Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-01-28
NAVAL NEW ".
The Damage TO the Chsrfesfou's steel
Beams-Other Intelligence.
lBy telegraph 10 the Dispatch.l

lBy telegraph TO the Dispatch.l
WAsHfSGToS, ID. c., January 27.-The
accident to the steel beams Of the cruiser
Charleston, now binding at San Fran
cisco. is matter of considerable anxiety
to naval officials in this city. A small
section of one OF the fractured beams
has been received at the department and
SHOWS plainly that the crack was OF a
most decided character, extending al
most entirely through the beam. 1t is
now learned that four fractured deck
beams. which were said to have been
welded and worked into the vessel, have
been removed, as a result OF m inquiry
into their fitness for use, which has been
made 10y the department and which is
still in progress IL has developed facts
which have given rise to grave appre-
heDsion concerning the character and
quality of the steel already worked into
the hull of the Charleston, and further
developments are awaited with anxiety.
The Secretary of the Navy has had the
case of Pay-Inspector Stevenson under
consideration for several days, and will
announce his action thereon tomorrow
or early next week. 1t is known that
the conclusions are unfavOrable to Steven
son, and also TO several other officers who
were implicated in the transactions at the
Brooklyn navy-yard which were recent
~ investigated. The Secretary is said TO
be very much displeased at the situation
of affairs in certain departments Of the
yard as developed by the investigation,
and will, it Is predicted, take prompt
measures to bring the offenders to pun
ishment 1t is rumored at the Navy De-
partment to day that several of the Off
GERS are to be court-martialled.
At meeting of line officers OF the
navy in Washington some weeks ago the
committee which had been attending to
the interests of the corps for the previous
year resigned and new committee was
appointed, with Commander Kibloy ID.
Evans chairman, Lieutenant Richard
Rush secretary, and Lieutenant L. J.
Milligan treasurer. The other mem
bers of the committee are Commander
Allen ID. Brown, Lieutenant. Commander
Royal b. Bradford, Lieutenant Seaton
Schroeder, Lieutenant Sidney A. Staun-
ton, Ensign A. A. Alderman, and En-
sign V. O. Chase. This committee has
Just issued a printed circular to
members OF their corps, IN which
they state that they have been
authorized to look out for those
matters about which there is no differ
ence of opinion among the line officers.
Among other Legislation which they are
10 80 ~ nh oh,
proposes to increase the pay of certain
officers of the medical corps. The com
mittee was gwen discretion TO formulate
a bill to increase the pay of line officers,
and were Instructed 10 push the " thirty
years retirement bill = For these and
other purposes they make an assessment
on all members of the corps, who are re-
quested to remit the amount of their as
sessment as soon az possible to Lieuten-
ant Niilligan, treasurer, in care of the
Steel Inspection Board at the Navy De-
partment.
The bill drawn mp by the committee
provides, among other things, for the
increase OF the pay OF ensigns to 81, 700
a year, junior lIeuteDants to 81 900, and
commodores to -, 800. The pay of
officers of all corps when on "waitiD0
orders is to be cut down to one half Of
the sea pay. The staff officers say that
they will not oppose the increase of pay
of the line, bur that they do object to
the cutting down Of the waiting orders
pay. They say this gives too much
power to the Chief OF the Bureau of Navi-
cation, who makes details of officers. and
that it allows him to punish any officer
who may make himself distastelul to
him by putting him on half pay. and
keeping him there as long AS he pleases.
This is n punishment which can other
wise he inflicted only by an act Of Con-
gress or by sentence of court-martial.
There are officers now without duty and
who cannot get duty, it is said, because
they have offended i'll this particular.
The bill was to. have been introduced
in the House last Monday, but OF ac-
count of a slight disagreement among
tie members of the committee it WAS
delayed, but will be presented next week.