The Blockade Runner — page 80: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

1HE BLOOKADE RUNNER. 81 These were the guns that had beaten off the Merrimac. | The interior of the Monitor presented no traces of carnage to her curious inspectors. Commander Worden had his eyes bandaged, having been injured by some small scales of iron which had been knocked loose by a ball from the Merrimac. “ No thanks to the Navy Department for this pro- tector,” said one of the Monitor’s visitors, an old mili- tary officer. “ Why not, sir?” was the question instantly put up by a young man. “‘ Because, sir, the Monitor comes to us from the hands of private citizens. The government has been afraid to trust Ericsson’s genius. Now, sir, it will be acknowledged, and before the year ends there will be a hundred Monitors afloat.” This was prophecy. The usefulness of the formidable Merrimac seemed at an end. She had encountered her equal on the wave, and her guns weuld not thunder in the ports of the great commercial cities of the North. The glad tidings quickly flew northward. They crossed the sea and told the foreign powers that their great warships were comparatively worth- less. | A revolution had taken place in naval affairs, for one Monitor was sufficient to sink a navy. “What do you think now?’ asked a young sailor, addressing Bentham, as he emerged from the Monitor after a tour of inspection through her interior. “ For my part I prefer the wooden ship where one can see COMMicooOoks (©) 5}