Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1886-06-26
G0FF SPEAKS AGAIN.

distinguished himself in several very
able speeches made on important
bills before Congress. Last week
when the naval bill was up he ex-
posed the governments unjust ac
tion towards John Roach, the ship.
builder. Mr.. Golf is one of the most
xatchful, able and true men in Con
gress, and should By all means be
returned as a member of the House
or Senate:
Mr.. Golf, of West Virginia, attrib
uted the present deplorable condi-
ton of the navy to the ldiotic policy
of appropriations by Congress, and
denied that it was the result Of ex
travagant expenditures by former
Secretaries of the Navy.
lie then went on to criticise the
action of Secretary Whitney in con.
nection with the Dolphin, and bit.
terly assailed the auxiliary board
appointed by the Secretary, without
authority of law to report upon the
vessel. That board consisted of
Capt. Belknap, Commander Evans,
and Mr.. Winter. The first named
officer had been an applicant for pro
motion, and for designation to the
naval observatory. He knew that
the report was intended to be made
one way, and unless it was so made,
he would yet neither promotion nor
his designation to his high Office.
Commander Evans had an undying
grudge and hatred against Secre-
tary Chandler, having been removed
by that officer. Mr.. Winter was
superintendent of the Metropolitan
Steamship Company, in which he
was deeply interested, and to which
John Roach was rival, as he built
the ships Of the Mallory line. He
was interested in patents which Mr..
Roach had repudiated, and this was
the third man on this impartial
board. These were the men who
struck down and ruined the grand
est artisan of the day-convicted on
such testimony as this. He (Mr.
Goff) believed that this board could
not be duplicated anywhere. The
Dolphin was as grand ship as had
ever danced on ocean wave, if the
testimony Of experts could be relied
upon. 1t has been condemned on
the ground that it had not attained
the speed of fifteen knots an hour.
That was not true. The advisory
board had said that it made over
fifteen knots under the most disad-
vantageous circumstances. After
the appointment Of the Belknap
board it went down to New York
and made trial trip, and 1T report
ed to the Secretary of the Navy that
the Dolphin made over fifteen knots.
The dispatch from Belknap, report
ing that the vessel had made fifteen
and Il half knots, had slumbered in
the departments until last week. 1t
would be far better for the reputa-
ton of Living men if it still slumber-
ed. 1t had slumbered from May,
1885, down to the time that Senator
Hale called for all information rela.
tive to the matter. Then from the
pigeon-hole it came to the light
of day. Its being kept secret was
especially significant, as Secretary
Whitney after it's receipt had writ.
ten to the Attorney General, ask
ing his opinion Oh the subject, and
stating it as fact that the Dolphin
had not made fifteen knots an hour.
On the strength of this statement
the Attorney General had acted,
and this dispatch, written in May,
1885, had slumbered while the At
torney General was making his de-
cision, and while the wreck of the
grandest establishment which had
honored the land had been going on,
to the shame and degradation of the
government. On the 18th of June,
1885, another trial trip had been
made to test the structural strength
of the vessel, and not its speed.
Cap. Belknap sent a dispatch to
the Secretary reporting the result of
the trip, and making no complaint
of the vessel or unfavorable com
ment thereon. The following day
the Secretary telegraphed-and this
telegram had slumbered until called
for by Senator Hale-that the test
was valueless, and closed with these
significant sentences: "Has yes
terday's trial aided you in determin-
ing this matterg If not, require
such tests to be made next week as
You think necessary. Do this, un-
less you prefer to make your report
based on present information"
They did not make their report on
their present information. Without
steaming up again, on the strength
of these instructions from Secretary,
they made their report condemning
the Dolphin. They said that she
was structurally weak-a fact they
had not intimated IN their dispatch.
es. They said that the engine deck
vibrated as the vessel plunged
through the rough seas, while ex.
perts maintained that it was sign of
strength for these monsters of the
deep to vibrate.
Each and every act of Secretary
Whitney, from the time this uacall.
editor warefarc had been common
ced upon John Roach down to the
rendition OF tie Attorney Generals
opinion, had been without authority
OF law or fact, and every act since
that time had been without author.
ity of law, if the opinion of the At
torney General was law. He (Mr.
Gof) would rather spend an etern-
ity with John Roach under these
circumstances, amid the wreck of a
lifetime and the destruction of for
tune than an hour with tha vouno