The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1885-01-01

In the address delivered by Senator
Bayard, upon the occasion Of unwilling
the statue Of Admiral Dupont, In Wash
ingtOn, no said:
"As touching the career and character
Of the naval officer we are now consider.
ing, thi4 wonderful and deeply Interest
lug fact may DO considered pertinent.
Up b. Saturday, ihs 9Th dry Of March,
1862, when the Merrimlc, Ih' lrst Iron.
clad OF any type, under the guns OF
Norfolk harb0r and, under the guns OF
Fortress Monroe, rayaged with IMMUNITY
the shipping, armed aud unarmed, In
Hampton ROnd1, the navy OF the United
Stats had been believed 10 contain
vessels Of war OF The highest type, and
the equals IN thor respective classes OF
any Other navy, On tue evening Of the
same day the Monitor, the frat | on clad
Of her own type, the oifslrug OF the
genius OF Ericsson, arrived IA Hampton
Roads, and the next day presCn cd her.
self TO the Merrimac In 0efenae OF
the wooden irigaie Minnesota, up 10
that time considered a formidable man
OF war, but In the presence or the
Merrlmac proved TO DO o defenselees
victim. In the desperate aud critical
battle that then took place In Hampton
Roads, the end OF wooden Dayle1 was
decreed, but what was 10 : ke their place
was aud still remains undecided. This
remarkable sea light was no mere test
OF manenyrea Of navigation aud scien'
tiGc target practice, II was tho expert
mentum crucis Of v,ritable war, u
death grapple OF skill, backed by cOur
age unsurpassed, and sealing lta con
vlctionsin wounds and death. The tor.
rible earnestnese Of this encounter dts
closed the true features Of the new de-
partnre In mualime warfare, aud no
sudden and sweeping a revolution had
never before been wrought In history,
II proved much, hut not all, and In the
sequel much that IL traglcal has occur.
red. The pathway 10 complete success
IL often paved with failure aud suffer-
Ing. The MoOitOr-whose name IL In
separablo from that OF Ericsson, whose
genius devised her; OF Wnrden, whose
heroiam tested her; and OF Greene, who
caught up the torch Of glory 90 II drop
ped from the hand OF WOrden, when no
fell blinded and bleeding In the combat
came In u few months TO q pitiable
end.
an December following, the Monitor,
having been thoroughly repaired, on
deavored 10 and her way, under tow,
from the capes OF Chesapeake 10 Charles.
ton, to participate In the contemplated
attacked on that city, ami In n mere
cap full OF wind went helpletely To the
bottom OF tho sea of Cape Hatteras,
The Weebawken, NJ her mornings In
Charleston harbor, In fair weather. went
down In Dve minutes after her frst sig
nal for assistance was given.
Contributions OF disaster to heay-
lily plated war ships come from the
English nav; tho Captain, q marvel
Of impregnability, sunk In the bay
OF Biscay, with her freight OF 800
officers and men, and tho hand.
full OF half.drowned Survivors
were never able satisfactorily N nc.
count for what had happened; tho Van.
guard, armor-plated, collided with no
especial violence with her .consort, and
sank instantly In the Irish eea. Aud
tho problem OF weight and strength
versus security aud efficiency remains
unsolved. In The winter OF 1861, IN NJ.
tempted secrecy but with anxious haste,
tho skill and Ingenuity OF Americans on
either aide, IN The a%hipyafds nv Brook
Ign aud Norfolk, were quietly maturing
Inventions which were TO In the main
facts In deciding tho great contest"