New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-08
WORK AT THE NAVY YARD.
ONLY TWO VESSELS LEFT IN COMMISSION.
THE DOLPHIN SOON TO START SOUTHWARK
THE NEW CRUIsER-MEET OF AMERI'

THE DOLPHIN SOON TO START SOUTHWARK
THE NEW CRUIsER-MEET OF AMERI'
CAN SAILORS.
The vessel last added to the North Atlantic
Souadron-the steel dispatch boat Dolphin-has not
yet left the Navy Yard but she is likely TO do so
at any time The HotchlIiss machine-gm when
was shipped from Annapolis several DAYS ago
for the Dolphin had not arrived yesterday anu
there are also u few stores and some oinclal hi"i
matter for which the captain has been waIlinS
II is possible that the vessel may get away u
day. and if not to-day at least in day or TWO
Ii the weather does not retard her progress si,'
can make quict trip TO Hayt, and take mails
later by several days TO the other vessels oil inc
squadron. -
When the Dolphin departs from the yafu
there will be only one commissioner
vessel left in 1.-THE Portsmouth. This YES
sci is one of the ships OF the uni"-
ing squadron which takes boys and trains 'hein
for effective service as sailors. She Is NJ preSe",
laid M for repairs. Her side-ports are old' an"
the cracks in them let in streams OF water when 'H.
vessel rolls severely. These are Doing IL
by new ones The rudder, too, is damaSeu an"
when the vessel while at sea dipped her s''i"'
tho hreal,s LET in so much water that man was
is 70 be taken out and repaired and that IL miEh,
be the more easily unshpped the vessei was uipp.a
forward bv moving her guns to the forward par
% tbo orn deck, but this raised her stern only
siv incbce As one approached the Portsmouth,
vestcsday morning he saw an Interesting siH"'
There was on the dock pump WIN Univ
cylinders and two men were WorNi"e
il: attached to it was a rubber pipe winch W.
into the water and to the stern OF the Neo'o
under the stern was stage or noat OH VIM"
worn three or four men, some OF whom "cIe nam
merinr ON an iron tool and cutting away P'IO -
the rudder. while another man he'd the roie ""'
the rubber tube that was attached 10 NV,
The diver was guiding the big chlsel vi VIM"
the men were hammering, and by lhs ueahS 'r ~
rudder was made ready to be unshlpped' 40 WIZ
nrobably take about three weeks to repair IT, dn"
!, is not likely that the ship will start for Winter
c,r;so in warmer waters before the early part oil
January.
REPAIRS or THE EssEA.
The Essex still remains in the dry-uocN' Dr.
thourh since she went in to be repaired, seNel"i
weeks ago. she has been taken out TWICE ihe
,.or, an her is advancing steadily, the new copper
nloring is being put on her bottom, and some oil
Der spars are in place. oo
Why don't they begin work on the new 3,Ooo-
ton cruiser at the Navy Yard !" was query sent 10
The Tribune a day or two ago. True, the actual
work Of building the Vessel has not ye, h "ef lad
Init the blocks upon which the keel Is 10 ne Iaiu
have been set ami aligned, and the tai uprlsnis
for the staging have been put in place, ana thls
is only just finished. When the materials oee an
10 he delivered the work of construction can
begin and this Will be soon. The CONTRACT lor
| furnishing the materials, which was signed on
November 10, provided that the delivery Should
begin within thirty days afterward. This con,
tract was secured by Carnegie, Phipps IL Co, ana
il provides for 672 tons of steel plates at %
cents a pound and for 200 tons of steel shapes
at l-2 cents pound The requirements OF the
contract are that all the materials entering into
the construction of the ship shall be OF domestic
manu- acturc, must withstand the prescribed tests,
the contractors must turnlsh the Government III
spcctors at their work with full facilities for de-
termining the quality of the ores that 90 into tf
steel and also for testing the finished product,
and that the delivery must be completed Wltmn
SIX months after the contract is signed. Secretary
Tracy last week awarded the Midvale Steel Com
pany the contract for supplying steel Tor other
parts of the ship, and to William a. "Lceler, OF
Scw-YOrx the contract for furnishing the boiler
tubes for 81 5,4S9.
Tie work on the double-turreted monitor Man
tonOmah is going on more rapidly than three
months ago, and the constructors say thaL she can
he COMPLETED i'm sin months if her big lO-lnch
rifed guns for the turrets are supplied as soon as
the turrets are ready for them. The after turree
in place, and The forward turret Is
about ready TO have its thick armor
ct The work on the other monitors,
the Terror and the Puritan, is being advanced
slowly and probably will not be finished for
long time yet.
Proposals are to be opened on Thursday at the
Navy Department 10 furnish and de-
liver at the Navy Yard quantity
of building material. consisting of 10000 feet OF
Albany boards. 1000 feet Of white pine, 10000
feet Of yellow pine $4,000 feet of spruce boards
and also quantity of charcoal, tin, solder and
nails.
A slight addition is building 10 the new wooden
machne-shOp in front of the c00O-t0n steel
cruiser Maine. now being constructed al the Yard
and within the shop the wOrlumen are kept busy
Oh the plates and other parts OF the Maine.
CREW FOR THE BALTIMORE
There will be sent from the receiving ship
Vermont 10 the new cruiser Blltmcre III fey
DAYS a detail of 50 sailors. The Navy Dcpact
ment Is anxious to send many American sea-
men TO the new ships possible, but il is difficult
TO get them \ remedy for the scarcity OF good
seamen has been proposed by Secretary Tracy ana
also the Chief Of the Bureau OF EQUIPMENT but
Congress must give the authority The present
law allows Tor an enlisted force OF 100 only, oc
sides apprentices TO the number of 40. ms
number has been almost insufficient to supply the
Navy with the proper number OF men, ana 1t IS
entirely too small for present needs. II IS also
the fact that the present enlisted force is largely
Scandinavian, whose only reason for entering the