The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1865-11-27
THE LATE REBEL RAM STONE.
WALL.

WALL.
This iron-pfated ship arrived at Washing
ton on the Oath, from Havana In passing
up the Chesapeake Bay, and when off Smiths
Point, New York schooner attempted to
cross her bow, and was struck by the cram :"
of the Stonewall and sunk instantly. The
crew of the schooner were saved
The members of the Farragut court-martial,
trying the case of Commodore Craven on the
charge of failing to capture the Stonewall,
will take trip down the bay in her in order
to test her qualities, with view to arriving
at correct judgment as to whether Commo-
modore Craven was censurable for failing to
capture her.
From the following description oi Inc ship,
(which we copy from the National hstelli-
gencer,) we think it will be admitted by ALL that
it would have been mere madness in Commo-
dore Craven, with his wooden ship, to have
attacked the "Stonewall :"
''She is double-turretted, 1856 feet long over
all, 1853 feet from the front of the forward tur-
ret to the stern post, with steel-plated PROV
or ram extending 33 feet forward of the tur-
ret, 35 feet breadth of beam and 20 feet depth
of hold, draws 16 feet of water with feet
above the water line, and feet of bulwarks
above the hull not plated. Her plating,
which is about Al inches thick on hull end
turrets on casemates extends about five feet
below the water line Her turrets are sta
tionary, not revolving like our monitors, and
are more properly oasemates; the forward one
has three ports, one bow and two broadsides,
and contains 3O0-pounder Armstrong rifed
gun, 10-inch bore, taking 45 pound charge
of powder, the same as our 15-inch guns
This gun is mounted on a neat mahogany car
riage, and elevated with a quoin unlike our
guns, on which the screw is now universally
used. 1t is also trained with a roller hand
spike instead Of the slide carriage and eccen-
trio wheels, on which all our heavy guns are
mounted. This gun was loaded with per-
cussion shell, which the Spaniards were afraid
to draw for fear of its exploding in the gun
Commander Febger thought it best to fire it
off, SO he cleared away the bulwarks, and gave
the gun an elevation of two degrees, notwith-
standing which the shell did not strike the
water under a mile, and after ricochetting
several times, went over another mile before
sinking.
The other turret contains two 7O-pounder
Armstrong rifles, mounted in the same print
tive manner as the large gun forward, and
has four ports quartering on the starboard
and port bow and STERN she thus being able
to fire at any point except dead aft, they
probably thinking they would never need to
use their guns while running away. If, when
they were building her, they contemplated
doing such thing, they evidently thought
her formidable enough to cope with at least
| any wooden vessel ahoat; and although she
could doubtless with her enormous PROV or
ram and great momentum sink any such that
could not by superior speed get out of her
way, still competent judges think that solid
shot from one of our eleven or fifteen inch
Dahlgreen guns would certainly crush her
side in. Her rudders and the Immediately
attached gearing are also somewhat exposed
to chance shot, all of which facts are hardly
apparent, unless upon a close inspection.
She has two steering wheels, one on deck,
aft, and the other below, amidships, both Pc
culiarly attached to two rudders, with one set
of steering gear or tackle She has also two
propellers, which give great facility for turn
ing almost within her own length, and thus
enable her to keep her bow continually on an
adversary who could not, by superior speed,
Keep OUT Vi DeT way Without any knOWl-
edge of her qualities or. vulnerable points, she
would, no doubt. prove formidable adversary
for any Of our wooden ships-of-war, if, indeed,
we have any that could successfully cope with
her under such circumstances The highly
distinguished naval officers who will soon ex-
anime her will no doubt fully weigh every
circumstance connected with her, and give a
report that will satisfactorily settle her quail
ticatio-.s as an iron-clad or ram, or both; as
in her construction the two principles are COM
bined, whilst in our monitors We only aim at
invulnerability