THE NAVAL BATTERING RAM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 60, 24 January 1862, Page 2

THE NAVAL BATTERING RAM.

We take the following account of the part the ram Manassas played in the naval engagement at New Orleans, from a, paper published in that

" Lieutenant Warley had orders from Commodore Hollins to run ahead of the whole expedition and make a trial of the ram under any circumstances, and at all hazards. Her 9 inch gun was not to be used at all, and in fact she only had a dozen cartridges for it in her magazine. The port-thole forward -was closed down, and so was theafter-hatch. The forward hatch alone was opened four inches, so as to permit the steersman and pilot to have a good view'ahead. Mr. Austin, who knows every inch of the river, piloted her himself, the pilot having left her at the fort.

" It was a peculiar hazard this to try a new invention, without a precedent on which to form even a conjecture as to the result, and to run boldly into the midst of an enemy's licet on the liberal principle of ' victory or death.' The men aboard of her wore not frightened, or they would not bave deliberately made the venture, but they would not have been human if they had not felt the oppression of an awful suspense. Shut up in that iron-boun-i case, the)'knew that in a short time it might be their coffin. *>*■ '•It was pitch dark. A better night could not have been selected for the purpose, ami i3k» ram glided noiselessly down tho current. Never be^ fore had she run so well. Ten miles an hour was supposed to be her maximum speed, but she was making at least thirteen knots. Tho water ran up over her bow, and split off oh each side with beautiful play, making a gentle and really musical rippling sound. She had left the other boats far behind, but still she kept on her swift course. '"' All of a sudden Austin discovered the dim outline of a ship right; ahead. He sang out to the engineer, ' Let her out, Hardy ; let her out.' Instantly the tar, tallow, and sulphur that had been prepared were thrown into her furnace, and the hand of lhe steam-guage ran up to the highest point. How much pressure on the boilers was given can never be known, but it was far above her allowance.: .

" Now she was discovered by the watch on the enemy's decks,, and they gave the alarm, and rr. Nt iip a blue light from 'the Richmond, probably a private signal to the Niagara below. Austin nvidc out the bow of the vessel she was approaching, and steered her for it, so as to si like between her hog chains and main chains. The aim was a true one ; the momentum of the ram was terrific, and tin- crash, as she drove her prow twenty feet deep into the ship's hull, was truly fearful. Every man on board the Manassas was knocked down by the violence of thb concussion, and the whole boat vibrated Ji,ke an aspen. The engines were at once reversed, and she backed right out, bringing off on her prow whole sheets of the Preble's coppering and big splinters of her solid, live-oak bow !

" The dismay, the consternation, the panic of horror that ensued upon the deck of the stricken. Preble muy be imagined, but it cannot be pictured in words. Most of the crew, uroused from slumber, rushed frantically about, crazy with fright. Some of them must hiive been wounded and mangled by the sharp prow of the Mana-sas, judging from their piercing, agonising shrieks. A tew of them were seen to leap overboard into the river, ami upon deck a perfect saturnalia of frenzied terror reigned. They knew not what was to follow, and could not understand what had occurred. In the Manassas their yells were distinctly heard, with such cries as, ' We're sinking ! She's going to blow up ! We're all lost! Ob, my God !' " The Richmond, Vincennes, Preble, and Water Witch, were at. anchor iv the line of a. V, with spring cables, and steam up on the two steamers. As the Manassas backed off from the Preble, her officers saw the liiehmond lying right before them, with her full broadside exposed. Here was a splendid opportunity, and they liad no doubt, from their success against the Preble, that they would cut her in two. Not a single shot had been fired at them yet, and such was the confusion on board of all the ships that they commenced ringing their fog bells, which proved that even yet they were so confused and ignorant of the nature of our attack, that some of them supposed it to be an accidental collision, caused by the extreme darkness, and rang the fog bells, so as to show the Manassas their position, and enable her to avoid them.

" Again, Mr. Austin sang out to the engineer : ' Now let her out, Hardy, and give it to her.' It was at this moment that Mr. Hardy discovered that one of the condensers had been broken by the shock of the concussion in striking the Preble, which rendered one of her engines useless, and he knew she had not power enough in the other to run her into anything else. He' therefore passed the word up that the machinery was disabled, and all she could do would be to haul off as best she couM. Bitter was this disappointment to Lieut. Warley, as he saw the full side of the Richmond right before him ; but there was no help for it, and it might even be a critical matter to escape.

" Working one engine she made a circuit around to head up steam, and this brought her right under the Richmond and the Vineennes. By this time the officers on hoard those ressels had recovered their presence of mind sufficiently to comprehend that this extraordinary collision was no accident, but a ve"y cool and audacious assault by the enemy, and the long, low, blacklooking object floating right before them was the cause of the danger and alarm. Then they manned i lieir guns, which were already shotted, and now the invulnerability of theMauassas was fairly tested. First came the whole of the broadside of the Richmond, and directly after the entire broadside of the Vincennes, followed by the 8-inch shells of the Water Witch. The roar of cannon was tremendous, and it seemed to those cooped up in the little ram as if all tlie thunderbolts of Jove were rained upon thorn. " The flag-stafFand one of the chimney stacks p the Manassas were cut oiF as clean as if by a knife, but the guns of the ships had not been sufficiently depressed, and all their balls, except two or three, went over her. She has but one indentation, near the bow, in her iron armour, to show that she has been struck at all, but it is believed that other shots reached her and glanced off without leaving a perceptible mark of their visit. Now the confidence ot all on board returned, and after having passed through such a volley unscathed, they knew they wove safe and sound."