| Show j1 11 il ERICc CONC k i MONITOR jl ljJf lJl A New Storu of the t Famous Craft t I I lap SECRETS OF HER BUILDING I How Professor acCord Once 1110 a Draftsman Under Erics Ii I I I j 1 son hanoed the Plans 1 I of the Queer Lit f tfe Ironclad j fH I J I r I I Copyright ISM I I 1 1 VIicn senator Chandler of New i Jt Hampshire recently i rceentc ft memorial t4 t memo-rial from the Into Admiral Worden In 11Jn I It the United flairs set ate he briefly rehearsed I r re-hearsed the facts of tho famous duet I J t between the Monitor and the Merrlraao I I I i 1i > n > 1 41 I I j f 1 I Judging by the newspaper reports ol this trial It was a hopeless failure Tin captain was called an Incapable chomer And hefts severely reproved i for watting the countrys resourcom An I article giving the details of the trial trip and headed rrlcsson Folly ap pcnrolln n newspaper Meanwhile It must be nlmllled thaI tile bdtteii orl aVr 1 far dlfferti tly fr in what Us designer ha 1 Intended The motive engines proved out oC Adjust Mont And the oterlng gear reQlllred exceinlvo power so that between the two the eel wn utterly unmanageable unmanage-able and fad to be toned back lo Ila l Inrtlne point Then an Incident took place which shows the confidence which the great Inventor reposed In the ability of his subordinate At the request of I rlcs son young MacCord broughl the draw Ingo oC n ceitain part oC tile machinery wherein was supposed II Ile Ihe defect Ie ctllin had never before examined theme drnII1 so that II wn with misgivings that the draftsman nl pearel 10 Inve h1v work looked over After onM ration VacCord Wan ordered or-dered 10 draw new 1 lane Itav Ing I done so he appeared before I J t lesson In or der 10 hav them examinpd But the a plain would nZt t look Over ill L work I You nr sure It Is right now 1 Very I well the go ahead 1 he directed and no correct pioiwl the duplicate draw I Ing that on cnwarlion both I tracings might have beta maile from tile Rome I otiKlmilpan Lxattly what the trou I tl was mith the engines I has never I ben discovered perhaps nn error on he part of a chief engineer who throughout the building of tile Monitor caused considerable delay owlm to In competency and who may huo found I It possible to remedy an error without the knowledge reaching higher quar tors At tiny rate without any appreciable appre-ciable alteration by order oC Irlon the engines mysteriously became efficient effi-cient nut there remained still the defective rudder Somehow It Is I nol kaolin from what quarter Ericsson heard a rumor that II was the Intention ot the naval authorities lo put the vessel In dry dock so 1lS to ft Ii nw rudder On hearing this new it the eaplaln brow darkened I The blood rushed to his face md with the full volume ot his powerful power-ful voice he sm ore n mighty oath The Monitor Is I mine and I say It shall not be done And In those words perhaps lay the sahtttion of the Union Put In a new rudderl I Theyd waste a month doing hat Ill have her In working order In three days In less than tile limo specified the alterations had been made and from that time on the vrscl wa In perfect workIng order or-der Within a month the battle In lIampton Bonds hd been won and con elderlns the dash of those stirring limes belonged lo ancient history Considering how precious was each hour it I may 00 well understood why Iid C Rpm rEp AINE7 r oooo I a proposition lo delay Ihe complelton of Ihe vessel by do kire should le sum i clent lo arouse the Indignation and dls gust of Iho eminent Inventor esldes tho vessel 1 had not > ot been paid for and was therefore fully In the poises Ion of Captain rlcsson who said In truth The Monitor Is mine Here also Is I an Instance toward which we may lot loycit l vtltli satisfaction Tin conditions for accet ting fie M nltor 1m Posed by a great Koxernmtit on u great designer are fortunately unparalleled In our history 10 rguie allowing bOIl mile over the cost ot construction lie government agreed 10 accept the ship providing It prove ImprmahleulIlr the guns oC the enemy Lt the lort1 rango III hoI utille the oOrnment was willing to 1ln everythinir ill rlok WAS 10 be taken by the bullMrf In the matter oC ultohle Armament Irlesoon uas modo to Conform to Ills Iglnul plans i He had Intended 10 mount a pair of IS Inch guns but such not being procurable In time the largest aiallahle 11 Inch guns were KUbstltuted From those guns only shells with a service charge of IS pounds ot Powder were dl charfr l during the fight Again t Ihe shells the armor of the Mer rimae wan just about proof Irleon foreseeing thin