National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1872-12-03

can be entirely Becure.
SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS on sTSAN-BouKRs.
Recent disasters Of serious character, result
Ing from the explosion OF steam-boilerh, have
called renewed attention to the necessity Of ind
ing some efilcient remedy for these distressing
accidents 80 destructive 10 property and life.
The universal employment Of steam al the pres-
emit day in naval as well as commercial opera.
tons, renders this q matter Of extreme interest
TO all, and one demanding the serious attention
Of the Government. In December last, at the
suggestion Of private parties who were about 20
institute some experiments upon actual boilers
NJ sandy Hook, I appointed board OF engineers
10 attend and witness the result Appointed
hereto is copy Of their report, which seems 70
indicate that much valuable Information and,
perhaps, solution OF the dlfilcult problem may
attend further prosecution Ot the inquiry. IN.
deed, tho Information already acquired IL
deemed by those competent 70 Judge, Of much
interest aud Importance. II IL gratifying 10
know that the experiments which have led tp
the most reliable Information hitherto possessed
by the scientific world on this dlfficult subject
were instituted and conducted by an American
institution, (the Franklin Institute, Of Phladel-
pha,1 under the patronage OF our Government,
detailed In two able reports one made In Janu-
AIRY, 1896, on the manifestations Of steam under
various conditions, and lts effects, "a steam, upon
small model boiler constructed for the purposei
and the other, made some months afterwards on
the strength Of materials cmnlnvcl In the con-
structiDn Of steam-bOilera. The former report
was published In FIX, Doc. No li2, frlt session
Twcnty-fOuTth Congress; the latt Y In Elk. Doc.
No. Is, second session Thlrtleth Congress, In.
IlullNN III HVCNlh VI lUN VI
Patents IL Ia 10 he regretted ttlt the expert
ments thus auspciOusly commenced had not
been continued until a complete solution Of the
difficulties could have been obtained.
No material advance seems to have hccn made
In real knowledge on the subject since that time,
aud the great desideratum at tho present day Is
series Of well-llrected experiments on actual
boilers used in navigation. II was the employ
ment Of such boilers in tho experiments made
last season at Sandy HOOK which was the means
Of producing tho Interesting results before allu-
ded to-. But the making OF experiments on this
scale IA attended with too much expense aud risk
of capital 70 he carried on by private enterprise.
II can only he accomplished under the patronage
Of the Government, and II seems TO me that any
reasonable outlay In this direction would he
amply repaid In the increased security to our
naval aud commercial marine. Legislation regu-
lative Of the inspection AMI management Of
stean-bOlleTs must necessarily he imperfect under
an imperfect knowledge Of tho causes which lead
to explosions; and reliable knowledge can never
he obtained by silent reflection In the study, or
by verbal and theoretical discussion, but only by
actual trials on real boilers, under such COndl-
tons ami circumstances as the present advanced
state Of engineering, science and skill shall dc
tate. This Department has noticed with much
interest that the subject has engaged the atten-
ton Of Congress, and that law was passed by one
House at lis late session, providing for a cOntinu-
| alton OF experiments such a. have been recon-
| mcnded. There arc few things at this tlme, az
| feCtlng the commercial and naval interests OF the
| country, Of more practical Importance than this,
and II Ia to he hoped that the pressure Of business
at the coming session will not cause the matter
| RAvY-YARDs.
| must again renew my urgent recommends
ton that our navy yarls shall he developed and
adapted TO the new necessities Of naval warfare.
They are tho resources Of naval power, and,
like Notifications, II strong and capable often de-
| ter other nations from lightly entering upon war
| with their pOssessOTs At Mare Island we have
| an admirable site, with every natural requisite
for a great dock-yard. II is our only naval station
/ on the Pacific, aud It needs dry-dOCks and work
| shops, guay-walls, and other appliances to make
10 worthy Of our great Western coast, and TO ena-
| bic US TO assert and maintain, II need be, our
proper supremacy upon the Pacific ocean.
