The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-08-30
TIE FIRST IR0NCLADS.
Prototypes of ArmOred War Vessels
in Ancient Times.

The modern iroDclad probably had its origin
in the very beginning of the century, and in
the brain of the great statesman and engineer,
Col. john Stevens. He, in 1912 or earlier, con-
ceived the idea of constructing an iron plated
vessel of-war with n saucer-shaped hull, pro-
pelled by screws so arranged that direction as
well as forward motion could be given by them.
The battery was to be of the heaviest ordnance
of the time, and the plating heavy enough to
resist the shot of similar guns at short range.
The main purpose of the ship was the defense
Of our harbors, and the plan of action was to
moor the ship by chain leading down through
the bottom of the vessel in it's center and to spin
the craft around this center, firing gun after
gun as it came in line of fire, thus anticipating g
the later Timby turret, which, in turn, was
the germ of the modern Monitor" ironclad
Such vessel was actually built half century
later by the Russian Government, and the
Popohska is the contemporary representative
of the first Stevens battery.
The metal rainbow WAS familiar in the days
of the ancient Greeks. The inscriptions on
stone, unearthed in the Piraeus in 1884, gave us
the information that three-banked war vessels
were in use several centuries before the Christ
ian era, aud that four banks OF oars came into
use about 431 b. G. The sizes and proportions of
these vessels were given in great detail in this
ancient record, and, among other data. the
weight of iron required for the ram. 1t is an in
teresting and curious fact that the old Greeks
and Romans, as well as the old Scandinayians,
had, before the dawn of the historical period. ap-
parently, learned the best forms for their ships,
and had adopted the very proportions adopted
by nature herself when endeavoring 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.
Some of the largest vessels are said to have been
420 feet long and 81 feet in breadth of beam.
Docks at Zea were 20 feet wide and over $50
feet long.
The first ironclad actually laid down was the
Stevens battery of 1912, designed by Robert
L. Stevens. in consultation with his father,
Col. John Stevens, and under a contract with
the United States Government for "a war
steamer for harbor Defense shot and shell
proof, TO be built principally of iron" 1t was
to be $50 feet long. 40 feet beam, and of equal
depth, and was to be driven by engines of 800
horsepower. Later, in 1874, the dimensions of
the then partially constructed ship were en-
larged, and vessel Of 4I5 feet length on the
keel, Of 45 feet beam, and 335 feet deep was
begun still later under contract with the
Government made in that year. The plating
was to be 6.75 inches in thickness, and the
engine power was to be 1914 Indicated horse
power. The ship was never completed. The
first ironclads actually built and employed in
warfare were those of the Frency Navy of 1854,
which did effective work in the Crfmean war,
beside the ships of the British feet. The
French built the Gloire in 1858, and the British
ship Warrior ordered in 1859. Ironclsds
have since that date been admittedly the only
really formidable war vessels. Without them
it is doubtful whether the operations of our
own Navy during our civil war could have
been successful. This is the authentic history
of the ironclad Of our day. According to some
authorities the Dntch were the first in the
modern period Of history to build an ironclad,
and it is said that during the siege of Ant
werp by the Spaniards in 1885, the people of
that city built an enormous flat t-bottomed
vessel, armored it with heavy iron plates, and
thus constructed what they regarded rs an
impregnable battery, which they named Finis
Belli. Unfortunately, the vessel got aground
before fairly in action, and fell into the hands
of the enemy. 1t was held by Alexander of
Parma to the end of the siege as a curiosity,
but was never employed by either side in any
action.
1t is not at all certain, however, that any
modern engineer or inventor can claim to have
had the first conception Of an ironcIad ship.
Curiously worded sentences in early literatures
of all nations indicate, often, the possession of
modern ideas at time when it was utterly
impossible to carry them into effect. in conse-
quence Of re inability of the mechanics Of
the time TO perform the work. The earliest of
in the "sagss" of Thorstein, supposed pirate
Viking ancestor of mine, which were some
years ago published by Prof. Ra5mns B. An
derson and his colleague Bjarnason. These
sagas are Icelandic, dating back 500 years or
more, and relate to the deeds Of the old sea
kings 1000 years ago. The "sagas" were
traditional and transmitted only by verbal
from generation to generation
until finally reduced to writing, probably in
the 18th or 18th century.
The Thorstein sagas are historically, intro
ductory to the Fridthiof tales But it is sup
posed that the latter were true semi-mytho-
logical stories based upon popular tradition,
snd very likely upon some exact statement of
an original fact; the former are romances in
which it is impossible to say what is the pro-
portion of probable truth and what OF imagin-
sry story. These Icelandic traditions are too
little known; they are full of the spirit of
poetry, and legendary as they
are and imaginative as they largely must be,
they still contain, undoubtedly, many hints of
the life and thought and character of our wild |
and warlike ancestors.
In this old story of Thornstein find the fol- |
lowing bit of possibly authentic history of
navies.
The story goes that Viking, son of Wifi and |
EimYrja, is poisoned by drinking from the |
magic drinking horn of Dis, sister of Harek |
and daughter of Kol the former of whom had |
thrust from the irresistible sword Apgervadil. |
The sea king, become the lepr0us victim of |
Dis, sails for home and meets on his way an
other powerful viking, Halfdan, who becomes |
his friend and endeavors to aid him in his |
effort to in turn secure vengeance upon Dis.
Of this great Captain the tradition says:
Halfdan had great dragon (warship) |
called Iron Ram, and all Of this ship which |
stood out of water was ron-clad; it rose high
out of the sea, and was very costly treasure"
Viking recovered and lived to fight many
days, Halfdan remaining a faithful ally, and
his eldest son, Thorstein, lived and foaght
after him until he, too, died at a great age, also
leaving many sons and daughters but no more
IS said of the Iron Ram, and it is to be presumed
that the treasure of their Kingdoms was insufii-
cent in those days to continue the construction
,f such costly war-vesses. The story is, never
sheess, most interesting and suggestive one.
Whether iron -clads were built or not by the
scandinavian vikings, Thorstein's legend at
east proves that the idea existed, and that the
invention of the iron-plated ship is due to cur
'orefathers of centuries, and possibly of more
han thousand years ago-Cassier's Magazine.
Might Hurt Business.
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