rosslb lit had provided wrought Iron solid shot to be fired with a greater chitge of louder but not a solid shot was used during the engagement engage-ment though this was not the fault ot either the officers or the rrow of the lonltor That the julgmenl of Eric son against that uC certain governlllnt t 11 p 411 oy tt jf 1 J rS 1 1 fP = J t P f3 Let ttJf Aft fo Yr i < ff < z wlwfY ft ull iII 111fii V Jtt i i f ft e < if 11 Ph Jm 1 4 i17iJ 1fftJi f I 1 t t 4fi k 2 1r t il 1 Jr I qtllIIt5 I i I rJ 4 m < WJfA < < < iB J t rr X rJ > f r R MIN i 11fbik l wr t J iJ I f ft 4 t J i A4 r i t I ie gI wi r M I t qtJI I fl df hfi f t A t < r iI i Wti 7 < if ifill 0r lit III fjj I t ff 1 i3 i Ji I11 jii S 14 331 i of 1frr 1g > r < 1 7 j t t JO ft o i < J it i + t ZJ J i > fi h i < i > OJ C J < = 639 ciE cJ zEF 7 = c = 5i THE MONITOR AND MmiUJIAC r In Hampton Bonds The senator said thai the memorial hall boen prepared t l by Admiral Wonlen for use benefit ot l f I I those who had served under him on the Monitor but that the admiral had decided ti 1 de-cided not to present It fearing that such an action might be construed Into f a desire for personal benent mentioning i e de the duet as one of ln the foremost events In the history of Ii 41 our late war Senator Chandler also spoke of the Influence that the meeting of the two Ironclads had exerted on the F b eJ building I if modern navies In consequence i conse-quence of that duel 1 wooden ships gave place lo those built ot Iron for Purposes I t of warfare There Is probably no story that has been oftener retold than the building of Iho Monitor Hut there were minor mishaps Incidences that have never ben mentioned and without which the tory Itself Is not complete For example ex-ample though It Is I generally known I j that an early trial trip of the Monitor jC1 proved a failure the exact causes of this failure have been but Imperfectly eu rCI ly louche upon while the t ecu ta that I took place alongside the unpainted black hull 1mo been left almost wholly tv I i unmentioned I Without I a doubt there Is I not another I In this country better guillliel lo treat in this suhlect than Professor C W nl MacCorl who was at the tine a draftsman drafts-man at the Continental Iron works and > I who In late 1 ears became one oC the i few of rlcsson 8 choxon friends ThaI j Professor Tha-I was one of the bulldera of Iho famous aal war machine and It Is I 1 directly on his statements that this article h 11 ar-ticle Is rounded The Monitor for obvious reasons had Jt been built with ns much secrecy as pos Bible and thli a few of the particulars d having kaUl out served to whet pub llo curiosity to fuver I leatSo contrary ff 1 tj 019 I tu of the Mon It or to every rf thing thai was supposed lo be ship J shap and so overwtlphled appeared Ihe vessel that many expected to toe jt ff her sliding down her ways and loo the bottom ot the J ast river The final 4 preparations weie pushed with utmost 31 vigor once Ihc engines hat been re I oriel In working order and on a gloomi vI Inter H morning the formal i trial I trip was bun I officials was correct Wn proved later on when the guns were tested under an Increased charge of powder lIfno Had the government been Able to turnlh heavier guns said Professor MacCord or had Its officials been willing will-Ing to sanction the heavier charges here Is I little doubt that the Uerrlmac Instead of withdrawing from the contest con-test would have been quickly sent to keep company with her victims So certain was Lrlcsson that the means provided were sufficient for the purpose that he was never able to regard re-gard the actual result with unalloyed pleasure Afler Ihe Monitor had proved her value as a fighter there jet remained open the Important question of seaworthiness sea-worthiness Irleon mat down and 1lonn1 another monitor Under the care of an escort the latest representative representa-tive of the new type ot battleship was sent to sea Not very long after the departure ot the pair both I passe through tile trial oC a storm oC unusual violence When Ihe > psse s returned the monitor wn towing her disabled convoy Into port A W nOLKfcR I GEORGE EWJBUH L tl ITHMA k r C L I POMSHAW FRMKI3 LARKING 4 MKGbYlf slhl StAMANi ELDON R 5 HEN AUCH ti 4 TIM C lily 0 cIO c ep FAVPttr IN MEMORY OF THE DEAD HEROES OF THE MAINE Not an epaulet they wore not a braid of gold they bore when at sea or on the shore For their wealth of brawn and brain small their gain But the nation drops a tear and the nation gives a cheer for the tars who knew no fear for the able seamen slain on the Mainel I |
