The Washington critic., 1890-02-23
NAVAL AEEAlRS


awarded TO the Bath iron Works OF Bath,
Me. The Moore Company Of Elizabeth, N.
j Fl, did not enter protest at Secretary
Tracy's action in this award, as was init
mated in local paper. It was the natural
legal course On the day following the
opening of bids for the gun boats aud the
practice vessels, the Moore people tele-
graphed the Navy Department that they
wished to withdraw tue bids The request
was preferred on the ground that they did
not possess the requisite plant aud were
unable to accept the requirements OF the
contract regarding three months prepare
tion. Later letter was received asking
that the telegraphlc request be disregarded
aud that contract be given the company
for the construction OF one Of the gun
boats. The Judge Acknowledgement de-
cded that the contract could not be divided
up in this manner and that tho award of
the contracts for the three vessels must be
made to the Moore Company, or the bids
rejected The company selected the latter
alternative. They are preparing plant at
Elizabeth and board OF inspection has re-
ported that they will soon be able to accept
the usual terms Of contract. The opinion
of naval constructors is that IN permitting
the Moore people to withdrew their bids
the Secrtary saved thateompany consider
able amount Of money.
During the coming week the Secretary
will advertise for proposals for the $500
ton cruiser and the steel proctice-vessel,
for which latter the Moore Company was
the only bidder. Notifications in the
fittings Of the praotice-vessel will be made
so as TO make 1t possible to construct a
ship within the appropriation. y new
circular regarding the so-caled 7,500-ton
cruiser will be issued this week. 1t has
been decided to construct this vessel after
the type of the English cruiser Blake. A
delay was caused by the intention of asking
Congress for additional appropriation ne
cessary in the construction of larger
vessel than was authorized. The vessel
will not be as large as the Blake, but will
be increased from the 1900 tons displace-
ment specified In the law toS, $50 tons. The
plans contemplate vessel $50 feet in
length, 60 feet beam and % feet draught.
The horsepower Of the engines is placed
at 1850, while the speed required Will be
twenty knots. The vessel will be known
as armored cruiser No. 2.
The report of the semi-annual standing
of Naval Cadets shows one deficiency case
in the first class, six In the second class, five
in the third class and nine in the fourth
class. The deficiency cases are as folowsi
First class-F. S. Rising, Nevada. Second
class-Archibald Anton, New York, re-
signed; w. w. Beck, Maryland f. L.
Eaton, Michigan; e. d. Ryan, New York;
w. T. Saunders, at lalge; Edward Tuckle,
Illinois. Third class-John Curlett, Vir-
ginia, resigned; Leonerd Goodwin, Penn
sylvania, resigned; j. G. Kilbourne, Ohio,
resigned; r, B. Larkin, Virginia, resigned;
Randolph Ridgely, Georgia, resigned.
Fourth class-C. A.. Andrews, Iowa, re-
signed; j. K. Bergman, Ohio, resigned;
| X. A. French, Florida resigned Gordon
| Hood, Alabama, resigned; j. Il. johnson,
| North Carolina, resigned; g. A. Lane, Mis-
| souri,, resigned: s. 6. Latta, Tennessee, re
signed; c. F. Neill, Texas, resigned; Edgar
Richmond, California, resigned.
1t is never too early to discuss the
chances of the commission to the
Navy of Naval Cadets. There are a.
| present seven vacancies in the line, three
in the Marine Corps and one Ia the En-
gineer Corps. There will be in June at
least thirteen vacancies, not including
probable casualties, which will bring the
number of vacancies awaiting the cadets
to that of last year-twenty-fo The
two vacancies which will occur by June 30
in the Marine Corps will be caused by the
designations of Lieutenants Carroll Mercer
and 9. II. Lauchheimer. Both of these
| officers are on leave at present. Lieutenant
Lauchheimer's resignation takes effect May
]. He will engage in the wholesale cloth
ing business in Baltimore. Lieutenant
Mercer's resignation takes effect June 80.
Some idea of the popularity of Washing
ton among naval officers as place of resi-
dence may be gained by glance at the re-
tired list. Among the number who have
completed their active service and made
homes in this city are one vice admiral,
twenty-six rear admirals, three rommo-
dores, one captain, two commanders, four
tenant-commanders, one lieutenant,
one lieutenant of the junior grade, two en-
signs, four medical directors, one medical
inspector, five pay directors, one pay in
spector, three paymasters, one assistant
paymaster, three chief engineers, two
passed assistant engineers, two professors
of mathematics, three naval constructors,
one civil engineer, two boatswains and two
gunners. Among retired officers of the
Marine Corps there are on the retired list
one major, one captain and one first lieu
tenant who live in this city.
Ensign Hugh Rodman of the Hydro
graphic Office has been sent to Newfound-
land, with headquarters at st. Johns, to
study the ice movements in the North At
| '"h''Ns Inv 1iJNiO-iHphiS OiiiNS li'io DNNi
studying since 1889 the movements of lee
with view to predicting the probable
drift of ice each month. Each vessel en-
countering ice has been in the habit of re-
porting the circumstance to the office and
monthly publication, edited by Lieutenant
II. NJ Witzel of the Navy, appears with a
record of the extent, position and direction
of the ice. From the reports received this
year 1t is shown that there is an unusally
early and heavy movement of ice eastward
! and westward of Newfoundland. During
, January, over a month earlier than any date
/ hitherto recorded as n time for ice move
! ments, there were received eighty seven
reports of encounters with bergs aud
ice fields. SO far this month there
has been sixty-one reports of such
experiences. This condition of af
fairs has never been known to exist be
fore and has rendered difficult the work o
! reliable prophecy. The photographic OF
fee has issued form of report to be used
by masters of vessels in their returns re
garding Ice Tho reports received thii
season exhibit large extent of iee-ields
interspersed with bergs, which are from ter
and fifteen feet to 600 and 200 feet IL
height. The bergs vary in length from
few feet to half mile and the ice-feld
are reported to be in area from small
-. patches OF one mile to masses of 100 miles
1 The City of Exeter, a British steamer
skirted an ice-fleld for ia miles last weel
of the banks OF Newfoundland
The reports sent in oftentimes de
tail exciting experiences. One yes
sci was confined for four day
Q among treacherous field ice, that momen
r tarily threatened to demolish the ship. Tn,
provisions gave out and the possibilities o
= starvation were added to the probability o
destruction. Another vessel was imprs
! IA ,sxr l., to, e,1l