Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1870-09-08

long, but thu bscech was aearlyssix
feet in diameter, and the bcfe
sufficiently yolargc for any ordinary
sized man % go in easily. Each tur-
ret, with It's contents, weighs four
hundred and fifty tons: when the
guns are fred, the gunner stands on
his t,p-tocs with. finger in each ear,
in this way the concussion is avoided,
but if by any mistake or accident he
stands square on his feet. the concus-
sion is so great as to start the blood
gushing from nose, mouth and cars,
end nearly KILLS him. All around
the turret, about four inches from
Tho inside, is thick cushion, placed
there to prevent the gnnhers from
ever falling or leaning against the
side At the. time Of discharge, which
would be Instant and certain death.
Our next visit .was to thea arigats
Wooster now fitting for sea, and
next, the lows. AS Iowa soldiers
nstime Of war werA Che bfavess oi
lthn, brave as financially. intellectually,
iagriculturally and every other way,
she stands superior to any state on
the American Continent, .sodoes the
;Frigate, Iowa, stand at the head of
the American navy, the first built
and the fastest we have; she has four
powerful engines and can steam six
teen to twenty knots an hour, "AIl
hail wa,@whether' state. or vessel.
After viewing several other vessels,
We examined the Virginia, an old
fashioned man of war, commenced
more than fifty years ago,-vcry
large, hlling an imhmensc 1shibhcdse
full, everything remaining precisely
as it was left when work was stop
pod, haifa century ago, the timbers
rotiing from sage,;I was unable to
learn what they were keeping her
for. not with the intention OF ever
completing her, Of course, because
this style of vessels are useless, now;
+ . q !
not as q curiosity, nor to show what
was formerly used. because the reccly-
ing ship, Ohio, always here, is ofthe
same kind,r-tlese were my thoughts,
Of course I lid not ask any one, be
cause 1 remembered Mark Twain and
his "l5eef Contract" and imagined-tlie
investigation of this subject would be
similar in its results to that; as my
time was limited, / did not begin.
The various kinds of machinery in
the shops was wonderful to me. as re-
CARDS size and quality. but as am
not machinist, I win not attempt
any description. The. e.Boiler shop en-
gine is world Of power and silence;
she runs the most powerful machin-
cry and an immense quantity of it,
and SO still that, when we opened
the engine room door, We though she
was not running; the sensation of
sound was about the same a boiling
would make in the Metho-
dist church with everything else
pertcctl, STILL s s.
Our friend Conanti told me, before
lett home, that I must be sure and
go through the rope walk in the navy
yard. did not ask what the rope
walk was, but supposed, Of. course,
that It was q walk made of ropes and
stretched over some part Of the yard,
with rope sides and top all woven
and twisted, in the most approved
style. When we got to the building
which my friend told me was the rope
walk, l found my impressions far
from right; the building is thirteen
hundred aud sixty feet long, and is
called the walk, las am told here)
because, before they had machinery
to do all the work, the workmen had
10 walk through the entire length TO
twist and make the rope.
Whcn we had finished the navy
yard, visit to Bunker Hill Monu-
ment was proposed, and off we went.
Of course every body knows that
this monument is in Charlestown,
across the river from Boston, on a
piece Of rising ground, aud famous
as being the spot whereon, during
the war of ofindependence, was fought
the celebrated battle Of Bunker Hill,
II day OF June, 1775, and erected
TO tho memory Of those who tell on
the side Of Independence. 1t is OF
granite, two hundred and twcnty-ono
feet in height. composed Of ninety
courses of stone, eighty tour above
ground and six below. The base is
thirty feet square and the monument
tapers to fifteen feet at the top; the
hollow, and contains a wind
ing staircaseof two hundred and nine
ty five steps, reaching to ,the observ-
atory, at It's summit,l room seven.
teen feet high and eleven in diameter
with window on each Of its four
sides, trop which splendid views can
be obtained. It was commenced, and
built at the suggestion, and under the
auspices, Of the Masonic fraternity