The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-05-01

ClnaDo1--Ther COmditiOn-The Yard and Its
improvements.
1t meridian to-day the administration of the Navy
Ksrd, Brooklyn, win change hands-Rear Admiral
hharies H. Bell retiring, and Rear Admiral sylvan
". Godon taking upon himself the onerous duties Of
komnandant.
The ceremonies Of the occasion preliminary to the
transer OF authority win be somewhat novel, and in
nonsonance with the annexed paragraph (7p in the
Pook OF instructions on naval etiquette &C., pub
psned under the authority .of the department at
Nashington-
When vice rear admiral or commodore duly
shall be ordered e to S'c Command shore Station
Re u 70 be received at the gate or landing by the
Rm ncr whom he is to relieve and the helm. line
Rmcer next in rank by all the officers OF the station
II uniform and by the marine guard, with arms
presented; the drums shall give two rufies II the
Rmoer oe rear admiral or commodore. AT the
noment the dag, or broad pendant, shall he hosted
" shall be saluted as for a rear admiral or commo-
command like ceremonies shall be observed, and his
Iast gun.
In anticipation of the Inauguration of Rear Admit
al GOdon, the Commandant Of the yard yesterday is
sued the following order:
CoMMANDANT's OFFICE, NAVY YARD,(
New YORK. April 30, 1868.
All the officers of this station in uniform and the
DOmmandaat's Office in this yard at eleven A. NJ. to-
borrow, LIST of May to receive Rear Admiral Godon,
CHAS. Fl. BELL, Rear Admiral, U. S. n
At noon the Rear Admiral in command, sustained
by Captain Muaney, at present in the Ordnance De-
eartment at the yard and second in command, &C
bompaned by all the officers at the station, and pre-
beded by guard Of honor, composed Of one
hundred marines, will march from the Ly-
peum to the gate on York street, and there
receive Rear Admiral Godon with all the
hon0rs due to his rank and services, as prescribed in
he rule quoted, and thence return with him to the
or Ssac wcs eb ae W
pnce the 1st of May, 1885, held with honor to himself
Ind profit to the department.
During the three years. administration OF Charles
~. Bell as commandant of the Brooklyn yard inc
portant improvements have been made, and that,
kO0 without ostentation the ''too much use'' Of
Ned tape i'll the various departments The Admiral
pas devoted himself to the work to which in the
course Of his professional career the Navy Depart
ment preferred him when holding the rank OF cOmmO
pore, and nc refires beloved by every one who has
Pad business or social intercourse with him step
It is related OF him by those employed in the yard
fhat never III courtesy or disposition TO mitigate the
within his care has he been surpassed. His office
pas been open to all grades in the service; and he
eti0ns of the lowest to the demands of the highest
Fhe poor vile Of the seaman, whether white or black,
eould always obtain access to him, and If it was
the brusqueness OF the sailor combined with the
hearty good VIII of the Christian gentleman, he
pourse with the employees of the yard while
etrict discipline was ever and necessarily main
hever exactng in demand or. naughty in
Intercourse. Rear Admiral Charles Fl. Bell entered
he service on the 18th Of June 1872 he date of his
fnidshipmans commssiOnE and was raised to the
GRADE he at present holds the 25th OF july 1885, or
khe nftysix years he has been in the service Of his
Eountry twcnfy-three years and nine months were
passed al sea- twelve years and four months on shore
DUTY and eighteen years and eleven months in what
8nay be termed underlined Enthusiastically un-
Rear Admiral Sylvan W. Codon entered the navy
pm tho LIST or March, 1910 1.-THE date of his warrant
hnd was raised 10 his present grade in 1885, his COM
mission bearing even date with his friend, Admiral
Bell Rear Admiral Godon served twenty three years
4nd ten months at sea- ten on shore duty and fifteen
unemployed. Ills last cruise was made In 1867.
] Admiral Godon Is reported to be exceedingly
frbane in manner and his leading characteristics
succeed.
3 The second in command at the yard, Captain
hluilaney, gentleman and sailor every inch Of
Am," as Pat would say, and who has been in charge
~ the Ordnance Bureau since May 1895 also retres
Nn the 10Th INST. He VIII be succeeded by Captain
At the present time but little business is doing at
3he yard. Few labOrers or mechanics are employed.
and 1t ls not probable that much will be done until
the impeachment question is definitely disposed Of
perhaps not until the close Of the Presidential cleo
&on. No vessels are being fitted out, 4pd those
Which arrive from sea- their batteries being re-
proved are LAID up in ordinary''-n other words are
4 The scholarship Saratoga (sloop-ot-war OF the
econd class rs at present lying Oh tne Battery
has been made up from those OF the SABINE. Other
apprentices fron the same vessel Will he transferred
70 the sloOp-of-war Portsmouth, which will make q
eruse to the westward, while the Saratoga will sail
p the eastward.
sIDEwHEEL STEAMERS.
The TNllahoma, new, launched but not completed
md the Algonquin and Susquehanna, placed ''in
ordinary"
the Relief the Sabine (:his vessel will be put out
~ commission on Thursday next, and the Vermont
The Narragansett, the Roanoke, the Spuyten Duyvil
torpedo boat, the PequOt, the Madawaska the Menu
khe Wampanoag-all out OF commission; the Puritan
Diminished but anoat iron-cad), the Neshainny mot
completed but afloat), the Ammonoosuc mot COM
nletedl the ontario and Java ION the stOcks) the
NOshola (incompete afoat, the Kalamazoo iron-
Dlad, on the siocksl the Augusta lin ordinary the
kenOshO Ton the stocks) and the Wampanoag I'm
VESSELS WITH BATTERIES.
7 The only ships with batteries on board are the
GOn-clad screw steamer Minnesota, which went
but Of commission on the LIST OF last February,
pas twelve guns on the spar deck ana tweniy,egnt
On the spar deck, forward, she has an eleven-inch
bieoe, two sixty pounders, ried; two twelye-pound
frs, heavy smooth bores' ana TWO twe"e-pounders'
D Tne Madawasxa "a screw, first class, which went
kaste one 81 xty.pounder, rned and for broadside
two one hum dpounders, ten cight-inch sxtyfve
To tWeiye.poGnders, one Of which is rIfed.
" The Roanoke (screw steamer iron-clad, turreted),
has four nlteen-inch and two eleven-inch guns
mounted In Ter turrets and two twelve FOUNDERS,
heavy smOOt. Dores, and one twelve-inch hOwitZer,
1ned This vessel went out OF commission In July,
DDy.
The Vermont, which went out Of commission
LarCh 90, 1876 has twelve nine-inch pieces mounted
"A her gun dc,k, two eightinch guns her spar
Neck, one Sky FOUNDER, rled on her forecaste and
3he One-hundreJ FOUNDER, also. riled, on her spar
heck.
The iron screw steamer Wampanoag, which went
but Of commiss the Goth of March, 1867, mas
roadstde OF cn nlne-inch pieces, two sixty-pound-
vrs, rined; sixty -pQpnder placed on the fore
castle, two tsentyfour Founders, howitzers, on the
pOOp deck, and two twelve-pounders, one rlned
Complete her armament.
L The screw steamer Memphis, which went out OF
pOmmiesion IN May OF last year, Is armed with
kined pivot thirty FOUNDER forward and two twenty
8Ouf-pOundcis amidships.
IA THE YARD AND ITS SURROUNDINGS.
= During thu past three years many improvements
bAve been made within the government grounds at
Brooklyn. The large area, which at high tide the
kafara Of the East river Vered extending the sur.