*
Iron Clad Frigates?Bending Armor
Plates, &c.
From the Scientific American.
The steam frigate Roanoke, which is now i.i the
Navy Yard, at Brooklyn, lias been razeed, and is
being converted into an iron-clad turret war ship.
Sue is to be clothed amidships with thick iron
plates, which are to extend about live lcet below
the water-line; and she will have three great revolving
gun turrets on deck, and a powerful iron
i.i. imi.i li*?r ltnu- Thi< Ui?:?Lr ?i
huge ax, and is formed of two plates, twenty feet
long, four and a half inches thick, thus making
nine inches of iron on the front edge. Each of the
revolving gun turrets will bo twenty teet inside
diameter, and the sides will be formed ..f eleven
courses of inch iron plates.
These plates are laid over and riiveted to one
another in such a manner as to "break joints,'5
and vertical plates are also bolted to Several courses
so as to secure the whole in the most rigid and
perfect manner. Tuese gun towers tor the Roanoke
are now being constructed at the Novelty
Works, in this city, where the plates for them,
likewise those for the ai mor, are bent to the proper
curves. Each plate for a turret is about nine
feet in length by forty inches in width, and an
inch in thickness. Two courses of rivet holes aic
punched out in each, and they are all bent cold in
a powerful hydraulic press. The bed plate ot the
press i s of a concave lonn, and the top block is of
a convex form.
A plate to be bent is placed upon the concave
bed plate of the press, and w hen properly adjusted
the Dtnnu forces un three rams under it. and the
plate is reduced to the proper curve against the
top block. The pressure to which each plate is
?>ubmitted, to give it the proper curve, is three aud
a hall'million pounds. By this method of bending
th" turret plates cold, there is perfect uniformity
and accuracy secured lor the whole. The turrets
lor the Roanoke will be of a superior character,
but only six courses of plates have a yet been laid
on two of them.
The bending of the thick plates for the ram, and
also for the sides of the frigate, is quite a different
amldilficult operation to perform, compared with
these of the gun-towers. Each of these plates has
to be bent to the proper curve to suit its own particular
place oil the vessel, and not only the broadside
but the edges also must be bent to suit the
particular curves. The bending operations are
under the charge ol Mr. George lionniwell, an intelligent
young shipwright. Ail these plates are
hammered iron, aud are furnished by several companies
in Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts.
When they arrive, they resemble huge
straight iron slabs, varying in length from eleven
to twenty-two feet, and in breadth, from twenty two
to twenty-four inches, and their average thick
ness is four and a half inches. One of eleven and
a half feet length weighs about 4,240 lbs.; one of
twenty-two feet length, for the ram, weighs over
four tons. Such masses of iron are dilficult to
move about, and the operations connected with
lending them are necessarily tedious and troublesome;
and they require great core and skill, to
conduct properly. Of course it is impossible to
bend such masses ot iron cold, hence each plate is
first heated to nearly a white heat in a long furnace,
shaped somewhat like a baker's oven, with
a movable arched cover. The press for beuding
is quite different from the one used for the turret
plates. Outwardly it resembles a long, strong
iron screw press, used for pressing woolen cloth.
Its top block, or platen, is moved up and down,
but its bed is fixed and very solid. A dudgeon
hydraulic jack at each end supports and moves the
block up and down. The bed, upon which the
heated plate is laid, is formed of a series ol adjustable
bolster blocks, each of which is capable ol
being set by a screw to any desired height on
either side, and at any desired angle to suit the
bend to be given to a plate which is compressed
between the descending top-block and the adjusta\.i?
i o A -,i~. a * .1 i C.,..,...,4
uiu pou. ix jymtc id lirsv piuccu 111 uiu iuiiku,*;, auu
it is then raised to nearly a white heat. The cover
is now raised by a block and tackle, and the plate
is then seized by a powerful crane, secured on a
carriage. The heated pi ite is now lifted, the crane
carriage moved back, and the plate swung around
and placed in the press, where it is perfectly adjusted
to obtain the proper curves. The huge
top-block is then forced down, squeezing the great
mass of iron into the desired shape.
In about half an hour the plate has acquired a
permanent set, and it is taken out, ready to have i
its edges planed, when it is fit for bolting to the
frigate. The bolt holes in these plates are all,
drilled. It requires a large number of men to
move such great heavy masses of iron, and front,
the time a glowing plate is lifted out of the furnace j
until it is secured! in the press, the scene is one of
extraordinary activity and excitement, as the plate (
requires to be placed in the press as expeditiously ,
as possible before it becomes cool. The metal of,
these plates appears to be hist class; but until,
. ,, ? _
# j
I within a lew days past they wore furnished very
' slowly by the different contractors. The plating
of the Romioke will now proceed with greater ra-,
pidity; still, she will not be linished fur several i
months t?? conic.
