, 1876-07-19

slunk away Into the darkness, leaving Fred 10 /
tneandcr pcnsivciy l,omcward to i,is boarding.
s fers me sfs e tss 4RSp ss' Sost oM s e % ssss ss
psxt ,y, batch Of e"'gfants on their Wy ~ "nup
a GREAT 1R0N.CLAD.
rh. stsvons 1.attery 70 In so,d-pc.cr,p- |
tion of tho vossci.
Ht,c rork 7rfbNns, Iutv II.
The vesNEl knuiyn as the Stevens Battery, " I
Ing III IN lnclosuro at tho foot of Second and
Tlllrd streets, 110bokep, Is To ba sold Under On
net Of tho New Jersey Legislature, to satisfy a
suit INSTITUTED by tho widow AID infant chit.
drcn OF t,iu lato Edwin A. Stevens. The history
Of this ycsscl dates back TO 1s4A, md It wss tho
invention ot ksbsrt l.; Stevens. l!'A expe1a;,
shell upon trun.plating Vcrc begun very early,
and were carried On at Hrcht expense 0f time
nHa money. III 1852 lie perfected plan Of ~
!ro'.'clad ,war.vesscl. md IN August, ls4l. hts
1ottcr to tho Secretary of tho Nmyy proposing 70
build an lfoIt-clad vessel Of high speed and with
Dill Its machinery below the wnfcr-]jnr. After
some DELAYS, during which Ny. stesena and b. u
rerfeeting their raat,s, contract WAS n,at!s "
l34!', n,lt Tho keel u iii ir,M.elat1 wns laid TVS
vessel was e lnvc occn 2o0 feet long. 40 fect
III lSN suc'fnarkc.l progress had been made
IN tho construction Of ordnance TINT Mr; ste
venh was M louger willing to proceed with tho
original p)ans, fearing TINT The snp might prove
too. vulnerable Tho work, which hah hcen car
ticl OH yery slowly nnd Internationally, wis
therefore stoppel entlrely, tho vessel given up,
uud III ls54 the keel of q ahip Ut vastly greater
! aize AMI uosyer was laid. The new design was
Il somathIng over 5,oOo tons displacement. Tie
thickness OF hrlnor proposed was ot< inehes-.
g4 Inches lnora Tran that Q! the !irat French
and British iro1.rlMls--and tho machinery wns
horsepower, driving twin.screws, and propri-
llr4 tho vrssr] 70 miles or moro i7or hour. As
| with the preceding design, the progress of eon-
etrtIctlon wns intcFnlltlent and very B!nH. Gov
ernment advanced funds ami then refused To
| continue tlle work, successive Administrations
| alternately encouraged aud discouraged the en-
glneer, ard fie flt,ajly cutting loose ent!rely
irou, all official connections, went CIT fltft the
pcrimcnts and built h's shtn with great sccrcsy,
is Il was considered matter Of natintlal mi
! portanec that no knowledge OF hls work should
Fcael foreign powers.
Tie present vessel Was dcslgncd for the heav~
fest guns TINT could be constructed Ut tlat tne.
Thuse Immense gtlna were to be mounted on
turntables and worked very mitch ~ tic guns
of tho :. monitors are handled. The 1cath ot
Robert L. Stovens occurred IN 1866, when this
largcr VESSEL lha atiYascaa 70 fur toward con1-
plGtfon that tho hull md machinery wc1c prae-
tically nishctt aud Il only remained to add the
arlnor-p1nting mud to tlottdu upon the number
and stzB Of guns. His brothers, j. G. and Z. a.
Stevens, Ind taken an active and intelligent in~
terost I'll the great schcmc, and attempted to He-
cure from tlia Government authority ~ com.
plrtc tho ship. I. a. Stevens offered tu cotn-
paEtc tho vessel nt hts own expense, mud agreed
t. ful0ll ecrtaln co,,l'tto,,s The vessel was to
be tried upon completion, unl accepted and pnitl
for BY the Government 0nly wlcn tiieac c0n1i-
tlons were fulfilled. But even these tcg1ns tho
Government seemed indsl,ossl to accert 49,,
MIR. Stevens died, leaving tic enterprise stlll
npacconplished, and the vessel renintns uniIn-
iBhetl IN the hands OF tho executors. provision
oi hIs NIL gaya hS executors 81, COO 0UU to cuul-
p1eto II, aid directed them to present tho 1h-
isllcd vessel to bis tnttve Statc, New Jersey.
Gen. Mcclellan WIS appointed engineer In
charge, and Isaao, Newton heststant engineer.
II WIS determined TO nuke radical changes IN
order to place the ycsscl III condition to meet
successfully tho most formidable antaGunlsts
legiscd By the most advanced naval Science,
The sum appropriated for the completion Of t{e
vessel proved Insufficient to supply arElor and
armament. A question arose " to thy rca!
ownership OF the yesscl; the matter VIVA rc1crret
to tho Cnurt Of Chanecry, aud, by act Of tht
, State LeElslature. safe WIS ordered, tue pro
cceus to gs paid iaso Court 70 awast tns dcesion
w. ". ShIppch, and the Rev. l.! D. Dod wcr'
appointed 4 Commission 10 mike tho saic
Tic vcssol ls therefore offered for sails ns sll
t nov lies, With lull and maedtnery nearly com ~
iron-ulal fully at1norcd and armed has bceI
estimated Ut ABOUT StoV.o; -, Itoi. IL ~. lnuts
ton assumes Lnat tae yeSsci WI ~ sosnpletSt
! as "monttor lron-eiaa,. as the aeslEn. SO "a
: t1rric4 oat' Rsfnnts ", aau e oest anaptsu ~
that PLAN lhn t,thc fGquifca1 ~ hut Acr m eotl
iition 10 cross INC AtantlG u thrcG mpnLns t,,.
sIo Hcs IN 1aain sovotea @ " - stn!,pnon.ts t!p o..n
i WnSu tnoH.tHhn'5 P'o''el" Ast AAe'A wv Ae'''
! Of tho weasher: a., - u,
y The lcugth Or tle vcsse! snco tnu lan! wa
reMoved is iVl ioet ever all p'cao.m % 9, DGan ~
iss nts@ccenfs ss for r. aa ~ iegs g 9iSs av sup
NOW anu tne me TN Nulc! ~ SSscala, ~, ~ 49,. 80
eilictent WORKING Of screw propeicIH' ahe . nnl
ot tsla sup u uouiG, the lcr uta DUG ~,
skins being sepasatcu " space vm}tns tfo,
~ inches az tno potlont 10 o.sa, n Mcae .s':
i as Tho top ol tNe ihnef poitot; sGven t,I.,
verse buikhcads aiyiuo tne nI1s lnlo atst,nt
waser-ttght commandments. IWo ada1t.oit
hu|ktcadA are satftSa asross lum eI,.s tnc nstlt
!, deck. Coal-iuhKef nnikheaas, inE"AsG M aisai y
!. Anil the s:nailes outRneaas ~ l.G ehas " "a
Weasel, Siil iuTlNe1 s.tcnA.mI%h % Lie s!Ii,I,n.
= This hull IL also tnude stronger " Tug unlRueaH
Of the tufret.SltanoSr, WHEN ~, stl1isn , tho Tno
u structure by tylhE tiG decks, tha eoal.punKef
u ahd tho lower longitudinal hu1Nteaus urInty !!
b grtlier.. The double tottom is hos envy mat
= Water-ttElt % whole, ullt 10 dlVlucu ~
= = spaccs @ fect in length, separated hy waite
~ HnI| HFf FttN +