| Al various points on the Atlantic coast yards
i are admirably placed to utilize, In time Of war,
Inc vast naval resources Of our great cities with
their dry-dOcks and shlp-yarls, forgcs and ma
| chIne-shOps, their host Of skilled wOrkmen and
/ immense store Of material These invaluable
| sites, acquired from time TO time with so much
difficulty, we shall greatly need In any time Of
| should they once pass from our possession. At
| Philadelphia, however, we have really two navy
yards. The old establishment Is very small, with
| narrow waterfront, and Is greatly needed by the
| city for other purposes, while at League Island
we shall soon, and cheaply have retrieved an
area Of firm ground larger than that now occupied
| by the old navy ward, and raised far above the
highest water level. We cannot anorl to main
tain two navy yards within three miles Of each
other; wise economy demands that one OF them
| should be discontinued, and would urge that
Congress cause the old establishment to be care
fully valued, and that sum equal 70 the value
1 thus determined should be appropriated to con
the sum so appropriated to he returned TO the
Treasury a. soon as the new works shall be sum
clently advanced to warrant the dlsuse and sale
Of the old yard. A navy yard OF the first class
upon fresh water, perfectly secure from an enc,
nys neet on the margin OF our great coal and
iron region, and having at hand the skilled labOl
Of a great manufacturing city, will he grea
source Of naval power.
The navy yard at Norfolk Is also Of great value
from Its position and climate, enabling repair
and construction TO be prosecuted In mid-wlntcr
| when the rigorous climate Of the North some
times fOrblds all outdoor labor. This was onc'
our chief navy yard, and recommend that lib
| eral appropriations be made TO re-establish AM
multiply It's resources.
have heretofore spoken Of the claims Of tn
Now London station on the llberallty OF Con
, | gTess. Some of these are TO be found In goo
hhTbOT, easy Of access from all directions, an
conveniently situated between two great com
mcrclal cities, an industrious and lngenlon
people whose labor IL skillful and cheap, ami
site for the station already acquired through IN
libcralty Of the state, to the improvement Q
which the Government seems 10 10 virtual
, pledged. II lsalready station Of convenience
, | to the service, and with moderate eNpcnhltur
: | Its use could be largely increased.
NAVAL PRISONS. ,-.-,,
( Corporal punishment having been happl
: | abolished In the navy, and punishment by line
= being In great degree inapplicablo, only impTl'
1 | Onment remains TO he awarded by COurts-martla
! rs the punishment Of enlisted men convicted q
i the navy has no proper prison properly to carr
out such sentences. AZ our marine BARRACKS ~
| ~ NN''5 W =,
police AMI discipline OF ihe marine GARRISON III
| wholly uhht Tor lno C0hnhemeht OF COmsicts W
: tenced To prOtracteu imprisonment. Inese wv
: are now our only resource when nien uhlet ~ ~
tehce are Drought from our squalIOns Anu ~
= TONS They are ~ lnsuuicleht IN hummer anu !
accommodations mat u Oltth OevOihes neCeh9a "
70 pace TWO men IN One .eIi, alu tOVApiV,o ~
c pflsOue,s 70 tgOlh agalnst MnCh ~ My ~
lests, we ate W ,,i
IA on hIlspnels " aNe rum w NV Sot ~ ~
Nenihatoh anu uTyheSa OF tnese uclis ae neCS ~,
safilY deieotNe; anu lheIe are 10 nlehhs W ~
" puylng the PRISONERS so rs W niullntsu tnvil
y | pchse 70 lhe HoNtInmehi, hhl W lnt .hpLVS
7, nent OF thelr heAlth' their hofAls anu theH "
d | cency, ..,.. ,
IA lIecOmmend that mOuethle APPROXIMATION
7 made TO build suitable prison ~ ONT ol ol
marine statlOhs, where the necessary guSIu ~
meulcM httenuanCo may " nhd nitliv ~ % pv
, anu where we may be hDle 70 give lnat Sai ,s
le tue wel-Deng anu Improvement Oi our pIlso oi
10 when modern oiyiikaton ~ y
I'd usg " ~ Wy y, 1t slI,c,inn ~ Il
n ~ y, ,tS W. na,,t sor,co ana n
- @ ~ aim, tha hj1hsr S,ra,Ies. ami IN rel
- ni y, VI H. Inns ast On SSnada To- ipcreast
~ W. I'M NJ ~ os az aSat InIdsbinmen AT H
III W,,ai Aadony. ami vSnniJ stiVgeEt M
Il. S ~, ,T anI a., ~ thS ,raLa ~ con,nodors
th aS ,oi Ian Irass shnrII Nv law nj
10 Wy W. " IN IN IlmO,nt ii srtuai seTySe "a
n w 10 ~ n,op ~ oach grad hcfnre he an
- ~ NJ ~ V H. ~ % - nraD,n,inn ~
W ~ Sms.uio' III 'ini0 VI P'"''' i'' f'''i'" ~
~ hE"'' Oh'' 49,, ,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,n
r.