Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-07-12


out at their portfolios than the south could
acrapo together Tor yonu, Hence ncUcs.
sIty's traditional role was repeated aud tho
first Iron floating ram. the dreaded and
destructive Mcrrimac rlld down from her
stays one fine spring morning. took % sous
ing " rather uugmccful plunge in the Viz
ginin waters, then fightcd herself with an
air that seemed TO convey 10 the trim and
model mrn.of.wnr ~ the world. and uf tic
United States IA particular, the gucy
challenging Halutoi II am heroi Haul
down your colors"
The monster, for such shc proved TO be-
had nothing 10 brng uf M o sailing beauty.
She looked like the roof ~ u house aGuat.
Her construction was II the most print
tive Kind. such ms people In dcsptfatc
struts could bring about. hut the idea
was every thlng, sloping ironolad sidcl,
ironclud shields FOR pilot house, gun cham.
bcrs, machinery and crews quarters and a
submerged hull and ramming l.ak. That
was the new thing under tho sun Ia actual
prncticc-lron, irun everywhere.
In order to ,conomlze In time aud money
the protector OF the Mtrrimac ram lshed
the hull u the former United States screw
war frlgnto MCrrimnc from the bottom ~
the Elizabeth river ~ Norfolk, where she
had bccn sunk, after firing and scuttlug,
by - Union expedition early Ia the war.
The transformation into a ram began by
cutting thefull down To within thrrc feet
OF her old light water line both ends for
seventy feet were dcckcd over Lowell ~ that
the weight of supcfstIuciurc aud arma.
ment would keep them below water In
tie middle scciion-about nc-hnlf tho
ship-a sloping rooi was laid Of pitch pine
and oak twcnty-four inches thick. This
extended from the water line ~ an angle
Of IS dcgs to point seven feet above the
gun deck. At the vessels ends this shield
was rounded 30 rs 20 give the bow aud
stern guns wide sweep
The upper ends u the shield plnnking
did not come together 10y about twenty
feet, and the opening hctwccn them was
covered with grating that served ~ u
vcntilAtor to tho chambers below and also
n promenade deck. over the shield
planking was bolted four inches Of rolled
iron In two lNycrs, the under layer running
horizontally, the outer one mp and down
the slope. Tho bolts extended through tho
twenty four iuchUBo Of wood and were clinch.
ed on tho inside.
The propOlling power Of cold hull was
the weakest part Of her. The engines had
been condemned before the war. and the
fire md a long soaking In the salt water rs
she lay submerged, hadn't improved them
In fact the Confcderatcs had condemned
the old thing Tor all practical purposes Ia
the navy, but considered her cheap plant
TO let the "cfauks' tinker with. The Con
fcdcrncy had no foundrics, no patterns. u,
workmen aud no tools nor machinery lot
ironclad lulldinp, and everything had {,
be improyised workmen had to be- trained
and the projectors and hackers Of the new
tangled notion were obliged to be pltlcn
and cautious 40 Gs not to weary practica
people Ivy demands for this and that un
heard OF thing.
The designer and constructor ~ the ran
was John l.. Porter, an old United State
naval officer, who had carried the plan o
nm ironelad shield for war vessels Ia nj
head for years before the Confcdcracy wa
thought Of. Another factor was Lieut.
John X, Brooke, who laid the plating nnl
also prepared the armament Tor the mon
Htcr battery. The guns Numbered ten
..lnch rifle apiece Tor the bow and stern
n 6'ineh rife and three g.iuch smooth
boros for each bruidside The monster wa
not TO be unique IN capacity for standinl
hard knocks alone. She was 70 give hnr
knocks. by device Of Lieut.. Brooke
steel bands three inches IN thickness wsr
shrunE ON around the hrccoh of each eau
non TO prevent bursting under hcny
charges Last, but not least, for that wa
the main purpose Of this now creation
came the ram, a east iron prov pruiictinl
four feet, and 10 be- completely submrrfcl
during faction. Relatively this wasa triillnl
Rppurtenancc. like tho nose on a face, hu
II weighed l,gO pounds. al the hcnv
arinor was simply " shield men, engine,