Evening journal., 1898-09-21
oFNIcER ON rHE NAHAlNr.

city, was an officer OF the United States |
Navy during the war Of the rebellion. |
AS an Cnslgn, and afterward as acting |
he was third officer OF the IA
nous old monitor Nahant, which has
been awakened from vs. third OF
century sleep at the League island
Navy Yard. and Is now ordered Into
service.
The fine old battleship is one OF the
ironc!ad fleet that stood such severe
pounding for months in 1868 and 1864,
in front Of the forts that guarded the
entrance to Charleston harbor. She
was in all the famous fights in front OF
Charleston. and, in company with the
monitor Weehawken,w went to the mouth
Of the Ogeechle river, cut out. fought
and captured ina half hours battle the
Confederate ironclad ram Atlanta.
which was hailed as an engine OF de-
struotion to the Union feet far more
effective than the Merrlmac.
Captain Kicker was assigned to the
Nahant before it left the stocks in the
shlpyard in South Boston, where she
was built, and served with her for
more than eighteen months. about the
longest service on one monitor record
ed for any officer of the navy.
'"rhe Nahant Is single turreted
monitor Of the type used in She civil
war" said Captain Kicker. "she has
no upper works whatever the only
thing besides her nagstaffs, smoke
stack and ventiators tlat appeared
above her deck being her turret and
the coming tower on top OF IL. There
was a manway in the top Of the turret
and a removable rail around the rim
Of the turret, SO we had that for a
bridge when net in action, but when
kwe were under fire there was nothing
showing but The naked chip.
Like other monitors built al that
time, the Nahant has eleven inches OF
iron armor on her turret, her coming
tower and sides, with three inches on
her decks. She had one OF the largest
guns made at that time. In her turret
were two heavy cannon, one mon
ster 15-lnch gun, firing a 4O0-pound
shell, and the other an 11-inch gun
that threw a 22O-pound shell.
"Of course, these guns we're not oil
the modern sort and their extreme
range was only two or three miles
with the elevation We could give them
Still, almost al naval fighting is done
at less than a mile, and at that range
or even more, these guns could dc
great damage to a cruiser, gunboat OF
even to some of the so-called protected
cruisers. The shot from the Nahants
guns could do but little against any
modgfn armor plate, but they are sc
massive that wherever they could
pierce they would be terribly effective
in smashing things"
In the participation in the great at
tack under Admiral DUPONT on thu
forts at Charleston harbor ON the IN
Of April, 1868. the Nahant was strucl
forty-nine times. Twenty shots strucl
the turret and coming tower, fourteen
struck glancing blows on the deck, one
Of these cutting off the seam whistl'
pipe; six struck on the side armor, fiv'
hit the armored part of the smoke
stack, and three pierced the smokestacl
above the amor. One shot carried
away the jackstaff at the bow OF thu
vessel. and one splintered the ensig1
staff at the stern Of the monitor, bu
this shot did not bring down the flag
. and It was notable that n all her en-
, gagements with the forts or other YES
sells the Nahant's flag was never sho
y away or lowered in action.
The great number OF hits receives
by the Nahant in her first engagement
with the forts would indicate that ex
ceptlona.ly coed gunnery was indulge
in by the Confederates, but consider
ing the fact that the monitors were 70
two hours under the fire, at range
{ varying from 2,OOOtoless than 500 yards
CT more than 800 guns. the accurac
Of the shooting does not become s
marked. Not one Of the shots whic
struck her pierced the armor or decl
One man was killed and three wounde
y he flying off Of the heads Of th
bolts that held the plates together
when some especially heavy she
struck squaraly on the turret or con
ming t-wer.
4 After the first battle, the ineides q
the turret and coming tower wer
Z lined with heavy felt screen, covere
d with the heaviest of canvas. Tines
screens effscually stopped the DANCE
q from flying bo.theads and reduced tn
conclusion from the impact Of heav