Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-03-09
THE NORFOLK MAYNARD.

IdE nav AMI
The Secretary of the Navy, il reply to
the resolution Of Mr.. B.utele, adopted jan
uary %, yesterday transmitted to the House
of REPRESENTATIVES letter from Commodore
Truyton. commandment OF the Norfolk navy
yard, in which he says:
"In reply to your letter transmitting to
me the resolution passed by tee House oil
Representatives asking il certain allegations
were true in reference to the administration
ut this navy-yard, Of which | am the COM
mandant, 1 respectfully say: There never
were any honorable inscriptions upon any
cannon captured by The United States and
placed in this yard obliterated By my order.
In fact no such obliteration has at any time
taken place. The exposure to the weather
and time had somewhat obliterated the in.
scrptions placed thereon, but they were re-
newed by my order last June, and are now
plainly visible.
"The dry dock was never destroyed. 1t
was partially damaged by the United states
forces when they evacuated the yard in 1851,
and also by the ConCeaerates when they
evacuated the yard in 1862, but in neither
case did the damage exceed the destruction
of the caisson and diacent masonry. The
original structure remained in fact as it APP
pears to-day, and therefore the dry dock
was never rebuilt. The only inscription
that was ever authorized to be placed on
the drv dock, or ever was on the dry dock,
| is still there. 1t is as follows: Commenced
lst December, 1927. John Quincy Adams,
President of the United States. Samuel l..
Southland, Secretary Of the Navy. Author
| lied by 10Th Congress. Opened 18th June,
1889. Andrew jackson President of the
United States. Levi Woodbury., Secretary
of the Navy. Leammi Baldwin, engineer
Therefore the tablet referred to by the reso-
luton, never having been on the dry dock,
was not removed.
"On the pumping engine, which IS located
in q brick building some one hundred and
| fny feet distant from the dry dock,
plate containing the inscription, Built by
Messrs. Woodruff (; Beach, machinsts and
engineers, Hartford, Conn, was removed,
and in its place another was substituted, in
scribed thereon, destroyed By the rebels in
| 1862. Rebuilt by the United States govern
ment in 1863, J. W. Livingston, command
ant. and w. H. Lyons, superintendent OF
machinery | searched the records in this
Office in vain for the authority for the re-
moval of the original plate and tho sub5titu'
ton of the other, and could not find that the
change was made by any authority what
ever i therefore had it removed. since
tho removal of the plate referred to, Mr..
Lyons has applied for it, stating that Dis he
had erected it on his own responsibility, and
bought and paid for it ut his own expense,
therefore it was his private property.
Mr.. Lyons was not the superintendent OF
machinery III the time Of the removal OF tie
plate, he having been removed by mo for
reasons hereinafter stated, or the 18th day
of April, 1885. The plate was removed
some time after-in May. Hence he was
not removed by me for protesting against
the removal CT the plate referred to- He was
removed by me ull account OF his bitter par
lisanship. His absolute political sway for q
number Of years in the steam engineering
department at this yard, and his antagonis-
tic and oyerbearng disposition to any one
who differed with him politically or other
wise created feeling If discomfort among
| the masterwork men and workmen to such
| an extent that it was almost Impossible to
get good work Of any kind done in that de-
partment. His personal character was Oh.
| jectionable he having been previously held
| to bail by United States commissioner, to
answer before the United States grand jury,
who found true bill against him for hay
ing struggled from the Spanish ship "Pay-
|
was undergoing repairs in the dry dock in
this ward | never considered that Mr..
LYONS had faithfully served the United
States government for many years, as the
resolutions allege; on the contrary, always
doubted his loyalty TO his government al
the time of its greatest need.
HE published tho following card TO the
citizens Of Norfolk, Va, in June, 1851
which appeared in the Day BooE at that
time
"'To he PuMic-I, VIM. III. Lyons, hav
ing been charged with disoyalty to the
Southern Confedcracy, proclaim myself as
good Southerncr az any man i'll the South,
and am doing rs much to destroy tho inra-
ders as any man in the field md If any one
will come TO the Atlantic Iron Works | will
show them my works, which arc more than
words, and will do all in my power to pro
mote the independence of the Southern
States. w. II. LYONS
"Foreman Atlantic Iron Works.
1.-The sentiment contained in the foreeo
ing letter does not show much faithlnlnrss
to the United Sta tcs government - the res
olutions allege.
after Mr.. Lyons was removed hy me, an
examination was ordered by you 10 fill his
place. You selected as the board Of officers
to supervise and conduct such examination,
Capt. George Brown, Commnn'ier G. 5.
Cotton, It, Com. +. w. Watson, pnsset! As.
sistant Engineer ]. A. 3. Smith and Geo. F.
Malet, naval constructor. Fu! notice Of
this examination was given, so that all Iha!
desired to attend could do so. Six mrchan
les attended the examination. The board
reported that Mr.. Thos. Carr, OF Baltimore,
was the beet man for the place, in the fol
| L., 1nr ~
chanic, excellent: leader OF men,
cellent; general qualifications for the posi-.
ton, excellent | had nothing 10 do with
Mr.. Carr's appointment. As commandant,
forwarded the result and findings Of the
board. upon whose repor: you appointed
Mr.. Carr to the position of master machin
list. The efficiency and the superior work
now turned out of that shop justili2s the
change made"
Commodore Truxton then proceeds at
length with statement to show that the
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