The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-10-05

,shroof NJ the immense amount OF Work
which has been accomplished In the face OF
80 many difficulties. or course, REFER 70
the blockade. which cut of all sources OF
sunnlles and left them entirely TO their own
ingenuity and energy t. supply their neeos'
xu.--cArrAIN BROOK AND HIS CANNON
Captain Brook, chief Of The Naval Ord
nance Department, Is the inventor OF the
cannon which bears his name. lie Is
gentleman whose marked ability ana court
eous demcanor well tit him for che higb Po-
sition he at present occupies. He has gwen
me all the information possible regarding
The position Of affairs In his department,
and 10 him am indebted for the following
account Of the celebrated naval duel De-
tween the Confederate irOn-clad "Merri-
M ,c" and the Federal Monitor:
When the Mcrrimac left the harbor OF
Norfolk on the sth Of March, 1862, It's iinine-
diate object was to destroy the men-oi-War
which guarded the entrance OF That port.
cbe officer IN command had no idea OF the
proximity Of the Monitor" and conse-
auen,ly could not foresee the episode when
20 soon occurred. The Merrimac set iortn
yaliantly on her desperate GRAND; ana
fl.f HAVING burned the Congress, SUNK
the Cumberland, damaged the Minnesota,
crippled the 81. Lawrence, criNen on the
Ericsson, and several other gunDOats, ana
siienccd the guns Of the surrounding iorts,
altogether having done battle WIN TWO
thousand eight hundred and ninety men
and Two hundred and thirty cannon, the
Nerrimac offered battle 10 the Monitor
which. by chance it is pretended, found
herself in these waters.
We all remember that after snort en-
gagement both champions withdrew stimuli
taneOusly from the struggle without any
definite result.
mis- strange combat between two iron
clad vessels took Europe by surprise; II
opened up new era in naval warfare.
The advantages had been equal. it seemed
| 10 the observers, on both sides, ana an
other battle must take place TO prove
which side could claim superiority,
but in reality appearances had been decep-
I tive. both sides had not been equally pre-
pared for the combat. ON board the Merrl-
ma, there had not been q single cannon-Dal
she had been furnished only With bomb
shells. In this expedition she had eN-
| pectod to encounter only wooden Nessels,
which she hoped to destroy by means OF
her iron PROV, or to set on fire by means cl
the bombs, and ii was not thought neces-
sary 10 iurnishher with balls. IL must DC
remembered that at that time the COnled-
crates had not succeeded IN manufacturing
cannon balls in large numbers; otherwise
| NJ WOULD De Uul W ShfI'7N ""N
would have bad the customary quota.
The Confederates thought il best TO retain
| this secret from the public. and c0nse-
quently the press len6the affair TO be dis
cussed with great bitterness by the par,
;isans Of the opposing parties, and all
| awaited with breathless interest the DAY
when a fresh encounter would set the mat
| ter at rest.
| 4 month later, the Merrimac found her.
| self in a condition 10 renew The battle inter-
rlpted by mutual consent on the preceding
9TH Of March, and presented herself III
| Hampton Roads boldly. in sight OF the Mon
| itor for that purpcse. We all know that for
some reason, at present unexplained, the
challenge was not accepted. Ii Is sup
posed that by some means or other the fed
| erals had received information OF the true
state of affairs. and had Judged 1t advisable
not to tempt the issue.
! The Monitor took refuge under the
| Guns Of Fortress Monroe, where she cast
anchor. The Merrimac then withdrew.
since then, both of these naval giants have
disappeared from the scene. The Merri-
mae. DESTROYED by the hands Of her Ow n
officers, TO prevent her falling into the hands
of the enemy when Norfolk was evacuated
| by the Conioderates on May II, 1862; the
| Monitor. lost on the 3Olh of December fol-
| lowing, in a fearful storm of Cape liatteras.
But the Brook cannon and prolectiles
| have survived all these disasters. The at
tack on Fort Sumpter on the 18th Of April
last by eight monitors and an iron-plated
irigate. gives us an eNempllllcatlOn OF the
effect of these proiectiles; and the rate OF
the keOkuk Will lead us TO infer what
would have been the fate of the Monitor
if she had accepted the challenge of the
| Merrimac when it was offered. Some crit
cism upon these cannon and prolecilles
seems naturally to find place Just here, but
your Majesty has already had an oppoitu-
nifty of criticising the rough draft Of them.
| The outside of these pieces is not mate
rally different from the ordinary cannon,
but close observer would not fail 10 Re-
mark the circular bands or rings, which.
while closely joined to the piece. are III
tended To increase the resistant power
against the expansive force OF a heaNI
charge of powder. The projectiles are OF
WrOught-irOn and weigh from ZIG TO l2O
pounds. At a distance of 2GO yards, and
with charge of twenty pounds of powder.
these prOjectios have been known 10 pass
through four plates of iron, each two inches
thick. and eighteen inches OF solid oak-all
backed by bank of clay-crushing the OAK
TO fine splinters in its course. Experience
in their use at Fort Sumpter has shown that
they can he aimed with much precision, and
that. taken altogether. the Brooke cannon Il
a valuable addition TO weapons OF war
NII.-THE NAVAL W WORKSHOPS.
The Naval Ordinance Works are under
the direction of Captain Robert ID. Minor
This establishment is situated in the lower
part of the city of Richmond, and is devoted
principally 10 the manufacture OF gun ,arrl'
ages and implements of war. Here, 1t Is
the intention of the officers in charge &c
=. lAtfs
models which experience has proved Il
possess most value. All things that 90 IL
the equipment of the Army or Navy can be
furnished from these workshops, and if the
eNigencies of the service make sudden and
sharp demands upon their inventive skill
the demand is always promptly met Estar
lshments OF the same Kind exist at selma
Ala ;at Columbia, :. c.; at Atlanta, Ga;
Charlotte and Wilmington, y. c.
NIV.-POW DER-MILLs.
For long time there was great scarcity
Of powder and even Of percussion caps in
the Coufederacy. Many battles would have
ended in their favor if the soldiers had been
furnished with the munitions of war; The
soldiers have shown their skill and courage,
but have lacked the equipment necessary to
face successfully their more efficiently
armed foe. The blockade of the port
|
the South TO supply its needs from
abroad, it has gone bravely to
work, and now they have powder-mils
established at Columbia. :. c.; at Augusta,
Ga, and at Raleigh, n. c. The first of these
was established by the Navy Department,
the other two by the War Department.
Percussion caps are manufactured 10y the
War Department at the principal arsenals,
such as Augusta, Columbia, Atlanta. and
Macon, all four in Georgia. while the Navy
Department manufactures them in the
navy work. shops at Selma. Ala: at Column
bia, :. c.; at Atlanta, Ga, and at Charlotte
and Wilmington, \. c. A mandatory of
cordage and cables formed of cotton has
bsen established at Petersburg
| To be Continued.
France Initiating California Prunes.
| All the country knows that the cotton
| saaI xialts the most pNeallpnf ollNp oil gS-