Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1864-03-10

in these wooden slabs Immense blocks of iron to make
them still more powerful and formidable
The amor of the original Monitor consisted of four
cad half ches of iron laid in sirge plates, each
one il CD thick That of the Warrior consisted of
four ard half inches of irta, laid on In soid slab
like sur ironclad hgate R)anoke The French
frgatc Gloe Las Also four and half inches OF iron,
laid On iii solid slab Nov, he Dictaor has 90 her
sid alone eleven iGcbs OF iron and five inches OF this
s cue solid beam Over these ) iuch blocks OF iron
are six lnch plates Of iron making altogether an
rrnor Of eleven inches Of iron, the dime as
the armnr Of turret OF the original Monitor, tie Pns-
sac MoDtauk &c The NOR btgns at the deck and
gees down only six feet which takes it abont four feet
below water; go that the deck Of the ocean irorclad
Dictator will only be about two feet over water Be
low the atm0r there Is twenty two let OF the SNIP only
two feet of which is covered by the eleven inches OF
iron mil There are, therefore, eighteen aud halt
ct cf this h, which bas only skin Of l inch iron
c,a'e The weight Of tie armor is about five hundred
ID we II FIVE tot-3--the burden of a pretty iarged
= I'd steamer
there will be but one tutret Ct a very improved
pa,', rn covered With sixteen incbes of iron Ehis is
four iIlhes than the armor q the original Monl>
tor ard the Pass ac, and ten inches more than the ar
mored sides Of these vessels The apparatus for rk-
ing The guns will be oil still lever principle than any
yet carried out The turrets will be covered in action
when necessary
The rem is the finest piece OF mechanism aboard the
ship The ram proper is twenty-five fact of solid oak
aud iron untike 'he X eokuk, which protrud from
the bottom Of tie hull the keel this eX'ends from
he top OF the deck be ~, it were, extension of
the entire ermr OF the ship Ano her advantage 10
this. is that it could be carried away without any
material damage or injury q tie vessel. aud without
her making water.
The decks are perfectly clear Of all ncuulbrances
EXCEPT the trret The armor OF the deck consists OF
ore and hall in hes OF iron, laid on III two plates 10
the as in other Vessels. She has none OF
the para phernaiia OF euch ocean vessels we in
the habit of looking at in hal bors She has
If 4hn tall hripu rlEQ NO nj
CD deck nothing, in fact that looks like ordinary
ship A tail could almost dip his hands in the
water from htr deck on which game OF base ball
might he played even with the turret The ship is
ventilated by three nmeL3e blowers, two for the OF
the vessel generally and for the purpose OF
ventiIating tie engine rorm. These blowers are of
Immense sizabOut seventytWo inches by forty eight
inches
In the iron cads the common compass arrangement
is mpraccabe-th the needle refuses to do lis sccustoh-
ed business surrounded by such OF iron is in
each urre-scts sluggshly, aud ia in fact, pece lily
useless Several means have been adopted to remedy
this Inconvenience, the most successful OF them icing
that it use 1t is no other than, By the help of
looking ass. he heiCSmnn stands with the wheel
in his hand, and before Linn is >mirror Seven fee:
above his head, situated in copper pipe lifted above
the pilot hOusS is the compass which directs the course
Of the vessel The compass IS so arranged that the
movement OF its hand is rejected in the MIR and thus
is the vessel steerad.
One of the greatest difficulties in the way of making
the iron cad5 permanently useful was that of protect
ing the bOt from the filth which concentrated there
and prevented them from moving The original Mont
itor had to be towed from Fortress Monroe to Wash.
ing ton account OF the bottom being foul. On the
bottom of the Dictator, however and all OF iron
clads be built hencforward, and most of hs naval
built vessels, successful remedy has been discovered
which will keep the bottoms perfectly clear all filth
1t is cali ship zrc paint aud is perfectly white
color. Some thirty years since vessel coated
with it in England she arrived here e few weeks ago.
I, nd 10 ont nr1on
,:rJECs Or slRR.dAA's EXPEDITION.
N}rttgic Triangle of the Southuest-1he Grand
Campaign Nor Opening.
I be New York Times gives what we have extracted
beo" az tie Interpretation of Sh rman's movement in
the Southwest aid predicts that reasonable in
that quarter will fleet complete Charge in the general
military program me. Promising that tie rebellion
presents IFS most formidable front in North Georgia,
the Times ADDS that Grant is circumstapced to
reader it extremely difficult to turn his advant ge in the
posse sSlOn Of Chattanooga, TO account. His dsadvan-
tages enormous proongatloa o! the line connecting
the front of operations with tie bse supplies, the i'm
perfect character OF the communications end the diff
Guilty OF accommodating sufficient supplies for long aud
severe compagn in the Gulf States This, says the |
Times shas formed the grand obstacle to Grants ad-
vance into Georgia, which s excmph id the fact that
he is utterly una"n to take advantage o. the recent fall
irg back OF Gen Johnston, he cannot advance
mile from his base acco mt of the difficulty of SUBJ
Sistipg his army even where it is
The Times says it has teen recognized q neces
sary condition to any advance from Chattanooga, look
ing 10 great and decisive results, that water base be
opened up, When apowerful column should march, to
connect with support the Union army edVencng
rom thatiar ga TIE two possible points from
which water d. is could be opened up, to Wit: The
oouchure of the Savannah river and the Gulf ndi-
,aed and, after pointing out the disadvantages of the
o. mer proceeds to cOns er the latter in which the
purpose Of Shpl MAI expedition aid the oeu0h traon
against Mobile are expairad ::
II is known that three distinct columns, from many
1iheren points, ara under way in the Southwest
very powerful cayalIv column, under command Of
4ens- Smith AID Griars has started from Corinth
md Holly Springs An inf ntry column, composed OF
ut two corps of Hulbuft and Mcpherson under com
nand of that able officer G5n. Sherman, is under way
ION Vtlsburg combined land and naval eypedi-
ion s moving from New Orleans
Trere s not the slightest difficulty in assigning the
objective at which the latter force aims 1t SMoble,
# course The c:valry column is lor grand raid T
Trough Mississippi Alabama and Georgia. But what
the objective OF Sherman g column?
Tie first and most obvious answer 10 the question
:, that Shermans fOrce is also designed for Mobile
'ut tie query Immediately suggests ITSELF why has it
aiken up lts march in due eesterly direction along
he Southern Mississippi Railroad, instead of dropping
own the Mississippi River end forming a junction II
nth Banks forces? Ii is even question whether it
ou'd be possible for Sherman to make an overland 6
1aich from Flcksburg, to Mobe-about three hun 81
red miles, aud If this be answered in the affirmative IL
still met with the puzzing proposition that there
no adequate reason why he should undertake the "
rodgious difficulties of the march. G.
Shtrnlans corps undoubtedly is not destined for Mo-
lie. Where, then, is he going? A careful examina fc
on OF good map without which military discussions Il
:e necessarily much blind verbage) should answer
lis QUESTION Let US suppose that Sherman continues
s present ery march, following the Southern Mis-
ssppi Railroad, which he puts in working order al
&h,tA