Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1865-03-10

Other Vessels In their company. The oogS
going ships | propose are 20 far siuilsr
to those monitors that the protected q
weightest potion OF the vessel extepde
only Il few feet out of water, with the
! turrets amidships. but, instead Of beiak
wholly exposed, the lower portion and
base Of the turret is protected bya square
or circular box, which admits Of anolh>k
deck and light topsidcs being built IN st
the extremities over which the guns Ore,
and giving this extra space between decks
for the accommodation Of the crew above
the water-line, instead of their being
cooped up below the water-line. Tbs
weight of this extra deck and uppsr
works would require but small increase
Of tonnage to these monitors, and would
not then bring them up to anything like
half the tonnage Of our sea-gqS4 War.
rior or foating batteries, at the same
time preserving the light ends which with
the weights centralized, is the secret Of
these monitors good behavior in seaway,
and thus combining comlnodious vessel
with deck sufficiently high out Of the
water to give the usual comfort in mod.
crate sea, but at the same time retaiuine
the fighting powers of these monitors.
will not enter into particulars Of de-
fensiye powers beyond that OH the turret
principle, from the small area to be plat.
ed in proportion to he broadside system,
greater thickness Of armor can be given,
or with the same thickness greater speed.
Admiral Porter says he would rather bs
behind Il wooden vessels side where He
kSew what was coming, than inside =
turret, but that the captains Of the moni.
tors have the greatest faith in their ves-
sells: and the few casualties in the moni.
tors saow us the gallant Admiral would
have better chance of telling his tale
after fighting an action behind ten inches
cf iron in turrct than three feet. Of
wood.
The American reports are we'll worth
attention. Every word of Admiral Por.
ter's shoal' be weighed, and, for my part
those opinions, al el as the Hslfs
kraks. AID Rassian monitors behavior
in gales Of wind, leave me nothing further
to say. Bat as nearly all our heavy
lron-c,als, which Lord e. Paget tells Us
have est bearer half than quarter Of .
million each, are not sea-worthy, is it not
pity ihat in the year 1865 We should
have no sea-soing turret-ship in the Brit.
ish navy which, by fair and unprejudio.
cd trial, would enable us to Judge for
ourselves how far the Americans are
right, aud the turret can be used for ~.
curity to our country and commerce
Since writing the above have received
a publication from America,t in which, in
describing the difference between the or.
dinary ship ana the monitor model, Con.
modore Rogers says:
at has these advantages: the monitor
has the least possible surface to be plat.
ed, and therefore takes the least possible
tonnage to float armor Of a given thick.
ness, or, with given tonnage, allows the
greatest possible thickness Of armor, aud
consequently the greatest possible i'm.
pregnability. -The ability to carry armor
is proportio:ablc to the tonnage. but the
monitor OF 644 tons has actually thicker
plating than the Iroasdes of $3.50 tons.
and the Warrior of 5000; and yet tho
lronsiles and Warrior have only tho
middle portion of their nulls plated, their
ends being merely Of wood without ar.
NOR. The guns of the monitors, near
the center OF motion, are supported upon
lhe keel and nelson's, upborne by the
depth of water under them, and carried
by the whole strength of the hull. In
monitors heavier guns are, therefore,
practicable than can ever be carried iu
broaasI,e, out-upon the ribs of ship
In the monitors concentration Of guns
and arlaor is the object sought. In them
the plating is compressed into inches Of
elevation. wilhelm the ironsides class il
IS cXteuiei over feet +; and the compara.
lively nnmcrous guns distributed over tho
decks Of the irorsidos class are mounted
into 9 few larger ones in the turrets Of
tha monitors" Yours faithfully.
GowpEn T. COILS.
Son;hsea, Feb. g."