New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-02-09
VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS.


Enterprise of the European Squadron, with the
body of Minister PcndletOn on board would reach
here before this she was detained week at Ports
mouth by the severity Of the recent cyclOnic
weather On February she left Madeira, and it
is thought that she will reach here in about a
week With commissioned ship at the yard and
with the repairs necessary 10 be made to her, the
| Navy Yard will probably assume a buster appear
ance than it has had for the last few weeks and
will be more attractive to visitors.
| Eight of the keel plates for the new 3,000-ton
/ cruiser No. : have been laid and several more are
now preparing and will soon be ready to be put
in place The work on the railroad which is to
connect the various machine shops and the dock
and the important parts OF the yard with one an
other thus facilitating the construction work. is
| advancing. The machinery is now being put into
the new boer-shop. and two pieces Of machinery,
! one Of them a rlyetng machine, have already been
set up.
The double-turrctcd monitor Miantonomah has
at last been taken from the dry-dock, her bottom
having been thoroughly cleaned, and having re-
ccvcd several coats Of paint. The work on her
turrct Is going on, and also that preparatory 10
! putting the other one in place, which can be
| done it is thought, in about a month.
The torpcdo-boat Alarm was put into the dry
!
with her long ram projecting about thirty feet in
! front of her bow, and the peculiar Mallory pro-
| pcllcr at her stern. gang of sailors were busy
al tie dry-dock yesterday scraping the shells and
mud and sea accumuatons from her bottom
/ Although the condition Of her bottom cannot be
/ fully determined until il is thoroughly cleoned
still il was thought by tho officers that the vessel
was worth repairing for the service for which she
! is wantcd-a gunncr's ship for the instruction Of
naval apprentices
The casting of a cylinder for the engines Of the
! new 3.00O-ton cruisers was. like the first one
| successful There have now been made two cast
| ings and third will probably he made during
| this week Those already cast are in the hands
Of worlimcn who making them ready for use
| II is thought remarkable that the castings should
De successful, for they the largest that have
| been cast in the yard for over twenty years
since the Alaskan engines were built. The build
ing in which this work is done is situated in the
| northern end OF the yard. and is gloomy lOok
: ing place in the inside. full OF black machines
| and pieces OF iron. When an important casting,
for instance, cylinder-ls 10 be made first the
wooden pattern Of the size and shape OF the future
casting is constructed. This is then placed on the
ground IN the foundry, where will Of brick Is
/ built around IT., the space between the two bene
J
leaving a wall Of clay just the shape OF the out
side Of the casting. and the "corc, which is
made Of clay, is put in. The core is the inside
shape Of tho casting. The core is fastened in
place as securely as possible 10 keep it from NOV
ing when the heavy mass Of metal is poured in,
and this Is sometimes difficult for IN complex
casting II is made up Of several smaller pieces.
/ This having been done, there is now between the
pattern and the core space exactly the size
and shape in which the casting is 70 be, and
info which the molten metal is poured. In this
building many small castings are made, and in
connection with 1t IS shop where the copper
work for the yard is done. There is also room
In which brass castings are made.
report was published n few days ago that
torpedo boat fifty feet long, and invented by
/ Captain Ericsson, is N the Navy Yard being made
ready for service This is misleading. The facts
are that in the yard there is n small torpedo
boat called the Destroyer, invented by Captain
Ericsson. She is about 1870 feet IN length and
over about two-thrds Of her length is super
structure Her lines are sharp, and her bow and
stern alike are pointed. In her bow is tor
1 pedo-tubc She is built Of steel and her super
structure, which is about ten feet in height, is
closed tightly, with scarcely loophole IN II.
+ On the top of II Is hatchway and smoke-plpe.
Thus the vessel may be submerged Ill the water
/ d>'s not belong to the Navy, our is simply per
united to be locked there until the executors Of
/ the Ericsson estate dispose OF her.
Commander +. VI. barber has given much at
tcntlon to the So-cdllcd unsuitable ships ana has
made some valuable suggestions TO the Depart
mcnt. lie gives much attention TO the ingenious
device OF the protective deck, an internal turtle
back. shaped affair. which begins at the side, SIN
or eight feet below the watcr-liHc. inside the
nnarmorcd cruiser and arches upward TO the
tcct the ships yItals: the idea being that the
deck will defect upward any proIcctIic coming
through the side of the ship. When first applied
! to the war-ship II only about 3.4 OF an inch
/ thick but It soon began To grow. until now,
! in the Baltimore. IT Is four inches thick, and IN
! the English cruiser Blake II is SIX inches thick
/ obviously" Commander Barber says, the un-
armorcd cruiser Is getting 10 be an armorclad
as fast rs IT can by the scientific adjustments OF
chest protector or a liver pad, instead OF a coat
/ of mail Another development which is attract
ing designers Of war vessels and the officers and
crew who are Obliged 10 man them, he says, is
IN the direction OF making them non-sinkablt.
This Development he adds. Is destined to De oil
enormous Importance In the future not only to NEIL
| of-war, both arm0red and unarmorcd, nut to pas
scnccr steamers The object Is 10 III the water-tSht
double side aud double or treble bottom with
some material which when 1t Is wet VIII swell
and automatically clog The hole made by shot
J or rack, and possibly by torpedo, and keep II
closed long enough 10 enable the crew 10 get at
the hole in the inner skin OF the ship and patch
1t. For parts of the ship far below the water
line an obturating or hOlcStopplng effect Is what
/ is desired. and light substance or obstructing
! material which will not absorb is what is wanted
| over tie protective deck. For If water should
! flow freely above the deck enough might accumu-
late there To capsizc the ship. This forming a
/ raft body above the protective deck represents
the latest IDEAS in Ills direction
Commander Barber says that the first attempts
in Europe 10 find an obturatlng material resulted
in the unsuccessful uSc of cork, natural and
artificial rubber, and various vegetable substances
Then came the accidental discovery of Admiral
PaU dc In Rarricrc. of the French navy thar
fascneS filled with cOooanut huSkS formed an
admirable protection. 1t was found SAYS
Commander Barber, that under propcr treat
mcnt The huskS of cocoanuts would produce a
hair-lilc fibre and n granular form of ccllulosr
which, when properly packed in n shp's side
will close almost instantly after the
passage Of prolcctile of any size by the contact
OF the water which follows the prolectile II
il sin