Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1898-07-07
THE MONITOR.
Ericsson's Historic Ironclad and 1t. r.,
to Hampton Roads.

1ricssohs historic ironciAd and It's Tr,,
to Hampton Roads.
The Monitor had been formally cor
missioned on Feb. 25, 1862, under cor,
mand Of Lieutenant John l.. Worden
U. S. N. Twelve officers and as enbs,
ed men comprised her personnel Chs,
Engineer A. Q. Sinners, the super;n
teLdent Of construction. went to ses in
the vessel to observe her performance
and give the officers the benefit Of b,,
knowledge. He was, as stated by Colo
mel w. @. Church in his Life of John
Ericsson, "the only man on board who
thoroughly understood the oharaotsr;s
,ics of the vessel"
The voyage to Hampton Roads was
eventful, and almost ended the career
Of the Monitor, and with it the fate q,
ironclads for an indefinite time. Rough
weather was encountered, and water
broke over the smoke and blower trunks
nearly putting out the fires and stoppinv
the pumps from lack Of steam for four
or five hours on one occasion. Loss hv
laundering was imminent at this time
bNNnaSS VI s'S 6hSds qduhthty VI wafer
that got into the vessel under the base
Of the turret and through the hswss
pipes. The blowers stopped because tbs
belts got wet and the engine and FIRE.
rooms filled with noxious gas from tbs
fires and had to be abandoned. In try.
ing to remedy this trouble the chief en-
gineer, Mr.. Newton, and his assistants
were overcome by the gas and We're car
ried to the top Of the turret, where thev
revived, though they were thought dead
when dragged out of the engine room.
Trouble and danger also resulted from
the wheel ropes jumping off the steer.
ing wheel and becoming jammed.
After two days of toll and peril the
Monitor escaped from the dangers Of
the sea into the presence of new enc.
my. Late in the afternoon of March s
she passed in at the capes of Chesapeake,
and from the sound of shotted guns
knew that her time for action had come
thus early in her career. The Merrimac
was abroad that very afternoon, and
wreck and destruction fouled her wake.
A rude improvised ironolad herself, she
marked new era in naval warfare, and
before her lay large fleet of supposedly
formidable ships of war as helpless as a
flock of sheep assailed by wolf
Night fell before the Monitor came
up TO the seemingly doomed Union feet
in Hampton Roads, The Merrimac had
glutted her thirst for blood for the day
and was at anchor and at rest, but in
her silence in presence of the ships that
she meant to attack il the morning she
stood for all that men understand by
the dominion of the seas Lighted by
the burning wreck of the frigate Con
gress, the Monitor moved up toward
Newport News and anchored near the
stranded Minnesota, upon which vessel,
it was certain, the first blow Of the
morrow would fall.
From either historical or theat-
rical point of view the stage settings
were now complete. With the night the
curtain had fallen upon the last Of a
long series of glorious deeds, performed
under an order of seamanship or sea
tactics that had already long passed its
meridian, but which for romance and
ohivalry excelled any that had preceded
it, and, it must be admitted, excelled
that which was now to rudely supplant
it. A new type of sea warrior and a
new type of warship were about to ap-
pear upon the waters. The engineer 5
machine of John Ericsson was to face
the fabric that represented the engineer
ing ingenuity of the American SOUTH
and the result Of the encounter would
infliot fright upon the romance Of the
sea and transform the masted navies of
the world into useless relics in day. -
f. NJ. Bennett, U. S. n, in CASTER S
Magazine.