The New Ironsides is the first iron-plated se,tcrmixr
uvir vt.' imcP <,f lar.'L* size bllilt bv the United !
Ov?fc ? -O
States Government. She was constructed front j
j plans and specifications presented tj the Navy I
j Department last September, by Merrick & Sons, of
Philadelphia. They in turn contracted with
i Messrs. Cramp ic Sons, of Kensington; also, with
the Bristol Forge and Brown &: Co., of Pittsburg,
i for the 4| inch plating?reserving to themselves
the "construction of the machinery and the general
arrangement of the several parts. The contract
was dated October loth, and the vessel was to be
; ready for steam July loth. Chief Engineer TV.
1 TV. TVood, of the navy, superintended the machinery
and plating; and Naval Constructor Henry
Hoover, the hull.
The vessel is 211) feet long, 08 feet G inches wide,
and 25 deep, being 3,250 tons, and having a berth,
gun, and spar dock, the latter being shot proof.
! ller frames are of white oak tilled in solid and
caulked, and the average thickness of her sides is
20 inches. The iron-plating commences at a point
l'oi.r feet below the water-line and extends to her
spar-deck. The lower Course is three inches; all
the rest is four and a half inches thick. All the
plates are 15 feet long, the width varying from 25
to 30 inches; each plate is fastened to the vessel
by 214-inch screw bolts, 23 incite* long, which secure
the several thicknesses of timber to the plates,
thus tying all together.
The machinery eonsista of two horizontal directaction
steam engines, with cylinders of 50 inches
diameter and 30 inches stroke, intended to make
85 revolutions per minute, and drive a brass fourbladed
propeller of 13 feet diameter and 18 feet
pitch. The boilers arc four in number (horizontal
tubular,) each 17 feet front, 11 feet deep, and 11
feet liigl), of a collective lorce 01 i,ouu norses.
The armanent will consist of sixteen 11-inch Dahlgren
guns on the gun-deck, and two 200-pound
Parrott guns on the spar deck. The portholes
will be closed by iron shutters five inches thick,
worked from the inside. As this is a .sea-going
steamer, intended to sail as well as steam, she has
three masts and is bark-rigged, her topmasts and
yards being so arranged that in action they are
lowered, and leave simply the three lowei masts in
view. When in action all the men on hoard are
protected from shot or shell, and are below the
spar-deck; the comrinulderpnly is above that deck,
and he occupies a shot-pruof irou Wk-out which
rises above the spar deck, and from which he can
sec all surrounding objects and oy signals communicate
with his officers below.
The wood used in the construction of the vessel
is principally oak, cufin Pennsylvania and along the
borders of the Delaware. The plates are connected
by tongues ol iron, fitting into grooves. The
heavy plates weigh about 0,248 pounds. Thj head
of the bolts holding the plates are countersunk, and
I a smooth surface will always be presented to the
J balls of the enemy. It is believed that her powers
j of resistance will enable her to go alongside of any
! vessel or fort with impunity, while from her large
size she can carry a sutlicient force to Capture any
vessel she may disable.
A Calculating Patient.?A correspondent,
writing from one of the divisions of the army,
states that he recently met a tall, gaunt-looking
volunteer, whose appearance not only indicated
that he was lately from a hospital, but that it would
perhaps have been better for him to have remained
there still, for he certainly did not seem to be
in a fit condition to travel. He was from Eastern
Ohio, and by some strange whim of his comrades
(soldiers have odd notions as to nanus) he had
won the cognomen of "Beauregard." lie was
full of dry humor, and it had a peculiar zest, coming
from such a dilapidated specimen of the human
kind. I asked him : " How long were you in
the hospital at ? " " I stayed just five days;
I couldn't stand it any longer. "
"Why so I Were you not well treated /" " Well,
! you see, when 1 went in, there were six patients,
j The first day they buried one." " Well, what of
[that?'- "Nothing?only the next day they buried
another." " They must have been severe
' eases. It was very unpleasant for you, no doubt."
" Decidedly unpleasant. I knew my turn would
come in time. I went in on Monday, and if staid
I would be carried out on Saturday. So I made ,
i 1-1?-- -- J -- f .'J,.. T ....
my calculation, aim oil rriuay i paeiveti m> Miajr ,
sack and went away. If I had not, I'd surely been j
buried on Saturday. Six days, one man each day. J
I couldn't stand that."
