The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-07-10
IN THE TURRET.
ABOARD The MONITOR WHILE she
FOUGHT THE MERRIMAc.
A SoTsI Situation and Desperate Com
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Of the Maehtn-
ey-shut Up In Revolving
Drum-Damage Done.
loom. S. D. ereene in The Centwz.I

The drawbacks to the position Of the
pilot-house were soon realized We could
not fire ahead nor within several points OF
the bow, since the blast from our own
guns would have injured the people IN
the pilot-hOuse, only few yards OIL,
Keller and Tofey passed the captain
orders aud messages to me, and my II
quiries and answers TO him, the speaking
tube from the pilot house to the turret
having been broken early in the
action. They performed their work
with zeal and alacrity, but, both
being landsmen, our technical com
II unications sometimes miscarried The
situation was novel; a vessel OF war was
engaged in desperate combat with a
powerful foe; the captain, commanding
and q lding all, was inclosed in one place,
and the executive officer, working and
fighting the guns, was shut up in another,
and Communication between them was
difficult and uncertain. 1t was this ex-
perience which caused Engineer Newton,
Immediately after the engagement, to sug
gest the clever plan of putting the pilot
house on top OF the turret, and making it
cylindri al instead OF square; and his sug
gestions were subsequently adopted in this
type Of vessel.
As the engagement continued the work
ing of the turret was not altogether salts
factory It was difficult to start it re-
voIying, or, when once started to stop it,
on account Of the imperfections of the
novel machinery, which was now under
going its first trial Sinners was an
active, muscular man, and did his utmost
to control tn motion of the turret; but,
in spite of his efforts, it was difficult if
not impossible to secure accurate firing
The conditions were very different from
those of an ordinary broadside gun,
under which we had been trained on
wooden ships. My only view of the
world outside of the tower was over the
muzZles Of the guns, which cleared the
ports by few inches only. When the
guns were run in the portfolios were COW
cred by heavy iron pendulums, pierced
with small holes to allow the iron rammer
and sponge handles to protrude while
they were in use. To hoist these pendu-
lums required the entire guns crew and
vastly increased the work inside the
turret.
The effect upon one shut up in a re-
volving drum is perplexing and it is not
a simple matter to keep the bearings.
White marks had been placed upon the
stationary deck Immediately below the
turret to indicate the direction of the
%arboard and port sides, and the bow and
stern; but these marks were oblitered
early in the action. l would continually
ask the captain, How does the Merrimac
bear?" He replied, On the starboard-
beam, or Son the portquarter. as the
case might be. Then the difficulty was
to determine the direction of the star
board beam, or port quarter, or any other
bearing 1t finally resulted, that when
gun was ready for firing, the turret would
be started on its revolving journey in
search of the target, and when found it
was taken ION the fly" because the
turret could not be accurately controlled
Once the Merrimac tried to ram us; but
Worden avoided the direct impact by the
skillful use of the helm, and she struck
glaucing blow, which did no damage.
At the instant of collision I planted a
solid 180-pound shot fair and square upon
the forward part of her casemats.
Had the gun been loaded with thirty
pounds of powder, which was the
charge subsequently used with similar
guns, it is probably that this shot would
have penetrated her armor, but the charge
being limited to fifteen pounds, in accord
ance with peremptory orders to that effect
from the navy department, the shot re-
bound without doing any more damage
than possibly to start some Of the beams
of her armor- backing.