The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1862-05-12
THE NORFOLK NAVY YARD.
Hts Extent, History and Condition at the
Time OF Capture by the Hebels-Account
of Its Destruction. &c.

Hts Extent, History and Condition at the
Time OF Capture by the Rebels-Account
of Its Destruction, Sc.
The following particulars relation the condition.
amount 0fnaterials Of war, shipping &C., and other
apputenances peculiar to immense naval depot
Sompisd tina special report Hale Chair
man Of the Committee on Naval Affairs
ABANDONMENT.
This yard OF the oldest naval depots in the
country and since its original establishment had been
very much enlarged in Al the time Of its abandon
nent, the Goth OF APRIL 1861, it about three
fourths OF mile long and one-fourth wide being by
the extensive and valuable yard in the possession
of the United states There connected with dry
dock Of granite ike the Chariestown dry dock The yard
covered with machine shops, dwelling houses for
officers and storehouses Of various kinds. Thore
were in il two ship houses entire and another
IN process II eractisn. m,rine barracks, sail
loft, riggsrs' ort gunners' loft numerous smiths
shops and sheds, carpenters shops and sheds,
machine shops, timber shells, foundries, dispeasary
sawni boiler shop barnetixng hoasc, spar house. pro-
house numerous dwellings and large amount OF
tools and machinery. Thore also grea; quantities
CT material, provisions and ammunition OF every do
scripton
According 70 the returns received Al ths Ordnance 10
Of the Navy Department ap@ears tina, there
neven hundred and Sixycight gans in the yard othr
evidence, however taken by the committee, goes to
slow quito coacus vsy that there the yard at
tho4irne II tho evacuation thousand pieces
heavy ordnance Or which about three hundred were
hgrcu gsns and tho remainder OF Cd pat
terms. Captain Paulding walked about among them
III 18th o. APRIL and estimated that there between
two ard thres thousand. Captain McCauley who ST
be supp sed have had ample OF knowledge
sub ect, thinks there nearly three thousand
pieces Or nr James r. Clements, reliable md
ine,iisen. an testaes that he familiar with the
gus a. the yard and thinks he speaks within bounds
VIII he puts tho number OF them a. eighteen hundred
and he explains very satisfactorily the discrepancy be
tween The account IN The Ordnance Bureau and the e.t
mae Of the Witnesses sssadv mentioned and Of Others
who appeared before the committee stating the number
Of guns variousy al from lteer hundred 10 three thou
sand Upon the whole evidence, tho commi,ise are |
forced the conclusion that wero as many as two
shTdsar1 Q. arii-ry :, all ca'brfs and abos,
tic gard at the time Of It's Abandonment comprising
The OF three line o. battle ships and several
frisates. |
sisTR or snrrs ~ THE
There were also lying az the Navy Yard at the time
The friga;c Merrmac, carrying forty guns
md worth, when fully equipped twelve hundred thou
sand dollars CsI 600 COO the sisop ofwar Plymouth q
twenty-five guns the sioop.of-war Germantown, of |
twanty two guns, and the brig Dolphin carrying four
guns These were all efficient and valuable vessels
The battery Of the Morrirnsc not board bit she
IN readiness to be taken from the yard. The
ornaments q 'hs Germantown and Dolphin
board and they only awaited their officers
b. ready for The Plymouth was nearly ready for
sca Tho old ship-ofthcine PENNSYLVANIA was in com
mission there as receiving shp and the hps OF the line
Delaware, or eFhtyfonr guns, and Columbus or eighty
guns and the frgates United States Of Afy ms: Column
ba or ATTY guns and Rsritan Of nfty guns we're lying
IN ordinary al the yard. The gnnished ship tbs limo
New York also lying the stocks In OF the slip
houses The soop ofwar Cumberland, carry twenty.
four guns, was that time the flagship OF
Captain Pendergrast, command OF the Home squad
roo and was noored abreast o. Of the ship
NJ a distance OF two hundred yards from the
shore with her flll armamcn, and crew on board and
On position to command completely the cities OF Nor
folk and Portsmouth
PROPERTY.
The total value Of the property Of tho United states
and abou, the yard including the yard itself and all the
irprgvsments. and on the superstition that thore were
bn. Won hundred and sixty eight pieces OF ordnance,
estimated w tho Navy Department TO have been o.
coth os April, 1861 nine million seven hund-. -
fho sanl hunorcd and eighty ao, -"
three cents ls1 os) In hi, ,..,...,. "a !,
clnded the vessels, estimated al on, n,o I'M h,na,ea
md eighty thousand dollars s1 sse, oo orenane. and
ordnance stores, At Elk hundred A. a -: o., ,ho,so,d
eight hundred and sghtythr . so,... .nd .ovon,v.
eight cents CS6oi $50 49, "A ,..s s.,an,,..
=, s,...s, ~ on and Repairs At one million
..-s 1850 - A'yfour thousand four hundred
and seveuJou' - 4ars and twenty nine cents (s1 ,574
sT4 2o)
TT IN CRISIS ~ suRrSSpsP Ar HAND.
CAPT rcrauley the officer in charge Of the yard
che ,fms OF abandonment 10 tho rebels.
The sloop Cumberland Of twenty -four guns one Of to
most effective ships in The services and NJ that tmo the
ragshln Il Captain a J. Pendergrast, who com.
,snd Vi me HOme squadron, arrived o. Hamptor Reads