Dahlgren Gun Sight Bar Posted by
David Krop
04.04.08 @ 8:15am
Conservators are treating a variety of gun sights and other copper alloy implements recovered from Monitor's 8-ton Dahlgren guns. Charlotte is currently working on a brass breech sight bar in order to remove harmful chlorides, clean the surface, and protect against future corrosion. She has even used a method called flame deconcretion to remove stubborn surface sediment from the artifact.
Charlotte using a stereoscopic microscope to reveal fine details on the surface of the sight bar
Breech sight bar, with inscribed yardage marks on the surface
Surprise Inscription Posted by
David Krop
04.03.08 @ 8:04am
Erin continues to work on the previously mentioned brass valve, and she recently uncovered an interesting inscription. It says ‘Jas Gregory, 114 Cannon St, NY.’ Cannon Street is located in the Lower East Side, Manhattan, across the water from the Brooklyn shipyards. In 1893 the New York Times mentioned a fire resulting in injuries in a shop owned by a Mr. James Gregory at 106 Cannon Street. Mr. Gregory’s metal shop foreclosed in 1897. Take a look at the pics!
Image of vale with red arrow indicating location of inscription
Inscription
Drying the Propeller Shaft Posted by
David Krop
04.01.08 @ 1:45pm
Today we transfered Monitor's wrought iron propeller shaft from its desalination tank into our drying room. We will continue to dry the prop shaft before applying protective coatings and moving it into the large artifact gallery of the USS Monitor Center.
Lifting the propeller shaft from the desalination tank
Propeller shaft in our drying room
Did Somebody Say Toilet?! Posted by
David Krop
02.28.08 @ 4:42pm
Among the many pipes and fittings recovered from the Monitor is a curious valve and pipe-flange assembly excavated in 1998. At the time, the shape of the pipe suggested that it could have been part of John Ericsson's famous below-the-waterline flush toilet. Now that the artifact is nearing the end of its treatment, further research and investigation suggest that it is likely not associated with the toilet.
We do not have great records or detailed descriptions of USS Monitor’s toilets but we think they were similar to those on the USS Tippecanoe and USS Tecumseh. These toilets – or water-closets – used a hand pump to generate air pressure that would force waste out of the bowl and through a valve into the sea. The bowl had an air-tight lid that would be sealed down before flushing. Later water-closets used hand-pumped water pressure to flush the bowl and draw waste through a series of one-way valves into the sea. If this sounds familiar, it’s because modern marine flush toilets use the same principles developed by Ericsson more than 140 years ago.
Valve
Cast Iron Flange
Worthington Pump Update Posted by
David Krop
02.26.08 @ 2:19pm
We just received some interesting information from our intrepid volunteer Gerry. He has been researching our Worthingtons and recently had a discussion with somebody he considers the foremost expert on steam pumps. He confirmed that Monitor's Worthington pumps are believed to be the oldest examples of Worthington manufacture. Further, they are probably the oldest direct-acting reciprocating steam pumps in existence! If you have any information that proves us wrong, please contact us -- we'd love to hear from you.
