Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-09-25
THE MIANToNoMAH.
The First Really Formidable Ship Of the
New Navy.


New Navy.
NEW YORK, Sept. 25.--New York
harbor will have its first armored pro-
tector about Oct. /. The monitor Mian-
tonomah lacks only the placing of two
great guns in the fore turret to be COM
plete. The guns are done and are al
ready on the decks Of the monitor as she
lies at a dock in the Brooklyn navy
yard. She is to be placed in commits
sion at once even il the work is not en-
tirely complete. The finishing touches
can be put on later. The Miantonomah
will be under the command of Captain
Montgomery Sicard. The Miantono-
NAH will probably make her first cruise
to GARDENERS bay for the trial of her
new lO-inch guns.
Has Seen Service.
The big double turreted monitor has
q long history. She was one Of the
feet of ironclads built toward the close
of the civil war after the model Of the
famous little monitor. At that time
Uncle Sam had for the second time in
his history the most powerful navy in
the world, and the Miantononiae was
the most FORMIDABLE ship in it. Origin
ally she was built of oak. She was 267
feet long, 90 feet broad and drew 10 feet
A 1-2 inches. Her armor, which was of
iron, was bolted over her hull. In 1872 she
was rebuilt in iron, together with the
Amphitrite, Terror and Monadnock,
and placed in commission for "a second
time. In 1883 she was brought again to
the Brooklyn navy yard and has re-
mained there ever since, nearly all the
time in repair or alteration.
The Monitor now has 12 1-2 inches Of
blended steel and iron on her sides, and
two turrets each holding two 10-inch
modern rifles. Her length is 250 l-2 feet,
and her beam 55 1-2 feet. She is not
completely raodern even now, after all
her struggle to catch up with progress
in naval architecture. Her armoi is not
of the nickel steel, which viii probably
encass the Maine and other big war
ships. But the mingled iron and steel
are amply sufficient for ship Of her
build, for she squats down in the water
so that she practically presents no tar
get except her light superstructure,
and this can be shot away without
crippling her.
A Harbor Defense Ship.
The Miantonomah Is the first really fer ,
midable ship of the new navy She il %
battleship in one sense of the word, for
there Is no ship of war afioat in ary
water which she could not meet witl
some chance of victory. But she is
primarily harbor defense ship. Her
business is not to go out to meet an
enemy in other waters, but to lie in
wait for an approaching foe. To such
foe she would give welcome worthy of
her flag, for in every respect except hor
armor she is powerfully modern.
The enormous 10-inch rifles in her
turrets are the largest and most effect
i've marine guns In the country. They
throw solid steel projectiles weighing
500 pounds each with an effective fight
ing range of seven miles and can hurl
them thirteen miles. Besides these big
guns she will carry on her superstruct-
ure and military mast two six-poundcr
and two two-pounder rapid fire guns,
two 37-millimeter revolving cannon a.ld
two Gatlings. These will be useful for
close fighting and to drive off torpedo
bcats,
A Welcome Addition.
She will be welcome addition to the
feet Of swift cruisers, which will flash
their white sides in our waters. She Is
not graceful nor swift, but she can fight
and they can't. As the Miantonomah
nears her period of activity the work up
on sisters, the Puritan and the Terror,
grows more lively. Both vii probably
be completed in the spring or early sum
mer Of 1899.