The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-01-10
NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.
State Of Affairs ut the Brooklyn
Navy Yard.
No hing Unusual Going On-Condition Of tho
Veslels-The Repairs Necessary and the Time
Required 10 Fit Them for Sea-What
Are Servicsabls and What Are Not.

There IS not the slightest vibration IN the atmo.
sphere OF any department at the Navy Yard,
despite the attempt OF some journals that are en-
deavorng 10 produce an excitement by crying
"Great actvity,u '.Great activltY.n For months
the little work In progress has been ham,
mered away at by small force OF
artisans, and at no time within the past
several years have matters gone along Be
smoothly anu quietly now. Should the Navy De-
partmcnt be contemplating aggressive action In any
particular with Spain the officers on this station
would assuredly be ADVISED; and instead oil the
meagrc number OF ZOO men, as now employed
at the government quarters In Brooklyn.
there would be 5000 or 5000 artisans ana
laborers at work. Another evidence that nothing
or this serious nature Is yet contemplated at WASH
ington Is The fact that no unusual exerIions are
being made In the recruiting bureau. The standard
imposed IN the matter OF heights, physical quanca-
tons aud past service remains the same, but should
the United States be determined to go to war
with a foreign Power, there would be such redtc-
ton in this respect that the majority OF sailors ap-
plying for service would De accepted. At present.
it IS the reverse. Not three out oil ten
cone up TO the standard height required,
and yet they possess all the other quail.
ncaions, and are refused because OF this
alone. This hasn't much the aspect OF war. No
orders have been received at the Navy Yard to dis
turD the placid current OF affairs so long ooServa-
BILE, and really none are expected. Everything ID
at the dead lowest notch, aud there Is not "ereas
activity" in any department. much less In all.
Facts are one thing, probashues another. Some
late published accounts OF naval matters at this
station have lacked the essentials OF correctness,
ana In order that the public may know the condf
ton of the several vessels lying at Brook
lyn the appended details are given. They differ
wonderfully from some statements recently made
on the same subject, the authority for which must
have been the That stated some OF the ships OF
war were In readiness for sea, or could be made
so IN few days. when the facts are that 1t would
take weeks to properly lit them with the present
available force, and some of them could not he put
into condition for active service at ALL
and has been awaiting q new propeller from Nor
oK v ten en- Un to a In ace er TINS M is one
ana leaving the dock B0J tons OF coal must be put IN
her punkers. Her battery consisting OF two l1lnch
and eight 0inch guns Is yet under the shears, and
her crew still on beard the receiving ship Yer.
mont while several OF her officers have not yet re-
ported. She will not be ready Tor sea in over two
weeks.
relief crew, officers and men, as well as stores and
equipments, to the United States ship Lancaster.
nose now aacSea 10 her crew. Her
will consist oil only one or Two guns. and not six
teen or as Sanre ar tb sef n,v
alone, 10 complete which che construction depart
msn WI require forty days ana fo 1 War o1er @sea
Inc Hartford has been reconstructed and altered
to a double deck ship She Will carry, IN addition
to her former battery, Two guns on the spar deck.
Her machinery and boilers. which have been
thoroughly oyerh"ned are not yet o ner ana
not be made ready in five months, but with q sur
fcient NUMBER OF men could lie In complete order In
pcdite work Of this character and, in the absence Of
these, 1t does not look as n the Naval Department
The monitor Roanoke q wooden ship cut down
and plated with iron 81 inches In thickness, Is also
ri hoch ann n1 0f m nnf ohn
is .always ready for service, being designated
Tor hsrbor and coast defence" The truth
wooden vessels she going decay, and is slow
that in the most emergent case she could not get out
partial examination OF her deck was made
snolt time since. which was found to
would ue required on her machinery and lurrets,
and she would have to be docked that her bottom
tried never fred shot at an enemy-only in target
practice. Her mounted battery Is TWO ll.nch and
vice. that Is apparent and were size now required
by the Navy Department she could not be put In
then she would not be OF any account You can
dress up q scarecrow, but still it's tie same
The monitor Colossus is on the stocks, .and in
case OF an emergency could be got ready in about
SIXTY days" SO some supposed excellent authority
is a skeleton. she hasn't received o
single plate; her turrct Is not set up.
and her engines ana boilers are not finished. The
Colossus could not be got ready for service IN four
months, II all the men that could be put IN AMI
around her should begin the work OF her completion
the first class steam frgatc Minnesota, sixty guns,
as esVa the %e n%ds
she could be made ready with sufficient
in BUT nothing Se seen fG snss
this portion oil her work Will soon be commenced.
built. This part OF the work could be finished In
The propeller Florida the experiment Of Benjamin
IL n frSf IN m ~ AM ~
Ing IDEAS Is laid up, andthe old cry-her machinery
being put IN order. Her deck is being repaired.
1t is extremely uncertain wnen she can DC made
the steam sloop.of-war Java Is on the stocks. ana
ready for launching" The truth about this vessel
Is rather inlmcal 70 the Navy Department She is
stand caukng. ltwere Just as Jndrious TO at
tempt the launching OF the steam Irgate New York,
which as yet hasn't RIB In her.
The lroquois is laid up for repairs TO her boilers.
TINS ship was recently PIT In commission, having
OF somebody the work on her boilers was
Two under steam. It Win he remembered she ' was
ordered TO loin the Grand Dukes reception feet
nul Icing disabled was ordered to this yard her
be transferred to The Canandaigua. Such dis
p"son was made he OF ner vba c ss wis ne
ready as they have been month already ut her
collapsed boilers, and even when n ey are repaired,
the fact Of their only being patched cannot he for
gotten. The Florida is Intended Tor the East Indies,
and well II Is so, as she might be required for war
purposes.
frame house. TO feet long by 60 feet wide has
been put up at the Navy Yard for the purpose OF
building torpedo boat, the most formidable in tho
world. The plans anu specifications were prepared
at The Navy Department. The keel blocks have been
laid.
The Nevada Gettysburg and Dictator are at New
London. They were sent there TO establish Navy
Narl. The Commandant Is at the station, so rumor
says hut ne has 10 men and his vessels are exceed
ingly troublesome. They swing as they please at
every tide and occasionally block up the whole
river.
Tue monitor Dictator II required, would have 10
lie towcd 10 this station Tor repairs, anu these Tor
any service could not be otherwise IMAM extensive.
The Dictator Is good for one tninx-show-alld not
much else. .,s, :, 49,,
A new anchor park has been established In the
Navy Yard.