The picture is downloaded from http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/h59000/h59583.jpg
Thanks to the fact that nowadays more and more books are digitized we are able to read books that are some times for decades no longer available for the public for several reasons. That’s quite a pity while these books contains useful information while the archives are destroyed, incomplete or nor accessible. In his book for politicians and merchants Martin described all the countries part of the so-called civilised world. If available he published information dealing with the armed forces and the merchant trade shipping.
p. 1143. “The celebrated “Stevens Battery” is still at the yard in Hoboken, where her keel was laid long ago.(1) The ban of secrecy has not yet been removed from the work on the vessel, which, however, is still steadily progressing. Our reporter visited the yard yesterday, and was enabled to gain a few facts in regard to the construction of this modern marine monster. The vessel as she stands is 250 ft. in length, 30 it. in breadth and draws 27 ft. of water. Her hull is composed of teak wood two feet in width, with a covering of four inches of iron, which is screwed on with copper bolts. Her decks are composed entirely of iron, and the battery which she is to carry, is to consist of four guns of enormous caliber, throwing a solid ball of 700 pound weight. She will have two screw propellers, and it will be impossible for her to turn within a space equal in length to that of the vessel. General McClellan is at present superintendent of the work, and he has 180 men employed. The ram is to be completed during the year 1871, when it will be presented to the State of New Jersey, as a protection to New York Harbor. Thus, says a New York Daily, very correctly, only the length of the vessel is 420 ft. instead of 250, and 45 ft. beam instead of 30; and she is built of iron instead of teak. En. V. N.M.”
Source
Van Nostrands’s Eclectic Engineering Magazine, volume I, 1869.
Note
1. See also on this weblog “Building of a floating battery to defend New York in 1857”, and “The Stevens battery as described in the publication “Rich men…” of 1863”.
