The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1894-02-22
A FAMOUS BATTLE RECALLED.
Terrific Conflict Between the Monitor
and the MeTTimac.
Anniversary Of Great Sea Fight that Caused Re'oIl-
ton in The Construction Of Men-d-Waf

With the aid of 200 pounds of tallow,
$50 pounds of Albany grease, 300 pounds OF
soft soap and the force of gravity the l, l4O
tons of steel slid down the ways and foated
like duck All newly launched ships float
like ducks, and in so doing the hull of the
Raleigh simply fulfilled her destiny.
Thirty years ago to the month another
warship left this navy yard steamed slow
" out of the Elizabeth into Hampton
Roads and in twelve hours revolutionized
the science of naval warfare The Confed-
crate Merrimac, with her roof of iron,
crossed the Roads, moved right up to the
United States slOop-Of-war Cumberland,
with thirty guns, crushed in her wooden
hull as if it had been pasteboard and sunk
her. Then turning attention to the frigate
Congress, with fifty guns, the Merrimac
drove her aground, disabled her, forced
her to surrender and burned her.
For an hour the Congress poured broad |
side after broadside upon the Merrimac
but the solid shot bounded off the armor
as if they had been baseballs Having de-
stroyed two of the best ships in the United
States navy the Merrimac drew back be-
hind Sewell's point for the night. That
days work taught the world lesson 1t
marked the end of the wooden warships. |
1t ushered in the era of ironclads. The
| long, symmetrical steel hull of the Raleigh,
which slid down the ways into the Eliza
BETH was the legitimate successor in naval
science to the Merrimac.
The day following that on which she
gained her double victory the Merrimac
| steamed out of the roads to complete her
| l.. 6 H., h.,
there and several other wooden vessels Of
the United States navy. These disposed
of, the cities of Washington and Baltimore
were at the mercy of the Merrimac, and if
she could demonstrate seagoing qualities
for brief periods Philadelphia and New
York might be destroyed Confederate
fortunes touched one of the high water
marks when the Cumberland went down
and the Congress was burned. But the
surprise was on the other side when the
MerrimaC presented herself in the Roads
for the second days work Out in front of
the fleet of wooden warships lay craft as
queer and extraordinary as the Merrimac
in naval architecture. The papers of that
day said it looked like "a cheesebox on a
raft"
During the night the Monitor, the first
had been terrible voyage down the At
lantic coast for this strange craft. The
escape from shipwreck had been a narrow
r one. But the Monitor had come. And as
the Merrimac moved forward the Monitor
also advanced. What a battle it was! In
2 after years every detail of it was analysed
3 and studied rs science, and the navies of
the world were rebuilt from the keel up to
tl,,, ,l,t;r t.
NOR against armor. Forward and back
/ ward, on straight lines and then on curves
= they moved, each seeking the others vul-
r. nerable point. Solid shot struck the low
? sloping sides of the Merrimac raking her
: from stem to stern. Solid shot made great
/, dents in the turret of the Monitor and fell
n off in'o the water. There they pounded
r, each other for hours, and then, shaken and
. damaged, they parted with mutual re-
spect.
The moral effect OF the battle of the Mer-
rimac and the Monitor was great The
north took breath. Washington and Bal
= timore were safe. Monitors were at least
a match for Merrmacs Build iron
) clads" was the lesson of that day in Hamp-
e ton Roads, March, 1862, and build iron
k clads" was the order which went to every
~ navy yard of all the nations of the world.
"a cheesebox on raft" describes the
y monitor type pretty well. Three of the
e monitors lay beside the dock of the navy
% yard on the Elizabeth the day the Raleigh
n, was launched. At the time of the CHILEAN
. excitement these monitors, which had
" been resting peacefully at anchor for more
r than twenty years, were hauled up to the
at docks and the work of rettting them fol
,. active service was hastily undertaken
Rather strange to tell, they were found to
y be in good condition, and in few day.
SIS they could have taken up position at the
10 mouths of Hampton Roads or Chesapeak,
a bay or wherever wanted to repei attack
~ What did the Merrimac look like?"
10 A citizen of Norfolk answered the ques
s, tion. He was old enough to be a courier
re- to Confederate general when the grea
naval battle occurred. He saw the Merri
IN mac building. He saw her steam dowl
o. the Elizabeth and into Hampton Roads. II
~ saw the Cumberland go under, with he
n flag flying, and he saw the Congress forcet
to surrender. And he saw the next day
GU duel between the hope of the Confederate
Id and the dream of Ericsson.
i'd What did the Merrimac look like?"
-, The eX-courier glanced up and down tn
river, and pointing to very low, almos
ID fiat rooted building on the Norfolk shore
IN said:
There, do you see that warehouse owe
yonder? Well, the Merrmac looked JUS
like that building would if it was on tn
water. She had roof that sloled dow
m just about as that roof slopes The she
49, struck that roof and just bounded off"
Oh The roof was made of railroad rails lai
u, close together, wasn't it?"
er sob, no! That's a mistake"
10 Seems to me the northern papers sal
- so at the time, to account for the solid she
W making no impression"
e, well that's all wrong | saw til
no armor when it was put on. 1t was in iro
,d sheets six inches thick, and it was laid @
the roof and bolted. That was the armt
ne from which the solid shot bounced off. 1t
to another mistake to say the Monitor didn
a run from the Merrimac. She did run, fc
q saw her. She got out into the shallo
water where the Merrimac couldn't raj
vi her and then pounded away with her gun
Is. Hullo-there she goes"
The great steel hull had begun to NOV
The truth of Confederate history was 70
gotten in the pride of present patriotism
The eX-courier became as enthusiastic
the ten-year-old girl by his side, and join,
OF his There she goes' to forty thousar
he Others. Norfolk Cor st. Louis GloL