The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-27

( loving man. She was only permitted
to perform the great service for which
she was built, an event that made her
name as famous as that of the old Con-
stitution, and then she sank from
sight. She was 1874 feet long, IS feet
wide at the bottom, 81 feet wide at the
junction of the armor raft with the
( null, and 6A feet deep from that point.
The armor raft or overhang was 113
feet 4 inches long over all, II feet 4
! inches wide ard feet in depth. The
bow projected Is feet beyond the hull,
the stern overhung 81 feet inches
The side armOr consisted of five 1-inch
plates feet deep, backed up with 81
inches of oak. The deck armor was 7
inches of timber laid on wooden beams
~ inches square, the whole covered
with two plates of one-half inch iron.
The turret was 20 feet inside diameter,
formed of eight 1-inch plates, feet in
height. The top was covered with
railroad bars, and plate of iron per-
forated full of holes for the egress of
air. The, pilot house was formed of
eight-inch square bars, with corners
notched log house fashion. The guns
were placed in wrought iron carriages
The power consisted of pair Of steam
low-pressure engines, operating the
screw shaft by means of bell cranks
Steam was supplied to the main en-
gines, the turret, blower engines and
centrifugal pumps by two boilers with
horizontal tubes.
The keel of the vessel was laid on Oct
~ 1851, and she was launched at
Greenpoint at 9:45 a. M on Jan. 80,
1862 During the time of her construc-
ton Captain Ericsson, the designer,
was at the works from early in the
morning till late at night She was
ready for service on Feb. 20, 1862, and
she left by the lower bay of New York
for Hampton Roads. in command of
Lieutenant John L. Worden, on the af-
ternoon. of March 6, 1862, in tow of the
tug Seth Low. About p. m. on Satur-
day, March s, the little fighter passed
+ Cape Henry light, and when midway
between Cape Henry and Fort Monroe
pilot boarded the vessel and Captain
Worden learned from him the advent
OF the Merrimac and the disaster which
she had caused to the ships Cumber-
land and Congress on that day.
On the following day the Merrimac
returned TO Hampton Roads to com
piete the destruction of the Union
fleet, but she was completely foiled and
driven off by the Monitor. The two
vessels opened fire as soon as they
came within range, and a fierce artfl-
lery duel ragged between them for four
hours-from to II in the morning on
that memorable Sunday Like gladiat-
ors in the arena the antagonists would
repeatedly rush at each other, retreat.
double, and close in again. Finally the
Merrimac hauled off, leaking. and ran
aground. She was got afoat after
some difficulty and soon afterWard
steamed away toward Norfolk. In the
middle of May following Commodore
Talnall, commander of the Merrimac,
determined that as Norfolk had been
evacuated and thai to attempt to es-
cape would mean another engagement
with the Monitor and certain loss
OF the Merrimac," it would be better
TO destroy the ship rather than to
sacrifice 30 brave and faithful men"
The MerriInac was then run ashore
near Craney island and the crew
landed With their small arms and two
days provisions. Then setting her on
fire fore and aft, she was soon in a
blaze, and by the light Of the burning
snip the crew pulled for the shore.
lan3ins al daybreak.-New York Sun.