The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1869-10-08
The Seevens Floating Battery.
Original Desigs Of aas Battery in 1S40-
Eloaas IN Dissnstsns, Arssor and Asw-
ssssss - Progress q Operations under
CAssysef Ger1rd ke C1e'1as.


From the New York Herald.
During the year 1S40 the. .defenceless con-
dition of New York harbor attracted the At
tention of the citizens of this city and the
country at large. The forts which now loom
up 1t tho Narrows were then but little CAL
culated to resist the attack of an enemy's
feet, and had war then occurred, this city,
with its vast wealth, would. have doubtless
been At the mercy of the great naval powers,
such q England and France. Forts Rich
nsond, Hamilton and Lafayette were then in
their infancy. At this time Mr.. Edwin Ste
vens, prominent and wealthy citizen Of
Hoboken, conceived the idea Of having built
at his own expense, an iron-clad floating
battery, capable Of resisting the attack Of On
ordinary neet. With this object in view he
consulted some Of ths most experienced and
widely known engineers In the country, and
in the latter part of the year 1910, tho work
on the marine monster was commenced. The
keel was laid at the present yards in Hobo
ken, and secresy was enjoined upon engin-
eers and workmen not to divulge the object
of their employment. The battery ct first
was intended to be only $50 feet in length,
with an iron plating of one and ahalf inches
in thickness oil over; the armament was to
have been composed of ten guns, five on Z
broadside, each throwing solid shot of 100
pounds, considered st that day to be enor.
nous.
The work progressed until the beginning
of the late war, but only ten men were en-.
gagged by the managers, and they simply "a
keep watch and ward over the unwieldly
loOking mass of iron and wood. In 1862
however, the near approach to the harbor OF
tho rebel " Alabama" and the miserable
condition of our wooden navy, lent new life
to the enterprise, and additional workmen
were immediately set 10 work on the vessel
which up to that time had involved an cx'
pcnse of $500, 600 to Mr.. Stevens. The work
steadily progressed under the old plans, but
the naval battle between the Monitor and
1lcrrimac, in Hampton Roads, brought
about . revolution in the construction ot
iron n-clads, and the plans were revised: thu
iron sheeting was torn off and plates of two
Ind quarter inches in thickness were sub
stituted. fifty feet added to its length, and
the battery which she was st first intended
to carry Was decreased to five guns instead
of ten-they are to be of the 15-inch pattern
Numerous officers connected with the navic.
of England and France have in vain apple.
for sdmitsaace, the original plan being car.
ricd out to the letter.
Since the close of the war the work wa
again suspended, but General Mcclellan
while in Europe, was nhered tha r0siti"n oi
chief engineer in lis construction ny tn
heirs of Nj. Stevens, At salary Of $4,000
which he accepted, and upon taking his pos
ition, 1t was again decided 70 make scvera
important alterations. One hundred ant
twenty men are as present employed at work
and when completed, which will be during
the year 1871, tho battery will be one of th'
most formidable engines of naval warfar
afiost. Those who have visited the iron
clads of Russia, England and other Euro
pcsn nations, and have examined the p'a'
of this monster. state that Il can cope witt
ease with an entire feet. The name whicl
it 10 to bear has not yet been decided. Whe'
completed 1t will be formally presented t
the State of New Jersey. -