New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-09-08
Sau Orleans Daily GFtstent,
The American Navy,


determination of the Americans to profit by every
lesson which they learnt dutiug the recent war
During the last three years OF that great struggle
the ingenuity Of the people was turned solely to
the Improvement Of warlike appliances and con-
sEuently the lists in the patent office include COM
Nratively few Inventions intended for domestic
rposes. All the skill Of the sharp witted race
as bent upon particular subject, and the num-
ter and variety OF new arms or plans for
structng iron ships which were laid before the
government are past calculation The necessities
If the weaker side led to the first and greatest in
yention of the war-the irOn-cIad. The Merrimac
was cut down and covered with old railroad iron,
at the suggestion Of Confederate naval officer
and although the regular navy will not concede
that the idea originated with the "reDels,n yet
there can be no doubt that when the Merrimac
began its terrible work, the North had no vessel
fit TO match her, hut they soon produced inita-
tion Of her which was far better than the original.
From that time to the present the Improvement
OF ronclads has been the constant aim of the
navy department 1t has tried every suggestion
that seemed to have reasonable prospect of sue
cess, and it is the simple truth to affirm that every
monitor which is launched is stronger aud more
complete in all its details than the one which pre-
ceded it. With our present knowledge, at least,
it is difficult to point out any part of these
formidable vessels into which an improvement
can be introduced.
The labors of the navy department have doubt
less been greatly facilitated by the fact that the
administration has not been subject to constant
and sudden changes, such as take place in our
board of admiralty with every change of ministry
One set OF men, understanding their business
thoroughly and with a perfect recollection of all
tba American nav. lndar fair cotroi fnr ,,anrs
past There has, therefore, been steady and
continues work: inventions have not been dropped
jos INV in1,entnr antfara5 ~, oronnnt ~ tba ro
inctaIg1a ~ NOW stng of ore"ia1 t onoot ~
responsibilities and engagements of the old.
care nf +bo I;a ,I"9 IN to ~
Sn"r6tarT. 81 ,a t; ,, .i4 +in
Zvor and ta cIiaf b,,,ot ,.o,, az fTa,, Vow.
IN IaEl Ni+ ~ IA LSaII9 F tl,nsI t,Iro.1,, T
cei,,ad thcir a,,i,t,ots Il, ,a,,,arl fa soTto i'm
nrnvements WIKI tbry had tiiscoyerad The de-
T'2iiS mn aPey 'u IL, v@
@ya . ~ !, stG, Si yytdpra.s sGS tina
= - 80 9. ~ 20 ~ ~ = ~ 80 ,, Si
as thara il mo rer,rasnnt9tIve oF he rovernment
in Tnnnrees tEaro 10 nv s,a,, tho cI,aE, az nnne
Hons = ~ Stires If "tion om he act0n ~ ET
Welles and Ills coilaarues Xii fhaf the nennie
AL, fo, j. tbaf mar acot sI,aIj ja NODE tra r3tf
1,oyyerfnj II III yvnrIj 1'ba raw donar.rnont
HTonises to eiye tber that and II tIera is 9IT
Gnestion ahoTt its havint ocromrifuI,ed its my
nose tfere Win he None a few years hence if
fhnv ADVANCE az swiftly and ,ya and otber Fro
moan ,,atio,,s Tno,-5 aS efay,I,, ~ tf ,rasa,.
moment,
The wi o1a rrincinIn of riaad orjnaroa ne l.
we'll known Is hai6g aIandonFd nv, tIe ',ari
rnns Tjci arrfnc5t l. tb%t tIeycsrs natI,in
for bir,b ,,aIGrifg e. Iotce a. ty,, no,2 ti,r +
hpariSst 1~arbf ~ n,ct5I ,,"i,a frI,n . ,'saI
which can +6 close 10 Tho nliinct If attocl, and he
% l1F,= ala
soI tb,. LoIis,,a i, 80 ~, ,s. i H. - M
do no+ ,r-ant NON ,,a1aci+,, me- ,r,, 10 - 10
IN coea il9rtSs Win ~, o,, ,I i lt ~ ~
Nv sry,arjCr 1rir%t ~ ,its+aI W. ra ;
ySntei Nv Paars r1tal 6air a,,3 i,nnroynJ
IJ, EC5r15,, ia i,fsn,,fa t1o 30 = oi,iin ~
TIiaatinn IL ti,is naric,Iat nrinriIa Tha Sy,aIi
rans maintain mat thpir raEf rnn Is yar7r ernerinr
In onrs and II il certain tj,at oItI,,,,,,J nvar,
DahI@ren pnn lac been savareiv tested baFore
bein6 sent from The yard vorv law i,9aed have
burst. 1t is the i5.i1ch gun of this kigd With
which the latest monitors are armed. butt il soon
ia he s,Inersrded Lv a 96.inrh ,ghirb tba nsyoi
0ricers NJ WosLinotyn heliaJa vii he tIa ,'1nst
aaryiceoIIa and daatr,rtiyo mn, i.,oIyn - ~
ITorid 60 =" " 'A'
4 better o-lr +Ia, +la r,I,lora, ,,,o,. I'm Iva
fonn5 in sn a,n-fno 81 ,., g. g. 81 ~
yncuols iptorded "a corr tb 4 i hd + WIS
ceiva Tho ,nonitors I,.sr. a. frs+ It Tit IN;
id tIirret Int aIr1 ali t1t IA Ia WI d i
have Two +nrrcta and carry fonr grnu instood Of
two. The Tonawandah, Which Is now wing oil the
navy ward at WASHINGTON is one Of the latest
turned ont and it is ia all respects like the Milan
tonomob, at present on a visit to Europe Tie
turrets are Of iron IL inches thick and fhe gnns
inside by a clever niece of mechanism can he
raised or depressed easily NV slnbt mnvnn1ent
Of the hand The turret itsrlf can be lowered in
a few minutes and plate Of iron slid over The
portfolio, SO that there ia no weak noint left for
The enemy to make mark off, Down below the
vessel seems TO be all machinery. hut she has
room for her crew of 100 Inen, ali told; and nj
though the laudsmen NAV not coyet the onarters
where this crew are stored as A matter of fact
American sailors prefer moaftor to any other
description of vessel
This NAV, perhaps, be owing to tile fact flint
they have less work TO do in her: for there is M
rigging to look after and the sea washes the deck
of the monitor when she is ont on a voyage, SO
that all deck labor is taken off the hands of the
crew. Moreover, after the visitor to the monitor
has spent half an hour in her he will have better
opinion Of the quarters assigned to the men,
There is room to stand upright in them, and they
are safe against shot, for they below the water
line, aud seven inches Of oak and five inches of
iron are between them and the water Any dan
ger must come from shells above or torpedoes be-
low and in action, battened down, the crew of a
monitor must die together if any mischance &C.
Cured. But it would be remarkably good praC-
tice which enabled the enemy to pitch a shell on
to the flush deck Of monitor which only stands
three feet out of water, and would prove an I'M
certain mark at the distance of half a mile.
As to the torpedo. some of our own naval off.
GERS have concurred with the Americans in think.
ing that monitors, as they are now being built,
have little or nothing to fear from these irstru.
ments and it is of course in harbOrs only where
they would encounter them. The officers quar-
tiers are as comfortable as any true sailors can
desire and they are now being fitted up with some
attention to elegance and finish. There are bath