New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-14
WORK AT THE NAVY YARD.
rHr usfr or sEuRETARY TRAoY.

Wneu SECRETARY Irtcy " 'iptu uiS -s"'S -
On Monday last it was observed that he gave spe-
dial attention to the Chicago and Boston ana 'no
monisors Terror and Miautonomah When on
board Of the Chicago he asked many pertinent
orestions as 70 how long it would take TO get the
cruispr Chicago ready for sea- When informed THAI
the Chicago would be ready within few DAYS
after the last Of the s-inch guns should arrive
frcrn the proving grounds at Annapolis, his brows
Knitted together and HIS lips were noticed to close
tightly. He had learned that the principal delay
"a the Chicago was due 70 the deliberation OF the
f,f1nsnes Board. The Secretary was informed
) 4bat thu cruiser Boston and the YaDtic could be
rot TO sea within forty-eight hours, II necessary.
and that the Chicago could be made ready within
,,ro weeks. So IL may be expected that within
I Few DAYS otter the centennial celebration the
chcaro ana the other esses win be put to legiti-
mate service at ses.
TAe sailors on the Chicago were engaged yester-
{ day IN trundling coal in iron barrows over the
nzns-plsnls and into the vessel, WHARF, it was
Z. dusuued into the bunkers. In this way 350 tons
were put ON board, making total Of about 400
cons Of coal now in the bunl1ers which are capable
a heIdins over 500 tons. The FED paint which
formerly covered the Boston has been scraped off,
! &td the vessel has been painted white This was
done 70 lessen the heat in the interior Of the YES
81, which IS caused by refraction In q warm
: climate.
KEEN INSPECTION
When Secretary Tracy was at the yard ne aiSo
Sserutinized closely the labyrinth m tools-lathes
pisners slotting and cutting maeHhsS Or lis stc.--
n the machine shop, and he probably realized that
with the right sort OF mechanics engines could be
csnsttpeted here with the same tseility and vita
~ successful results as at any private WORKS.
Bat 70 eH4pHy men who know nothing about the
handling Of tools, the uses OF the different kinds
and shapes, men who had never worked In an
mgine-buihng shop ordinary carpenters
90 make patterns, horseshoers as biacksmitns 10
make and temper machtnists' tools, ana fncom-
petcnt men in the foundry, causes more nnanciai
loss 10 the Government than their wages amount
20. And after visiting the sldp-house where
the armored cruiser Maine is building the Score
tayr concluded that in a short time the yard
would be fairly supplied with all of the plant
necessary to build steel ship. This fact was
dwelt upon by Admiral Porter in his recent
annual report Those familiar with the difficulties
encountered by the Navy Department during the
Civil War in tho attempt to obtain vessels from
contractors at the time agreed upon can realize
what benefit 1t would have been to the country
70 have possessed one frstclass establishment
Tor building steel SHIPS although ship-buildng
In that material was then in its infancy. Great
efforts were made by the naval AUTHORITIES at
that time and since to induce Congress 70 appfo-
Ing iron and steel ships to take the place of
those of wood, for it WIS evident TO the Navy
Department that It could not depend upon the
small establishment fast dying out, TO build
up . navy at short notice Realizing tAs, the
city Of Philadelphia presented TO the Govern
ment tho site for a Navy Yard at League Island,
s " 30 sa e no s oS On
account OF Its favorable position for the safe,
keeping OF ships and its inaccessibihty TO an
inc Goal, i iron, steel and everything else used
ships s Of war: League Island has some
rossssss some forty or fifty acres reclaimed from
the river, but it lacks nearly everything necessary
Tor 9 National building establishment, and the
site, instead Of improving, has been retrograding
NEW DRYDooke.!
The construction Of the new timber dry dock
nj the Brooklyn Yard is going ahead favorably
every day. The work was begun on November
Ia 1887, and there is every indication that il
win be finished within the stipulated time Of
swo years The length of this dock will be 500
feet There is large force Of men employed upon
the work
Extensive repairs are needed upon the Cob Daclo
The portion of the water-frontage lying between
d
receiving ship Vermont now lies is decayed, under
mined and unsafe. Any temporary repairs made
would be a useless waste OF money, and as TINS
fepairinr and fitting for sea- there is also this
additional necessity for immediate and extensive
repairs. +.
Eriesson's latest invention of torpedo vessel the
DESTROYER. Admiral Porter recommended early
ia the Cleveland Administration, that Captain
Ericsson be paid the amount asked from Congress
to reimburse him for his outlay in building the
Destroyer, which IN his opinion could be made
the most efficient torpedc-b boat that had yet bee
Ericsson torpedo, he declared, would make it
hazardous for an enemy to cruise on
our coast, and would be en- excellent
sapssinsIsted with Il declared that the torpedo
was o pto1ectile Of the most formidable CHAR.
aeser within limited range. and superior TO any
known form OF torpedo.
A USELESS TORPEDO BOAT.
The torpedo-boat Alarm. an invention of Ad-
niral Porter. is lying in the Yard ways. use
less st present. and rapidly deteriorsting. She
eouh mount an 8-inch or l0-inch riied gun for
ward. and would be so arranged as 20 carry in
addition four ried guns Of different caliores and
also the various machine guns used in the United
States service. II was recommended two years
ago that, MS she could be kept ct little expense
beyond the slterstions needed to fit her as an ex'
QUESTION 70 the WaF College. She rs beheyed 70
Be better adapted to coast defence than all the
g yeerefx M the Home Squadron put together.
The infrepid. formerly bully for torpedo vessel,
began go be eouyerted into aogunboat hye years
aeS.y Ehe "a built of IRON and with an expense
81 afs5ht 81 s. 600 could then pave been made an
efsci<zst adnboat The boilefs we're taken out TO
sdrnit OF alterations to her hull. but it is now
Doubtful .shsther she will evet be launched again.
Engineerth ltsef Melville suggests that at an ex-
rpnsc OF $4,000 the engines RJd hollerS might be
sdapted 70 < Bghtdraught river ganboat. such as
q needed for Chinese winters.
Notwithstanding the reports Of anti-Administra-
t3on plpcrs that a large and useless
sorce Oh workmen is being taken on
a. the Navy Yard. few changes and additions
ksve i1een made. On April l. the Department OF
z 6feam Ensireexing had i 03 men at work, and now
n has ii men on the list only eleven men having
been added In two weeks. In the Constructive
Department. no more men can be put on until the
ster1 and stern OF The new arm0red cruiser Maine