New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-07-07
WORK AT THE NAVY YARD
THE MONSTER BATTLEsHIP PURITAN
,g,xers IN THE MONITOR OF To-DAf-ihA
ou1NYEBAUG Observation-Disclosures
IN AN EXAMINATION.

-, ~ Yards and Docks, made an Official
ouie'u :, ;nsnec,;on TO the Navy Yard yesterday.
H. visited different parts of the yaro ana pau
detention TO the new dry-dock which is Dulldlng
90 the cast cid of the yard. On account OF inc
excavations made by the building OF the new
drvdoclx. and also by the accommodations OF time'
the channel in that part Of the YARD mas become
61led and last fall the Galena went ashore there.
This channel is being dredged, but 1t is feared
than the small amount Of money set aside Tor THIS
nurpose will not be sufficient. The contractor
has however. been ordered to continue dredging
until the money is exhausted.
One new feature Of interest to the officers OF
the mechanical branches of the Navy-the En-
pineering and Constructon-on duty at the Navy
Yard is the arrival of some of the new designs
for the Puritan. That originally designed double
turreted monitor is now being converted into d
barbette battleship. The plans are forwarded
from Washington as fast as the drawings can NC
made Two of the main boilers have been taken
out of the vessel; this being in accordance WIN
the designs which allow her two boilers less tnan
the original number, the steam generating power
lost being compensated for in the giving OF 1orceu
drafts to the remaining boilers.
The new plans do not provide for the oDnter"-
ton of the essential characteristics OF the mohoor
type, but there will be combined with them many
features and newer types Of war vessels, giving ="
the Navy what many naval officers as lor III
stance Admiral Jouett, declare VIII De one VI INC
hest vessels yet designed. Admiral foroer, hu-
miral Jouett and other older officers oil inc N"'S'
who are strong advocates Of monitors DIS oeins
the most defensive war weapons approve 'no
revised plans of the Puritan The original uilieh-
s;ons Of the vessel will be preserved. Inc VeSsei
is ESQ feet in length, go feet beam, Is leet mean
draught and of 5000 tons displacement. lneIo
will be a material and improved chan9e i'll INC
battery.
The original plans provided for the mounting
of Two ten-inch breech-loading rides in each OF
the two turrets, but instead, there Will DC Jour
twelveinch guns placed in covered barbettes.
The axes of the guns are 10 be ten ana one-haH
feet above the load water lne, so that they may
be used effectively in ordinary sea. This could
not be done with the regular monitor type In
addition 70 this. the steel walls of the barbette
will give a greater height of freeboard and VIII
make the vessel more seaworthy and more com
Portable for the officers and crew than the mon
itor. which is simply floating buoy The re-
volving parts of the turntables, the hydraulic
machinery and the loading and elevating gear oil
the guns arc to be protected by steel armor OF
fourteen inches thickness, with a thickness OF
eight inches of wood backing and a system oil
and vertical girdles. There will be an
armor belt of steel five and one-haH ct In depth
extending the entire length of the vessel on poth
sides This belt will be from fourteen inches 10
one foot in thickness below the water, then taper
ing 10 six inches at the amor SHELF thus afordlng
annie protection for boilers, engines, magazines
etc 100
TWO COURSES OF STEEL PLATING.
An additional protection is to be afforded ny
steel plating two inches in thickness, running 'he
ontire lenqtb of The vessel, TO be laid in two
courses. the upper course being united to the
armor belt. The vessel will be otherwise
strengthened and made safer by numerous water
tight COMMITMENTS Extending between the two
barbettes will be superstructure for officers
quarters and both within and without this super
structure the rapid-hring machine guns are 10 De
fitted. Abaft the smoke pipe Will be hono"
steel mast ifty.two feet above the superstruct-
ure deck, with two military tops. The mast Will
be used for ventilation TO the engine-room and
for signal purposes, while in one of the tops
will be fitted two machine guns, and IN the other
a search light.
The Oui1nebaug. which recently returned from
Europe after having been in commission more than
ten wears, has been dismantled her crew paid of,
nearly all the officers have been placed on walt
ing orders, and the vessel mas been lald up
i'm ordinary" in Rotten Row, where she Will
remain unless il is decided TO repair her. 1hlS
is likely to be DONE Her boilers are so badly
worn out that it was only by the utmost care
and watchfulness Of the engineer officers that
she could be brought home under steam power.
Her captain, Commander Charles III. Davis, has
been ordered to duty at Washington. Chief En-
gineer William w. Heaton, will probably be or
dered TO duty in connection with the building OF
the machinery of the ar1nOred cruiser Maine, at
the Quintard Iron Works, and the other officers
will probably be ordered TO shore duty IN turn.
The ram plates for the amored cruiser Maine
have arrived at the Navy Yard from Carnegie S
Steel Works, in Pttsburg. The work on the
Maine is making some progress and 1t VIII prob
ably increase by degrees. About dozen men
have been taken on during the week; The stem
and stern pieces are being made ready TO be set
in place. and the stem piece will
probably be ready in about three weeks. The
work for q long time was retarded by the non
arrival of these pieces.
THE BROOKLYN AND THE ESSEN.
Naval Constructor Hoover has made an examina-
tion of the Brooklyn and the Essex, which veS-
sells recently returned from the Asiatic Squadron,
and was surprised at the apparent sOundness Of
the hull Of the former on the outside. On tap
ping her, however, the vessel was found TO be weak
and rotten in several places. Her spars in
fairly good condition Her engines need extern
sive overhaulng, and her old boilers are so badly
corroded that they will have to be replaced with
new ones. The estimated cost of her repairs is
= IL per cent OF hef original cost, or Z l-2 per
cent within the 30 per cent limit as provided by
Congress. She cost SGO0,0 The Essex is in
fairly good condition and the repairs needed are
OF a general nature.
The test which took place on Tuesday 10 find
the metacentric point Of the gunboat Yorktown
proved that her battery, unlike those OF the Enc
ijsh gunboatS, will not have to be Changed and
made lighter. This test was made TO lind OUT
how far TO one side the vessel mi ght be rolled bv
the sea without turning turtle or capJzinc.
In the English gnnboats the weight of the guns
proved too great for the vessel and it was neces-
sary to reduce their weight. By the result of
the Yorktown test it was seen that this would
be unnecessary. All of the main battery of this
vessel is now in position, and all
Of the gun shields belonging TO them are in place
ception Of the two Calling guns. There are vet
70 be furnished two siy-pounder rapid firing guns,
two three FOUNDER and one One-pounder rapid-fr-
ing guns, ana two 37-millimctre revolving cannons
II was promised that this secondary battery would
be ready by February.