The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1864-04-06
The First European Iron-Clad unasr Fire.


Since the French armor-plaied batteries
took pari in The om5srdment OF Kinburn,
no opportunity has offered 10 bring any of
the European iron cads TO trial by batils.-
Bu, the floating batteries used al Kinburn
would scarcely be ranked among iron clad
ships now and the first real trial of an
mored ship in Europe took place during an
engagement between the Danish cuPola
ship Rolf Krake and ;he Prussah land bat
teries at Egernsnld, on the I7lh of Febru-
arg The Rolf Krake was built al Glasgow
in Scotland she is covered with four and a
half inch iron plates, is of twelve hundred
IONS burhen, draws sixteen feet OF water,
and hast ierreis or cupolas, carrying four
sixty -eighi FOUNDER guns. Aperlures al the
top of the towers admit light and air; me
chanical arrangements allow of the ship
being lowered until her deck is only few
inches above The surface. An officer who
was on board during the action writes
seWe passed HoInaes without replying TO
:he fire of the battery stationed there and
took up the position which had been desis-
mated. Here we anchored, with our broad
! side towards two fixed batteries and one
moveable field bauery, which opened upon
| us M Urderous fire with round shot, conf
cal she'll and sfirapnel. tongue OF land
prevented our seeing the bridge we bad
been ordered 20 destroy. The enemy fired
very well. His fixed batteries were mask
ed, and il is therefore impossible TO say
! how m muchsiamage we did him but sent
a couple OF shells al arfled gun that rained
conicaI shot upon US from the heights, and
| when sheering off ombarded mill and a
house. We returned 10 Sonderbore, afiel
being engaged an honr and half. The
Rolt Krake STOOD the Trial we'll
f"She was huIled sixty six times eacf
shot being OF itselfsufficientio sink a wood
en- ship. Tie towers were hill sever a
times sixteen shots went through the fun
mel, one through the steam pipe, two thrc
The foremasl one through The mainmas
two through the mizen, and from sixty t
seventy through the buwarks, small boats
salt and rigging. The deck is torn up j
many places, the tackle much cut, The thTe
: pOulS CECI1 iO'hN W.
hn, and ] should like to have seen any pa
of The deck " here man could have bee
stationed without certainty of deaih. "
calculate lha: a bout five thousand pounC
! of iron were expended upon Us, and yo
4 may suppose that we contributed our shar
3 The noise was deaiening, produced {
g much by our own fire as The missiles OF h
\ enemy, whose shells few about in all d
: reciions. One, which burst d recily owe
4 the tower in which was Stationed, sent
shower of pieces: which set fire 40 tw
: mattresses, damaged my iroutisPiece, gra
: ed my leg. smashed my telescope aud pei
: GRATED coat lying by my side in half
S dozen places. | am still deaf OF one ei
i from The din--oiherwise no. much hnr'.-
One man in each tower was also slight
wounded, and, curious enough, each in Il
If left cheek +"
i The Prussians do not appear 10 have use
d such heavy guns as our monitors have ha
J 20 face. Tie Danish monitor came we
). out of The engagement, bLi il is coubtful
Al she could have wiihsiood the withering Fl
= OF The rebels al Charleston longer or belt
a than The ill-faled liIue Keokuk.