The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-05-07
rHE EVOLUTION OF Wan VESSELS.

twelfth ceprury, IN which decade the Nor
mans sought 20 make their yssseNs I'M
peretratae 20 shot BY placing Light ar
mature OF iron Just above the water me
OF their wooden vessels The CrGsaderS
Of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries
protected their vessels with curtain OF
iron reaching above their buiwarks. Pedro
Of Arragor. in rSA used rawhide on the
outside Of his vessels to protect them from
destruction by snf,ammahle material.
Il was reserved for an American 10
build the first real irunciac, which up
TO that period had proved successful
AbosR the close of the war between the
United States ard Great Britain. in 1871
Is, Robert Fulton conssructed vessel, de-
nominated floating battery. which ne
csristened the pemalogoa She was $50
feet IN length, having TWO hulls. and must
have in this respect strongly resemoaed q
catama-an. The wheel was located be-
tween the .wo hulls. In ISIS Fulton also
constructed another sem-.ronclad. OF
wood, covered with thin iron. From ISIS
up TO the present time. America, England
and Francs, In the order given, have man.
ifested grsas concern In the perfection In
this arm Of the service. and a. result
there has been great development IN the
architecture OF war vessels and also In
armament especially in rapid-fir-ng guns.
Ths first practical demonstration OF the
strength and utility OF the ironciad was
the exhibition Of the Ericsson monitor and
the Confederate railroad-raii ironclad Aer-
rimac, in Hampton Roads Va, a. the be-
ginning OK the rebellion In the Aerri-
macs attack upon the wooden vessels no
account had been taken or the presence
OF the little monitor. whose presence that
day was TO revolutionize the old notions
OF warfare on the high seas. Before her
advent upon the scene the Confederate
faa kaa fSaaf .tc>1 h.
States wooden vessels Congress Cumber-
land and Minnesota, three very formidahls
warships OF the modern type. The hattie
between the two ironclad giants was
fierceiy contested and resulted In tbs de-
feat but escape OF the Confederate vessel
In the battle the Monitor was struck hard
by twenty-five shots. divided as follows:
SIDE armor, 6 times; deck. times: plio9
house. times: turret, times. Yet the
Monitor was uninjured. although severely.
tried and tested by one OF the most for
midable irouciad rams known TO naval
warfare. The gallant fight and its results
rang round the world" and opened wide
the eyes Of ship builders. In these latter
days the efficiency OK this class OF IRON
clads for ocean-go!ng purposes has CONS
under discussion, and the consensus or
opinion s that for coast def Also pur-
poses they are uGeQualed. The noaitor
lies so low in the water as to present no
mark TO the enemy. The only target -
the furret and this is penetrable at prac-
tically only one point IN its surface. An
expert says that nearly all turrets are
moved by pairs Of engines OF various de-
signs, operating internal gears on opposste
SIDES. They rest on series Of rollers placed
in circles under their outer edges. The
rollers are In the ehapa Of truncated cones
and ara from two to three feet apart.
They serve the same purpose as ball bear
ings-that Is they support the weight OF
the tur-ets and their contents, and also
serve as bearings upon which the turrets
shall revolve with the least possible fric-
ton. The rollers are protected either by a
barhette. which is stationary wall OF
armor plate rising straight from the deck.
or by an inclined plate. serving the same
purpose. 1t is as difficult to strike the roll
ers with a shot as TO penetrate the
turret- The question. which only actual
experience can answer, is whether or not
the shock OF a shot striking the turret
viii derange the rollers or turning
mechanism sufficiently TO disable the mon
itor. Our first monitors turret was struck
nine times at close quarters yet the blows
did not disarrange her machinery.
Admiral Dupont's attack on Fort Sum-
ter. with nine monitors against which
force were all the Confederate
batteries In Charleston harbor-and
they were iegion-was perhaps the
most severe test TO which our iron
c!ads were put. These batteries fired 1850
shots N the engagement. Every vessel OF
the fleet was struck by solid shot or shell
from twenty to ninety-nine times, the
Keokuk having suffered from the largss:
number OF shots. At Mobile bay the i'm
mortal Far-agut used, In connection with
his wooden vessels, four monitors all OF
which were repeatedly struck, but prac-
ficaily unfajured, although under heavy
caDnonaGing.
II Is not generally known that Ericsson
while designer and builder of the first
monitor, was not the inventor OF the
famous revolving turret. That honor be-
longs 10 Theodore TRINITY. Of Duchess
county. New York. As early as Is4s a
committee OF congress investigated the
workings OF the turret system devised by
him and reported fayerabiy upon it to
the government.
The old type OF monitor. with either
single or double turret. Is considered by
cur present naval cr..cs suitable only for
coast defense. because their sea-going quail
tiies-that is. their ability to withstand
severe storms on the ocean is largely inn
paired by their cumbrous build. Howev-
er. during the late "unpeasantness" they
wfthstood some severe gales on our At
lantio coast, more especially in rounding
Cape Hatteras which is believed to be
come stretches OF water In Neptune's do
main. Tho survivors Of the feet OF mon
ttors SO long inactive at Philadelphia
New York and Boston harbors. Will be
used In the defense OF some OF the At
lantio seabaard cities. and those that can
be relied upon 10 make the trip from
Key West TO Cuba NAV Join in the dem
onstration IN behalf OF free government:
on the evergreen Isle.
Ths second step I'm the evolution from
the wooden walls OF fighting vessels Is
covered by the present type In commission
IN every civilized nation and n semi-civ-
:iIzsf countries. This class OF vessels has
really had no very severe test in pro-
ionged warfare. and the only demonstra-
tons OF their fitness and superiority over
the monitors has been in the Chilean
Peruvian and Japanese-Ct-nese wars. both
OF which were Of short duration and the
tests not entirely conclusive.
The great trial of the rapid-fr.ng gun
and the improved modern warship will bs
witnessed when vessels Of the white squad
ron and those Of Spain meet in battle
array off the coast OF Cuba or Flors.ia
In the near future. The conflict WI un-
aues.ionabiy devotion the intrinsic merits