The New York herald., 1864-09-18


a are iksy 70 prove most sassfactory 70 THIS coun-
w 40 q, ,ssgossrs preliminary trial TRIP made ys.sss;
II Tonsson bus now renamed q. 4 soorpioa-wss .
| most gratifying success
Aer ten months detention In the river the Scorpion
and her corsors were handed over by government 70
Messrs Laird Brothers the sta inst for completion IN
sccordanos with the original plans Al the time Of the
seizure IN October OF last year the Scorpion very
FAR advanced The multiiom portions Of work involved
N her construction the point OF completion, and
the vessel Mould have left the hands y builders
TIE Scorpion wus taken out OF tho Float Monday
evening" aud bad steam mp At an early hour yesterday
morning. About half past nine the builders, accompa-
MED by small party oi eentsmen including Mr. John
Laird r. ADD ene or two naval officers were conveyed
on board rom the Woodsde landing stage
! tug Columbus At this time the scorpion moving
ca tue river under easy stes her appearance attract
ing considerable attention. The hui. has far more
handsome appearance than predicted before the
spars and rigging added: the funue s color
Cd IKE other Slips OF and the iron spsrs have trim
| look
recapiulation OF OF the principal features OF
her construction viii be OF interest at the present
time. The ord0hry null Is OF ol strength;
over this is coating Of eo inches OF teak and
plates four and half inches thick, nearly the whole
length u the side but aperDg Ia thickness OF course
at bow are storm. The vessel has no keel at least
keel but three inner box kees OF srengh
| and tho hoor is very fiat with fine ends The stem
curves outwards five feet below the water line and being
formed Of massive wrought iron, forms ram OF i'm
,nsDse penetrating force The lines oil the vessel
carrie out to the extremity OF this prov, that
CARDS tho propulsvn u tho vessel through water
| really forms nart Of the hull The stern Of novel
shape forming, when seen end on, al obuse angle but
| not particularly Noticeable when locked at from the
III
tectng The screw propeller and elancag of shos The
lower mass which very long, hollow iron tsbes,
with wooden topmass which slide into them thous ht
desirable her going into action The yards or iron
carried feucca fnsbon the fore and mainmasts the
misen carrying only spanker The lower part OF The
huh IS cellular. so as to give additional strength aud
security 10 OF taking the ground striking rock.
few feet from The true bottom iron platform extends
across the vessel giving extra stability Tor the carriage
OF the machinery and hesgy turrets. The upper in
dock iron plated 10 ,agst tho effects OF shelhring
especially WITH molten charges AT the top OF the
| for giving lgnt and ventilation below strong ton
gra.ngs liked protection against spliners from
snells bursting overhead. The deck extends
the Whole length OF the vessel ana is free o. obslruc
auidshrs except the tures masts and funnel but
tho SHIPS psng is carried up a the bow and stern to
form poop and topeaant orecsste. In the poop the
ordinary accommodation, te wardroom being inmedi-
ately Geneath; and tho forocass Will Accommodate
the pe.ty ocers and rsrhaps form the hospal bav or
sick quarters. The buwarks novel. The topgaant
rail q wood and removable at pleasure, the buwatks
proper nens Of IRON hinged on the de- dscs Level aud a
"clesYiug for accn and giving the guns 10 the urrets
uninterrupted sweep almost any way except directly
ABOVE tie deck level and the tops o! the cupolas
only five feet high that they do not pescat con
spicuous mark. But tho turres extend some depth be-
low have thus the protection or the ships sides
What is exposed above deck has five aud half inch
teen inch teak backing Tho eighteen sided
in the surface presented 70 shot, Captain Cowper Coles
preerrng these angles the Of rounded
| There are two turres, each to carry twelve
/ guns, ranged side by sde and throwing 1856 pound
1 o
riaed az most probably they will be- The tower rests
turn table, running on wheels, the motion being
fixed to the kesoD that supports the tower. The
| is prevented from shifting by an immensely strong
wrought iron central spindle boted into the framework
and bed OF the vessel Outside the towers twenty
four teet in diameter inside nineteen feet. The guns
will be mounted on compressor slides, with buffers TO
take the reco or when too great momentum s given
in running the guns. During the experiments
board the Royal Sovereign 1t found that with the
