Norwich bulletin., 1921-03-12
THE ERICSSON MEMORIAL AND TIE MONITOR.

One of the important acts of the last administration was the granting of au- thority, by the Ericsson memorial com mission, for the immediate construction Of the memorial to the inventor of the Mohi- tor, by the scu . or, James E. Frazer, writes J. s. B., In the Boston Transcript.
 This sculptured memorial is to stand on the bank of the Potomac at Washington, near Riverside drive, south of the Lincoln Memorial. @
 The month of March Is associated with
 John Ericsson beyond any power of sep aration, for it was on March g, 1862, that the novel and unique war-vessel of his original design so successfully defended 1 the Union cause by defeating the Con. federate ram Merrimae Cor as chfistefled
 in the c. 8. A. Navy, VirSinia) in that duel h Hampton Roads. which revolution. ized naval architecture, causing more rad.
 teal changes iri one short period than had ever been made in warships since the first
 one was set afioat and manned by fighting men.
 March was also the month when Fries. son tMarch 5, 1888) laid down his earth | ly honors. The years that have passed have been too many for a debtor nation
 to allow before honoring 50 Ereat a ser-
 want, in the capital city. but nv the de. 1 finite arrangements have been made and
 the accepted design for the memorial will
 be completed and established in due time. 1 No mention of Ericsson can be made
 without brini up the Monitor, and no
 mention of the Monitor should be made without connecting 1t with tho inventor.
 History gives much space to t"n battle
 of the two ships, but less to thf p uggles
 of Ericsson before he succeeded in get. ting his plans adopted. But the fruit of
 his clever brain was produced in the op. portune time to save the federal caust from a crushing blow. That the Monitoi
 would be very important factor in turn. ing the course of naval architecture intc
 entirely new channels was scarcely
 thought at the time The intent was tc
 defeat the ram MerriInac.
 It was a sad evening which fell on tht waters and shores of Hampton Roadl that sth of March. 1se2. The splendid frigates of the IIAion, the Congress ana the Cumberland, had been destroyed b, rthe shot and beak of the terrible new sea monster, which had come out from Nor folk to eat up the Union navy. and tt spread ruin along the Chesapeake and tn, Potomac rivers. The possibility of thu
 menace to the capital city seemed aln1os a probability, after the other wooden fri gates in the roads had met the fate o their sister ships, as their crews expected
 
 day; and an honorable death faced tn, stout sailors of the Minnesota, Roanos,
 and St. Lawrence, remaining frigates c
 the squadron near Fo.t Monroe.
 But the dawn of a new era was a hand. While the guns of the Merrima
 were wDecking the Congress and t!le Cum berland. the tug Seth Low from New Yorl
 was bringing up the stream past Cap Henry vessel as unlilee anytb:rg aflca as was the Merrima1, and as this strany craft passed othnr vessels at anchor cI the fort, boatswain's nnite on one re marked, "So, that's the boat that Is goin to save all of us tomorrow? Why. it look to me like cheese-box on a raft.'' Thus was familfarly named the produc l 1 of the brain of John Ericsson-the Moni tor; and the pigmy vessel was well char 1 aetefized by the description, for she full Iavoided the restrictions of the Decalogu, being unlike anything on earth, the ses l | or in the heavens.
 The craft was 17z feet long. fl fee 2 beam, and with q freeboard of less tha 1.-two feet; with hush deck on which wa , a turret about 20 feet in diameter, cor taining two 11-inch guns. The remainde r iof the deck was unbroken excepting D t the smokestack, and the small piothous = It was about midnight that evening ths t the Monitor arrived at her station along e side the stranded Minnesota. and thoug . the previous night had been passed f fighting the sea to keep the clumsy vess from laundering, and this night was or y of excitement and nervous strain, u ," crew were ready at o'clock Sunda e morning, March g, to meet the ugly lov
 living ram Virginia, reconstructed fro i, tthe razed frigate MerriTiac, which, ha' |. ing wrecked her bloody will on the ship t which were defenceless against her ire l. walls and heavy guns, was now return , ing with her escort to finish the destru if tion of the federal vessels in Harnptc f Roads, before beginning her triumphai ;, career through the northern harbors.