New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-08-23
OUR NAVY.
Y.drc,;ou Of tho Naval Force-The War
Vessels as Phiindei?h'n-''si' =" '"e
Flee, in tho Mountaineering

Correspondence Of The ". Y. Tribune.
PHILADELPHIA, Saturday, August 10, 1860.
Nv last letter from this place furnished you
with a description OF iron-cIad navy now rsndes
yousing here and Of the location where 1t VIII DC
placed until IL is again needed tor service lnow pro-
pose TO give you facts in relation to affairs at this
ward aud show how rapidly and extensively the Navy
Department reducing our naFal iorcc anu PaOi"e
il upon peace footing.
Before entering upon this subject LEI me promise ny
writing by stating that without parallel 'he
pha Navy Yard is the most narrow and contractor
nav al station in the United States III Is AL up III
heaps on account Of little space and II Is truly won
deriu TO think how much woik has 9een periorIe N
advantages Commodore Hull is the present Command
ant and Capt. Marchand the Executive oIhcer Mr.
W L. Hanscom. late Of the Boston Navy ard mas re-
Gently been transferred to this station as Naval Con
structor The Neshaminy, swift screw sioop Is teaa!
for launching. The Pushmataha and Antletam OF the
same class in process OF construction aug
i heng mnds on IA. wooden iron-cad OF the iona
wanda class In every department all are DUSTY en-.
gagged and the work Is being pushed 10 as specify
close possible. ,.
large fleet Of gunboats lie at anchor in the stream
miugng their dusky huls and tsperng spars with the
hotlla of low. squat monitors when we described III
Our last The list which We append VIII give An ldea
of the magnitude of the feet As on the occasion OF
our visit the ironclads we took small boat ana
cruised among the fleet looked and trod on tie decks
OF many vessels which IL has been our good fortune 10
see from time 10 time engaged IN deadly eonnct with
tho then coamon encmy Years Sil perhaps ron
around before these battescarred cralt VIII again DO
called into service. ,
some OF them never will be and We arc certain that
OF the list give perhaps more than hall VIII not
again fire from their decks guns shoted IN anger Inc
scene before me gave rise 10 thoughts hich II penned
would fill columns Memories rushed IN AS gazed
upon the decks and looked in some instances upon the
very spot hallowcd by the blood Of some dear friend
who gave his life willing sacrifice upon the altar OF
his country and died beneath the flag he so gauanty
sirovc plant upon the soil which had been Temporarily
| wrested from Beneath these decks. dfeary
.t.l, sfa .ahin nj n urF
few short months ago congregated JOYOUS, expeetant
crew. fighting for victory and struggling Tor peace.
How changed the scene to-day Silence reisheu SUI
prcme and nought was heard on board save tns
gurglng OF the tide it rushed by the vessel. ana
echoed through the lonely empty hold below.
| As gazed around felt that before my eyes were
tho representatives OF every brilliant and hard fought
naval battle Of this war, and almost listened iof ls
duh roar Of the heavy guns and the wmh@lng anu
bursting Of tho deadly shell The quiet soon dispeed
nv dresmings and again started through the mote!
group Of all rigs and sizes. from the little tug 10 the
| huge old sailing craft Among the groups we recos.
niEed tho little Dale. an old soopo war now used as
an ordnance vessel Near her the ST. Louis OF the same
class but larger; her yards "c0ckbed she is
securely moored with gunboat each side oil her; Tue
little Waspnow in commission ana probably awaitns OF
ders for foreign station lies In the stream ana is to 90
admired for her great beauty She perfect picture
She was formerly bockade'runner. The Chenango,
of whose history Is recorded the fearful boiler expo
sion on board while passing down the New YORK mar.
Dor lies near but bearing no traces OF that horrid
catastrophe by which score or more poor innocent
fellows were instantly and without warning. thrown
into frightful tortures, and some to the grave HOW
the memories OF that awful night spent at the Naval
Hospital come up almost sickenipg even now. did
not 90 on board l could not for had not the heart
| 10 do IT, Next tho Miami affords our boat shelter
from the burning rays OF tho This ora WAS known
| in the Mississippi Squadron as the 'Masma Sne was
ALWAYS running into something. either the pahA o .ne
i river or a gnnboat. She always went every way Dut
the right one She was altered and did better. one
has been put ND for sale. Here Is the Sassscus tnat
gave the Rebel ram Albemarlc such druoolnsi .ne
It;enesee with historic lO0pounder Parrots tne ilcoH
deroea the terror Of the blockade runners IN .ae Eu
| the Kneo Kstahdin Itascs and Pnola OF NeWoreans
fame the Metacomet Of Mobile history anG olhers sov
we'll known to mention here IN detail. all lie nooreu
head and stem silently and quietly awaiting orders
Near the vard lies the beautiful Benve hrst TO bring
North the news of Du Points first vlctory. oho is
| nicture of neatness and discipline Inc connecticut
ns from an extended cruise stu wears her
snt soon 10 be changed and perhaps she Is TO
| engage In peaceiu pursuits in commercial enterprise
A 10 " short weeks and this scene which to-day mas
av.n n. Al much food for thought aud pleasant rein
nscences was different AZ,
n !. scarce three months since this great fleet was
.cottcrod from the Rio Grande to Paseamaquoddy while
OF them were cruising out In mid ocean or thread
tbrough the tortuous channels Of the West India
Island, IL hardly seems possible that the war H. over
| and that we have no longer need OF these tried and
rnsty craft such is the fact however and the scenes
with which we were familiar at the commencement
Of The present year have passed into history and our