Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-03-19
OUR TuRRETEp MONITORS.
Wonderful Changes to be Made by the
Outlay of $500, 900.

| NEW YORK, March 19.--The Times
says it is reported that strong efforts are
about to be made in certain naval quar-
ters to induce congress to authorize the
converting of the single turreted moni-
tors of the navy into Floating batter
ieS."
The idea proposed is to take off the
turrets altogether and supply each vessel
with two or more guns mounted on dis
appearing carriages, of the type now
made by the Pneumatic Gun Carriage
and Power company.
A bill with this very object in view
has already been introduced in the house
authorizing the Pneumatic Gun Carriage
and Power company to convert the
single turreted monitors Wyandotte and
Nantucket into floating batteries" +"
The project, in its first conception,
does not appear to have attracted much
attention in the navy department, but
recent claims advanced by President G.
E. Crecy, of the Pneu matte Cunt Car
riage company, have not only aroused
the liveliest interest, but have caused
prominent officials to conclude that the
question, what to do with the old Erics-
son monitors, has at last been answered.
The proposition now about to be ad-
vanced is the removal of the turrets and
guns from not only the Wyandotte and
Nantucket, but from all the single tur-
reted monitors. 1t is pointed out that
the present twelve-inch iron armor of
the monitors turrets can be pierced by
projectiles from any of the six-inch steel
guns, while the projectiles from the fif-
teen inch muzzle loading Dahlgrens of
the monitors can be stopped by four
inches of modern armor.
From the fact that the monitors are so
weighed down that only about 90 per
cent of reserve buoyancy remains in
their hulls, it would be unsafe to add ad-
ditional weight consequent to strength
ening the turret armor
On the other hand it is pointed out
that the turrets of the old monitors can
not be adopted to modern high power
steel guns with any safety to guns or
crew. from the fact that the revolving
gear is so likely to jam on receiving
heavy shocks. This trouble has been
eliminated in the more modern turrets,
but still exists in the original vessels we
now have on hand.
II is therefore proposed to remove all
this obsolete, inefficient material and
ting below the water line high powered
eight or ten inch rifled steel guns,
mounted upon the most improved car
riages of the type for disappearing guns
which has been adopted by the war de-
partment as the type of carriage to be
used in our coast defenses.
In all there are thirteen single turreted
monitors, which it is proposed to convert
into floating batteries" These vessels
are the Ajax, Canonicus, Catskill, Jason,
Lehigh, Mahopac, Manhattan, Montauk,
Valiant, Wyandotte, Nantucket, Passaic
and Comanche.
All the above vessels, representing an
aggregate cost of $1,000.000, are at pres
ent lying Sin ordinary" nine at City
Point, Va, two at the Washington navy
yard, one at Annapolis, and one at the
Mare Island navy-yard.
These vessels are the only armored
vessels that we now possess in a state of
completion, and though of antiquated
type, will have to be depended upon in
case of declaration of war before other
coast defense vessels are built. Ineffi-
cient as they are, they must be taken
care of, which is effected at considerable
expense to the navy.
BY clearing the turrets off the decks of
these vessels, providing in lieu of their
present armament, high powered guns
on disappearing mounts, the country
could have, it is claimed, within six
months, thirteen harbor vessels, actually
available, at an expenditure of about
$500, 900. At the present time these
monitors have speed not much over six
knots an hour.