The Man Who Raised the USS MERRIMACK: New Light on John Luke Porter and the CSS VIRGINIA, A Digital Exhibit by Jonathan Dembo The Man Who Raised the USS MERRIMACK: New Light on John Luke Porter and the CSS VIRGINIA Edited by Jonathan Dembo1 (Rev. 7/22/2010) The Digital Advisory Board and Library Director approved this digital exhibit for publication on the Joyner Library Website, 5 October 2004. Figure 80: This is a sketch of the CSS Merrimac (1862) by John L. Porter. In John L. Porter Notebook, p. 182, John L. Porter Collection #850, Special Collections Department, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858. DRAFT 22 1 Research assistance provided by Elizabeth Cahoon; Editorial assistance provided by Martha G. Elmore & Ralph Lee Scott. man_who_raised_the_merrimac_22.docx i The Man Who Raised the USS MERRIMACK: New Light on John Luke Porter and the CSS VIRGINIA, A Digital Exhibit by Jonathan Dembo man_who_raised_the_merrimac_22.docx ii The Man Who Raised the USS MERRIMACK: New Light on John Luke Porter and the CSS VIRGINIA, A Digital Exhibit by Jonathan Dembo Contents INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... X John L. Porter Papers ............................................................................................................................ x USS MONITOR – CSS VIRGINIA Debate ........................................................................................... x Biographical Sketch of John Luke Porter 1813-1892 ..........................................................................xiii John L. Porter - John M. Brooke Feud ............................................................................................... xxii Origin of Porter’s Naval Constructor’s Notebook ............................................................................. xxiii Digital Exhibit Project ........................................................................................................................ xxvi Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................ xxvii JOHN L. PORTER NOTEBOOK .......................................................................................... 0 Front Cover ............................................................................................................................................ 0 Fixed Fuze. Directions for Loading and Handling the Shell .................................................................. 1 Title Page ................................................................................................................................................ 2 Norfolk County Ferries Superintendent Election .................................................................................. 3 Preface ..................................................................................................................................................... 5 Mathematical Formulae for Naval Constructors ...................................................................................... 6 Addition of Vulgar Fractions ...................................................................................................................... 6 Addition of Compound Vulgar Fractions ................................................................................................... 7 Subtraction of Vulgar Fractions ................................................................................................................. 8 Subtraction of Compound Vulgar Fractions .............................................................................................. 9 Multiplication of Vulgar Fractions ........................................................................................................... 10 Division of Vulgar Fractions ..................................................................................................................... 10 Vulgar Fractions / Decimal Fractions Values ........................................................................................... 11 Addition of Decimal Fractions.................................................................................................................. 12 Subtraction by Decimal Fractions ............................................................................................................ 12 Multiplication of Decimals ....................................................................................................................... 13 Duodecimals ............................................................................................................................................ 14 Reduction of Vulgar Fractions.................................................................................................................. 15 Square Root ............................................................................................................................................. 17 Figure 1 a Square Root ........................................................................................................................ 18 Cube Root ................................................................................................................................................ 19 Logarithms ............................................................................................................................................... 20 Multiplication by Logarithm ................................................................................................................ 22 Division [by logarithm] ........................................................................................................................ 23 Involution by Logarithm ...................................................................................................................... 23 Evolution [by Logarithm]..................................................................................................................... 24 Rule of Three by Logarithms ............................................................................................................... 24 man_who_raised_the_merrimac_22.docx iii The Man Who Raised the USS MERRIMACK: New Light on John Luke Porter and the CSS VIRGINIA, A Digital Exhibit by Jonathan Dembo Algebra ..................................................................................................................................................... 25 [Algebra] Addition ............................................................................................................................... 25 [Algebra] Subtraction .......................................................................................................................... 26 Algebra Multiplication ........................................................................................................................ 27 Algebra Division .................................................................................................................................. 28 Figure 1 b Algebra .......................................................................................................................... 31 Mechanical Powers .................................................................................................................................. 32 Lever ................................................................................................................................................... 32 Figure 2 Levers’ Power to Raise Weights ....................................................................................... 33 Figure 3 Levers’ Weight Capacity ................................................................................................... 34 Figure 4 Levers’ Balancing Point ..................................................................................................... 34 Mechanical Powers - [Cranes] ........................................................................................................... 35 Figure 5 Cranes ............................................................................................................................... 35 Mechanical Powers - [Inclined Plane] .............................................................................................. 36 Figure 6 Inclined Planes .................................................................................................................. 36 Mechanical Powers - Screw .............................................................................................................. 37 Figure 7 Screws .............................................................................................................................. 38 Mechanical Powers - Pulley .............................................................................................................. 39 [Mechanical Powers] - Wedge .......................................................................................................... 39 Specific Gravities ...................................................................................................................................... 40 Gravitation of Bodies ............................................................................................................................... 41 [Geometry Theorems] ...........................................................................................................................