The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-05-26
For THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
To New York by Seattle General Assembly.

ton used to say-or rather forty-6ve years ago,
voyage to New York by sea was a matter OF some
moment in mans life. Such voyage made by
a sailing vessel in four days and nights, was
year. wonder. Thanks to the idea" suggested
by the kettle, it is now made in less than half
the time, over the same route, formerly ploughed
by the keel of sailing vessels.
Leaving Richmond at 10 o'clock some bright
morning in about ten hours you may be in Nor
folk. But passengers are not to be found in sufi-
Gent numbers to make the enterprise of Steamship
companies pay, if constituting the sole depend
ence for patronage. Hence the steamship is
public carrier of produce and at this season. long
delays are occasioned, at the only two places, of
calling, City Point and Norfolk, by the process of
receiving freight From Norfolk to New York is
estimated at $50 mies-this distance requires the
consumption of "a hours of sailing by the steamer,
for the voyage, continuously made, in ordinary
weather, would require about 81 hours. But
delay at City Point Of five or six, and at Norfolk
of eighteen hours, made the residence Of passen-
gers on the boat nearly sixty hours in continuance
But the delay was not specially tedious A gen.
commodating subalterns of all Offices and grades,
and company, determined by the amenities of
social life and the charities of Christian temper,
to be pleased and pleasing greatly served to while
away time otherwise heavy, especially to those
whose thoughts, revertiug to loved scenes of home
and the lonesome state of those left behind, might
otherwise have INDUCED in any thing but pleas
ing reflections on so much time lost.
| Then despite the rain and mud of another day,
parties were formed for little excursions, of which
the celebrated 'Dry Dock" and its iron monster
inmate the monitor Saugus" lis that word
spelled right?) constituted the most interesting
object. Without knowledge of military and
nautical science on the part of writer and reader
no intelligent and Ineligible description of this
vessel can be given. Some things, however, un-
professional men can see, as well as others, and
conceive Of also. Here is steamer of rather
smaller dimensions than those of an ordinary river
steam boat. The material used in its structure is
chiefly iron. Its sides are made of five or six sue
cessive layers of iron plates, an inch thick. On
wooden floor there are perhaps two or more of such
plates, in pieces, covering the whole surface. The
turret is cylinder, eight or ten feet high, and
fifteen or twenty in diameter, erected nearly in the
middle Of the steamer, and sustained on founda
ton capable of being turned around by ponderous
machinery, so accurately adjusted, that the per-
imeter of the turret is raised only fraction of an
inch from the surface which it covers. This per-
imeter is made of layers of iron plates each an
inch In thickness so as to make it ten inches of
solid iron. Within this turret are mounted two
cannons, each OF ten inch bore, capable of taking
ball of $40 pounds weight, to be shot forth by
charge of so or 60 pounds of powder, and efec-
tive, properly aimed 5000 yards distant Each
gun weighs 1920 pounds. All this vast weight
of iron-with the iron engines, boilers, rods, pis-
TONS &C., of the propelling apparatus, is so con-
strue ted as to .ii110hGther boats, but at slower
speed. When nothing is seen except
| the smoke chflk1QyS the turret The vessels
deck is capable of being made water tight, under
that deck are accommodations for fourteen officers
and seventy or eighty men. Ingenious machinery
supplies their wants with fresh air and ventilation
and some little light is let in, by openings covered
with thick glass, and protected from iDiury-or
through the turret. But the main dependence is
an artificial light.
This vessel was in service during the war, and
the Turret shows the indentations of TWO cannon
balls, fired by the Confederate batteries. The
inspection of this monster suggested some in
structive lessons. To what cost of money, time
and labors has sin subjected men How true is
it, that not only "man's inhumanity to man makes
countless millions mourn, " who are the objects of
that inhumanity, but, countless millions" who,
by their agents, exercise the terrible art of killing
and destroying, are made the sufferers of such SIM
One can but admire the wonderful power of in
vention and conception, by which such an engine
of war has been brought into existence. The
brain is taxed to painful effort to conceive of the
work as it stands completed, and unscientifc men
are just COMPOUNDED to understand the structure.
Yet this was the production, substantially of one
mind and all the vast engineering and ingenious
contrivances, wonderful enough as exhibitions of
human skill and power, rise into the region of in
comprehensive and inexplicable when regarded
as the productions of the mind of one man,
And now if finite being can thus perplex and
confound his fellows by his inventive and contriy-
ing power, why should we pause moment in
conceding to the infinite God, the possession of
the wisdom and power presenting in the "things
which are made?" His eternal power and God
head
But the time for sailing arrives, The region
Just round Norfolk, for several miles, and other
places near City Point, and others still further
south, in Virginia and in North Carolina, are be-.
coming scenes of gardening and farming skill and
productiveness This is the season for sending
the produce to New York. Hundreds aye thou
sands of packages, in boxes, barrels and hogs.
heads containing cottage turnips peas, and straw.
berries, onions and other vegetables of the season.
are weekly sent north by the steamers. About s
o clock the last package had been stored by the
busy men, working rapidly at 20 cts, an hour
wheeling their loads into the "hold, on trucks, 1"
or hosting them by rope and pulley on to the
deck the order is given, the ponderous machinery
begins to move and amid the screams of the steam
pipes and the splashing of the water by the Wheels
the steamer leaves her mooring, and we are once
more on our voyage. Light houses and light
ships, Craney Island, Rip Raps and Fortress
Monroe with its sad associations, but dimly de-
serted by eyes, almost blinded to the dim moon
light, by tears over fallen greatness and blasted
hopes, are all passed. The Capes, barely discerned
by the straining gaze Of anxious sght.seers, fade
from view, and as the moon declines to the west
the broad Atlantic opens to the east. = Through
all the darkness and dangers, the silence and slum-
bers of the night, the Eye which never sumbers
and the Arm which never wearies, guides and keeps
the scores OF precious lives for which distant souls
are uttering prayers. As daylight appeared,
sightseers in vain essay to behold the sun coming
forth in the east from the rosy and watery bed
For the wonderful and ennervating sea-sickness,