The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-05-26
SECOR ROBBERS0N'S NAVY.
,yr TESTIMONY TihEN Ar THE
uRoOKLYN Way fiRO.


u...,u,..orox. Nav g5.--Thc y oofs of the
,,.,h,tch Of te.tin NV tikcn hy tne sn'-con-
,,ttee or the Comm ~ tee on ~ y" JUS '" ''-
card ~ the adminisifhi' ia ." "e W., W."
80, ward la. h,-t uecn received rom tue
nav ,,,,,,,tcy ,nice. the testimony
s.,,,.l IA that Of Vice-Admir Row H. COM
VIM 80 q, ,d ra,t EN- lc. captain Of
., n,, , mech mic named Kelley. Adj
ots nat altogether sa isled with the
49,. H., ui,i,b the navy IA administ' red, and
~ 49,, there shuuli lie an advisory com
,',,.,' ,,unosci chit Nv OF scientific and ex-
,,,,J naval officers. lie does not approve
human system, nd saws he Is simply sort
:, heaJ nnstmaster, through whom all bust
nosa pertaining to the management and admin
,s,ratlon II the yard Is trans cted. lie admits
that there Is not the proper security for the
goyernment under the present system OF pur-
,hases by pa masters, aud says that II n pay
Master want, to be dishonest there Is millions
in il Tor himseu and friends. In regard to the
character II some Of his subordinates he test-
led As follows
o -nav' you known Of any such Instances since your
ssul puon OF command here9 A.-No sir,
Q-f,,e any @ me onicers connected win the ya:d
lctnr .urt mirtalcd sinccyOu have been In c0nmandr
Q Have any proceedings with reference to any In.
Nv been her, A. Yes. A rrport reached me that
Ig Tas ,o' ose Wiz" Tr"smiras In he muster ri
-and mmr dhi,y ordered butrd, with Commander
Meade tnC head OF H. 10 investigate IT, wanted to
RI data before tooA aiy further steps In the
. How did that inquiry RESULT Att resulted IN
rdelc. taet there was irregularily there.
rS,er Win tae whole roeecdinss to the navy De.
Edgf y', ordsred. composer Of cSnlmo oofe clitl
(,h narm'nv. ana another oficcr whose name do
. ~gu,' va, ao9s y virtue o. tina, order? A.
a 4
Io.r papers from thc Navy Department Ourself The
1he proceedings have Deen forwarded to tue Depart
. ,Hor long ago did this occur2 Alt is about
al. he Ciu Engineer stli on dutyp A.-Hem
Both Admiral Rowan and Capt. Temple have
very HIN opinions Of the usefulness OF the
lchool ships f1r the training OF seamen lately
introduced. Capt. Temple thinks that this sys-
emi. our only hope for the future, as the stand
ard Of our seamen is very low now. 1t will bo
impossible to have proper administration Of
Dur navy yarls. In Admiral Rowan's opinion.
lntll bureau officers In Washington are cut OF
rom PLAYING executives OF the Yards.
10 regard to dispensing with some Of our navy
ards. Admiral Rowan saws he would retain but
hree. Boston. Brooklyn aud Norfolk. The rest
,e would with the exception OF Portsmouth
md New London. close up. The two exceptions
done named e would sell. South Of Norfolk
II Port Royal. he abandonnent OF the old
sayy ward az Philadelphia for League Island he
thinks was not good policy. Two or three Yards
ought to he Kept constantly employed IN build
lug and repairing ships. and the rest closed up
aud held only for use IN war times. In regard
10 the Improvement OF our navy, Admiral Rowan
lays.
weMe not adding ANYTHING. am sorry to sN. You
pave us money 10 build some vessels. the Congress be-
TOR. sne il over at Roachs laA ing ia her machn.
va tons She Is soina to carry the Tst battery Of rs
runs that We have ever had snoa Sue quilt OF live
The Admiral has a poor opinion OF the new
lnglnes whlcn John Roach has. through hts In
luence with Robson, had adopted on nearly all
ur vessels. He says - think me whole sys-
en- Of new boilers, the compound boilers, Is q
Mistake"
o-Do you mean that the mistake is in the construc
s sy'n nor or sn ."s p,hSpe IN, Pes
nssg,n some , Of those boilers l.ye failed out
That Information you could onl' get from experts
enough for merchant ship;. but ( viii nat
sS ior War nurposs For lnstance you cannot DO
sheh We never CARR, and besides you always In
Q-whlch . The most economical boiler in use7 A.
