The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-01


Merrimac to a draw in Hampton Roads.
OF either crew there are few survivors.
The death of Admiral Worden recently
removed tine last ufliccr-and the last
man hut one of the Monitor, while of
the $40 men on the Mcrrimac that day,
not more than u CorporalS guard are
living now. one of these men is Major
James c. Long of Tiskilv'a. He is only
80 years old, and so was only l6 when
he went through this historic battle
that revolutionized the naval orChitec-
ture of the world But his recollection
Of the aycntful day is very clear and
distinct.
Major Long was born at Chattanoo-
ga, Tenn From her doorway his mother
was able to zee by day and night most
of the famous battle OF Lookout noun
tain. At an early ace he entered An
napolis naval academy and upon the
outbreak of the war he followed the
lead Of the officers VINO sided with the
south and was placed in n midship-
mans berth. In this capacity he served
on the MerrimHc. a large proportion
of the officers at Annapolis refused to
fight the old flag, Though some OF them
were men Of southern birth: but most
of the southarners there espoused the
cause Of the confederacy.
MERRIMAC ONLY A BATTERY.
The Merrmac was the old United
States frigate of that name rebuilt. She
was remodeled so that she was really
only a flcating battery, declares Major
Long. She was armo-ed to the water
line. but not below it. She drew twen-
ty-three feet of water. but she had such
a load on her upper works in the armor
that she carried that she was topheavy
and could never have lived a rough sea-
She was a steam vessel. of course. but
inclined to be unwieldy and slow and
awkward in the handling.
"She did not enjoy the unlimited con-
1idence of her crew." says Major Long.
I'VE were afraid she might get ram
or a shot below the armor belt and in
that event we understood that our
chance of escape would be small. We
should have had no more chance or
making land than had the crew of the
Cumberland, which we sunk the day
before, and which went down with her
flag up, her guns firing at us and her
crew cheering to the last. IT the Moni-
tor had rammed us there, or had been
able to depress her guns So as to land
a shot or two there it would have been
no drawn battle.
There are some singular misappre-
tensions about the fight" says Major
Long. "It is a general belief that these
two ships steamed about in Hampton
Roads each maneuVering to find the
other at disadvantage, sometimes
grfppling, almost, and firing all the
tune; that, in fact, their guns kept up
Il continuous roar. This was not so.
FIGHT WAS SLOW.
The Monitor arrived in Hampton
Roads on the night Of March s. on
that day the Merrirac had been de-
molishing the federal wooden ships at
her pleasure She was proof against
their projecties and could shatter
them with shot and ram at will. on
that day she sunk the Cumberland,
burned the Congress and left tie Min
nesota aground, a picked prey for the
following day. On moving out to re-
new her work the next morning she
found herself opposed by the Monitor
and the battle ensued; the wooden
ships, the helpless victims of the day
before, being simply spectators.
The fight lasted six hours, but 1T was
not melodramatic cannonading. III
the six hours the Monitor fired only
forty-one shots and the Merrimac only
forty-six, a total of eighty-seven. The
Monitor carried two guns, the Merri-
mac eleven, so that the pieces averaged
less than seven shots each. There
were times when several reports came
within the space of a few minutes, but
this did not often happen.
I'VE had orders to fire whenever We
could bring a gun to bear, regardless
of other circumstances. The only quail
ihCation of this order was that the
hn da1iN,araI at ChnctaCt
sible range. Much time was consumed
in maneuvering the ships, each trying
TO get as much advantage as possible
while allowing the least TO it's adver.
sary. The Monitors two guns were
placed side by side, but We're never
fired simultaneously no matter how
good the opportunity, The Merrmac'I
eleven guns We're placed four on a side
two at the bow and one commanding
the stern. She might have fired broad
sides, but never did during the Who'll,
engagement, principally because tn
Monitor was so small a target that the
broadsi le guns could not be brought
TO bear on her at once.
BOTH VESSELS HANDICAPPED.
providence, or fate, or blind luck
or mans lack of foresight, so arranged
the ammunition and armament of botl
shps that neither one could win on tha
day. Tho Monitor had two smoothbor'
shell guns, not adapted to the higl
pressure produced by the use of soliC
shot, and which possibly would have
been dangerous if solid shot We're used
unless the powder charge were mod
fed. She was under ctriCt orders from
the ordnance department not to exceed
fifteen pounds Of powder but she uscC
solid shot.
THE MerrimaC had a fine armamen
of large Caliber rifles and could burr
any amount OF powder i'm them, bu
she had not expected to do battle Will
another ironclad, and as shells wer,
far more effective against wooden ship
than were solid shot, she carried moth
ing else.
"The result of those inadaptation
was a singular ineftlciency in botl
ships. The Monitor could peg solid sho
az the Merrimac, but at only about hal
the proper Yelocity.' Some of these sho
started our seams, and we had SOM
bent arnor- plates, but none of thes
injuries We're serious. 1t happene,
that the Monitors lightning neve
struck us twice in the same place. Ol
the other hand, the Merrimac, Will
able to load powder enough TO give he
shells the higher muZZla velocity, coult
NOT atc'ke telling blow with then
against the Monitors smooth iron tu'
ret, becncsE they We're deficient i
weigb-. They hit the mark, hut the
shattered as harmlessly as SNOWFALL