The sun., 1873-07-28
A NEST OF CORRUPTION.
TIE MARE ISLAND NAVY YARD IN
CALIFORNTl.
One OF sccor obesop's Political Instlfuti ,ns-
Disgrnccful Exhibit Of Extravagapcs.
incompetence, and Fraud

Disgraccfui Exhibit Of Extrayagaucs,
Inconvenience, and Fraud.
Prom hs San fJdncis-o Chronicle
The following is an extract from the ad-
vance sheets Of report from the Mare Island
Navy Yard to the Hon. Secretary Of the NAVY.
~ tis not ns complete as we would wish IL to be,
sun u VIII give our readers pretty fair insight
into Government affairs as they are conducted on
eps cGas ay snd be n"nST m tSI b ,G1 our natory
we respectfully dedicate this report to the
thinking public:
The Navy Yard at Mare Island is very useful
institution, where money ostensibly appro-
prated for the repairs of vessels and permanent
improvements ON the yard are made to answer
ior double purpose, viz. for the object really
intended and for political purposes. The
,iYni, .mIunt expended on the former is compare
two-thirds OF the appropriations The otirers
@ any Superlntondent including foremen, clerks,
writers, ana watchmen, have during the wear
AVERAGED about lB persons. at cost OF nearly
s-oo,nl, or $50 PEI working day. The expenses,
work done has not increased In the same pro-
portion. The repairs done to vessels have been
expended are taken into consideration. while tho
permanent improvements on the yard are Of
employed in the different Departments have
averaged about Goo, Of which the lowest mum
ber SO were employed Immediately after the
election. In October, ls,9, the number Of men
was nearly lgo, and the pay roll amounted TO
has not exceeded sJOO,OvO for the last seven
months Of the year.
sQUANDERISG PuBtIC MONEYS
docks
fil0hOO which has been expended some Of tho
sections OF tho floating dock have been over
hauled, rail track extending from the machine
shops to the derrick and from thence to the
present Ordnance building has been completed;
another section of the sea wall built but moth.
Ing has been done to preserve from ultimate
Destruction the Ordnance building. the upper
end OF which IL split from the ground to the ton
owing 70 poorly-constructed foundation. Some
unsightly shores have been set up against the
result Of it's falling down some dsy With ctasS
and probable loss OF life. The officers quarters
paint during the colonization months. The site
for the now dry dock, Tor which $4,000 was APP
propriated' l,as been staked out, the corerdain
nearly completed and about six thousand cubic
yards OF earth excavated. The further sum OF
stVOWO Is to be expended during the new nscal
will probably he dug II the money will last long
enough. The basin has been dredged by con-
tractors at cost Of about fifty cents per ward,
when it could have been done for forty cents by
the Government dredger Comment IL unne-
taso 10y contract In different parts of the island
aiew scows and boats repaired, and this com.
pletes the report Of work done In that depart
ment.
EXPENSIVE REPAIRS.
In The construction and repair department a
rev vessels have been repaired. The kearsarge,
which was hauled up on the railways in Febru-
AIRY, ls's, Is yet under the hands of the workmen,
at the present time. IL was supposed a year
ago that four months more would complete her
ship to sea. Her original cost in 1861 was sssS-
sIs, and II took but ninety days to build vcssel
nearly sixteen cnusecu;iv" months A close ex.
animation of the snip ~ different stages during
even more of "a di,cie.iit ~ our Navy Yard than
the Pensacola. The forward part rom the fore
chains IL new, and live oak frames, some Of
which arc not in he best state uf rresaryation.
have been substituted lor the Old ones Filling,
IN pieces ia her hilsc OF i.t- than four feet In
length some not two feet, H,e II frequent oc-
currtnce, while some tUp-tmhers, having al
ready held two sets uf pilnking. stu remain
Three old beams ON the forward berth-deck and
aii AT, some Of which are decaycd, are reiEned.