?" Well, what next ?" said Mrs. Partington, as <
she interrupted Ike, who was reading the war
news?"the pickets were driven in five miles!
Bless my poor soul, but that will make a strong
fence. I suppose they had to be driven in deep,
to keep the Sessionaders from digging out under
them."
General Orders.
IIKA 1) QI'AUTERS :?DEPARTMENT OF THE NOI TII.
Hilton Head. Port Royal, S. C.\ dug. 19, 1801'.
GENERAL ORDERS, NO. 28.]
The following Quarantine Regulations for the
l'ort ol'l'ort Royal, S. C., are hereby established
;?
I. Hereafter, the Quarantine Ground will be
in St. Helena Sound; at the place designated by
a white buoy aud tlag.
II. It shall be the duty of the Master and Pilot
of every Vessel coming into the port, from
this date until further orders (excepting pilot
boats returning from their ordinary "Cruising
Grounds,") to hoist a Signal for the ' Health Officer,"
and to anchor oti' the inner buoy, there to
remain until visited by him.
III. It shall be the duty of the "Health Ofliccr,"
without unnecessary delay, to visit every
vessel made liable to visitation, and ascertain her
sanitary condition, and the port from which she
sailed; and every vessel having on board any
case of Yellow Fever, Small Pox, Cholera, or
other infectious or contagious disease,?and also
every vessel coming from Key "West, Havana,
or any other port where Yellow Fever may exist,?
he shall order to the "Quarantine Ground," there
to remain, as long as he may deem proper.
IV. No person shall be allowed to leave the
vessel, until she has been examined by the4 Health
Officer,"nor will any communication be had with
the vessel, until she has been so examined.
.V. These Regulations will be strictly enforced
by the Health Otlieer. Should there be any ^
deviation therefrom, or should any of the orders
given by the Health Otlieer to such vessels, not
be strictly carried out, lie will report the fact
immediately to thcMcdical Director ol this Department.
VI. Surgeon Crispell, U. S. Vols., is appoiued
Health Officer, of this port.
VII. Any violation of the abtfve Regulations,
will cause the immediate arrest and imprisonment
ol the offenders.
DAVID HUNTER, Major General Commanding.
flag ship wabash, poht royal harbor s. c.
[gener al order no. 3.) February 13, 1362.
Nothing, in the suppression of this rebellion,
has been more difficult to contend with, than information
conveyed to the enemy of projected movements,
sometimes by individuals holding places
of trust, who have, unexpectedly, proved to be
correspondents of the press; and not unfrequently,
by the publication of private letters.
A recent glaring instance of the former, in my
own command, has led to my asking the Navy
. ? . A./l... An llnu
IU Idsut' a ^uuviai vi uci vu mi.?
subject.
Until this order is promulgated, I hereby enjoin
it upon every officer and man in this fleet, to
avoid such a violation of Military propriety, and
of the dictates ofan honest patriotism; for, whether
intended?or not, the result of tha practice is, to
give aid and comfort to the enemy.
This General Order will be read at Muster
on board of every vessel iu the fleet.
S. F. DUFONT,
Coinmandiug South Atlantic Block's. Squadron.
?Rev. J. A. Anderson, chaplain of tlie Third
Regiment California Volunteers, was decidedly on
the rampage cn the Fourth of July. At the close
of the oration at the Agricultural Hall, in San Francisco,
he pronounced the following strange benediction
; And now may the God of Washington, the
God of Foote, llalleck, McClellan and Lincoln
nerve, guide, and surge the whole nation till Itichmond
is taken, Charleston burnt, secession annihi- ^
lated, and slop-shop lrni m men turned out of
existetice. Amen.
?A Missionary m the Chinese waters having
distributed several copies of the Ten Commandments
on shore, they were sent baek the ntwt day
with the request that they should be distributed
among the French and English; "for 'said the
Chinese, "the tracts contain admirable doctrines,
and these people evidently much need them."
?At a training down east, after an order was
given to "return ramrods," one of the soldiers
broke from theliuo and was off at full speed. "Halloo,
" bawled the commanding officer," w here arc
vou ;roiiiK ? " "Down to Squire Muggins, to return
the ramrod borrowed ol him. You said return
ramrods/'
?"Captain, are you going to run your steamboat
in this fog? " a timid passenger asked of one
of the Sound skippers. "No, sir,' was the reply,
*we might as well try to drive a toad through a
barrel ol tar. *'
?Bullets can sing aud whistle but they are not
pleasant musicians.
?If a young woman's.lisposition is gun-: owder,
the sparks should be kept away from her.