New-York daily tribune., 1858-07-20
NREcEIYG IN sEyAsToro,.


T. a. Es,ss- Of Tse n Y -rs-..
SIR: Letter, regarding wrecks snd srecx ~ Il
Ssvsstopoi, lately appeared 7Gs Bsstss Tru.r5ps
and vas extensively COPIED in ths oar-ss Of thts civ
Il WA sre O: sNveFsl which have been pubsusl ID
the sss paper tusg the last year and Ike OF srs OF
Ire series contained statements in ma.y p.rt;cu,-,
80 absurdy u,tras tbs. those acquainted With he f.ets
could cnly lszss st them, Considering tie whole ar.
rsspondence in de light Of ssockpafhng advertise
ment. Ii seems however, TO have bees socrptA bv
portion Of the able ~, soqusir.ed with TIE fa,..,
e. nessurably trae and 81 throwing disorcss tas
oters'ioIs OF the B'eson eA?ee.t;on atasF my e,n,
e~iievug from the numerous iaquuies addressed 10
re for rtcrnscn thr SUBJECT, espeI ally sccV sne
sPp's.auce Of the letter shove 'eiei-et TO, that
s.steueat of the facts WITHIN my knowledge would be
on some public interest sni st the ssne nse save
te necessity of frequent re2etltions, have prspsed
such statement And request place Tor i N the col
unns Of TIE TRrBrsT.
Fifs' LEI me say the expedition fitted ont frons ,s
ton abaudored not as has been roetines rsple-
sent because Mr. Go-eu had an exclusive contract
for the work. nor yet becsrge the work rss
pay. Great pains have indeed been tssen
fron the begnurg create tie belief that the Pull
aderhia Company, represented by NJ. G9wen. WAS
the Only one whicr cCgld ergsge 10 the WORK or reap
sny o re profits 70 be exoectsd iron 4 aoa re as
fsri'cn IA repeated r the letter in question ths Mr.
Gowen IL the only Ameriosr who he's ccntrsct
with the Russian Government toY doing the work"
DIR. Goven cid indeed procure the firSf ortract
which was II terms exc usVe bat his progress during
the first season far short % his under skiug
inst his erc'Hsre rights forfeited sni the Gov
eInrs u eft at liberty 70 contract with other parties
Trder these cTCun stsnces, after working SIDE BY
sce with Gorens expedition, nrie~ his cuntIa. fol
four months | obtsnei from the Government in De-
ceuber lsst for the Boston X lief ald Sub Isrine
Compsny. separate contract on tie ss-ne general
terms a. GOwens but much more favorable va sey.
INN srf "a W.
at liberty 10 leave when Ge would, neither vessels cof
apparatus berg ST. beet 10 s1y forfeiture, while s tie,
mac siDery ara sppsrstus oi TIE Phlist,lpas Con
papy are by their contract, held SIS sscuuty nr tle
coniple,on If the work, in two years ard si1 Aonhs
frc the tine &C commencing.
Tee contract gis en to s IN possession ot the
Boston k. and ;. Co.. and may be at their Office.
They are not working under it, for several reasons,
soy one Of which would # known in time, have pre-
vented sending out an expedition, ardi su together,
were enough to recall Il. One of these seasons s,
that reyeausIs regarding material snd usuuer Of con-
struotion made IN blasting the wrecks prove oonolu-
sive.y tha. they rerer 'r0,h much rs SHIPS
Again: rspested spd thorough examinations by divers
IN sll parts of the hsrbcr show that whaeyer their
condition may originally have been, they
nteT, destroyed by worms thst probably not three
in the whole h6ibor # they were raised to-dsy would
be worth anything st ell as ships. Furthermore, i
appeared that the Government ITSELF saris'ied that
the sunk en- yesse not worth repairing for actual
service would allow nothirg for the contractors share
IN them even If raised whole beyond 'ber value as
old material. ana would not become tue purchaser
Of thst, but would inslst on an actual d'vslon
90 that they must sfter all bave been broken up aud
divided, and the contractors share transported 70
Constsrtinople or elseFnere tor msrket. Aud even
for this purpose their real much less than their sp'
parent value owing 10 the scsnt allowance OF copper
used their construction, amounting TO not more t An
one third Of what is usually found IN vessels OF the
same class.
one statement in The Transcript is to the effect
thai the Philsdelpha Company have removed dftesn
bv r. L e n.
they had been six months blasting on the Paris and
the A godel one of which then nearly half broken
up the other not than one fourth. In the mean
time, many Of their best workmen, all indeed that
could get aaay, had left them; and the Goyernmsnt
alan at the expense nouiieu LOT po~uer
had prohibited them from commencing on any other
the probability that this work can have been com.
plsted with a diminished force, in the three stormy
months OF February, March and April, and not only
that but thirteen other vessels broken mp and re-
moved by the same process, the public can Judge.
The leter alluded to says, We have raised the six
"teen-gun corvette Smelya, aai size as not 6ddiy
" rorneaten," &c. The Smeys was a Schooner,
nineteen years ole, lyng IL shallow water, up South
Bay and gss one Of the last which eXaniued before
leaving, with view 20 raising her by poutJons, which
might very easily hsve been done if che we're worth
the trouble. A cNeful examination showed her TO be
anothtr honey. comb, and the fact that one OF the
divers twice broks through the deck in Consequence OF
lie rotterre from this cause seemed to indicate that
she rather badly woIm.e sten' For this reason
we abandoned the idea of raieing her.
Lave in NY possession specimens Of wood taken
from the Chesna yesse in at least as good condition
as any 10 the harbor, examination OF which viii give
better ices thar aDyth can Of the condition
of the sbips, oIe and al exposed TO tue attacss ot
rents on THE ard other pouts may be further sub
stsuta,ed by many workmen and divers who have
been in the service OF the Philadelphia Company,
nearly ali of them havirg returned to the United
States. W. LEE.
NJ. Y,,k July 10 1855