The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-04-23

| MY gaze IL on the sea,
Still watching each far shining sail,
yearn ard pray for thee.
And through the long, long golden day,
Their starry pennants proudly float
Against the quiet sky;
Some fold their weary wings and rest,
Some fade far ont to sea,
And yet with fond and fearful gaze
watch and pray for thee.
My waiting heart il blest at last
Past griefts nOugnt tome
EaTtn seems heaven of bliss and love
This gracious day tn me:
The happy ship that brings thee back
With tears cannot see,
But now feel, as well may,
Ny prayers were heard for thee.
Another Ocean Monitor anoat...
Launch or the lrOn.Clad Cataw.
bo.
The first of the Iron-clad Monitors, or
dered in this city, was launched at half
past yesterday, from the works of Niles q
Co., on theAanding, just below the Little
Miami Railroad. An immense crowd was
gathered at every eligible place along the
river on both sides, numbering many thou
| sands. HOusetOps, RATS, jetties, fences,
and the upper decks Of the steamers at the
landing were black with anxious specta-
tors. The "Catawba''-which is the most
appropriate and poetic of names-has been
ready to take to her element for some time,
quate stage of water. The river now is
we'll up the banks, and reached within a
few yards of the tremendous structure Of
| iron, whose weight would crush u massive
column of granite, but which now floats
like chip on the tawny and elastic bosom
of the Ohio. Nine hundred wOrkmen have
been directly employed for many months
"Oneota." Much delay has occurred in
her construction, owing TO the fact that
many changes have been made in the ORR
ginal plans, some rendered imperative
by the defects which led to the loss OF the
original Monitor, and many others that
have been suggested during the short, but
eventful history Of this class of war vessels.
The "Catawba'' is the exact counterpart of
the Monitors in the fleet before Charleston,
and will probably join il as soon as COM
pleted.
DESCRIPTION.
The Cataw ba is IN feet long, forty-three
beam, depth of hold twelve feet. Her ma
chinery which is all aboard except the
steam pipes, consists OF two engines, forty
eight inches bore and twenty-four inches
stroke, one vacuum engine. two turret en-
gines and two fan engines. The hull,
where exposed to shot, is covered with iron
plating eleven inches thick. The turret
plating is fifteen inches thick at the base
and eleven elsewhere. The turret is not
yet aboard but is all ready and will be
erected Immediately. T. will be twenty
one feet in diameter, nine feet high, and
will contain the armament-twO fifteen
Inch Dahlgren guns. The pilot house, six
feet in diameter, surmounts the turret and
has eight inches Of iron plating. Thesmoke
stack 10 six inches thick and seven feet
high. The decking is Of seasoned white
oak, seven inches thick, Overlaid with two
inch iron. The wheel is Of cast iron, four
teen feet diameter and twenty feet stroke.
The weight Of the Catawba when COM
pleted will be about 1850 tuns and she
will draw nearly eleven feet. She is, as We
have already said, designed for ocean SER
vice, and her condensing and other ma
chinery is made in accordance.
THE LAUNCH.
AS near to half past twelve as it would
be possible to come, wOrkmen began to
hammer at the few timbers still restraining
the great iron leviathan. About $50 per-
sons were assembled on the deck, inclu-
ding, perhaps, twenty ladies, one Of whom,
Miss Emma HOrner Bickerstaff, stood
ready mt the bow with a bottle of rare old
sparkling Catawba, to christian the vessel
in the customary, though on this occasion
more than usually significant, manner
Several heroes, for the nonce, were sta
toned at the stern to rear alOft the nation
al flag, determined to perform their duty in
spite Of an inevitable and complete bap-
tism. Others were amidship with the
penant. and q party with the Union Jack
stood ut the bow. The splendid Newport
Brass Band struck up national anthem,
and in q moment the Catawba glided with
wonderful softness down the ways, plung-
ed slightly under the flood, righted and
shot out in the stream without culver or
lurch. Three noble fellows, Capt. G. G..
Champlin, Capt. Thos. Brown, and Robert
! Cory, went under the waves at the stern,
but they clung to their colors. and had
them up before the water was out OF their
ewes. The pennant and Union Jack were
flung to the breeze, bow gun-the piO-
neer shot-was fired, while the fair guar
dian OF the baptsmal crystal dashed II 10
atoms. and exclaimed, I'm the name Of
God and Neptune, cbristen thee Cataw.
ba." The thousands on either shore waved
and shouted, and the low, strengthening
sped away smoothly, but with treacherous
momentum.
The upper part of the landing was quick
llv passed. aud to the disnay of those on
board and on shore, the vessel drltted
directly toward the steamboats, At the foot
Of Walnut street. The ropes securing the
bow anchor were cut, but il is due the
| presence of mind of q sailor named Will
lam Conan. who took knot in the rope at
the right moment, that one OF the steam
boats in that vicinit was not ground TO
pieces. or that the "Catawba' herself was
not injured by drifting against the stone
pier at the ferry landing, foot OF Walnut
street; The tugs Little Champion and
"Hunter No. 2" took her in tow ard after
an hours hard putting landed her once
more at the foot Of the ways where she was
launched. The work remaining 70 be done
viii be hurried forward, and in tive
months the "Catawba' viii be ready for
service. At present she draws but nine
feet.
A CAPE MAY SCENE.
Il At the foot of Butler street q great crowd
was gathered, and those standing near the
waters edge were repeatedly ordered away,
thew returned whenever the policemen
were called elsewhere. Al the moment
the launch was fully in the water, an i'm
/, mense wave rolled shoreward, instantly
submerging one Or two hundred M ,Ssip people,
A It retreated q sight at once ludicrous
and terrifying was presented: Women We ,sns and
hank. wildly clutching at each others
heels: men were foundering on their backs
and bellies, and one Individual. his hat n;
caiiv hugCing log, alternately floating