The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-02-10
THE RAM, "NEUSE," CONFEDERATE
NAVY'S BEST FIGHTING CRAFT
But 1t Could Not Be Finished in Time to Float 1t Into
Deep Water-Its Own Builders Forced to DESTROY 1t
Planned By Master Mind.

(F'rOm Carolina and the Southern
Cross, Mrs. l.. Y. Archbell. of Kin
ston, Editor.)
The men who built the Confederate
Ram, Neuse, were master Yorkmen,
and the Neuse was really work Of
mechanism that surpassed anything
= for the Fonfederate navy. 1t
we played havoc with Lin
COZ" ''ezq, Carolina waters if only
it coulo s7e,o finished in time
fore dire necessity ,mpelled our peo
pie to turn from it to defend them
selves and to destroy it rather than
let the enemy use it to subjugate
those that created it. The shipbuild-
ers who directed the work on this
iron-clad We're Howard and Ellis. The
| master-mecnan1c was james Fleming,
of Gosport, Norfolk. The names Of
! the worlHnen were as follows:
| Beng. ii. Brinson, ship carpenter.
living "A years of age, New Bern;
| Samuel Howard, dead, New Bern:
Jas. Hancock, dead, New Bern; Ste
phen, i. Fulford, dead, New Bern
Thos. Harvey, dead, New Bern; Jo-
seph Willis dead, New Bern; Benz
Bowick. dead. New Bern; JAS. Thomas
| cOppersmith, New Bern: Joseph Hill
carpenter, LaGrange: JAS. Howard
| New Bern; Samuel Hawkins New
| Bern; Thos. Salter, New Bern: Ed
Salter. New Bern; John Brewer, La
Grange; William Loftin, LAGRANGE
J. Joyner, LAGRANGE; Joe Russell. La
Grange; Benz. Boyd, LaGrarge: Thos
Staten: Charles Crawford, Beaufor
county. detailed soldier.
There were also detailed soldier
whose names cannot be obtained.
After the raid of Foster, the Worl
on the gtnboAA which was reporte.
destroyed by that general and 70
which Congress gave him permission
to place the name Of White Hall o.
} his battle flags. was soon resumes
: and in few days the damage ren
dered by the Yankee army was mad
, good. The time consumed In max
! ing this boat was necessarily longe
, than it would have been under othe
circumstances, because it was diff
cult to get things in a prescribed time
, and often it was necessary to wal
for the simplest necessities. How
ever, the work went steadily on Will
, a detail Of soldiers kept guard over
: day and night.
At I<inston, on Last street, con
r nected with the carriage factory g
: Mr.. JAS. b. Webb, was a macniIl
shop also belonged to Mr.. Webb, i
: which was made the structural iron
8 work Of the Gunboat. Here. to Ijil
ston, il was brought to be tinishe
= and equipped, after the woodwor
had been completed at White Hal
A bridge spanned Neuse river abou
| where PARROTS bridge now crosse
q it. A temporary railroad was lai
e from Webb'S shop on East street dow
n CasWell street to this bridge, iii orde
o to transfer the heavy material frol
I the shop to the river where the fir
b shing work was begun. When tn
Q Ram was brought to kinston it Wa
I. allowed to drift down with the GU,
g rent. 1t had no motive power b,
: was controlled by ropes and pole
b on the order of a fiat boat or scow.
e The Confederate Ram" as it W.
& called by everybody, looked aHlSWaI
@ enough when it came rolling an
Q plunging down Neuse river, its gre;
oak hull standing high above tt
II water, impressing the mind of Il
&c land-lubber with the fear that Il
e Confederacy could noo build a bo;
o that could be used against her enemi'
L. | successfully.
s It was moored near the foot
Caswell street. and dropped dow
n later to the foot Of King street, whel
I the water was deep. When it ";
= finally encased in its heavy coat
&c armor, equipped with s'piI oted gun
lie its engines, it's boilers, its loaded mas
n agine,s nd all the other paraphern
IS liza that necessarily adOrns "A queen
the water, il was apparent to all b
l. holders that the SUnbOaN NeuSe hs
ID been nicely calculated by a mast
" mind whose plan had been execut.
ne by skilled wOrkmen, and when cor
re pleted, the arnlor-clad turret lay f1oa
re ing on the surface Of the river lii
to some graceful waterfowl of ancie
le mythology. q strange craft to the
waters. and one that struck terror