New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-01
HEAPS OF TROUBLE WITH NAVY VESSELS.

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DELAYS IN COMPLETING THE NEW VESSELS
CONTRACTORS PLEAD WITH THE NAVY DE-
pARTMENT FOR MERCY.
Washington sept. 80 tspeciaLl-The Navy Depart
rent NAV have spent many slccpess nights over us
failure to excite public condemnation OF the hoacn
cruisers but its troubles with these together WIN
those connected with the spending of thousands oil
dollars in rectifyng its mistakes in the mounting OF
the v,ns upon them slight compared with the
continuous bunders In the building Of the new YES
sells The taxpayers might find interesting
reading in an account of all tho waste
full expenditures Of the present ADMIN
Istratop IN sending its Navy officers abroad to exam
Inc into and purchase designs for ships, engines ana
guns from foreign manufacturer for the employment
Of foreign draughtsmen for the notifications Of the
designs purchased; for the cost Of material wasted by
the Ordnance Board through lts unmcchanical work,
etc. etc
The Department has been for some time engaged
I'm controversy with the builders of the new vessels
as to who is blame for their non-competioD within
the limit of time agreed upon, and as to whether the
contractors will receive second extension OF ZINC
TO complete them, whether they must pay the pen
altes provided for each days delay. Already large
amounts are legally due to the Government from
the contractors by the accumulation OF penaihcs pu
they are begging hald for mercy.
But the contractors aver the principal cause for the
delay in completing these vessels IS due TO the TACT
that the steel used not delivered 10 the contractors
as fast as they had right 10 expect IL and they
attribute delays wholly to the character OF The
tests required by the Governments amateur inspectors
or IN their language TO the line officers detailed as
inspectors who arc not at all qualified by education
and experience for the duties required of them
Park Broctur & Co.. the Pittsburg steel makers, In
long letter complaining Of the ineficicncy and
Ignorance of the ins tors, said:
II they would tell IA exactly what they want We could
then say without hesitation whether We arc willing TO
furnish steel meet these requirements unner our con
tract but they 10 not know much about
the matter
The contractors and builders have pcrtInently
asked "Why has not the mechanical branch OF the
Navy. the Engineer and Construction Corps been
drawn upon for Inspectors of stockl The Engineer
Corps supposed To be The scientific branch of the
Navy. and is supposed to be composed Of experts IN
metallurgy physics, mechanics. ETC., and II lis MEM
Der, arr not competent they should be relegacd TO
prvate Kfc But give them trial first instead OF those
whose chief studies in gunncIv. explosives and
navigation II was upon the application of the build
crs that special board was appointed a few months
ago 10 investigate and report upon The reasons ior
demanding extension Of time TO complete The
dynamite cruiser Ncsuviu,, the cruiser baltimore and
the eunboat Yorktown IN allowance 81 lour months
extension was granted in The case of each vessel,
based upon the report that the work was retarded
through no fault of the contractors, but by action OF
the steel Inspectors in rejecting heavy percentage oi
Steel supplied in the. carly stages of the work Hut
even This allowance does not seem !" DC
enough aud the builder, crying FOR iurcr ciri'h
cy or they viii be sadly out q pocket IhlS h cor
frmed by the following facts Of official record Inc
time for completing the gunbOat Petrol al alimoir
piie December y and thereafter Tor s'N mnnts
there wa, a penalty of SD day for nOn-compHil0n
Of the work for the next three months 'naliy Oi
$50 day. and since september - The panaliy OF SlVo
a day has been checked against the contractors. Tho
lc al of these penalties now amounts o T71Oo, and
is being added TO at the rate OF 500 day In the
case of the Yorktown the limit OF the extension ex-
PRED on May 81 and The penalties al SO day, now
10 t2.G75, and after November 10 the penalty
Will be $50 day.
The amount of penalties due on the dynamite
cruiser TO date l. &2.42J. the extension limit
having expired Jure H. II is not al all likely that
the Baltimore. which to have been launched at
PHILADELPHIA some time agt ana whose limit OF eN
tension for completion expires on November 30 nor
the Charleston both cruisers of the largo lypc, can
he finished bef re the date when The pcnaliir, begin
I'm fact the contractors themselves lci nov ledge that
It Will require much more time than they have AT their
di posal 10 put the finishing tOIches upon theln.