The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-02-10


counter her because they could not
convince the powers above them thar
she really did exist.
Butler wrote Palmer: 4 do not be-
lieve in the irOnclad because it would
have to draw at least two feet or
water" In reality the gunboat had
| g. draught of about ten feet or more
which would seem q ridiculous mis-
| take to make for such a river as the
Neuse at Kinston. However, like
! everything else about the Confederate
Ram. this heavy draught in shallow
| water had been provided for III the
| calculations of the master, and SIX
| lighters We're in process OF construc-
! ton, the use of which by displacing
| a large quantity Of water would life
| the gunboat and carry It over shall
| low places into deep water. These
lighters were 5 feet wide. so feet
long and 100 feet deep. If chained
to the gunboat, filled with water and
| pumped out, the work would be ac-
complished by a simple law Of ny.
| d-aulics. II in addition to the use
OF lighters, a freshet should swell the
muddy water Of the river. thereby
lessening the danger OF having the
could hinder her complete success
but the freshet did not come to the
| Neuse at the time OF need, nor were
all the lighters finished when 1t was
found impossible to keep the boat al
Kinston. Hurriedly the Confederates
began to move her down the river MOI
!, | With the aid OF the six lighters bu;
trusting to their determination to
keep in the deepest water they took
the risk, ran into a shoal Of sand. and
were unable to get away. At last j.
was inevitable that the Confederate
. Ram must be destroyed. The guns
: were spiked and ire was set to hes
. by her own marines. Couriers rode
- about the streets of Kinston, warn
!, ing the people to raise their windows
and prepare for a shock; but the
: | shock never came. Striking the shoal
= way one Of her guns was displaced,
!. The fire reached this gun and it exI
> plOded, tearing a hole below the water
line, and flooding the boat In such
a way as to extinguish the fire that
charred the walls of the magazine be.
good old Roman, said one OF her
crew, "She committed suicide in the
!. face OF disa aster
II The Confederate Ram Neuse a,
% has been said before, was the pro.
; duct Of master mind that had cal
culated every detail in he.. cOnstruc-
ton, and the work was executed with
e fine skill. Even the riyets in the ar
a NOR We're cOUnter-Sunk and the plate
:, presented a smooth surface. This ar
NOR Was not common railroad iloi
as has been claimed, but it came
= ready role din bars about IL inches
/ thick and inches wide for one coat
! and l i-2 inches thick and inches
;. wide for the other. It was cut 20 4.
\. at Webb'S shop and holes drilled fol
= the rivets. The turret was an oblon;
:, octasoIt. It about s feet lIgi
\. With cle smoke stack and j horn
, shaped ventilator that could be turned
10
- haust pipe, it had two steam pipes
- one on each side OF the smoke stack
These pipes had nOzzles bent parable
;. with the deck and could be turnet
- from Within So as to sweep the decl
with steam from the boiler. The.
:. protected the smoke stack from OK
a plosives in case of a fight al .los
- range, and prevented the landing .
~ the enemy on the turret. Ii addition
"a to this steam hose was provided Oh
,e the gunner's deck to be used through
- the port holes to prevent he cne
Al mics boarding the boat.
as The length Of the boat, zoo feet
Was figured III the water displacement
Of for buoyancy: and the field exposure
II over which the enemy would have t
re pass to get to the turret was an ad
8G vantage to the ganners inside. wh
O. rot only had the pivoted guns. b.l
:; lnuSkets to use through shc port holes
g as Well as the steam hose. The Con
a. federate Ram was 200 feet Ions ~.
of 80 feet wide. The turret was 80 Zee
e. wide and so feet long at the hase
al with gentle incline from bot-on I
a. tOp. =Ife bow and stern decks Tf"r
Ell covered with armor plate. The al
n NOR on the turret was devised 20 ren
t. der it inapervious to the guns OF III
1r enemy. 1t consisted OF coat 0
n arTnOr plate 1 1eXS inches, ri~"trd o
s. IN a horizontal position and ai-'' ~
u 'nrTinIled OF .i'Lv-el.-