The waterways on the berth-dcak are IN some
places not within half au inch of the timber
Inc greatest hlundcr. however. na~ been COM
mitted mite. on ne gun or spar deck. An gun car
na-es hllu sildts IN TIE navy are Of uniform
sLe 50 as to III any ship and hiS particularly
intended u carry two ll-n,h piyots and the |
putis loi the same have already beca changed
ONE ul,rihs ncr repalrs. II has now been dis
enNcItu that tht aiter pivot Gun VIII not work |
clear " withn three feet Of the ward-room com |
pahloh hatch ana lively correspondence with |
the uepaitment IN washington has been In |
auguiated. She Ia pl1nked with Oregon pine
executing fonr firahcs under the ports. which |
are OF oak. Tho contrast between these twn |
Kinds ui material Is striking and exctes the in |
llli! way oak wa not entirely dispensed with. |
m!d oregon pine substituted. Oak in fact il |
tAlrss' AS the specimens on the kearsarre /
NJ sio" The heat of the sun bearing upon |
thI tlpr1lect'd sizes ami deck of the vessel, |
hhd th" dry summer winds having penetrated |
" snip from kn'shthcad To- taGrail, have opened |
ihr Nr@lns of the oak llduhing ~ the width of |
hiue-siNicenths ~ an inch IN some places
which when caulkcd, will be fully thrce.uuar.
20 N.ht the oregon pine and teak have stood
IhG vessel i, r''n.,t tWu-turds finished, and the
60. ~ relai's Will exceed tAs oas nal amount
considerably.
MORE WASTE.
Tho IleaiDia and M1hlran have nIso furnished
s1cu,c Tor putting on extra forces OF wnrhuirn |
ihe ho!i'hn mas been almost broken up the
hhes OF the new Mohican lard down and mould.
made. \ new keel has been stretched consist
lns OF TX lcn-'hs II hy II inches. The scarphs
h11 ttn ieel lH!ii hi'd the up2rr nip is six and
ana unfit Tor use Tas ~ shlo viii M m,N
tplent! election job, and will do for the next
i, rt, Suenilal canpalgn,eyen If commenced upon
this summer splendid lot OF Louisiana live |
oak timber, and rather suspicious pile OF white
1h pah pinnH IS "n hand, shipped out here from the
EAST aud oi which The new Mohlcan il to be
built The waste Of material is surprising in the
In several cutie feet, are used for lrewood- "A
iar=o l,ile Of white oak plank, purchased for
per loot, lies exposed to the lnclemency Of the
weather and is now almost unit for use An
feet has been hauled out of the water and ex-
posed 10 rain and sunshine, is rapidly being
not fall short of $3.50 per cubic foot, and the
only excuse for rneglectlng it is that it is not Of
come there The Timber inspectors books. II
compared with the material actually on hand
"ouiu reveal some strange discrepancies
MORE BLUSDERISG.
The Dncotah has been sunk THROUGH .hcer
carelessness, Notwithstanding attention was
1g Hpr iS iss. hes dangerous % position as early as
untll she broke her poor back and slid out in
ine mud Where she r was sold for $500 to VAL
the Goyernment for S&3i31 in lStl., ind On which
1our times tlat amount has since been en- |
pended, yet receives attention from the Com
sruGtnn and steam Engineering Department
she Is wei known IN san Francisco bv her very |
ODD appearance, and her loss would be a nnan,
cal gam To- the Navy Departmcn The IRON |
claus Monadnock and Comanchc are like nalnfed |
sepulchreS-ou well enough to look at but
INSIDE iull OF corruption. Tho Monadnock's
nun Is OF wood, and decidedly ripe" IL will
take AT least $2OJ,OO0 To repair her and then
alter few years-repeat.
THE NYAcK, CYANB AND JAMESTOWN
are lying 10 what Is termed Rotten Row" The
nTst vessel belongs to n class known AZ tho
g0od Tor nothing She is one Of the vessels
punt during the war, and consequently what
the Secretary calls "decayed." The Cyane and
Jamestown, although built In 1897 and lsIt are
not In a very bad condition their bottnms hae hht
ing sound and their topsides but slightiy de-
cayed' Inc California, one OF the floating monu-
~ mems oi Navy Department folly, was launched
" Portsmouth, n. H., In 1857, and cost over
tl,UOUO Some idea OF her state NAV be had
from the fact that two years ago II was thoupht
HuVisanle TO caulk her very lightly She has |
hioored nisd to such an extent that her spar deck
cramps, although i've or six inches in thickness
are broken square OF some fifty feet from an |
anu nave the appearance OF having been sawed |
n. ~ III, |