-lsVpo" tue ordinary cylindrical
10 regard to political interference with the adj
testified as follows:
q what is the difference between the management
rr OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES ~ .ne m & so unagt
ucAa2 A-Ithnk that ~ ear} days 90 iticans di not
bearing II spoken OF 80 nuen. But poltci rs co in'
and people Of %'tf n Ra 1s e. s
uld understand 4, hut they form little Local clubs
down here swaeger aud saw 10 the heads of the de-
arimeni thai u they do not give certain men employ
INNS ihere has been so muea OF that OF late years.
members Of Congress would send The names OF such
Yeo1e as they wish employed, II would D. Igh enough
t uirouAge Of the yards ougn 10 belong % the parry
u plNtr There are three sugh uus a. have men
u and | Hes
% have tPe ParOnase o. ne yard 4 you send Us
Wet ASSOCIATIONS were those? A man
Mefe ~as aso some seamins friend society. 1ney
g uqyoa cyer, hear from he John ,o'Brcn A.so.
SW m NV AwAy a No, sir do not think
IplInea b., mi.nt ecoinend them TO Inc Slnan
~ ani % tle clmmindant required such men, he
ns ihAr lAr o nut DO not tnihk mat he zee lite
iseoti5. ya,d. anus " ''' 'OOu' tue pA''oH'
Ia regard 10 the uolicv OF having Government
NoiA done bl private parties under cOptract,
Sdpl' william e. Temple testines as follows:
WHAT Do you thnk Of the contract SYSTEM either
a., pula,lasslps or machinery? Al would not have
4.n Gosrramen iaeles Tor ali q mat work
better viii cot more AT a n. T ou, WI T eo ee
,1-ihe Geyerrmentn has gone TO the expense of nro.
it'Ns !neli ~ thls yard auI In Boston yard and
~ ig Warrington YARD Tor building the ry hesviest
ar a,ing or doae ty contracts win Roach and
A
We arr al,O wrapping OF our old iron at three for
t1', SaI s.ArVnrr al worse rates than that Al
" ,''t W. Hfri do not know anything about IT,
~ you not ell,Ne that the Government ia In a
,y- ~ VII " It, Old ron with as much ECONOMY
:. 80 ,'ls WISE z A le-, great deal better than
1900 e,t cen aud don't Oeeve IL selling q ship
"', mart lnu o. her machinery IN ana then Ouylux
we ulsi Instance. ~ ''F we 49, 80
~ NJ NJ ls-Do YOU know what the practice OF for
- 'tIAmtuts 10 whether IL l. to build
.i, v' Di 10 NE yard Al think they are almost
g, n hu ~ themselves
~ iron Yesses' A.-AI kinds l know thts. Va
Ws''isl sold " traded away. Everything be-
70 we bu.l-h Government l. marked nth "A
~ tliIuN anu u u Is found outside Of the doc yard
y pisa i.cle evdencu Of theft
rel t iVl nave sald about building applies also to
ms nus opinion Of secor Robeson's boosted efotts
'-ehefate cur navy I, as follows:
~ "hat l. the condition ~ our navy now compared
that non sf years agOp A.-Most Of tie Sims
oi SERVE ~ re- ia wears ago rotten now, out
All a. "ssn .aAnR ne general strelgth OF our navy
ver, 80, AvlHy 10 DO serylceY Al should say II ia
n t.p =, &c Nv Nhal II VS. six years ago. 1 cannot
O'EW. 20. * without looking at It lttlc-
fsr yes, n"y'4 you hsy VAN reference to three or
Vt -ds aGo Al do not think there Is any partic.
a., nlnse w mat the except tn. I'M reduction OF
n'N - !ph-tAe Alert anu that class have uniy
a nn ,,ul u'n, ami cannot bay that IKE IA t.
o. Ma ,hey add much strength TO the navy.
vi. H. ~. you ulhk aOout tho Trenton, Al
d a., IIru'on very me ship.
IbS, % lhe siips Low ia process OF cOnstructlon
ma To- IN vac shpH on other nayies? A.-They are
Te , lug .ort 'unera1le sni Il less speed
CAM I.N tMo yards on the Atlantic coast that
Irs " ithple would keen IN active operation
Keen ,,, AT AT btooklyn and Norfolk. He would