The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1881-11-25
THE MAYNARD.
The work Of the Past Year aud who
Performed IL.


more work is executed In the Washington
Navy-yard than In any other yard in the
United States. There are about 600 opera
tives continually employed, and while their
wages are far below the rates of past years,
they work with an apparently uncomplNin-
Ing will. They recall the halcyon days of
the Grant administration, when wages were
remunerative and eight hours constituted
days labor. This is now changed, and
the laborious mechanic tolls for ten hours,
for more than half the year. on wages
scarcely sufficient to keep the wolf from
tho door; yet not without hGpc that his
fhardships may be alleviated' and that he
may again have tho justice rendered him
which he received under the Grant admin.
istration.
A visit to the Navy-yard is INDUCED in
| by nearly every sojourncr at the Capital,
and he finds there field for study. The
busy hammer, the mallet and the chsel are
heard in the various shops pounding upon
some article which is soon to enter into the
construction Of a great ship of war.
There are six distinct bureaus in the
yard. They are as follows Construction,
equipment, ordnance, navigation, steam
engineering, and yards and docks.
The construction department, Samuel II.
Pook in charge, comprises the following
Brass finishing department, William II.
Hutchinson, superintendent; copper rolling
mill, Matthew McNelly, superintendent;
shipsmiths, William Downcy, superintend-
ent; shipwrights, William Talbot, SUPER
intendent; spar-makers Daniel Collins,
superintendent; calkers, George w. Shelf
field, superintendent; painters, James II.
Jones, superintendent; boat.builders, Alex
ander Sword, superintendent; laborers,
Thomas Risley, superintendent. All wood
and iron work, painting, &c. pertaining to
ship-building, is done in this department.
During the past year the steamers Yantic
and Tallapoosa have been entirely rebuilt
and are now as good as new, and the Ports
mouth, Saratoga, Dispatch, Mayfower,
Rescue and Speedwell have had consider.
able repairs done to them. The monitors
Montauk, Passaic and Wyandotte have also
been repaired. All this work has been done
under the entire supervision of Constructor
Pook, who Is one of the most dilligent and
conscientious officers in the navy. More
good practical work has been done in this
navy-yard in the past year. since Mr.. Pook
assumed control of the construction bureau,
than was ever before accomplished in the
same period. The other departments,
which are mere accessories to tho construc-
tion bureau, are:
The equipment department which COM
prises the sail loft, VIM. l.. Cowan, super
intendent rigging loft, John S. Sinclair,
U. s. N, superintendent galley shop, VIM.
Young, superintendent chain shop r. NJ.
Green, superintendent; anchor shop, James
Wilson, superintendent In the above shops
all sails. galleys, chains, rigging and
anchors are manufactured for vessels in the
navy, under the general supervision of
Commander II. s. Evans, U. S. N, equip
ment o4cer.
The ordnance department comprises the
ordnance machine shop and laboratory
foundry and museum Of the yard, in which
} all guns, projectiles and munitions of wal
are manufactured under the superv ision Of
Commander John A. Howell, U. S. N, ord
nance officer.
The navigation office, in which all flags
signals and navigation instruments are
furnished is under the supervision of Capt
John II. Russell, U. N.
! The steam engineering department con
sists of the machine shop, George r. Wilson
} superintendent; foundry, Joseph Gelston
superintendent; boiler shop, Joseph Ben
nett, superintendent; and in the above
shops all steam engines, heavy castings, and
} boilers are manufactured for vessels of the
; navy undrr the supervision of VIM. b
/. Brooks, chief engineer of tho United States
, navy.
The yards and docks department, Civil
J Engineer A. G. Menocal, U. S. N, is super
! intending; no attends to the repairs of all
buildings in the yard, the wharves, and til,
marine railway in the east ship-housc.
The museum is place that no visitor
should neglect to see. In this building
there are models and originals of every con
ceivable kind of irearm, shot. shell, torpedo
and every engine of destruction ever in
vented. Here can be found also section
of the stern.post of the United State
: steamship Kearsarge, into which is i'm
bedded shell from the. Alabama, and relic
: of all kinds.
,, The steamer Enterprise, which is beini
completely rebuilt is now out in the strean
having the finishing touches put upon her
such as painting, calking, rigging, &c, SC
The spars for the Enterprise, which wer,
built by Mr.. Daniel Collins, are bein
rapidly put in her and before many week
, that part of the work will be completed
Mr.. VIM. L. Cowan's men are busily q
work ON mammoth sails for the Enterprise
which will also be finished shortly TIL
old veteran calker, George w. Sheffield
is one of the busiest men to be seen on thu
decks of tho Enterprise. He is always Mt hi
, post giving directions to his workmen, who's
, hammers keep time TO the music of tn
wild November winds. This little army G
. oakum Founders are never idle. Indeed i
,, can be truthfully said that every one en
, gagged on the Enterprise, even includin
little Charley Morgan and Ambrose Brown
the juvenile manipulators of the waite
bucket, are at all times busy.
What Congress Should DO.
i 1t is to DO hoped that Congress, at ii
}. next session, will make a sufficiently larg
, appropriation for the Navy-yard, that ship
J. might be constructed that will compel
, with foreign vessels of war. At the presen
I, time our navy is a disgrace to proud re
j, public. Foreigners laugh at it and call it
/. navy of mud -scows.
|, Should we be suddenly involved in a wa
:; with n foreign power we could make but
a slight defense. Our seacoast is defenseles'
!, and rs stated above our present navy coul
/. do but little toward keeping at bay the poI
/. derous war vessels of foreign navies. |
:; this connection 1t might be well to say this
/, there is urgent necessity for Congressioni
J. legislation with reference to the deepenin
!, of the channel leading to this yard. An.
j. person who has visited the Clyde for tn
J, first time feels astonished to see what ca
i be done on comparatively small river, an
3. how much pains is taken by the BIRTHS
!, government to keep it in such col
\. dition that the largest ships can tloi
S. to and fro upon her waters. What shall
said of tho supineness of our legislators VII
will permit the channel leading to I'll
Capital of the Nation to gradually close NJ
10 Only twenty years ago the Minnesota,
IF frigate of the largest class, was launcht