The New York herald., 1879-02-08

original monitor went 10 the bottom very suddenly.
Another one, the Weehawken was lying at anchor in
Charleston harbor with her hatches open when there
was slight increase of the sea then running, and
ono OF her officers ordered them closed IN a few
sinking. A hurried examination of her skin was
made, ana it was found that at both tho
TO have been broken ana pulled apart
along the lower edge of the overhang Through each
side the rushing in great volume. rapidly
filling the staterooms cabins and the fore and aft
spaces. An alarm was given by signal to the Admiral
who was on board vessel lying at anchor in close
quarters but before any assistance could be given
the could escape to the deck the monitor had
sunk and about sixty persons had lost their lives
Previous to this accident she had weahered many
violent storms. which would naturally have broken
her had there been defect in her construction
or the quality of her iron. She had resisted the
pounding of the heaviest seas but it remained for
her at length to go to the bottom in safe and shell
tered haven and from q cause SO papablc that naval
architects should have derived from lesson which
would be of some benefit to mankind"
might not the weight of the overhang have had
some effect i'll producing this break?''
..No, because it adequately supported by heavy
deck beams extending athwartship. Besides. there
three feet Of wood between the plates and the
hull No theory but that of unequal expansion can
account for the accident.
THE DUCHESS EDINBURGH.
'In his speech before the United Service Institu-
tion of London, to which referred the other day,
Captain sullivan named, among many other iron
ships which had been lost by sudden sinkage, the
Duchess of Edinburgh. After returning from long
voyage to an English port and remaining at anchor
for hours in smooth water, but with
her steam on, she suddenly broke in two
and went to the bottom quickly that
her crew had no chance to escape CAPTAIN Sullivan
also mentioned a number Of instances in which iron
ships had struck on rocks. He stated that when a
hole had thus been made in an iron bottom it was
very rarely that the snip could be saved though
| provided with watertght bulkheads. Wherever the
iron crushed in or broken by contact with the
rock the openings retained their original dimensions
There was tendency in the mater to its
former shape and to close up the holes. 1t did not
| possess sufficient elasticity
ut is well known to American shipbuilders ship
| owners and ship commanders that wooden ships do
frequently suffer permanent injury from col
lisions those that are made of iron. An American
| wooden steamer passing through He'll Gate few
| years ago. when she struck upon rock near the
lower end of Blackwe,l's Island. The point Of the
rock cut through her plankng. frame and lining for
more than thirty feet OF her length She sheered
off, however and the rent closed up SO that she ran
was put on bottom. On the next day the water
was pumped out and it was found that the leak had
dock and III few days again afoat and ready for
| service. This information I received from Mr..
Samuel Sneden, one of the Oldest shipbu'lders in
THE GREAT EAsrEnN's M1sHAp.
"The Great Eastern was ruptured in her outer skin
| when she was coming through the Sound on her
first visit to this country. The hole in her bottom
was of great length Repairs were effected by sink
ing Golfer dam cassons under her bottom and then
pumping them out SO that the workmen could get at
| her while she afoat. The man who had charge
OF the Job has told me that upon examining her rup
ture he found not the slightest evidence that she had
struck anything. Her plates had simply broken
apart between the rivet holes making palpable
| fssure. All that done to her to
replace few sheets Of iron. The structure
Of the Great Eastern is peculiar. She is
other The outer skin has temperature very nearly
like that of the crcumjacent water while the inner
is exposed less to the heat OF the boilers
and is much warmer. When the inner ship had
grown larger in all its dimensions. how it to be
expected that the outer ship would resist the con-
| sequent strain upon it, which must have been enor
nous? No doubt would be expressed by any naval
expert that the tensile aud torsonal strength of such
| structures was sufficient with the margin provided
by the architect to withstand the strains incidental
| to service in rough without breaking in two
| But il it should be found that another unheard of
force frequently acted upon them with tendency to
break them in two transversely, the surprise at
their 50 suddenly popping to the bottom would
| probably be greatly lessened.
"In referring the other day to the nine iron ships
| which left the port OF Quebec in one month and
all laden with grain ana it is not impossible
that it may have become heated and have had some
thing to do with the unequal expansion of the hulls
| II that was the cause OF their loss.
UNHEALTHINEss OF IRON SHIPS.
Captain Sullivan who is marine authority. has
further declared that he would not send troops to
sea in iron ships account of the extreme thermal
| changes. Men who sailed in them very likely
to be afflicted with the rheumatism. They were not
the weather is cold they are very cold and when it
.Ss hot sss ss hs I'll, Tas
ately within. Wood having non-conducting
qualities the temperature in the cabins Of
ships composed OF that material would naturally DO
much more uniform Many travellers prefer wooden
ships better than this. Iron ships are
holds condenses the iron walls. which exposed
to the water. keeping them. as it were. constantly
| sweating at every pore.
RIvEr HEADS sHEEREp OFF.
'You remember, after the first voyage OF the City
of Toxic and the City of Pekn around the Horn there
great deal published about ther construction,
and charges freely made against the builders,
John Roach Sons. Both the workmanship and the
materials were said to be bad. The fact undoubtedly
| is. however. that the design, workmanship and
materials of these ships far excelled any specimen of
shipbuildng that had ut that time been produced in
rtnffh N IN San annta.< t.,
enter the Pacific service of the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company they were obliged to pass through water Of
varying temperature, from the cold region of the
Delaware Bay TO the Equator itself 1t is probable
that they contained very little cargo and great deal
of coal. When the latter was burned out the skin
was much more exposed to the heat from the boilers
than starting Ihe route is the coldest and hottest
by turns the face of the globe When they arrived
at San Francisco it discovered that thousands of
the rvet heads had been sheered of and lay the
bottom OF the hold The cause or this is easily
planned by the theory of unequal expansion and the
changes of temperature through the long and un-
usuai voyage which they had just completed They
were repaired and strengthened unnecessarily as
think, and have since been sailing between San Fran
cisco and Yokohama
Have you sounded American shipbulders ON the
subject of composite construction
Ycs, and it was chiefly in their interest that few
years ago desstcd from urging its adoption. de-
hvered n lecture upon It, ana had also prepared
pamphlet embodying my views l have been very
loath to do anything which might injurc the rising
shipbuilding interest OF America. These men came
TO and represented the efforts they had made and
the money which they had invested in order to
pete with the English shpwrights They begged me
not help foster the dstrust of iron pbuild
ing material Now, however, think the time has
American talent and enterprise take the initia
live step in u revolution in shipbuildng. Through
a third person | am informed that John Roach him
self has virtually acknowledged, when discussing
cognate subject, the superiority of idea the
ola one But vested capital is very sensitive, you
know. and must not be touched"
docs your plan contemplate the arrange
ment of the watertight bulkheads that is now in
vogucg'
'For strengthening iron ships, If it Practical
the longitudinal bulkhead would be of great value
In iron clippers such q one passing from stem to
stern could be well applied the transverse
aud would in no way interfere with the process of
Iading as the hatch openings would answer for
each half OF the hold. This diagram illustrates the
idea which. however, is too simple not to be easily
pnderstood.'