The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1884-03-05
A IMMATURE MONITOR.
The Smallest Successful Steamboat
Ever Built.

"A IMMATURE MONITOR.
The Smallest Successful Steamboat
Ever Built.
Marine Journal.
Writing about steamboats, brings
to mind the fact that | once insti-
gated and helped to build the small
est successful steamboat, and the
most successful small boat, one that
made more round trips and more
money than any small boat that ever
existed. 1t was about this way:
During the war the citizens of Pitts
burg and Allegheny determined to
get up big fair for the benefit OF
the Sanitary Commission.
While this was being worked up
/ determined to build a miniature
model of a monitor to be operated
in the basin of a fountain in one Of
the departments. While I was en-
gagged at this, Mr.. William Metcalf,
superintendent of the Fort Pitt
Foundry, where ] was then en-
ployed, proposed to furnish all the
money and material required and to
enlarge on my plan, and add an
other department to the fair exclu-
sively for the vessel end other war
material. This resolution was unani-
mously adopted, and the boat built
accordingly. Mr.. JohnH McElroy,
Col. Joseph Keye, Mr.. f. Kirsch and
myself were the builders of the boat,
and Mr.. Metcalf superintendent the
erecting of building about 15Ox75
feet, inclosing large elliptical
shaped reservoir for the accommO-
dation of the craft. The hull was
made of a single sheet of copper, 10
feet long between perpendiculars,
and about 90 inches beam, after the
model of the monitor Manayunk,
then building at Pittsburg.
The deck-plates were wrought
iron and the turret and guns were
cast-iron. The vessel was driven by
a beautiful oscillating engine, de
signed Of Mr.. McElroy, of l 1-2 inch
bore by 2 - inch stroke, which was
of ample power. The boiler was
made of copper, of a fiat elliptic
section, about two feet long, with
vertical tubes, the furnace being a
series Of alcohol lamps covering the
entire bottom surface of the boiler.
This arrangement worked well and
made plenty of steam. The pro
peller, which was of brass, was
geared at a speed of about two to
one of the engine. When com
pleted she foated on an even keel
with about 2 inches freeboard. A
trial trip was made of a quarter of a
mile in the Allegheny river against
the current on June rise under
convoy of a fleet of skiffs, but I'M
fortunately when rounding into hel
wharf she swung against the head
of a raft and sunk in 20 feet Of wa
ter. This calamity was gotten over
by procuring a diver, who fetched
her up in a short time.
The guns were never found, and
had to be made over again. In due
time the fair was opened, and the
crowd attained access to MonitQl
Hall, where the boat was quietly
making her regular trips The
building was literally jammed nearly
all the time during the two or three
weeks the fair lasted. No boat ever
drew such crowds, not passengers
spectators-at % cents each. Wher
the fair was over it was found thai
Monitor Hall had collected the lar
gest share of the receipts of the five
departments, | think about S75, 900
The entire gross receipts were 1925,
600. After this extraordinary sue
cess she was exhibited uuder thu
management of Col. Joseph Kaye
now deceased, at Baltimore, Wheel
ing, Boston, Philadelphia, and, lastly
at Chicago, where she was sold, ma
king cords of money at each plac'
for the Sanitary Commission. Per
haps less is now known of this mon
itor than any of them, but un
doubtedly she is entitled TO con
spicious place in the history of GU
defunct navy.