INSIDE AN IRON-CLAD.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Volume I, Issue 51, 24 October 1863, Page 6

INSIDE AN IRON-CLAD.

The special correspondent of the " New York Herald" was on board the Montauk when she attacked Fort M'Allister in February. The vessel carried 15-inch guns. " I took up my position," he writes, "inthe pilot-house, which, about half-past eight o'clock, was hit a tremendous blow by a shot. Your correspondent was at the instant of impact, on one knee writing a paragraph in his note book. The shock was somewhat severe, and afterwards I found the shot struck close to my head. It unbalanced me, and I tumbled over against the side of the narrow pilot house, when, to my surprise, I was struck by a piece of iron bolt with the nut attached

(weighing about 1-lb), first on the shoulder and then on the knee. Some of the other bolts were knocked out. The iron was no doubt of an inferior quality, and had they been of the same character as those in the turret such an event would not have taken place. In view of such an accident, and suffering from the shock, I left the pilot house. I feel satisfied that the pilot house is as strong as any part of the vessel, but the bolts will have to be protected from flying inwards. The sensation below decks was far different from that which I had experienced in the pilot house. The sound of our own guns was more acute and unpleasant, and well it might be when it is taken into consideration that the whole volume of sound from the discharge of each gun passed directly over and within a few inches of our heads, the concussion passing into the system through the brain to the top of the head. I cannot say that it was painful, but it was far from pleasant, and in addition to this, you were scarcely ever able to hear the word of command when the guns were fired. To hear the officers say, 'Are you ready ? Fire!' takes off much of the unpleasantness of the shock, but below you do not have that warning. We fired both guns on an average once in four minutes. It was just six minutes past eleven o'clock, I was standing in the ward-room, and in conversation with Dr. Brayton, when a most terrific blow was struck upon our deck plating directly over my head. I was driven with much force into a chair, and my whole muscular system seemed for about two minutes perfectly paralysed. I was faint, and could scarcely obtain my breath. I never experienced such an unpleasant sensation in the whole course of my life. It was a heavy shock to my whole system; in fact it exceed my experience in the pilot house, and I thought I had done wrong in quitting it. And while absorbed in such thoughts, slam! came another such a shot, but fortunately, for me at least, about six feet away from where the first one struck. Weak as I was, this again gave me a shock. I soon recovered the intense pain I suffered, and resumed my notes, but was continually in apprehension of having the dose repeated. Fortunately, however, it was not. Shortly afterwards, Mr Browne, our paymaster, who took my place in the pilot house, came into the ward room and reported that it had been hit again, and quite a number of the bolts broken off and flung violently across the pilot house, narrowly escaping Doty, the quartermaster and himself. So I was thankful that I was not there, for with so many in this little coop somebody would have been hit. At this time of the fight it was bang, bang, from our own guns, and crack, slam, whiz-z-z from the enemy's shot, the combined noises forming a musical performance seldom or ever heard with such composure by so many men who felt themselves perfectly safe. Of the fort we could see that the parapets were severely injured, while the huge traverses bore deep marks of our shells. But yet, in the main, the work bid fair to stand for some hours longer, and our ammunition was too costly to be used with such an object in view, and it was decided to discontinue the action before noon, and at seven minutes before meridian the anchor was away and we were drifting down the narrow river. The enemy, rejoicing over our departure, manned his guns aud blazed away as lively as he could. We bear some marks of a heavy hammering, and yet we are as good as new —better, we think, as we show proof marks of our invulnerability. The enemy put two of his shots quite near our port-holes, both being between the inner line of them. The pilot house was struck by one rifle and two round shot. The smoke stack is well ventilated, and looks something like a giant pepper box. The holes do not injure its draught. The side armour is well marked, but the indentations in nowise injure the vessel. The deck armour is badly scarred, but no ill effects accrue from them, and it is believed that the deck will not leak at the point of impact."