New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-01
WORK AT THE NAVY YARD
EXCITEMENT OVER THE CHILEAN AFFAIR
GREAT ACTIVITY AMONG oFF1oERs-coNpifioS
OF THE CRUISERS.


GREAT ACTIVITY AMONG OFFlCEh3-Oo
OF THE CRUISERS
The Navy Yard and all that Is WITHIN *-."p ps.
sbops and ofKcers-have been oil vastly "io,o 80
to the general public the Vast week oA' ~ - The
time before With seven of the new s'npo =, sm
warr In commission there, aud the alarming ruho''
nom Chill following the demand rom TINS -" w.
for an Immediate explanation oil the cause ~ 80
atrocious and fatal assault upon part VI ' ~, -.
of the cruiser Baltimore while on shore y" "D..,
On VALPARAISO on October II, together win .he iuo
from Wa.bin gou that It might be required I'd scu az
=, A.. a,,,I.h,e vessels TO Chilli with all possible nis
natcb there has been enough to keep the people
nm 10 a high state of excitement, even ou''u0 -
stirring incidents Of an election. .,,, T., ~.
Ono vessel the Boston, has started for Chill III .n0
lost week. following shortly after the iorh'o~n '
arrived at St. Lucia wss ss viii hi steam to Monte
vidco where she will receive more COAL inc In
town arrived at Bahia October 20, and ai'ci ne
her bunkers with coal she Will continue her 'o,as
Tho flagship Philadelphia, the Concord anu .''o
Kearsarge OF the North Atlantic Squndroh' 'io 49,
calling orders for their winter cruise In ue "es'
-, rh uo,rsarpe Is 10 start today. and 10
y. followed on Tuesday by the Philadelphia the oon
800 &c IN ro as soon as the damage done 10 pcr IA
,ho drrdock about two weeks ago Is repaired IL %
significant that the three vessels are oiuerou =" -
first 10 st. Thomas. rather 'hii u''
Prince which is said to be tfser oeo''I',
II. in the interval after their departure Wc D"n m
affair should assume a more threatening nature -,
~, recruitment could communicate directly WIN
Rear Admiral GheraIdi, the coInmnndant Oh 'io 'H
ron AT 81 Thomas by telegraph, and, necessary 'o
one or more of his vessels to go 10 Chhi nD
Gberardi was at the Navy Department t"o VI W
DAYS last week. in consultation with secretary i,'o
ond Commodore Ramsey in regard to the ~-n'erS
thoff
u,noston Jamaica and to Port-au Prince ana oaiao
Dominco They will not cruise In company ou' wiz
visit every harbor Of Importance IN the west .
and occasionally rendezvous pgculer az nc. A."
st. Thomas SANTANA Bay and Mole 81. N'choia', 'no
three desirable places for coaling STATIONS Will nav"
special attention ., -, .oon much
o,,orcd since she came to the Yard few weeks ago.
vi+ tho tbr.e steel masts with military tops winch
were found TO be too tOpheavy Tor the 'oSsoi ~
winter were taken out; then two shiin "oo
were put into the vessel, and tue heeeS's.s n
and adjustments were made. The snip aiso ie'e
some new appaIatus,-an ice-machinc ana an evap'
orator All the work is to be hmshed OH LUG
The Kearsarge has not been to the Yard SINCE sue ih'
~, we'd in the port but has received whatever tss
sbe needed while at her anchorage. The Cohcoiu WIN
he detained two or three weeks longer py net o'
rudder quadrant. She is to be ready by NoVeh'o, .o
however and then will follow the other Vessels Vi ~
squadron. -. c.r,
The little gunboat Petrol Is TO start to-day Tor Chf'
She will probably leave the yard about noon anu ~
down to sandy Hook. There the captain Will s"ins
shin in order to test and correct the compases and
will, in n day or two, start across the htanuc' Inc
shin will make her first stop at GipfaiHr eien'o 80
through the Mediterranean to the 1sthmus OF oueH anu
thence to China making stops at the princlpai pof's
On the way The Petrol has been thorongnv h''ea
for n long cruise since she went to the Navy lao'
efihp6
.an made the vessel has been put into the dry DOCK
and her bottom scraped and painted. and she mas
-ece,ved stores coal and ammunition The Petrei u
small but she is popular vessel Many aPPh'"',on'
were received from men who wished 10 serve vi e'
and while she needs only little over 100 men TOT her
crew. she could have had several hundred. II IL were
possible to take them.
The putting into commission OF the doubleturre'eo
monitor Mantonomoh on Tuesday last week was SO
ndd.n an AFFAIR taking place before all her officers
had been selected as to cause intense surprise ana
voneral belief that she to be hurried OIL wHho'
delay 10 Chill The fact is that the time oi
putt.ng her into commission had peeh oei'so'
so long, that it seemed absolutely necessary
that Secretary Tracy shuld put his loot down peofo
cold winter should come on and freeze up all VI '"o
pipes and other things. But there is so much to be
done in the way Of finishing touches on the urfes
and cuns that she could not be ready for service IN
side q several weeks yet The principal thing Is the
work of rivetng the roof OF the forward turet lho
Mace this will take about month. Then there are
the many things for the comfort and case OF the
men, and the many things that are needed winch are
constantly coming up just after a vessel mas been
nut into commission. The officers and crew do not
live on board the vessel yet but VIII do SO when
the furniture and cooking apparatus on board and
in "a condition for use. The crew does not come up
10 the required number but is to be hlied with short
service men The MiantonCmoh is known as harbor-
defence vessel but could make voyage around the
world as she has done oroe before When ready for
active duty she Is to be used training ship for
acmen and coalheaves, and II is probable that she
vii, also be used as gunnery ship. The Man
tonomoh Is now the most formidable vessel In the
United states Navy. She was originally built OF oak
inst before the close of the Civil War; but was rebuilt
OF iron in 1872. She is now practically new ship
again. having been in the Navy Yard since 1883,
bcng most extensively repaired and altered. The
vessel has a low fieeboard and only slight super
structure on her deck: at each end Is huge revolving
turret each armed with two 1Onch rides there
two short hollow steel masts with military tops
The vessels SIDES and turets are protected with com
pound armOr L. 1-2 inches in thickness. There will
be several small guns on the supcrstrucure and in
the military tops. The vessel is 90 feet In length
and her extreme breadth is 81 feet and inches.
The cruiser Chicago, the flagship u the Sluadrn
of Evolution which is by many thought to be the
finest ship in the Navy at the yard to be made
ready for her winter cruise. The vessel is In good
repair and will not need To have much work done
unon her. she Is to receive two new dstillers. and
probably viii be ready for sea In about IA month
According 10 the present idea the Squadron Of EvOlu
on Is 10 20 down to New Orleans to pass the winter
In that region. There will probably be some target
nractce and some squadron manoeuvres Many Of
the new naval vessels have been alng the New Eng
land coast and have given the people there chance
10 see representatives of the new Navy it is thought
that, in like manner the vessels OF the squadron Will
cruise M the Mississippi. They could not however
20 above vicksburg.
The Remington also Of this squadron, leave
the Navy yard about the middle Of this week, the
alterations and repairs upon her having at last been
completed. She will 60 first to GARDENERS bay to