The Washington critic., 1890-02-02
ARMY AVN NAVY GOSSIP.
Information of Interest Cleaned From
the Departmentg.

inc lOin instant. AS usual IN such cases,
there are great many applicants. The
Assistant aymasters-General Colonies
Rodney Smith and William A. Rucker,
and pretty nearly every officer Of the Pay De-
partment have filed applications. The i'm
preston prevails at the War Department
that Major A. II. Carey, Pay Department
or Colonel G. NJ. Terrell, Deputy Pay
master-General VIII receive the appoint
ment. Colonel Terrell is credited with in
fuence with Mr.. Harrison. The pay Of
Paymaster-General, who has the rank Of
gadier-General, is $500 per year.
The new edition OF "Duties of Guards
and Sentinels," by Lieutenant l.. w. V.
Kennon, Sixth Infantry, will appear IN a
few weeks. 1t is published under authority
of the AdIutaut-General. Lieutenant
Kennon is in the city at present.
Naval Constructor Philip Hichborn aud
Chief Engineer Philip Inch of the Navy
bave made the report of their visit to the
Niles Tool Works of Hamilton, Ohio, to
inspect the bending rolls constructed by
that company for the Mare Island Navy
Yard, and which are the largest in the
world. The report describes the test: A
plate OF steel, II inches in thickness, was
passed through the rolls, backward and
forward, several times, and was then bent
to an arc OF circle whose radius was about
five. feet. The rolls were then raised and
lowered by power-frst parallel and then at
an inclinaiion-as well as bringing the two
centre rolls close together, all of which was
done by the work of one man. The ma
chine has four wrought-fon forged rolls
225 feet In length between journals, sup
ported in two housings Of massive proper
lions. Two OF these rolls are placed in the
centre of the housings, one vertically above
the other. They are 32 inches in diameter
and are used 10 pinch The plate and carry
itthrough. The other two rolls areplaeed
one ON each side of the centre rolls. they
are used to bend the plate and are 25A inches
In diameter. The side rolls are SO placed
as to move very closely by the lower centre
| roll when the latter is touching the upper
| roll. The rolls are driven by pair of
vertical reversing engines, and all the OPP
erations of starting, stopping and
reversing both engines can be per
formed by the engineer from Que
| position. The whole machine is mounted
on a heavy cast-iron sole plate, eighteen
/ inches deep, which is to be bedded on a
| massive stone foundation. The cost of
/ building the rolls and transporting them
| to the Pacific Coast is enormous, and the
| firm cannot have made much from the con-
tract. 1t enables them to bid on future
| work of the same character successfully,
and as there will probably be similar ma
| chimes built for at least two navy-yards--
| New York and Norfolk-Nilcs' people
VIII lose nothing by the present contract.
! j. j. Garth, formerly naval cadet, has
| had a claim against the Government for
seven months pay. He resigned Decem-
her II, 1858, from his cadetship, and the
resignation was accepted. Later he with
| drew the resignation on the consent of Sec
retary Tracy, who was advised by the
Attorney General that such a withdrawal
was illegal and that the cadet, having once
left the service, the power of reappoint-
ment was vested alone In the member of
Congress TO whose district the cadetship
was accredited. On July %, 1889, Garth
was notified Of the facts in the case, and
Immediately claimed pay for the service
from December to July. The Auditor dis
allowed the claim, aud yesterday the Sec
ond Comptroller sustained the disallow
ance.
There is some dissatisfaction among the
officers of the Ninth United States Cavalry
over the assignment of Lieutenant Charles
Y oung, the colored graduate of the Mill
tary Academy, to that regiment. The only
other colored officer In the Army is Lieu
tenant John II. Alexander, o graduate of
the class of 'S7, who is on duty at Fort Du
Chesne, Utah, and who is also attached to
the Ninth Cavalry. Lieutenant Young, on
graduating last June, was made an addi-
tional second lieutenant, and within few
weeks has been commissioned second lieu
tenant to fill one of the two vacancies in
the cavalry arm. The Ninth Cavalry Off
GERS regard the regiment as imposed upon,
when place for Lieutenant Young could
have been found in the Tenth Cavalry.
The examination for naval constructors
continues at the NAVY Department. From
seven ambitious candidates for appoint
ment as assistant naval constructors four
weeks ago the number has fallen to two,
Mr.. Hart, the draughtsman in the Bureau
of Construction and Repair, and Assistant
Engineer De Witt c. Redgrave of the
Navy. The candidates had appealed to the
Secretary regarding the severity of the ex-
animation provided, claiming that undue
prominence was given mathematics in the
valuation of subjects. Most of the candi-
dates withdrew on the Secretary's refusal
to change the examination. The illness of
Mr.. Redgrave will prolong the examination
another week, and the opinion at the De-
partment seems to be that there will be no
result. The list of constructors is not linn
tied by law and appointment can be made
at the option of the Secretary, with or
without examination. The pay of an as
sistant naval constructor is from s., 900 to
$1,000, according to length of service.
The Fifth Battalion of the District OF
Columbia Militia is about to organize au
association for mutual, social and financial
benefit. A constitution and bylaws will
be presented for the consideration of the
battalion next Friday night. On the sick
|
benefit is to be paid, and on the death of 9
member the expenses, not exceeding 500
are to be betrayed by the association. A
system of fines is also to- be instituted anG
, a button for use In civilian dress Is to be
adopted. The association Is to hold monthly
meetings, and all officers aud members ol
the battalion are eligible to membership
,, The dues of the officers are to be ST. pei
month and of privates so cents per month
The Board of Supervisors of Steam-ves
, sells, which is in annual session in this city
visited Virginia Beach yesterday to test
, contrivaDce invented by j. Newell o
New Jersey. The invention consists o
tin, cone-shaped, attached to which is
rod. The device is Intended TO carry lin,
from vessel to the shore. across the cur
rent, and works on the principle of the OLE
tide ferry. The inventor is brother OF ex
Governor Newell Of New Jersey, who, ,whil
member OF Congress, introduced the frs
, life-saving bill.
, The board win publish in its report an in
! teresting table, giving the result of an ex
animation of the prevalence among pilot
\ of color-blindness. The examination cover
a period of ten years and cannot be re
, garded as accurate, since it was only will
great trouble that pilots consented to sucl
an inquiry, and many, conscious of thei
atfiction, eyade test that would dis
qualify them for work. The fact that som
attempt nus Deen inaue eacn year bluc
1880 to gather data on this subject is inter
esting in view of Captain Sampson of tn
Q United States Navy having stated while
o member Of the Maritime Conference, tina
v such information had never been obtaine
!. in this country From the report
a will appear that IN 1881 the number o
a pilots examined was 5, 1882; number passed
: $3.50; number rejected, SO, or a percentag
% OF 1.62 In 1882, number examined, ! ,93S
a passed, 19l4: rejected, "a, or .25 per cent
l. In 1888, number examined, 2,255; passed
d 2,213; rejected, AZ, or 1856 per cent |
II 1884, number examined, 1898: passed
"a 1,947; rejected, i6, or 236 per cent. ]