New-York tribune., 1886-05-28
TNFORTTNdTE RETELlTTONS

The Dnlphin budget sept to the Senate con-
tains fresh revelations of Secretary Nhitneys
conduct II includcs two reports from Captain
Meade on the Voyages of the disratch-boat,
both fay orabe to the vessel In his official
account .f the cruise in search of q storm he
saws: :" If any structural weakness exists Vt did
not exhibit. itself The Dolphin is reasonably
strong and her machinery reliable In his
prey ious report he had described the weather
as severe and the ship as "rIdlng the gale
casilyn The Secretary and his partisan EAaiIl-
ming Board had charged that the vessel was
structurally weak. These voyages had been
ordered for the special purpose OF testing her
seaworthneSs in heavy weather. Here was
conclusive evidence from an experienced plhcer
that there was no sign of structural weakness
and that the machinery could be depended upon
even in severe storms. If Secretary Whitney
had been acting in good faith he would have
Published Captain Meade's reports at once lie
suppressed both reports and has only brought
them to light now because he is forced to DO so
bv a direct resolution of the Senate. lhis
is only one of many instances of the unfair
treatment accorded by the Department to the
naval experts who designed the vessel and the
contractor who built it. From first to last
evidence IN favor of the ship has been either
kept secret or held back as long as possible,
and everything that partisans employed to con-
denim her could produce has been published
with indecent haste.
The report of the three sea-sick experts,
which was also suppressed reveals at once
their own incompetence and ignorance and the
satisfactory conduct of the Dolphin. They
admit the stress of weather when they speak OF
Z" heavy sen which carried away bridge, lad
derS and gratings," and while they offer many
trivial criticisms are unable to bring forward
any proofs of structural weakness. Their eager
ness TO serve their employer is betrayed by the
silly assertion that eleven knots ia her best
speed at sea-" though they concede that four
teen knots speed was actually made, and that
with proper arrangements for working the
boilers under forced draught this rate could
have been increased. The report of this absurd
board of experts would have been very helpful
to the contractor whom the Secretary had
driven into bankruptcy. 1t was not published
until the Senate demanded all the papers, ami
even then only after much delay.
Yet with these reports of the experts and
CAPTAIN Meade before him. the Secretary had
the harlihood to write to the assignees that
L" they did not eliminate all doubt" and to call
for money allowance in lien of defects that
had been reported. The aSsgnccs, forced by
the necessities of their business situation to
reach a speedy settlement, proposed terms
which the Secretary admitted TO be " fair"
Then he persistcntly refused to act, although the
asslgnces importuncd him to bring the contro-
versy To a close and to relieve them from iinan
ci,l cinbarrassments. When it ia borne in
mind that the Secretary had driven Mr.. Roach
ont of business and destroyed his credit, this
delay in cllecting settlement on a basis sug
gestcd by himself and conceded by him to be
just and fair can only be described as a crown
ing act of spiteful persecution.