New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-17
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TIE MONITOR NANTUCKET.

NM, he fitted for service without delay was only IN
the natural order Of things following the sn'''H'
| tests II her big guns turIet' AMI The N"''n'"
machinery for working them. Thi, " h'unS "u' =
| .imply the adjustments 20 the hydraulic machinery
vbcrc II VA, found deficient. the completing 81 ""
| .ec,,4c md steam connections % the steering gear
and few minor repairs Of the engine machinery
II Ia, been rlmorcd that after her trial Al sea uhnef
| ho -,,ncrv,.lon Of the RearAdmira Kimberly Board
NJ Ip~pccton and survey she viii be sent to me wei
| indie, 80 . part u the North Athhho ep""'o''
. +, was first Intended that the vessel would remain IN
ni or u, a training vessel for seaiIen snnncrs ana
tho notify officer, and hr,t-cls,s nremen III the IN
riuerf,' Drpartmcnt. tai, prospective chang" III ''
di.Io.or has aroused suspicion that Al" may be sent
| ~ chill as a permanent defender 81 American inter
| c,tS there.
Then ON Thursday ordor- we're issued rs secretary
| Tracy to Inspect. preparatory t. lifting out the
| -cbecscboN or single .turrctcd monitor Nantucket
which la, been lying d" In ordinary AT tile Navy ia'u
.nce the cmbarkaon ~ the body OF captain Ericsson
| on board of the cruiser Baltimore for sweden S"' az
that time W., tOwed down the Bay aud formed one ol
the fleet ~ vessel, anchored near the baltimore during
the transfer Il the body Marble Cemetery to The
ship. en- the same day. lat Thursday the monitor
| Pa,,alc va, ordered be taken from the Naval
Academy the Norfolk navy Yard. 10 be repaired ana
fitted for service Both vessels bear honorable scars
Of IT,, Civil War their turrct' being well dehcd Win
cIld .lIot from the cncmy'S guns. The Pa>saic wa,
original Monitor which ended the career OF the Confed
| crate ram Virginia converted from the frsatc Mcrri
| mae by which name she popularity known and
| WAS built at Brooklyn I'm 17G2. The Nantucket was
built at the Atlantic Works. Boston. in the following
wear There c thirteen Of these chec,eboN monitors,
seven Of which are laid up in the james River near
I Richmond. one. the Comanche At Mare Island. and
three nt Lcagric Island The pa-saic and Nantucket
and six other, arc Of $50 tons displacement and the
other five are of Zoo tons. They each carry two
| I:Inrh smooth bore guns and the propelllns power
consists Of singlcscfrw gHsshopper engines.
| There seems TO be n remarkable amount of mis-.
information concernng the origin Of the ronclad.
| Lieutenant Very. in most able review Of the de
vclopment OF nrmor. published by the Naval Inst
| tuie SAYS: "ThcIc appeal, II be universal agree
mcnt between the United state, and foreign authorities
I'm according 10 an American the credit Of the first
| modern practical exposition Of the value Of armor
for naval use lie then gives details OF the vessel
designed bv John stevens. II IiobOhen in 1872. the
| plans Of which were submitted - the Government.
| The special feature of this vessel bait rs pro
lcc:cd by nclned arInor. His plans received en-
couragcmcnt AT the time but his family continued Ia
work al the idca and in the spring OF 1881. by order
II the Government. hr laid the keel Of the stevens
| battery ship. Til, few months earlier than the
beginning Of ilc first ironclad In Europe. Work wa,
| continued upon her for nearly two wears. aud when
Congress refused = add to the S7O0.O00 expended
upon her the work was abandoned. and a few year,
ago she WIS sold for her worth In old IRON" BE
fore Ericsson submitted the design Of the Monitor to
the Naval Comms Ion. the advantage OF the turrct
mounted on low frcebOard rOncad hus. was demon
straed by Captain Cowper Coles In England. and
before the Monitor was contracted for the Danes had
closed u contract with Coles for the double turreted
scagong ronclad IoIf Drake. the foremnncr Of the
Gillian ironclad Iuascar. The contract with Ericsson
for the Monitor. built upon lii design Of 1-5i was
made in 1861 aud this patiern wcr" aftcrwad
built the Nantucket aud the twelve other monitors
Which authorized by Congress on April II.
1859. Lieutenant Very says, I'm closing: "To
Ericsson belongs the credit Of getting afoat the first
revolving turreted vessel. whose drawback that
she was In no IL scasoing ship and TO Coles be
longs the honor Of laying down the keel Of a vessel
with revolving turret first aud Of launching the
first seagolng turretcd ir0nclad.'
After the orders received on Thursday TO 1T
the Nantucket for sea the vessel put into the dry
dock As she lay there the blocks Yesterday she
made an interested sight 10 one interested In the
construction Of naval vessels. She Is smaller than
the Puritan and the Terror. In the Navy Yard but
i. Ike them. OF the low irccboard type. A curious
thing is Tie structure Of the vessel at the bow and
stern The deck, which Is only few inches above
the wafer is wedgeshaped at both ends: but here
the vessel or overhang is very shallow. and Just be-
low the surface Of the water 1t ends. and number