chain boom. thompson critical of design of chain boom @ humaitá. @ fortín designed chain boom made of timbó logs joined endwise iron shackles. since floated underwater not sunk naval gunfire.
even heavily armoured vessels might have been impeded chain boom, turned out have achilles heel: not drawn tight enough without intermediate floating supports – , these might sunk naval gunfire.
burton s description of chain boom was:
the chain, consisted of 7 twisted together, passed diagonally through kind of brick tunnel. on side [of river paraguay] made fast windlass supported house 100 yards bank. nearer battery stood still larger capstan: latter, however, wanted force haul tight chain.
this provided enemy destroyed chain s intermediate floating supports; explained thompson, chains were
supported on number of canoes, , on 3 pontoons. [brazilian] ironclads fired 3 months @ these pontoons , canoes, sinking of them, when, of course, chain went bottom, river there 700 yards wide, , chain not drawn tight without intermediate supports. chain buried 2 feet under mud of river, offering no obstacle whatever navigation.
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