The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-08-21


Is now at Richmond. Va. and the Lehighs
Was bought by ]. n. r otter of Fall River,
Mass. BIZ Ss8i3 ;4SS tigE4s x 81 5isl5
fgrhese rusting old gun boats are siir-3
Svivors of the famous! fleet OF monitors
thai In 60 and '64 did; such execution In
erns design, theirdays OF usefulness over
scney were consumed y by the autnoritl-s,
II Nashington,a & and sold for old iron al
I!public4 auction. IN Some where on their time
ccrroded sides may be found their names,
1.-The Canonicns. the y old Ma liant. the res!
little ] ason. EN-
399S The boats were bull t In 1862. Immediate
lily after the Monitor, In q Its celebrated
struggle with the Merrimac had shown
g555 .itticabilitys of this type Of vessel,
and In bringing the wa r to IA close ~ hey
performed inva luabl services. a 5a
Era in Naval architecture.
Unassumlng ii appearance as are these
flat decked single-turreted discolOred
l5boats. heir building marked "A an era In
naval architecture, and q heir success Il In
action revoluti onized the navles $gofS the
world They furnished the type Of mod
FERN coas t.service iron-cla d and a. system
of which has been followed In
1.-The most powerful gun boats of recent
GELS for i d has II hrough fa1nn.a rity be-
come trite, but III Ii I'M fact only, a short
period or time since their in production
|; Into general use. Tho year 1850 marked
the IeclSne of NJ unarmore ed bait hips
Thenceforth the Il tions exper imentted
with metal armame n IS.
During 81 The period Of t he Civil siNVar
began that remarka BILE development In
naval ordnance which is still going on;
The first pro duct ions of the designer were
lclursy and unwield ~ being the usual
wood en- hull OVERLAP q wi hi il plate
4 a Somewhat OF this ID uild was the Mer-
rtmac, the Confed crate ram tina car
l&rikd devastation among the wooden fri
gates att the mouth Of the James River
linz March, 1862. Congress had however.
lat the outbreak II of he war appointed e
special navy board to- determine upon '
TYPES Of ironclads to Sbe built for tmmcT
date service and It was ION that very
eyentful sSth OF March when the Nerrmac
was awaiting sthe dawn of other day 70
resume It's work Of d ructio on that the
Mont or one Of the types selected q and
Just finished, v came into Hampton Roads
in the teeth of a high gale, and also lay
low till daylight appeared. ESs5s How. fter
rimac retreated before the cheese box on
a raj too well KIN ownt g need re- re-
pea ting. Suffice It to say the super iority
Of the monitor-type over all then exts
ing models 8ofs rsllips was esta blished.
Ordered an Entire Fleet.
AZ Congress at once Ii ordered fleet Of
| like construction, and In that fleet were
our old friends, the five veterans now
| I'm their turn d placed by improved mod
|fcls. HI 5s5 e lS .s
Each #of these monitors presented to
the eye " hen aAoat a. simple pl atform.
sharp 4 at DO tn ends, and " bearing IN us
centre + a round ,Martelso sl to wer8 "a bout
twenty feet in diameter and ten feet In
height, mad as Is the rest of the vessel
of heavy iron. cons titute ed q bonn g
pro Of a revolving fort n hicl1 cannon
were mounted, making these the flrst
revolving turreted vessels in exis tencc,
Great Ss was the consterna ton on the
decks OF an lnsusnectlng opponent when
the mysterious citadcls first began -. "
rotate and from their guns it g Shurl pom
derous shot in quick succession s
The hull OF each Of these vessels e: IS
shallow being not much more han s
feet In depth with a.. fiat DO tom II y
about 1o4 feet in length and 81 feet In
create est width at top. On his hull rests
another.!iiv feet insheig y 81 that extends
over the lower one abou three feet 9 y
around eXcepting at the ENDS where y
projects twenty-five feet,is by which pro-
lection Is afforded the anchor, propeller
and rudder The whole As bull {. three e;
Inch iron and is very. bouyant The Eex-
nose q " parts are guard ed by D a. wal Q 4
white oak thirty inches IN thickness 2 on
which5ss laid arnlor sis inches ~ thick,
ness. shot to strike the lower hull
would have 4 TO pass throngh Il wenty-
feet Of water. and then strike ar clined
splane at an II angle. The III tough title
dWarfs In their encounters We're pelted
with masses of iron. somet!m welghing
200 pounds, sent at a Yelocity 81 2Oo fect
a second. & Such projec lies could strike
the deck and tower without harmlng II,
and conical bolts would 81 anceiE off as peb-
bles would fy from soil granite, s
M ALTOGETHER these cheese, boxes on rift $
presented a Formidable front to the foe.
and when In 1863 Adm ral upon had
orders lie 4 mo IS oceilpy 8imporlant
enabled to- push the strange title c,a y
into almost9epery hay. river, and Inlet of
South Carolina, Georgia nd Florida .B!!
Destruction Of Nashville,
II The most widely not ed en- ga gen,ents
iEto which any Of the condemned mont.
tolls entered was the destructiu OF a he
Blockade runner a N shy lie ny ne Mon
tauk, and "A he attack on Fort 4 M llisto n
and ether defences 50 8 i'arlssson l,arT
Nalanta and I1ehigh a ,beli's pro 1lnentg
lin the latter attacks 81. II s;Ts.
Tho destruction of the NashYlll lie On,
Fnbruary H n, 1863, wa 81 most p. lllant
piece III work. Comm der a - ord on UT
the Molauk, moved ms title cr',ft close
ID, r$sn al Inc Of piles IN here wifi his lS
he he could reach tho cruiser a cross a marsh
at d d lstance of 4 200 va So ceprate3
was tie range for i his besntiial exhihls3
ton 90 target nling that In SstWanty min
utes the Nashville va on hressa for
ward and saHiidship ~, n spite sot ne fog
that at 3onh time obstructed the view. d nj
nifty minutes the danes M he'd he
ma ,bag ID zine and the doomed vessel bleM
ups mo- Cont sdera tes were 80 4 exaived
and exasperated BY the Il daclpus a tack
of the monitor that he fire. from gy 'orts
struck The Mpntauk. When the monitor
was retiring however. n hole was blown
IN her buttom by q rpedo, WordenI
pron1ptlY ran her ash oreS and had pieces
~ mi eIs iron Dsl ted over the wound and
then cont inued his station i u
Mont aus was strlIck thirteen times VITA