The Monitor Or Ericsson Battery--peculiarities Of Its Construction

A'though we pubHshed but a ehort timo ngo a deseription of the Monitor, ' Lts recent performances i rnpart to i a new interest, and therefore we reproduce from tho New York Eoenitig Post a detaik'J account of tts vomttruution is followti : There is now building nt lbo Continental Iron Works, Green Foint, a formidable il on baltery, whicb wil! piobably pi' ivo a novel and efficacioua ! implement of war. Congres at iti ' last session mude an iippropria'ion of j ono milüon five hu fuá red thouaand dol ! lars for building rondad vessel.i, and Captain Ericsson submittod to the üommiesioners who ero appoiated to examino the proposala a plun lor an impregnable iron battery, wbksti should bo novel, yet .-imple in it.s cooetrOction. His plans were Bpproved, and the contract for building the battery was ttwarded to 0. S. Bushnell & Co. By the torma of the contract it ia to bc iinished and equipped for active service in ooe huodred duys from tho 5th of Üctober. It is not to be accepted if, on luing subjected to the enemy'sguns at the shorteat range, it faun to l'uliill the pledges made in regard to it. !So conhdent are the inventor and contracto rs of its suecess, that one of these gentlemen remarked that ho Bhould be perlectly ready toonter into a contract to take any city that can be approached by water. THE HULL. Avoiding aa far aai possible technical terms and ph rases, let us examine the vessel and gathor aa clear an idea as possible of its structure. The huil i sharp at both en'ds, and instead of the gradual curve of a cut-water the bow projects, and coming to a point at an anglo of eighty degrees, the sides, instesd of the ordinary bulge, incline at nn anglo of abcut fifty-one degrees to the vertical line. Tbüs huil is flat-bottome-d, six feet six inches in depth, and built quite light, of three righth inch iron. It is one hundred and twentyfour leet long and tbirty-four feet wido at the top. Resting on Ibis is another, or upper huil, also flat bottomed, with perpendicular sidee and pointcd ends. It is forty-one feet and four inches wide, so that it juts over the lower huil on each sidu tlireo feet and iseven inelu-s. It is one hundred and seventy-feur feet long, thus exteuding twerity-tivo feet beyond the huil at each end. The sides are five feet high, and when in fighting order tho lower huil will bo entirely ramerscd, and the upper one sunk threo feet 81 X ncbeo, thus loaving but eighteen inehes both fore and abaft above water, the battery drawing ten feet cf water. The Bujes of this uppsr huil are comparad ut an inner guard of iron; outfido t)f this is a strongly fastened all of white oak, thirty inehes tbick, and covored with an iron annor six inches in thicknesa. The bottom of this vessel is joined to tho huil, so that the interior is open to the bottotn, as in a 3loop. The deck comes Üush with the top of the upper huil, and is bomb proof. First ia a frame of oak boame, ten inches square and iwenty-six iuches apart, eoyered with eight inch plank, and protected with two htyers of iron, each an inch thick. Tbere will be no railing or bulwark of any kind above the deck. The ends of the upper vessel projecting over the huil, fore and abaft, servo as a protection to the propeller, rudder and anchor. Tho propeller is of course at tho stern, and the equipoiae rudder behind that, and thoy are so protected by the upper ves.-el thaUhey cannotbe struck by a hall. The anchor is in front, and is short but very heavy. It is hoisted by a chain running into the hold, up into a place fitted for t, outside oí tho lower huil, but within the impregnable wal Is ol the upper huil. Tho inclinatioQ of tho lower huil is siich that a ball to strike it in any part, must pass through at least twenty-fivo feet of water, and then strike an inclined irou surface, at an angle oí about ten degrees. It is, therofore, absolutely protected, yet so light as to givo greut buoyancy. A ball striking the eighteen inches of exposed upper bul), to do material damage, must pass through six inches oí iron, thirty inches oí white oak, and then about half an inch more of iron. It is exceedingly doubtful vvhother Southern ingenuity kis inveuted a gun that will accomplish it. Tho huil being finished, we will go on board, ünly threo things are exposed above deck. In the centre is the turret or citadel, the wheel-house, and possibly a box around tho smoke-escapo. THE WltEEL-HOUSE. The battery will be steered from the front, and the v.heel house will stand before the turret. It will be of ron, very fctrong, though during action, it is not ntendod that itshould bo exposed. It