Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-25
THE FIRST CONFEDERATE BOAT
OF HER CLASS.
How the Ship Was Converted Into .
War Vessel At New Orleans
From . Tugboat
From the New Orleans Picayune.

man OF forty-f1ve, and his mind is as clear
today as II he had just been graduated
from college.
Capt. Peet1 drew the plans and superin-
tended the construction Of the iron armor
Of the Manassas the ram which played
such havoc with the federal war vessels in
the lower Mississippi He is never happier
than when telling of the work he had in
seeing that his ideas were carried out and
his fund Of Renaissance Is remarkable.
Much has been said and written" said
Capt. Peetz the other day, about the first
ironclad. the Manassas. and the recent re-
union of the United Confederate Veterans
in New Orleans awakened a lot Of interest
in her She was a twin-screw propeller
towboat. called the Enoch Train. and was
originally brought out from Boston by the
firm of Hyde & Mackie Mr.. Mackfe is
still a resident of New Orleans. He is now
about eighty-five years old The Enoch
Train used by this firm in towing ves-
sells to and from the mouth of the river.
She was in this service when the confeder-
ate government took possession of her and
began reconstructing her to tit her for the
purpose of war.
Studied Models.
after Lincoln's election 1t was generally
accepted that there would be war; and hav-
ing had experience in seafaring and the
construction of vessels in the Crimean war
on board the English line Of battle ship
Orion of ninety-nine guns I began the
study of a vessel that would be effective
and dangerous to an enemy. While sta
toned on this English battle ship, blockad-
Ing Cronstadt on the Baltic. the small Rus
san gunboats frequently sailed out. and
having guns of longer range, could lie
where our guns could not reach them, and
place shots clear through wooden YES
sells. l often wondered If this could not
he prevented If something there to
make the balls glance off or If our vessel
set lower in the water with a covered. in
clined top. instead OF having high free
board or height out Of the water
THE Crimean war came to an end.
gave up the study until the approach of
the war of the states. l was in Mobile at
the time. and after much thought I made
a model and tried to awaken interest in 1t
among the people In that city, but William
J.. Yancy, the great seccssionist, came TO
Mobile and made a number Of speeches,
claiming that we did not need any ships.
He said that cotton was king, and that
England would have to have cotton and
would open our ports to get it. His views
were sadly mistaken. as 1T afterward
proved.
After . few months. when the need OF
ships was apparent the building of two OF
them started in Mobile. They We're the
Morgan and the Gaines both planned on
the old style. ] submitted my model for
inspection but getting no encouragement.
quainted with John Hughes the dry dock
owner, and showed him my model. He i'm
mediately became Interested In it. and see
ing Its utility soon got the confederate
government to adopt II the plan for the
ram Manassas.
THE boat turned into the ram was re-
constructed 10y putting on an extra bow
made solid and extending out few feet,
with an iron Prov for ramfning purposes.
A shield or roof put the deck
in the shape OF a turtle back. The frames
were eight inches thick, molding way; that
is. solid against each other cross ways from
forward to aft and the plankng on top OF
this was four inches thick. Outside Of this
she covered with n single layer OF
fiat street car iron. such used at
that time to run the street cars on not
rails such az are used now. On the water
line all around she had n sold sponsor
four feet thick to protect her from being
rammed She carried two GS- FOUNDERS one
over the stem and the other over th. stern
post. She had projecting stem below the
water fine extending out two feet for the
purpose OF ramming When the ram WAS
all ready, Capt. Alexander Frazer Marley
graduate of Annapolis was placed In
command. and / was taken on board as
QuarterInaster.
The Start.
''We left the city for Fort Jackson and
remained there eight days and then went
down the river TO within few miles of
the enenv'a foot tho, l,.i,o e., ca,,,te,.
d. -, "a
'n'' "eA's very 10" III the water. with
snort snpk"stack. we We're hidden from
their view by the high marsh grass. but nv
raising our Jacobs l4dder we could plainlv
observe their movements. We Law there
several days. waiting for a dark night so
as to take them by surprise We lert o,,r
noorings one night between II end ~
o'clock and started toward them going a,
half speed. Being low-press11re the boat
made no noise and we came 10 Within
thirty or forty feet OF the first veeeal of
the cnerny's shius | was ar the uba.l ard
orders were given to mort the helm ,rhich
l Immediately conplied with TINS hr,rsi,,a
us in line to ram the vesse, ahead W.
struck her y plancinp h,ou, ~, 80 49,
bow and raked a norton of hor sheat r1atal
off hut did NOT ri1,re Iar nno,,ah 60 80,
her as wa tntanSa5 W. tII, " .'N
prepare again hut tho yanlea e.. ,n,,. ~
firing their ,,urs .nd sa,,d,, 49, ~ 81,
Rockets Tho, OF o,,,.., sI;a, ., ~ H'eii''i
chains leaving MO o,,oIdra ~ 49,, i'Iiioi
,,osa fo. ~ 90 ~ ' Dei"1''u' anu
"0nr conn,norJ.r ,,o,.1,
r,,,1 sneed ana L.e,i,,, ~ ~ 80 al'edo
.r1 rtesr;,a -, ~ le .'Io ie4iIi a-poF',
that We y,ara e,1,,a, ,r,t 4 iouced
Tho r,i,ar 7 gu at, ~ sie' ,cfoss
how no co,.or ,a, 'p VI, 'ito atai poai q
called his attantioI 70 {. 'i ~ poi slue.