New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-21
WORK AT THE NAVY YARD.
VESSELS TO BE m THE NAVAL PARADE.

rxrn01fxG THE KEAREARGE OF ALABAMA FAME
--xorEs ABOUT THE wAR-sHIrs.
Tie Navy Yard has not put on that great jump
a activity that some of the Democratic papers
rssdiofed would be done April J. 10 Is true
shSs fAere IL a little more being done than there
xxs during the last four months Of the Cleveland
administration. otherwise IL would he just as
weE to close up the Navy Yard aud ksep only
enough men at work 70 preserve the Government
reoperty there. for within a week following siec-
ton day it was found that the, appropriation Tor
repeirs for the yesr ending june 80 had actually
been expended on large force OF inefficient work
On, who did little else than answer TO the roll
call and draw the pay which they had not earned
True. there is considerable work TO do, but there
b ao& the money at hand with which to do 1t, for
TIE reason that of the ssb0,000 asked for the
remainder Of the fiscal 900 had already
been expended only $4,000 was allowed for
work on the vessels at all OF the Navy Yards
The work Of completing the douBle-turrcted mon
teors Miantonomah and Ten or goes on but it is
not being pushed to the utmost Although the
new srmosed cruiser Maine appears much the same
that she did two weeks ago, and her construction
would appear to the careless observer not to have
advanced al all, yet the work of riveting the
frames and Of putting in the longitudinals has
been much delayed by the non-arrival of the stem
and stern, and until these come the work win be
retarded The work Of preparing the plates has
been pursued in the machine-shop
PROGRESS ON THE NEW VESSELS:
In addition, much work is being done on the
Chicago. Boston. Yantic and Despatch to. make
then, fully equipped for the Centennial Celebrs-
lion, in which they are to take part But this
k~rt he in
partnents Of The ship in other words, by the crew
The Chicago, which practically has been in COM
mission for several weeks as those Of her officers
who had been assigned took up their quarters on
board and many enlisted men had been WORKING
in their various departments, ofclany %fnU
into commission on Wednesday Ihae u,
the whip peslnants was sSs;vI n0'S wSs hoisted
aft and the officers and crow began Their lonune
OF watches. She has not yet her full compemame I
n few aaS Her o lice st
tain II. b. Robson, commanding; lieutenanteom;
ko oRus John A. i Ii. Mckes. John Hubbard and
a NJ. Knight ensigns, A. r. Nll1alacK r. W. ~
Hayk and e 4; Withssspoon; Naval cadets n
Whitchouse; assistant surgeon, A. Nc ID. McCor-
nick chief engineer, Edward Farmer passed as
sstAns engineers Letch F. II; Bailey o ms
b ' Gssincssr. and carpenter. H. NJ Grifiths The
Chicago receivei last week a crew Of about 200
sSs o s1d 20 ee the mem Worked in and also TO
ascertain that the engines ore In good running
i5te Ksarsargc the beloved old relic that sank
the Alabam of tho harbor Of Cherbourg, France,
On June 10, 1894, arrived at the Navy 1ard YES
terday morning She went 10 I5e SSu A tOr ,hc
uallapoosa, Of that squadron ana recently afrVeu
at Norfolk, whence she came TO newborn 70 ta,Se
MARI with the Naval feet in the Centennial Ceie-
bration. The Brooklyn and the Essex, now on
their way from the Asiatc Squadron. are hourly
expected TO arrive here. The Esse T.n. Is
partly under steam, but the Brooklyn, which broke
Ter shaft in the inland sea OF Japan, is on her
way home under sail by way OF Sspe IL HU %as
reported that she was short OF provisions, pnt
Ence then, on March 81, she was reported TO
e Or, her way home from Aspinwall, stopped at
Janaiea 10 take on coal The torpedo-boat
btilstto, which was purchased from the Herreshofs
By the Navy aI9 ;nsra ass AZ the torpedo
station at Newport, will be here to take part IN
The Centennial. detaehwent OF twentyt5 five
marines arrived at the Navy Yard on FRIDAY, from
Roston. They viii be the marine guard of the
Desuatch when she brings President Harrison
from Elizabethport TO the city, and VIII aIter-
a crew Of 90 men has been sent to the Yorktown
from the Vermont and 100 more are coming
from Boston.
MATERIAL At HAND.
Tho arunor for the turrets of the Miantonomah
snd the pilot-house plates have all been delivered.
This, together with the armored smoke-plpe was
contracted for with John Brown & Co., ana
Charles Cammeil IL CO., of London The altera-
lions in the deck TO receive the tarrets have been
made, as have Also changes in the lnternai
arrangements of the vessel TO accommodate inc
new roller-base turrets, which are IN course o.
erection The work Of putting the armor Of
the t,irrets together deck Is about 10 pegh anu
much of the other work on the turrets, sueh ~
the inner lining of the ttrrets the guard plates
fugde OF the turrets and the fitting OF steel cast
ings 90 go underneath the gnn-carrfsges, Is nearly
fnjslyd The machinery will require mncn WorR
ia adjusting before 1t will be in condition ior
sea service the turret engines TO be put IN place
and connected and some repairs MADE on accouhO
Of the changes made in the hull:
The principal work now being done on the
Terror Is that OF cutting out and removing tue
susret-rings, buSheads beams, and armor-de TSc
nrjnciral work remaining to complete inc
machinery. Is that on the turret-turning gear
THE last s-jneh gun for the Chicago has not
vet arrived from the Annapolis Proving Grounds.
TIE shields for the 8-ineh guns, however, nave
s,,svsd' and are now on the dock beside that
vessel.