The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-17
CITY INTELLIGENCE.
For Addttional City Intelligence see FItls Page !

DIkENeIONs AND ARMAMENr.-On Saturday night
the United States fiigate NeU Ironsidss was dts
covered to be on FIRE, and notwithstanding every
effort 70 check the flames, the vessel was totally
siT de and monitors have been out Of commission,
ana have been laid up at League Island, the owners
ne y D Ire place for this purpose S .ne The ,o
Jronsides, the irOn-clad Atidntd, aud the monitor
Dictator were anchored in the Delaware opposite
the island, while the monitors were placed ia the
back channel. AS the anchorage ground was not
within the limits OF a Navy Yard, there was no
guard OF marines, and the safety of the feet was
sonaded entirely to watchmen, who we're always on
vessels, except in the engin eers rooms where small
owes were used tOr the purpose OF condensing the
moisture 0 and preventing injury to the machinery
the shipkeeper made his usual tour of the Vesses,
and found everything in order. rhe FIRE on board
nothing to indicate danger of any kind But before
he had concluded his inspection of the vessels his
wood, he returned to the Ne1D Honstdes, and dis.
covered that smoke was issuing from one of the
attempted TO trace the fire and thus extinguish II,
but was prevented by the tmoke, ana he at once
the other vessels endeayored to prevent the spread
OF the flames by battening the hatchways down.
iniorma, ION was at once despatched to the Navy
Yard, but before tug could reach League Island
the flames had burst through the hatchway and at
MEANTIME the Yose oes az the NSvy Yard hsa apped
TO tho steam engine companies in the lower secdons
Sbr 81 s a1S Epgne nSse Spe soT
Engine, Marion Hose. Niagara Hose. and Others
whose name nave escaped us reached the Island soon
after information was received that their services
would be required. Assistant Engineer McCusker
was on the ground, directing the movements of the
companies. BY the time the hremen reached the
island ali hope of saving the NeD Ironsides had been
abandoned. Captain Irwin and Dr., Simons were
and so soon as 1t was that the TronsdeS could
not be saved thefremen wereso disposed as to pro-
The Dictator and Atlanta lay in closet the wharf
while the Ironsdes was about ten feet further in the
stream, and, at one time, 1t was believed that the
two t0rmer would share the fate of the frigate The
fremen, however, worked efficiently and notwth-
stand the numerous obstacles encountered at the
Is ana, succeeded in saving both vessels. portion
Of the wooden tr dge leading TO the bukhead Of the
engine Of the Shnier TO approach the water, and
from this position che was enabled to throw q steam
upon tn Attdntd and Dictator. The other steamers
drew water from the bitches in the neighborhood,
but as these were soon exhausted nothing more
could be accomplished.
issuing from every porthole and crevice of the
Illuminated the sky miles from the scene The fire.
men remained in service until II O'Clock yesterday
morning when the fire was still burning on the from
sides but all danger to the other vessels had passed
The fire continued to burn all day yesterday, and,
Notwithstanding the terrible storm raging during
scene. The hull of the frigate still remained The
huge smokestack lay the ell and at inter-
became loosened and plunged into the river
towards evening; preparations were made to tow
iron plates could be recovered in case the figate
went to the bottom.
49, "a
but 1t is believed, by those best Informed that was
the work OF an lpcendiarv.
The NeU IronSideS was considered the best IRON
clad in the American navy and, Independent of her
national repu alton, she was an especial tavor1te
yard Of Crump Son, g on T Saturday., % Nav So is6S
and the event was one of more than local interest
The frgate was built of Pennsylvania oak and was
216 feet long, 81 feet inches beam, and 25 hold
She had two floor timbers to each frame each 40 feet
long, 1S inches deep, and 13 inches thick: The
balance of the frame 10 inches thick, and
tapered from III inches at the oor-head to inches
at the plank shear: The spaces between the frames
were fitted solid from the keel to the plank shears,
and were caulked inside and out before the planks
put Her kelson consisted of eight courses,
20 inches deep and IA inches thick. There also
the kelson, 20 inches deep and Is inches at the
side This keson had q inches copper bolts to each
over 700 copper bolts four feet six inches long, and
one inch and q half thick, from the main kelson
On each side of the keel were three courses of
cardboard streaks and the plankng the fiat of the
% VS m the Of
plating, where 1t was nine inches, The nvvIaEe
Or inches a mSss nS Sh dec Clamps and
bi ge streaks were nine inches in thickness
on ON the spar DECK were seven inches in thick.
ness The iron plating the principal feature of
Sumter establish the fact that the Nel0 LroRsdeS
was beyond all doubt the most powerful ship in the
TINS plating commenced four feet below the water
line and three feet above and for iSO feet amdshps
was continued up to the plank shear. 1he plates
were A. inch ron while those the spar deck were
one inch in thickness The plates were connected
by tongues of iron fitted into grooves, and the
Reav est plates weighed 6AS pounds. The ram or
platirg q az the bow consisted of the two lowest
streaks meeting from the two sides of the bow,
ten inches. This part of the vessel was fty.six
inches high, and nine inches thick. The iron plating
on the vessel weighed 800 TONS the hull of the
ship 1879 tons and the total weight including outfit
machinery, fuel, etc., was about 1000 tons. The
NeaD IroHSideS was barque rlgged with three masts,
and her spars so arranged that when engaged in
action they all came down to the spar deck
The machinery, which was OF the finest workman
ship, consisted OF two horizontal condensnR en-.
gines, with cylinders fifty inches in diameter, and
thMty inch stroke aud were calculated to make
elghtY-fve revolutions turning thirteen-teet pro
peller. She was provided with horizontal tubular
boilers capable of developing 1870 horse power,
Her armament consisted of fourteen 11-inch Dahl
gren and tW l50.pound Palrott rifles.
HER DEPARTURE
Having been thoroughly fitted out the Ne,0 Iron
sides left the Philadep phia Navy lard the 3lst o
Fortress Monroe. On the 18th of January, 1868
having been ordered further South, she reached
storms of winter having successfully testtd her sea
gong quantities.
HKR FIRST EEooUNTER WITH THE ENEMY.
April T. 1868. Rear Admiral Dupont moved upo
the Notifications in Charleston harbor His flee
consisted OF the Neso Ironsdes ana eight monitors
test the IrOnsides became unmanageable and retire
from action. She was struck between sixty an
seventy times, but received comparatively littl
damage, thanks to the precauion OF her commander
Commodore Turner. Her refusal TO obey her he'll
in this affair was the cause probably OF the tailur
OF the capture of Fort Sumter.
The evil was speedily Iemedied, as this was IN
first time that she had been under fire. The exper
ment was most satisfactory, since she had expeT
most terrific fire. Her iron walls were inYulnerab(
and this fact proved to her comma nder that she wa
all that her builders and the Department had e2
pected her to be. .