Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1864-01-08

oner over to the civil authorizes Of Pennsyl-
vania.
Accordingly he will be sent from Wheel
ing, where he now is. to Governor Curtin.
A correspondent of the Baltimore Amen
can writes as follows of Morris Island, Dec
"a.
TEE WORK OF TIE MONITORS.
As an evidence Of the work done by the
Monitors have procured from Ensign ii.
Kinppel. who has charge Of the shot and
shell division of the Monitor Patapsco,
transcript from his record OF the expenditure
of shot, shell and powder by that vessel dur
ing less than a year that she has been in sc-
tive service here.
Up to November IA the Patapsco e1pend-
ed, for her 200-pound rife "A tuns, 6l0
pounds shot or, altogether, log 200 pounds.
Expenditure of powoer for rife gun, g tuns,
1886 pounds, or 1870 pounds.
Expenditure for IS inch gun, tuns l.,
400 pounds, or II 100 pounds of shot. Ex-
penditure for powder, 5 tuns, $50 pounds. OF
1905 pounds. In the amount Of powder
expended Is included the bursting charges
Of the shells.
The total Of this expenditure amounts to
50 tuns of shot and u tuns Of powder-a
pretty large amount, it must be admitted, to
Be fired from one vessel carrying only two
guns The expenditure in other monitors
has been nearly or quite as large as that OF
the Patapsco The latter has been in . en-
gagsments and has been struck over 400
times Whatever NAV he said of the moni-
tors, it must be admitted that no other YES
sells vet constructed are capable OF enduring
such an amount Of hammering by heavy ord
nance.
IHE DIVERS.
Duringa recent visit to Port Royal wit
messed with considerable interest the opera
tions Ct the divers employed to clean the bot
toms of the monitors, and perform other OPP
erations under the water. Messrs. Joseph
II Smith and James b. Phelps have a con-
tract with the Government for the periur-
nance Of this work, and have been of great
use here. The principal diver-apprr pirate
" named Waters-is - used TO this work
that he has become aim 1T amphihDus, Tt
naming for five or Elk hours at a time under
water A man Of herculean strength and
proportions. w en- clad in ME submarine ar
inur he becomes monstrJus IN si1e and ap-
uearanoe.
4 more ingular sight than - see him roll
or tumble mt the water AMI disappear from
sight, Or popping up, blowing, rs the air
e.capes from hIs bel net, like young whale,
Jan scarcely he imagined. Waters has his
Uwn idea OF jnke, and when he has a curl
US audience will wave hIs scraper about as
''he bots around On the water, with the
air of veritable river god. One of his hest
jokes the better for beng a veritable fact
occurred last Summer While he was en-
ployed scraping the hull Of one of the moni-
tor, negro iron one IF the up-river plan
tations, came alongside with a bOat-lUad #
water-melons. While busy selling his mel
Ons the diver came up, and rested himself On
the side of the bat.
The negro stared at the extraordinary ap-
pearance thus suddenly coming out Of the
water With alarmed wonder, but when the
diver seized one OF the hast melons in the
boat, and disappeared under the water, the
gurgling of the air from the helmet mixing
with his mufied laughter, the fright OF the
negro reached a climax. Hastily scizing his
oars, without waiting to be paid for his mel
ons, he put of at his best speed, and has not
been seen in the vicinity of Station Creek
since. He cannot be tempted beyond the
bounds Of the plantation, and believes that
the Yankees have brought river devils to aid
them in making war.
The diver when clothed in his armOr Is
weighted with lS5 pounds. Besides bis armor.
he has two leaden pads, fitting to his breast
and back. The soles of his shoes are o; lead,
an inch and half thick All this weight
is needed to overcome the buoyancy given by
the mass of air forced into the arnlor and
dress, the latter Of india-rubber, worn by the
diver. When below the surface he can H.
stsntly bring himself up by closing momen-
tsrily the aperture in the helmet for the es-
cape of the air. His buoyancy is Immediate
ly increased, and he pops up ike cork and
floats atwill upon the surface. The work |
Of scraping the bottoms of the monitors is
very srduous
The diver sits upon spar, dashed athwart 4
the bottom Of the vessel, so arranged as to 4
be moved as the work progresses, and with /
scraper fixed to long handle, works on both /
sides Of himself ar far as he can reach The
mass of oysters that become attached 10 the
iron bulls of one OF the Monitors, even during
one Summer here, is immense By actual
it was estimated that $50
bushels Of oysters, shells and weed were
.nAcu rum tHt DOlIOln OF lne MOntduk alone.
The captains of the Monitors have sometimes
ndulged in the novelty of mess Of oysters
raised on the hulls of their own vessels
Besides cleaning the Monitors, the divers
perform other important services They
have ransacked the interior Of the Ke1kuk.
,ttached buoys to lost anchors, and made I'M
ier-water eIaminati ms of the Rebel obstr &c
lions Waters recently examined the sunken
Weehawken and met an unusual danger for
wen his perilUUs calling. The SEA was 70
Violent that he was twice thrown from the
ieck OF the monitor. Finally, getting hold
IF the iron ladder, ne climbed 10 the too of
The turret, when a heavy sea cast him inside
he turrrt betxeen the guns Fearing that
lie air h'se wJali become eutansi.i. Do.
made lis way out with all possible speed.
md was forced to give up his inyertisaii m.
mill eiluer weather offered more iav5ra-
Die Opportunity.
a refugee from Richmond, a man af note,