The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?, 1885-06-27
THE DISPATCH BOAT DOLPHIN.
The Secretary of the Navy Sends Atiornt

The Secretary of the Navy Sends Attorney
General Garland Report of the beard
Appointed to Examine the Newly Con.
structcd Dispatch D0at Dolphin.
WASHINGTON, June 19.-The Secretary
of the Navy sent to Attorney General Gar
land yesterday a copy of the report of. the
board appointed in April last to examine
and report upon the dispatch boat Dolphin,
and requested an opinion by the Department
of Justice as to the responsibility. of the
Navy Department for certain dcfectsin the
vessel which the report of the board details,
including those of structural weakness a
lack of requisite stiffness and deficiency of
speed. Following is the Sccretary's letter:
NAVY DEPARTMENT.,
WASHINGTON, d. c., Juno 49, 1886
SIR: Herewith transmit copy of the
report OF tho hoard appointed by me on tho
9Th OF April last, to examine and report upon
the dispatch boat Dolphin. ! desire you to
exam nc this report and to advise me what,
upon the law applicable to the case, is my
duty in the premises. The facts and circum.
stances connected with the examination and
the matters with reference to which l
desire advice are briefly stated as follows: -
Immediately after my accession to this
oilico, papers were presented to mo for my
signature accepting the Dolphin In behalf Of
the Government. Upon curSory exnmina-
ton of the papers, made for the purpose Of
determining to what extent had rcsponsi
Dlity in the matter. my. attention was at
tracted to tho Singular loosencSs of the con-
tract, There was Il noticeable absence of
effective stipnlations, rs it seemed to mo.
There was, however, Otlp positive require
mont contained in tho ninth section Of the
contract intended to insure q certain mini
mum power, which provides that upon her
trial trip the collective indicated horse.
power developed by sad engines under the
| prescribed conditions, shall lie two thousand
three hundred, and mantN ned successfully
Tor SIX consecutive hours; provided that in
| case of the failure Of the development of
this power, the vessel shall he accepted IL
| IT can he shown to the satisfaction of the
Naval Advisory Board and the Secretary of
| tho Navy that this lure wasduc neither to
defective workmanship nor materials"
This trial having been had in Long Island
Sound, under conditions favorable in the
ma II, she had yet failed of meeting this re.
qlircment, having developed but two thou
| sand one hundred and eighteen horsepower
Board in referring to this had stated that
| they were of the opinion that'this deficiency
'was not due to defective workmanship nor
materials; but that with better coal and a
| be exceeded"
For the purpose of verifying this sprcdic.
tion and to satisfy myself, as appeared to be
my duty wrote upon the Goth of March,
suggesting to the contractor another trial.
AS the place of the trial had been fixed in
Long Island Sound by the persons author
lied under the contract to prescribe thecQn'
dttions of tic trial, and us the terms we're
not moro severe than those eXacted by
other nations, / expected an Immediate
favorable report. 1t was acceded to on the
9Th of May, over six weeks having elapsed,
In the meantime an examination of tho
dealings Of the Department with the con.
tractor and especially the manner in which
! to the contractor, induced me to select three
competent persons to make thorough exam.
nation for purpose of my advisement as to-.
Frst-WhetheI the contract had been prop
erly performed.
sccond-As to defects in the vessel.
Ihird-As to the responsibility for the do
focts observed, if any.
The result of that examination, made with
great patience and intelligence, is :herowith
submitted for your consideration. T'now
desire an examination of the coHtrlct and
law by you that may bo advised whether,
representing the Government. have on my
hands what is in the nature of a bad bargain
or broken contract. Tho report demon.
strates that tie Government has not :got in
the Dolphin what Congress stipulated for
and what should have been obta'ned There
are three general subjects considered by tho
board. First the reed second, the strength
| III rd the.general workmanship.
First, IA tn speed. The act of Congress-
Under which the Dolphin was built provided
for an appropriation for one dispatch boat,
as recommended by tho Naval. Advisory
Board in its report of December 20. 49,"
BY referring TO that report IL will be found
that tho RECOMMENDATION Sns fof copstruc.
tion Of "blie dispatch vessel OR clipper to
have sea speed of fifteen knots" a refer.
ence to the report of the Advisory BOARD,
then before Congress, and the testimony
which had been takon by the committees
upon the subject of The new cruisers shows
that for soa speed of fifteen knots q smooth
water speed over measured distance of
| seventeen and one half or eghteeh knots is
required. Similar vessels ablc to show a
speed of eighteen and even nineteen knots
were referred to before the Congressional
commiitpe as t6ing in course Of constriic.
tion by other nations. 1t may, therefore, be
sah to have hecn tho Just expectation oil
Congress in approlf;at ng money for the
nolphin' coniSidppr or the state Of Tho brit,
entccn and a-haf knots speed upon her
trial. Her highest speed for six hours was
fifteen knots, as you will observe by exam.
ming the report of tho board. and she has
for six hours the.2,8gD horse power required
by the contract. Instead of beiIga dispatch
boat OF fifteen knots sea speed the result
OF these various trials indicates something
between twelve ard thirteen knots rs her
probable sea speed in sorvico.' In .svcw OF
lhe purpose FOR which she was built-a dis
patch loat-and the state of the art with
reference of speed of such vessels, it is mp
parent that this contract his not produced
the result Intended by Congress-.
eetohd-As to her strength. From the no.
port of the board 1t would seem that the cvi
dcnce on this subject is somewhat meagre
and rest considerably upon opinion in the
absence of sufficient sea trial. Tho English
rules In similar cases, rs am informed, gen
orally provide for run Of two or three
Haya Rt sha. Tht opinion is expressed by the
board that she has not the requisite stiffness
This opinion is based on the vibration of the
snip when under way and the yielding OBJ.
served in her floors and the effect of an un
equal load as seen when small quantity of
pig iron was loaded on her forward, causing
her machinery to get out Of line and hei
journals to heat, Hef last two trhls. nect,rd
ing to tho report, were accomplished only
with streams of water pouring upon hel
Journals during the trips, These facts seem
TO the board to indicate great structural
weakness to what extent only sufficient
sea trial will demonstrate.
Third, MS to general character Of hei
workmanship, the contract provides specin.
cally third section) "the materials and
workmanship used and applied in the con
struction of the hull and machinery ..and ut.
tings of sd d vessel in details aud finish, shall
The character of the material 10 substanti
ally beyond inspection now. The general
work manship and finish is criticised by the
board, but the contractor has been steadily
at work at this, and expresses willingness to
make details satisfactory so far as he is able
| think the Department could doubtless dea
with that matter without legal advice. This
. | whole matter comes in the end to this: The
Government is not receiving what it expect
MI nva1 had .s.nl.A