THE CRADLE OF THE MODERN NAVY. 11 



worries from continued doubts sent from Washington, required almost superhuman 

 power. 



The Monitor left New York harbor March 6, 1862, commanded by Lieut. Com- 

 mander John L. Worden, arriving at Hampton Roads on the morning of the 9th, 

 and before the sun set that day the famous battle of the Monitor and the Merri- 

 mac was fought. The Monitor conquered the Merrimac before she had been ac- 

 cepted by the Government and Captain Ericsson was permitted to receive his final 

 voucher on March 16, one week after he had demonstrated that the doubts at Wash- 

 ington were without foundation. 



The war vessel was changed in one day. The Monitor type became the war ves- 

 sel of the world. 



Besides Commander Worden, who maneuvered the vessel and directed the bat- 

 tle from the conning-tower, the crew of the Monitor consisted of: — Lieut. Samuel 

 Dana Green, ist Masters Louis W. Stodder and John J. W. Webber and Acting 

 Master Howard, all in the turret, handling the guns; Asst. Surgeon Daniel C. 

 Logue, Quartermaster Peter Williams, Paymaster W. F. Keller, Chief Engineer 

 Alban C. Stivers, U. S. N., ist Asst. Engineer Isaac Newton, 2nd Asst. Engineer 

 Albert B. Campbell, 3rd Asst. Engineers R. W. Hands and M. T. Sunstrum, Pat- 

 rick Hannon, ist class seaman; Hans Anderson, sailor; Geo. S. Geer, fireman; 

 Daniel Toffey, clerk; Wm. H. Nichols, wardroom clerk (colored). 



But it should be known that the men who actually operated the boilers and en- 

 gines of the Monitor were the workmen from the DeLamater Iron Works who had 

 built them, were familiar with them, and were paid by Mr. DeLamater. After the 

 battle they returned to the works and continued their daily routine of duty as if 

 nothing unusual had happened. Their names are, however, lost to history, as were 

 those of many others connected with these works who performed equally important 

 service for the benefit of the country and the world of industry at large. 



A note in the file of the Navy Department of the time reads : — "The Monitor 

 — price, $275,000; time, 100 days; length of vessel, 172 feet; breadth of beam, 41 

 feet ; depth of hold, ii}4 feet ; draught of water, 10 feet; displacement, 1,255 tons; 

 speed per hour, 9 statute miles. Sunk in gale oflf Cape Hatteras, December 31, 1862." 



The success of the Monitor naturally focused the attention of the U. S. Govern- 

 ment on Ericsson and the DeLamater Iron Works, and within a week they received 

 a proposition to build six vessels of the same design but of various sizes, some of 

 them much larger than the Monitor. Whether it were idolatry or not, the world was 

 worshipping at its shrine. 



At this time something occurred which caused Captain Ericsson to leave his 

 residence at 95 Franklin Street and move to 36 Beach Street, a couple of blocks far- 

 ther uptown, where he fitted up a draughting room in which he drew the plans of 

 these monitors and of all his subsequent work, and where he spent the remainder of 

 his life. Not being in affluent circumstances at the time, as he was accustomed to 

 spend his money freely in experimenting with his inventions, Mr. DeLamater pro- 

 posed to purchase the house for him, but he courteously declined to accept the offer. 



