Evening star., 1952-03-09

her second victim, the Congress,
which had tried to escape but
stuck In the mud. Standing of,
about $50 yards. she tipped
shells at her victim until the
Congress blazed and struck her
colors. Now for the Minnesota.
st. Lawrence and Raleigh near
er Old Point Comfort ALI three
were mudbound in water too
shallow for the Merrimac--this
was what saved them. The Mer-
rimac shelled the Minnesota
until sunset, tl1en trundled back
across the Roads to anchor for
the night off Sewalls Point. On
the morrow she planned to COM
plete the Federal disaster. wip-
ing out Of the rest of the feet,
or perhaps she would run UP
Chesapeake Bay and destroy
Washington-or start terroriz-
ing the Atlantic coast.
Bod Moment for Stonton
For all the Union leaders
knew, as they met on Sunday
morning, the Merrimac might
do any or all of these things.
Gathered in President Lincoln's
Office were a dozen jittery,
alarmed cabinet and military
officials. Shakiest Of all was the
usually indomitable Secretary of
War Stanton, who kept running
to the window and staring down
the Potomac, as If expecting to
see the Merrimac come steam
ing up the channel any moment.
Capt. Glistavus Fox, Assist
ant Secretary Of the Navy. had
asked the President a few days
before: IF she (the Merrimac)
sinks our ships, who is to pre-
vent her from dropping anchor
in the Potomac and throwing
her hundred -pound shells into
this room, or battering down the
walls of the Capitol?" Lincoln
had replied calmly. "The Al
mighty, Captain" But this
morning, even the President ap-
parently was doubtful.
"The Merrimac will change
the whole character of the war, "
said Stanton. "She will destroy.
seriatim, every naval vessel !.
she will lay all the cities on the
seaboard under contribution"
Hope Dies Adjoining
Only one man in the Presi-
dents Office saw a ray of hope
Secretary of the Navy Welles.
He mentioned the fact that the
North's own new-idea warship,
just completed. had put to sea
two days before from New York
and might even have arrived at
Hampton Roads. But the gen.
tlenen in the Presidents Office
were too excited to pay much at
tention. When Welles said the
new ship mounted only two
guns, as against the Merrimac's
reported 10, Stanton withered
Welles with a mingled look Of
incredulity and contempt"
But Welles knew what he was
talking about-the Monitor, the
tincan on q shingle. the Yankee
cheesebox on a raft. She was
not much to look at. She had
cost a grudging Government
$275, 900.
The Navy Departments deci-
sion to build a ship which could
rival the Southern monster"
dated from August. 1861. Bids
were advertised for an ''iron-
clad steam battery" Of vast
power. Seventeen plans were
submitted. one Of them from
John Ericsson, the prolific Swed-
ish inventor who had created
the screw propeller. In 1854.
Ericsson had submitted to the
Emperor of France q model of
an larmored vessel equipped with
guns mounted in q turntable
turret. Napoleon III turned the
idea down-just as Napoleon !
! had said no to Robert Fulton's
steamboat. Through friends,
Ericsson's plans were put before
President Lincoln, who had lis
tened and said, "All I have to
say Is what the girl said when
she put her foot in the stock
ing-'It strikes me there's sorne-
thing in it,"
Naval Board Reconsiders
The Naval Board, which
thought Ericsson was q nut, re-
jected his plans. But later. they
reconsidered. Ericsson was told
to build his revolutionary craft
at top speed. The contract orig
inally specified that the ship
should be rigged with mast and
sail; old ideas died hard with
the Navy experts. The keel of
the ship was laid at Brooklyn
on October IS. 1861. The IRON
clad was launched January so,
1862. built In exactly 100 work
ing days. Naval engineers ridi-
culeds its every feature, and the
press kept up a fanfare Of jeers.
The ship was nicknamed Erics-.
sons Folly. She was q fiat
decked iron raft, 172 feet long,
drawing 10 feet, displacing 600
tons. Her turret - Ericsson's
great idea--Was q rotating CYL
inder 8 feet high and n feet
ID diameter. covered with g.
inch iron plates. She was armed