| heaviest charges the buffers not required, but
they are there II the compressors should fail act
Only three men TO each gun will be required 10 the
! cupoa, the suns beng served through man holes
part Of each cupola-by the crew standing IL the
| tight with the usual bukheads-(of which there are
several Ia the vessels length with ntercommunication
oy sae ana hs rompeT N se navS ssps
will be handed TO the gun BY means OF very simple
these tarret guns being positively easier . work
than ordinary broadsde guns. while the men ore all
under cover Of the armor piMing Aim is takcn from
the outside Of tho turret For this purpose there are
three little holes the roof for the gunner pop
his head through, there heng iron bonnets fitted to
glance OF rife bullets The gunner. in fact brings the
port holes o hts turret TO bear the object This
dangerous office would at first appear. Sup
posing the vessel to open fire at thousand yards
range head. with the protecting bonnet TO shield
II, would NOT be very conspicuous object, WHILE in tho
smoke Of close action he might take sight with
day, and the facility with which it worked ad-
mirable, oven with an unframed crcv. Those who de-
sire 70 know the principle upon which revoves need
only 80 and examine one OF the dock bridges as IL 10
opened or shut at tide time
70 be meny respects preferable 20 those OF the vaunod
| American Monitors (the machinery and gun being
more fully protected by the ships sdes we need only
add that forward OF the funnel and at the centre Of the
bridge plated he1agona pilot tower, with sights on
every side believed 20 be bullet proof The person IN
! the tower communicate with either turret or with
the engineer charge, while there is steering wheel
Tween decks Yesterday the scorpion steered with
the utmost facility with this wheel tho after wheel on
chains at VIM The foreoaste proper, in the tween
decks, divided BY LONGITUDINAL bnlkhesd Of great
thickness let into the vessels stem and adding eat
rgidty when a rauamng operation has to be performed
The ceilings are fitted with Lammock.hooks. and there
are sreled lockers for the bag and rag Of the crew
Length water line two hundred and twenty tour feet
beam, !ortytwo feet six inches depth, twenty feet
| measurement about one thousand eight hundred and
ninety TONS Their great beam gives these vesses
derful stability as foatng batteries. The boilers and
~ acbnery also Messrs. Lird's manufacture. There
four boilers. two each side, with two furnace
ranges facing each other amdsnps There are sixtscn
furnaces and the boilers work together or separately,
| as desirable ANY OF steam is carried direct
into the 'un9e no outer s,, steam NIL, pipe osiIs
| and work horizontally athwart ships, with double
piston rods and Slides thus equaizpg the leverage and
getting marvellously smooth action in seaway
driving hard Tho pistons have thres feet length OF
stroke 10 arrangement and finish the engines most
excellent workmanship, and Indicate that Messrs LAIRD
likely TO be eminent engineers they have
hitherto been considered shipbuiders Yesterday the
scorpion had about two hundred tons OF coal on board
and drawing thirteen feet forward and fourteen feet
nine inches AFT. With armament and stores board
her loaded draft will probably % foot more this form
of vessel going down very little with the comparatively
small additional weight to be yet receved-and as the
will then be better immersed tho trial OF yescr
day may be taken reliable criterion OF her future
speod The propeller should state is fourteen
feet in diameter and has three blades yet the rapdity
with which the scorpion her helm 10 remarka-
| bic.
In consequence Of the newness Of the machinery and
the probability that during tho long time OF lying In the
river dirt had worked It's into the bearings, the
Scorpion went down the river against the Hood
easy steam; the day was very fine, but rather fresh
southeastery breeze made slight swell outside. The
Rock Light was passed at twenty-five minutes past ten
O'Clock IN the morning. and taking the down
Queens Channel several fast tugboas
and passed, the northwest lghsship being reached
forty minutes pnt eleven run Of fourteen nautical
miles In an hour and quarter Full steam was
given to the engines, and with twenty pounds pressure
and sixty revolutions per minute, the distance
| tween the Victoria Channel tairway buoy and the
Queens Channel Bell buoy by actual measurement
Sghtly under nautical mile, IN four