The New York herald., 1866-07-31
IRON A ID S.
THEIR HIS J 0 r Y.
THE MONITOR AND The MERRlMAC,
IrOn-Ciad Vessels Of France
and England.
France Built the First E0n-Clad
for Sea Service.
A VIEW OF THE AMERICAN IRON-cLADS.
&ce &c. hc.


saiicns The ballisc progress which was brought 10
bear against the masonry Of forts he steam propulsion
which gave vessels the rapdy to act against and TO
pass land batteries; the mmor VII ch protects their
sides from the proectes &c, led the defensive 10 I'M
pcding and obstuctng researches Iron clads, rams,
torpedo vessels monitors and their formidable batteries
constitute the nsve; earhworks, traverses, subma-
obstacles torpedoes and torpedo boats the deien-
siye II the former enhanced the expenses of the
government and have borne heavily the exchequer,
viii lessen appropriations and reduce expenses
proportion greater than the rise in the offensive
lranch 81 maritime
The metaliccased vessel is not recent invention. 1t
Was used by the ancents Their gaileys we're clad TO
prevent rebrands and avelns from adherns to their
sides and infaming them The ironcasad ship OF the
DAY s bor the latest link vet forged and by no means
likely 20 prove, in its present shape, the last The
ram, ewise dates the earliest history OF naval
warfare put the Of time--running down
and crushing vessels
VESSELS ARTILLERY.
Tho hrs; historical example of vessel clad resist
artillery that OF the galley Santa Anna constructed in
Nice in 1890 Sue was equipped by the Knights Of st.
John o Jerusalem, and formed part OF Andrea Dora's
squadron by Charles V. TO capture Tunis The
Ssn,a Anna contributed materially tho of the
enterprise She had six decks, carried of three
sides. Boco that the Santa Annas buoyancy
not affected by the weight Of her arnor and that
her power ofresseuce such check the peneta-
tton Of the eDemy's projectiles
We have in Chevaier d'Arcou's floating batteries
nsed in Tie siege OF Gibraltar in 17s2the second
stance Of clad sells brought in contact with artillery
rhe batteries buwarks -four and half feet thick,
inclined and clad; water circulated freely between the
buwark panng in order to destroy the action OF red
no. shot The batteries duh sailers and maneuver-
only side was cased and the decks were un-
protected They SET fire to destroyed by the
snemy's plunging shot and bombs.
oRlGis oy THE Rov-cLADs THIS CENTURY
70 General Paxhan's horizontal Gre of hollow shot or
she'is and 10 Dahgrcn's heavy ordnance in in
sary may be attributed the casing OF this century
7ebasopo proved the destructive eff cts OF shells II was
Impossible or the allied Aeets of wooden vessels cope
with the masonry OF the shore batteries The destruc-
pom Of life and damage done to vessels immense
Two attacks sufoed to show the folly Of ptng wood
against stone. Masonry had to be opposed by SUBJ
stance OF equal, II not greater, power OF resistance;
masonry could not be applied TO vessels sides metals
souJd hence iron clads.
lrsr UNITED STATES RoScraps
The United States the first nation which construct
ID an ron cased steam vessel France the first
Bperate successfully with them under re The Dema.
bgos the nrst ron-cn built; the battle Of
kmburn the first of the iron.cad experiment.
10 Fulton j. due the Bcmaiogos 10 the French the Kin
Dugn test.
The failure OF the attacks on Sebastopoi drew the
French governments attention necessity Of proper
experiments for testing the resistance Of iron
The test made at Vncennes, and its fa.
vorabe result due the origin OF the floating batteries
La Devastation, La Lave and La Tourmans. They were
constructed by Guieyesse IL al kinburn that these
vessels resolved the problem of effectiveness
At four hundred and y yards they received the
mys fire. principally from forty.two Founders, without
She injury OF plate But the real and experiments
Of Honcads were made during the late rebellion They
began with Tho Merrlmac and Monitor aud ended with
She monitors OF Fort Fisher.
