The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-11-29

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Every schooIboy knows the story Of
the Monitor and can tell how, built as
an experiment, she made her appear
ance in Hampton Roads at critical
from destruction, inspired feeling Of
confidence in our national ability to
cope with emergencies and practically
revOluti0nized naval warfare.
Not many are aware that the sole
surviving officer Of that famous craft
that is to say, the only one who, or
dered to her before she was launched,
remained with her until she ended her
brief but glorious career by going to
the bottom of Cape Hatteras-lives IN
New York He is Capt. Louis n. Stod-
der, United States revenue cutter serv-
ice, recently retired.
Capt. Stodder's hair and mustache
are white, but he Is as active as he
was twenty years ago. He Is Of erect
figure and has the air and voice Of q
strict disciplinarian, but he has keen
sense of humor and seems to enjoy
life thoroughly Owing to his great
modesty, it is difficult to get him to
talk OF. his experiences with and in
the Monitor, and it was only after he
had been fairly trapped the other day
during one of his visits to Capt. New
comb that he consented to become rem
iniscent for brief space of time and
to tell over the career Of the little
cheesebox Of a raft which took so
great part in the making OF history.
Il was navigating officer and sailing
master on the Monitor" said Capt.
Stodder, having joined her when she
was still on the stocks at Rowland's
shipyard. Greenpoint. now, I think, the
Continental Iron Works. I recoIlect
when | went over to see her for the
first time L talked with some of the
workmen in the yard. You had better
take a good look at her now they said,
as you won't see her after she strikes
the water. She's bound to 20 to the
bottom of the East river and stick
there, sure
But, Of course, she. did no such
thing. They thought she. could never
be launched successfully, owing to the
thirty feet of overhang at the stern.
which was likely as she left the ways
to bury itself In the mud. But Erics-
son made wooden tanks filled with
holes, with just enough buoyancy to
hold up her stern when she struck the
water. until the tanks filed. and the
launching was successful.
"Of course, most people did not be-
lieve in her. / was thrown into con-
tact with Ericsson, who gave me many
points about the craft, and I was
rather confident she would give an ac-
count of herself.
"She was rather hasty Job, was the
Monitor, put together and delivered In
approximately ninety days. and pre-
sented some defects which might have
been remedicd had there been more
time allowed. For instance, Ii was Inn
possible to fire both her guns at one
time, for the reason that the masses
Of iron which closed. over the portfolios
in the turret after. firing drew to. the
center instead Of to the sides, and, the
two holes being very close together
there was not room between for both
covers at one time
"The Monitor was fitted out at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard with two eleven
inch Dahlgrens of the type which COM
posed the batteries OF the frigates, con-
structed only for throwing shells. and
In which we had orders to use only
fifteen pounds of common black pow
der for dicharging a 165-pound solid
shot For the same caliber Of gun they
now use from $50 to 500 pounds of
powder, and the effect of one OF our
shot might have been compared in
way to that of a big rubber ball thrown
by hand. such little penetrative posi-
bility was there when fired against
solid iron.
"On her first start from the navy
yard the Monitor got only as Tar as
Fulton ferry when her steering gear
became disabled and we had to. put
back. Our final start was made on
March 6, 1862, under the tow of the
tug Seth Low. This was merely to
have been a trial trip, as the vessel
was not paid for. and the condition OF
her final acceptance was to, have been
that she was TO go down to Hampton
Roads. steam up the. Potomac, passing
successfully the Confederate batteries
along the shores OF that river. and
reach Washington.
Lieut. J. L. Worden WIS In COM
mand
We arrived in the mouth Of the
Chesapeake late in the afternoon of
March s, and heard firing when we
were twenty miles distant from Ha1np-
ton Roads. This we took to be the
guns Of Fortress Monroe at practice.
and the powder boat from which we
got our ammunition could give us no
Information We did not realize what
had happened until we got near enough
to see the Congress burning.
1T was about 7:30 o'clock the next
morning when the Merrimac, which
had anchored the night before around
Sewell's Point, showed her nose com
ing out of the Elizabeth river. and
after we bad got look at her the crew
was piped to quarters. Everybody was
shut in. Lieut. Worden was In the
square pilot house forward, whose peep
holes, four narrow Sits, one on each
side, afforded the only view OF what
was going on outside the vessel. Lieut..
Greene was In command of the t1rret.
and l had charge of the turret ma
chinery, which was worked by a wheel
In the turret itself. In the tower,
whose inside diameter was only twen-
ty feet, were twenty men, headed by
the boatswain's mate, ten men to each
gun.
when sighted the Merrimac was
amout five miles away, and her crew
caught sight of us at the same time we
first saw them. We steamed to a DO
sition between her and the Minnesota.
As the Merrimac came up she took no
notice of us, but attempted to pass in
order to reach the Minnesota. Then
we opened fire with one gun.