can be lowered into the hold like a bale of dry goods on one of the Broadway 6Íde-walk falla. When lowered, the top, which is bomb-proof, is level wilh, and Forma part of the deck. The joints are water tight. The house will be piercod for sharpshooters. TUK OHIHHBT. The draft for tho furnaces is a forced ono, and in action no chiinney wil] be used, as the smoke will pass through bomb-proof gratings in the deck. As the deck will bo eontinually washed by the sea, the accumulalion of einders, &c, vv "11 be oí no consequence. Probably a srnall guard will surround tho gratings, to prevent heavy soas breaking over them, and a contrivance is made to prevent wbat water may dash over irorn going into the furnaoes. THE TURRET, Tho wholo vessol thus described is but a bed to support tho castlo. Tho turret, jwhioh [is tlio important feature of the structure, is a round cylindcr Uventy ioot in interior diameter and nine feet high. It is built entirely ol iron platey, one inch in thickness, oight of them securely bolted on, ono over the othcr with tho joints over lapping [ each other. Within this thero is a lining of iron ono iuch thick, thus giving nine inches af solid iron. It reets on a bed plate, or rathor ring made of composition. which.is securely fuslened to the deck. To help support tho weight, which is about hundred tous, a vertical shaft ten inches in diameter is attached and fastened to tho bulkhead. The top is covored with forged iron beani8 and perforated iron, shell proof. The top is perforated to allow the smoke of the gun?, and even more, tho conenssion of the air, to pass oÖ'. The concussion from a gun fired in a small closo room would kill the inmates as quickly as though the ball had slruck them. In small casoments men cannot work for more than a cttüpla of hours at a time, the concussion of the air causing sometimes bloeding at the noso and earft Frequently the men have to bc rubbed clown as carefully as a mec-horse afler its victory. TLe top has al.io some sn;;ll gilding batch, ways componed of twu non-plato ron to s ;rve as entrance wny, The turret has two circular port. holus, throc leel above the derïk, and ust largo enough for tho mouth of tba sun to be run out. TUE ABMAMKNÏ. Tlie batterj will r.arry two very íe;vy riftöd-gurw, The carriuges f wrought iron, will run back on iron lides, wbioh aro made to öt vory accu. rately, The whola turret, by nn nrrangement worked by special engine, is made to revolvo. The operator' vvithin, by n Toa conrrected with the enine, is enabled te turn it at pleasure. It can be made ta revolve at tliu rata of pixty revoIiHions a minuto - a speed which it wmild b uiisomfortable to et' dure. It is so accuratciy made that it can be regiilated to svhhin half a degree. Tus wokkiní;. In nclion the guns will be loadocf and run out vvhilu ther port-holes aru-' away from the enemy, Wben foauy the turret will be turned as nearlv acauraíe as possiblo. By nicely adjustad wheels, a very preciso aim s quickly :btained, the ffuns 6red, and irstarïtty the turret n turned to tbe gun iit of danser. Tho gun is therr drawn in aod loaded aa before. "While on !?an is beitig aimed and discharged, th othor is loading, so that almost a continuous discharge is taking place. THE MACHINKRY. Therewillbe tiyo engines, ono for the propeller, with 40-ir.ch cvlinders and '22-inch stroke. The battory ia to be built for speed. It is a battery, not an iron-cased ihip. The ventila! tion is obtainod by blowers, vvorked by anothor smaller engine, vvhxh also works the blowers for the boilers and turns the turret. Thoy are built very compactly vet of great power. TUE ITILITY. Tha battery, so far as can now be judged, seems to have no vulnerable part, save tlie port-holes, which are exposed ouly about half a minute ia firiug. It sharp and massive iron prow will enable it to sink any ordinary vcssel with perfect case. In case it is boarded co harm ia done. The only entrance is at the top of the turret, which cannot easily ba scalcd, aud even then but one man at & time can deseend. There are uo places on the deck where an entrance can be forced, so the boarding party may stay until thc sea washea then off, or tha sharpsbooters assist their departure. - The mechanica who have it in charge are all very sanguino of itssuccess. TIIK BÜILDKBS. The turret is building at the Novelty Work?, the main engines at tho Delamater Works, the turret engines and gun camnges at Messrs. Clute Bros., of Scbeoecteay, and tho huil at the Continental Works. May it prove a success, and hasten the time vvhen the old fla, dearer to us for ta present trials, shatl again wave over the thirty-four States of our glorious Union.