The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-08-12
THE BLOCKADE.

Visit OF tho Assistant Secretary OF the
Navy 10 the New York shipping-The'
Board OF Naval Survey0rs-What They
Are DOing-Tw0 Hundred Vessels ~
This Port Surveyed, sc.
Very few persons know the naval preparations or the
Navy Department and OF tho pretended desire to pur-
chase or charter sufficient number Of vessels Of suitable
draugh and strength be converted into gunboas Tor the
purpose Of perccng the blockade on our coast when
ought to have been efficiently bockaded three months
ago. For the last eighteen days small steamer has been
employed In conveying from vessel to vessel board OF
naval examiners who have been employed in selecting
vessels Of what they deem proper capacity TO do the work
required of them From that time 10 yesterday over
two hundred vessels have been surveyed looked at but
only very small number have passed tho survey and
will be fitted out These naval examiners could have
had they mounted the spire Of Trinity church,
and looked at the vessels In port with one sweep of the
telescope
Our reporter was present on board OF the steamer
Saturn during her tour Of surveying Captain O. " Fox
Assistant Secretary Of the Navy with Naval Constructor
Pook aud Chief Engineer Ewood formed the party on
board.
Assistant Secretary Fox has come on 10 this city for the
express purpose Of assisting IN the selection of vessels for
'oockading and transporting purposes. He some
else should have visited New York four months ago for this
purpose. One of the greatest difficulties experienced by
The board is that when shpowners learn that their
sel has boon surveyed, they Immediately fix price
Tor her far above her WORTH This crpples the move
ents Of the government aud authorized to state
chat only fair and reasonable price will be paid
Tor vessel hor charter This difficulty could be very
easily obviated by advertising for suitable vessels Our
Assistant Secretary would not be troubled with high
prices If he adopted this plan
Shortly after ten O'Clock on Saturday morning the
Saturn her lines tnrned nm the East
river scaming close in the Brooklyn shore. AS she
passed along the docks each vessel was carefully
scanned, but most Of them drew from twelve
TO twenty feet Of water, the commission did not
stop to examine them, Notwithstanding the JEFF
Davis, Sumter and other prvateers are far out at
sea, where the water is measured by the hundred
fathoms Leaving the Brooklyn Shore the party steamed
across tho mouth OF Waabout Bay, and thence up the
shore Of the Eastern District Of Brooklyn but vessels
ot tho right description to be found except those
that had previously been surveyed; and yet every
dock was full Of shipping, The steamer then
stood across the river and soon alongside of the
dock where lay moored the steamer Daniel Webster The
party dsembarked and were soon on board of her.
The Daniel Webster is a side wheel steamer of ,O35
sons and draws about II feet Of when loaded She
with copper. She was built in 1851 by W. H. Brown.
sho has vertical beam engine with one cylinder Of SO
inches in diameter and 10 feet stroke of piston The fol
lowing her dmeusons,-Lcngth, 225 feet; BEAM 80
fee 10 inches depth Of hold 18 feet. She has three
masts and is square rugged forward, and could be
altered as to mount about eight guns. The party in
spcctcd this vessel thoroughly going into every part and
portion OF her; but decision given Il 10 probable
however that she will be purchased So that the whole
day will not be lost Ono steamer will probably be pur-
schascd
Leaving this steamer the attention of the Assistant Sec
Rotary was called TO the gunboats fitting the
foot Of Tenth and Eleventh streets.
The following ia the list