Fremont's Flotilla

AUGUST 31, 1861.]

HARPER'S WEEKLY.

555

THE ARSENAL AT ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.—[SKETCHED BY ALEXANDER SIMPLOT.]

FREMONT'S HEAD-QUARTERS AT ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.—[SKETCHED BY ALEXANDER SIMPLOT.]

(Previous Page) Council, together with a large number of ladies. In the absence of Mayor Henry, Mr. Cuyler represented the city.

The regiment was formed by Adjutant Brown, after which Colonel Lyle assumed the command, and put the regiment through the manual of arms ; the various movements of which were executed in the best manner.

The regiment was then wheeled into column, and passed in review of the Councils, who complimented the soldiers with a marching salute; and when, at the close, the officers were drawn to the front, Mr. Cuyler briefly welcomed the regiment home, and complimented the men upon the perfection of their drill. In return, Colonel Lyle assured Mr. Cuyler that the regiment was ready to answer the call of the Government.

After the review the regiment marched to the armory, where they partook of a collation.

It is said that some six hundred of the regiment will reenlist for the war.

THE NEW GUN-BOATS.

WE devote page 551 to illustrations of six out of the twenty-three gun-boats which were directed to be built for Government a few weeks since. A reporter of the Herald who visited the ship-yards shortly before our artist thus speaks of them :

Messrs. Webb and Bell, at Greenpoint, have on the stocks at their yard one of the new gun-boats of the lot of twenty-three. Already the ribs are up, and the outlines of the vessel are clearly defined. Her length is 158 feet, with 2S feet beam and 12 feet hold. The keel is of white oak, siding thirteen inches and ten inches in depth. The gun-board strakes are six inches in thickness. The frame is of young white oak, free from sap and all imperfections. None of the timber is grain cut. The entire hull will be diagonally braced with iron straps, three and one half

inches in width by one half inch thick. The running bottom plank will be of white oak, three and one half inches in thickness, fastened with three locust treenails end one composition spike to each strake. The decks will be of yellow pine, the beams of white oak. This boat, like all the others, will be schooner rigged, and propelled by a screw. She will be pierced for six guns on each side, or a long port on each side, for the pivot gun. The vessel will be launched in September, and early in October she will be ready to go into commission.

Jere. Simonson, at Greenpoint, has another of the gun-boats on the stocks. She is precisely the same size as the one at the yard of Messrs. Webb and Bell, and the work is about at the same stage of forwardness. One peculiarity about this vessel is that she is decorated very extensively with miniature flags. The workmen have placed them on the upper ends of the ribs, and as fact as a new one is added to the number it is crowned with the Stars and Stripes.

E. and H. Poillion are also building one of the twenty-three gun-boats. The work at their yard is progressing rapidly, and they are in hopes to turn out one of the model boats of the fleet.

John Englis, foot of Tenth Street, New York, has another gun-boat on the stocks. She is of the same dimensions as the others, and will be called the Washington.

Jacob Westervelt, of this city, is hurrying forward another of the gun-boats. She will be completed by September. All the contractors are obliged to furnish these vessels complete, with all the boatswain's and engineer's stores, boats„ rigging, sails, flags, anchors, chains, and, in fact, every thing pertaining to a war vessel, with the exception of ordnance and ordnance stores.

The engines are being built at various places. The sections we publish are from the specifications of the Novelty Works, New York.

The following is a description of the engines, boilers, etc., now building for the new gun-boats:

Each vessel will be provided with two horizontal back action engines, with the cylinders placed side by side on the same side of the kelson.

The pistons are to make one hundred strokes per minute at the maximum.

The boilers will be two in number, and of Martin's patent, placed side by side, with a fire-room eight and a half feet wide, from front of the boiler to forward end of the crank shaft. The boilers will be furnished with draft from a blower engine and a Dunphel blower.

The screw propeller will be fixed, and of the four-bladed pattern.

Each engine will be complete in itself, and capable of operating the propeller shaft independently of the other. Each boiler will be complete in itself, so that they can furnish steam to both or either of the engines. A working steam pressure of thirty pounds above the atmosphere is required of them.

The screw propeller will be fixed, and have four blades of the diameter of nine feet, diameter of hub fifteen inches, thickness of blade at the hub four and a half inches, tapering to five-eighths at the periphery.

Two of Martin's boilers will be put in each vessel, with one smoke-pipe for both. They will be of the best quality of American charcoal iron, and the best American lapwelded tubes (iron). They will contain eighty-eight and five-sixths square feet of grate surface, and twenty-seven hundred square feet of heating surface.

The smoke-stack will be four feet in diameter and thirty-two feet in length. It will be constructed in four iron plates vertically, the lower one of No. 6 wire gauge, the next to be No. 7, the next No. 8, and the upper plate No. 7. A fresh-water distilling apparatus, capable of making 100 gallons of fresh water per day, will be put in each ship.

The following instruments will be furnished by the contractors : One mercurial vacuum gauge, two indicators, one counter, one clock, one thermometer for hot well, one for injection water, one engine-room thermometer, one fire-room do., one gong, one bell, one glass water gauge ; a complete set of engine tools, oil tanks, and cans ; duplicate pieces, packing, waste, steel, iron, tallow, oil, paints, soap, and stationery, etc.

In addition to furnishing all these articles, they must furnish to the Navy Department, in one month after the completion of the machinery, tracings on cloth of every

drawing used in the construction thereof, embracing both general and working plans in sufficient detail, with dimensions figured on, so that the same may be again constructed, together with a detailed statement of the weight of the machinery and of all its appurtenances.

FREMONT AT ST. LOUIS.

WE publish on this page several illustrations of the progress of the war at the West. One of them represents THE DEPARTURE OF GENERAL FREMONT WITH TROOPS FROM ST. LOUIS FOR BIRD'S POINT, MISSOURI. He had with him four regiments of infantry, several detached companies of riflemen, two companies of artillery, and a. number of guns. The force left in eight steamers, and was enthusiastically cheered by the people. With this reinforcement, the troops at Bird's Point number 8000, and are able to stand any attack from the rebels. Another shows us GENERAL FREMONT'S HEAD-QUARTERS AT ST. LOUIS, where the gallant General, assisted by his wife, the famous Jessie, spends eighteen hours a day in the work of the campaign The third represents THE ARSENAL AT ST. LOUIS. Since General Fremont's arrival this place has been the scene of great excitement. Troops are arriving hourly by steamers and railcars, and departing again for Cape Girardeau, Cairo, Bird's Point, and other places in the interior. Ammunition of every kind, cannon of every calibre, and every class of army stores arrive here by each train from the East, and are rapidly distributed to points where they are needed.

DEPARTURE OF FREMONT'S FLOTILLA FOR BIRD'S POINT.—[SKETCHED BY ALEXANDER SIMPLOT.]