STATES RoS-crApa
was in 1913 that Fulton proposed and built the clad
Demalogos, subsequently named the Fulton The
pcrnaogos of oak of sufficient thickness resist
Nae art ry of the dny Her machinery consisted OF
single cylinder which operated wheel placed the
ecnire o the vessel Her speed from four 10 four
and half knots per hour. The Demaogos had a hat
teIy OF twenty thirty two Founders mounted on gun
aeck N addition TO these she had submarine guns and
ASturcs for throwing hot water Before satisfactory
pcrimcnts had been made with the Demaogos she was
bOwn up, whether accidentally not never asc
tned lie next iron cased yessethat still In embryo
Stevens ram, is the stocks at Hoboken where she
viii probably continue TO remain. Satisfied with her
en0t 70 Introduce the ronciad innovation, the United
States lad on her To enable other nations to
come up. When orr commenced England and
Sranoe possessed several cased ships had ono
anoai nor the stocks. IL the slh of July,
1851 that Secretary Wcllcs recommended the subject
y Congress and asked authority to appon, cominis.
sion it, investigation The authority was granted of
i0e various plans submitted TO the Beard three vessels
o. d.rereat models wcro recommended Tho selection
was approved By the Department Contracts or.
aercd for the Ironsdcs, Monitor aud Galena They
~erc properly 81 aSng FIRST three iron clad vessels.
federates began to construct the Mcrrimac Chief En-
gineer Williamson figured conspicuOusly her construc-
bon. The Monitor the offspring OF Ericsson's
genius These two vessels TO make the rst serious
experiment Of srmor resistance, and 10 satisfy the
scentiiic world on that score
ON the sth OF March, 1862 this wonderful essay
took place. The Mermac attacked and destroyed
that part Of our wooden fleet which was
within her reach. Though she engaged the Cum.
berand and Congress at nearly muzzles' point Their
projc1ea glanced from her plated sides with
out doing any apparent damage On The next day the
lp ha ,tttfo
'ihen came the tug ~ war" They LAID alongside Of
each other received aad returned 6rc with more
crec apparently, than so many pebble stones thrown by
child Captain Van Brunt, who witnessed this nght
says OF The Monitor tlet when the projecties struck
She bDmbproof tower tho shot glanced OF without pro.
eocing any elect clesrly establishing the fact that
wooden vessels cannot contend with roncad ones: for
never vas anything ike dreamed Of BY the greatest
enthusiast ia maritime wsvfaren
tn engagement began iorty-Avo minutes past eight
a NJ, and lasted tl quarter past twelve r. NJ. Tho
Monitor expended forty Iona eleveninch solid iron
shot and the Merrimac perhaps treble that number; yet
neither arIao had received the least njuryno better
test OF the rcsisting power Of ron-clads
Tho Monitors turret Of eleven iron plates
OF an nch thickness boed together somo of the bolts
had nuts at thor inner ends The turat placed on
che centre of an iron cad RAFT which the bottom OF the
vessel was securely attached Tie raft by projecting be-
yond The bottom. protected from tho effects OF pro.
1etn0 y oserhrng the bottom all sides The sides
of the ai formed ,he crhang The bottom OF the FIRST
monitor was Of dersn shape than those subsequently
bui Ericsson returned to the form OF bottoms of or.
Ginary vessels but nevertheless curg to tho ovcrhanq
Tho Monitor model had as defects which were rome.
died also has is hdoan'agosFreat at that The
defects ~ tho Monitor were -nrst dying OF bol-heads
second danger % persons resting aglust the turrct
third the oyerhang daoserous because o. ia thempug
tn y way, thereby weakening the securngs Of the
bottom; fourth, probability Of injury 10 the revolving
gear 0f The ilret The improvements Ia boiling of ths
yaes removed ne noccs'ify OF nuts, a curtain wal
plsced within Tie frret which prevented contact with
sides 0 ho tufret; tho dtcfhangs were done away
with ~ adopting - ten uf 1e raft and bottom thereto
hul " the model 0f tat % ordinary vessel RACED
nesr.y % tho water. eAee; Thick iron base ring pro
tetei he lower ptes iroin eepg sirncs end eAienled