The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1894-09-29
THE FIRST IRONCLADS.
NE GERM CAME CENTURIES
BEFORE THE MONITOR.
A Harbor- Defeuse Vessel Like the ttrcu-
lar Russian Monitors Metal tam- Row
Of the Ancient t,reekS-The Historic
Detch lronel&i

great statesman and engineer,
Colonel John stevens. lie. in 1872,
q, earlier conceived the idea of con-
structing an iron plated vessel-of'
war with saucer. shaped huh, pro
PEELED by screws SO arranged that
direction as well as forward motion
could DO given lhem. The battery
was to 10 OF the heav sst ordnance
OF the time and the plating heavy
enough to resist the shot OF similar
guns at short range. The main pun
pose Of the ship was the defense OF
our harbors, and the plan OF action
was to moor the ship by a chain
leading down through the bottom OF
the vessel at its center, and to spin
the craft around this center, firing
gun after gun as it came in line OF
fire, thus anticipating the later Tim
by turret which. - turn, was the
germ Of the modern monitor iron
cad. Such vessel was actually
built. half century 'ater, by the
Russian government. and the Pop
oftska IS the contemporary represen-
tative Of the first Stevens battery.
The metal ram bow was familiar
in the days Of the ancient Greeks,
The inscriptions on stone, unearthed
in the Pir>eus ia 1884, gave us in
formation that three banked war
vessels were in use several centuries
before the Christian era, and that
four banks OF oars came into use
about 43l B. {. The size and pro-
portions Of these vessels were given
in great detail ia this ancient
record, aud, among other data. the
weight Of iron required for the ram.
1t is an interesting aud curious fact
that the old Greeks and Romans, as
we'll as the old Scandinavians, had.
before the dawn Of the historical
period, apparently learned the best
forms for their ships and had
adopted the very proportions adopt
ed by nature herself when endeay or
ing to secure high speeds. This
proportion was about seven or seven
and half times the breadth OF beam
for the length of the ship on the
water line.
The first ironclad actually laid
down was the Stevens battery OF
1912, designed by Robert l.. Stevens
in consultation with his father, Col
onel John Stevens, and under con-
tract with the United States govern
ment for "a war steamer for harbor
defense, shot and shell-prooi, to be
built principally OF iron" The ship
was never completed. The first iron
clads actually built and employed in
warfare were those Of the French
navy. of 1854, the Devastation, the
Lave and the Tonnage, which did eff
fective work in the Crimeau war. be-
side the ships OF the British fleet
The French built the Gloire IN 1858,
and the British ship Warrior was
ordered in 1859. Ironclads have
since that date been admitted the
only really formidable war vessels.
Without them it is doubtful whether
the operations OF our own navy dur
ing the civil war could have been
successful. This Is the authentic
history of the ironclad of our day.
According to some authorities the
Dutch were the first in the modern
period of history to build an iron
clad, and it is said that during the
siege Of Antwerp by the spaniards
in 1885, the people Of that city built
an enormous hat-bottomed vessel,
srmored It with heavy iron plates,
and thus constructed what they re-
garded as an impregnable battery,
which they named Finis Belli. In
fortunately. the vessel got aground
before fairly in action, and fell into
the hands Of the enemy. It was
held by Alexander of Parma to the
end of the siege, az curiosity, but
was never employed by either side
In any action.
1t is not at all certain, however,
that any modern engineer or inven-
tor can cleim to have had the first
conception of an iron-clad ship, says
Casters Magazine. Curiously
worded sentences in early literatures
OF all nations indicate, often, the
possession OF modern ideas at a time
when it was utterly impossible to
carry them into effect, in conse-
quence OF the inability OF the me
chanics of the time to perform the
work. The earliest of these which
have as yet noted is to be found il
the "sagas' OF Thorstein, sup.
posed pirate viking.
In this old story OF Thorstein
find the following bit OF possibly
authentic history OF navies. The
story goes that Viking, son OF Viz
and Eimyria, is poisoned by drink.
!. ing from the magic drinking horn o.
Dis, sister of harek and daughter o.
Kol, the former of whom had bee,
killed by Viking in duel, receiving
thrust from the irresistible swort
Angervadil. The sea king, become
the leprous victim OF Dis. sails fol
home and meets on his way another
powerful viking, Halfdan, who be
comes his friend and endeavors t,
aid him in his effort to in turn Sc
cure vengeance upon Dis. OF this
great captain the tradition says: