1 06 Book of Steamships 



the tracks. Apertures were made for her 

 guns, and with the fitting of a steam 

 engine and propeller she was ready for 

 action. 



Not long did the queer craft have to 

 wait for a trial of her qualities. Up came 

 two sailing frigates, the Cumberland and 

 Congress. Without hesitation, the Merrimac 

 went for the Cumberland and rammed her, 

 sending her like a stone to the bottom 

 without suffering herself. Then she 

 poured such a hot fire into the Congress 

 that she had to haul down her flag, 

 finding that whatever she could do to 

 the Merrimac in the way of fire was quite 

 ineffective. 



The Confederates were naturally jubi- 

 lant, and it did seem for the moment as 

 if they might retrieve on sea their defeats 

 on land. But the Federals, too, had 

 thought out the problem of an armoured 

 ship. Captain Ericsson a name familiar 

 to all students of railway and steamship 

 history had designed the Monitor , and, 



