MECHANICAL AND USEFUL ARTS. 35 



selects her victim ; 60 or 70 seconds after the first cry of the look-out man that 

 " the enemy is running down upon us," the five or six bow guns are pouring in 

 their molten iron-shells and liquid fire either into the ship attacked or the one 

 ahead or astern of her, and she crushes in either bow, beam, or quarter of the 

 enemy. Every sailor knows that in so short a time it would be impossible to get 

 a large ship to avoid the blow, still less to man, point, aud fire her guns at so 

 rapidly-moving an object as the steam ram, going 8 or 10 knots. What must be 

 the moral effect, also, upon the crew attacked, knowing that no earthly courage 

 or skill can save them from the inevitable destruction awaiting them in a few 

 seconds ! 



As the two vessels have different movements (the beak of the steam ram is made 

 only to penetrate to a certain distance), and the latter immediately backing, she 

 quickly disengages herself, disappears in the darkness, and returns to repeat the 

 same mode of attack. No steam frigate can do this. The shot-proof steam ram's 

 most effective mode of attack is when she presents her sharp stem to the enemy 

 and uses her front battery. A shot striking her in that position it either must 

 glance off the oblique surface, or, hitting the iron plate obliquely, the shot must 

 have double the quantity to penetrate, which Whitworth's flat-headed bolt shot 

 is not likely to do. The steam ram is safe, therefore, from the artillery of the 

 steam frigate, the only mode of offence or defence of the latter. The steam ram, 

 particularly if she has the superiority in speed and quickness of movement, could 

 knock away the masts or bowsprit of the steam frigate or disable her rudder by 

 shot, so that, screw fouled by wreck, or the rudder useless, the steam frigate 

 must give up or be sunk by the blow of the beak. It is unnecessary to prove that 

 no lateral strength can possibly be given to the steam frigate which would enable 

 her side to resist the blow or concussion of a vessel constructed for the purpose, 

 and running into her with the weight and impetus of 3000 or 4000 tons and speed 

 of 8 or 10 knots, from instantly bursting in her side. I now answer some objec- 

 tions, apparently well founded, which have been made to me against using the 

 principle of the steam ram. 



The steam ram cannot possibly foul her screw by the wreck of the vessel she 

 destroys. Her working screw must be the whole length of the vessel from the 

 locality of the wreck or the vessel struck, and every stroke of the screw backing 

 removes her further from that locality. The foremost rudder and screw blades, 

 in preparing for the attack, are placed and fixed fore and aft. I have the opinions 

 of some of our ablest ship constructors that the stern piece can be made so strong 

 as effectually to protect screw and rudder from all harm where the concussion 

 takes place. It has been said also that if the steam ram were going at a high 

 speed against a large vessel the force of the blow or concussion would throw the 

 engine out of gear and render it useless. This opinion is abundantly refuted by 

 innumerable facts. We hear unfortunately almost every day of steamers, some 

 that have run down other vessels, upon rocks, and going at 11 or 12 knots against 

 stone walls, as at Birkenhead, or into a stone pier, mounting up the stones on 

 either side as if it had been an earthquake, as at New York, and in every case 

 the engines have never been injured or inutilized until either the bottom has been 

 beaten in by the rocks or the fires have been extinguished by the water rushing 

 in, but the engines have never, and even the stem of the vessel has but seldom, 

 been much the worse for the shock. We must recollect that all these cases of 

 collision or wreck have occurred with merchant vessels of ordinary construction 

 and strength, and as such, therefore, are far inferior in solidity and strength to 

 what the war steamers would be, expressly built and prepared tor purposely 

 effecting what has been so often unintentionally done. The beak of the steam 

 rum rushing upon a large ship with the momentum of 3000 or 4000 tons, can 

 never encounter a sudden check ; it is the gradual crushing blow — the side 

 yielding to it, the vessel struck heels over, and is more or less driven before the 

 blow. I am persuaded a man in the gunroom of the steam ram could hardly 

 know that a collision had lake.) place. It is again said that the application of 

 the principle of the steam ram has never been tried. I point out as my answer 

 the cases of collision I have alluded to. Every steam vessel that has destroyed 

 another by running into that vessel is to all intents and purposes a steam ram. 



The steam frigate has only one apparent advantage over the steam ram, and that 

 will disappear on examination — namely, tin- line-of-hattle ship's masts and sails 

 enable her to make long voyages, but the steam ram has her five or six schooner 

 masts, aud, if required for a long voyage, topmasts, gati'top sails, staysails, and 

 square sails, can be added, so that she will spread almost as many yards of 



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