Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1886-06-19
John Roaoh,a Psr.seuror.

WARRINGTON, june 18.-While the
House was In COMMITTEES Of the Whole
to- day upon the Naval Appropriation
bill Mr.. Goff, of West Virginia, revived
the Dolphin scandal, and handled Sec
rstary Whitney without gloves. He
attributed the present deplorable con
dition of the navy to the idiotic policy
OF appropriations by Congress, and
denied that IL was the result Of ektravR
giant expenditures by former secretaries
of the navy. He then went on to criti-
cise the action OF Secretary Whitney In
connection with the Dolphin and bit
terly assaulted the auxiliary board ap-
pointed by the Score airy.
That boa. d CONTESTED of Captain Belk
nap, Com nander Evans and Mr.. Win.
ter. the first he'd bsen an applicant
for promotion He knew that the report
was intended to be m ade one way and
unless 1t was so made he would not get
promotion. Commander Evans had an
un lying grudge against Secretary
Chandler, having been removed by
that officer. Mr. Winter was superin-
ttndeut of the Metropolitan Steamship
Company, to which John Roach was a
rival. He was interested in patents
| which MIR. Roach h I'd repudiated, aud
this was tbs third man on this Impair
tial board. These were the men who
struck down and ruined the grAndest
artisan OF the day.
The Dolphin was as grand ship al
| had ever danced on the ocean wave, II
the testimony of experts could be relied
| upon. 1t had been condemned OF
the ground that 1t had not attained tn,
speed OF fifteen knots an hour. Tha
| II ID NJ r
exceeded that speed. Tbs Advisor,
Board had said that it mad . over fifte oil
knots uBder the most disad van tageou
circumstances After the appointment O
the Belknap Board IL went down to Ne
York and made trial trip, and
reported to the Secretary of the Nav,
that the Dolphin made over iftee
knots. The despatch, however, la
slum5ered in tae DIT psftme Dt from May
1885, down to the time that SENATE
Hale called for all iDformatio
relative to the matter. Then Secretar
Whitney had reluc antly drawn
from the pigeon hole aud given IL !
tbe light Of day.
On the strength Of Mr.. Whitney
statement that tho Dolphin hal iaile
the Attorney 9 sneral had ac'ed. An
this 0ispa.ch, written in May, 1855.
had slumbered while the Attorue
General wAs making his decision, an
while the wreck Of the Crane est eatal
lIshmeDt which had honCred the Ian
had been going on, to the shame al
degradation OF the Government. o
the 1ltn OF June, 1885, another tIii
trip had been made to test the strut
tural stIt myth of the vessel and not Il
spsed Captain Belkbsp had sent
despatch to the Secretary making L
co,n plant OF this vessel. The followip
day tho Secretary telegraphed-an
this telegram had also Numbered unit
called for by Senator Hale-tbat I'll
test was valueless, aud closed vii
these significant &c ntences:
"Has yesterdays trial aided you
determining this matter? II no., T,
quirs auch tests to be made next we'
as you think necessary. Dothis, unle
you prefer to make your report hast
on present Information"
On the strength Of these INSTRUCTION
they made their report condemning I'll
olphiu. They said that she vi
structurally weak, a fac! they had d
inttmated in their dispatches. Th,
said that the engine deck vibrated
the vessel plunged through the roul
seas, while ex perts mai tanned thai
was q sign of strength for these moi
sters OF the deep TO viprste. Each al
every act Of Secretary Whitney fro
the time this uncalled for warfare b
commenced upon John Roach down
the rendition OF the Attorney Genera
opinion had been without authority
law or fact, and every act since th
time had been without authority of la
If the opinion Of the Attorney GeueI
was law