehawken. Can't.
Deans the Nahant, Capt John. Rodgers; ths !
ksttskill, Capt. Fsirfax, Of Trent memory the
Nantasket, Capt George Rodgers, and the Mon
tauk, Capt. Worden, the hero of iron-elad war
fare. It is but fair to remark thgs Capt Wor-
den, though it has been his lot to see rough
experience with monitors. is enthusiastic ia bis
belief in their efficiency. The Keokuk is also
booked for the sffair
In addition to these is the iron friga.e. New
lronsides, Commodore Turner, which has been
the flagship Of the Charleston blOckading aset
for 3 month past. Her armament consists al
fourteen 1l-inch guns. and tao 2O0.Dound
1hos. From riding cut one or two gsles of
wind, il has been sufficiently proved that tie
loun.3 Of ner see-worthiness were unfounded
The Wabash, with her large crew $50 mani
md heavy armament, unfortunately draw too
much water (23 ieet) TO cross the bar. a. sIao
be Powhstsn, formerly commanded bv Con-
nodore GodOn, and the Pawnee. (cslisd ~
lioekadipg devil, last year. by secesh.) and viii.
neieiorei remain to receive the ram expected to
ittempt the recapture of Port ROYAL during the
'osence OF our iron-elad fleet.