New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-15
WORK AT THE NAVY YARD.
THE NEW CONCORD IN COMMISSION.


and was moorcd alongside the dock just Deyohu
,bc timbcr dry-d elk, in the berth occupied py
Tho traininc-ship Minnesota for the last II"
,nontls The vessel was turned over to the Navy
DEPARTMENT about week ago by the cohIIactoi''
and Yesterday morning Captain Joseph " Nili'ci'
the executive officer Of the yard, gave hef INTO
rho cho~cc of her commander, Commander Oliver
, H,tchcller Commander Batchcller ordered the
flag TO be hoistcd at her stern, IN token thao sho
,yas a commissioned vessel of the United States
9nd his orders from Secretary 1mcy were reaa
in the presence of the other officers ana the ere"
Of thc ship The other officers Of the Concord
are: Licutcnant-C commander Edward i. WOOD
executive: lcntcnants. John i. Briggs, Vincendo
l.. Co:tman, Charles Laird and Albert w. Grant;
cnsicns Joseph Strauss and Levi c. Bcrtolctte;
chief engineer, Robert Il. IIine paSSed-as'stant
engineer, T. K. Freeman; paymaster, James ~
Ring. and surgeon, Rcmus c. Persons
The last week has seen the departure OF two
If thc vessels from the Navy Yard. The cruiser
Boston, after spondinG so many months in the yard,
and having such large repairs made, was at last
ready TO 60 TO sea and left the yard on Thursday
10 oin the o'lcr vessels Of the Squadron of Evo-
m.cn, now at NcwOrlcanS. Larly in the week
il WIS feared because Of the non-arrival of ac-
ccptablc lubricatinC oil, that the snip would he
OBLIGED 10 remain in the yard for week or more
In the southern waters Tie vessels IF the Squad
ron # Evolution are 10 engage in various
manocuvrcs for the training of the men. The
other vessels Of this squadron sailed few weeks
ago.
The other vessel which sailed away during the
wccl, was the sloopof-war lantic, and she LETT
the yard yesterday morning for Newport ms
vessel has been ordered 10 the South Carolina
coast TO perform duty in which She has done
considerable service in the last year or two-that
of blowing up wrccl-s which are DANGEROUS 10
uavieation While the Nau'ic HaS IN the yard,
during the last few months, She also received
extensive repairs. Her old, wOrn-out boilers were
removed AN! new ones put in This kept biz
hole in her deck for some time, and after the
boiler, had been put ia the tom-away part of
the deck vas rcald. The connections between
the engine, and the boilers were made, and after
one or two unsuccessful trials everything was
adjusted 50 that il worked well The boilers
of the ship were also fitted with the new system
Of forced draft Tn, Nautic has not had her
complement of men and has lain III the yard
since the completion Of her repairs, Whiting for
men and for orders There has been much spccu-
lation as 10 what her destiny would he, and when
she would sail. \ week or two ago the Iantc
went ont for f.w days and blew mp some
distractions 10 ray cation IN the shape of the
bat this ~ H." only duty which She las performed
sine" her repairs were completed until sh" sailed
yesterday. The slip is first going To Newport to
GET a supply of euncotton and then she Will 20 TO
south Carolina. TIE Nant,cS officers are: Com
maplrI Charles Ill. Rockwr., commanding:
hcIt"nautS, j - j. Kelly. Clayton : Rich
man, Albert Merit and Wadcmor d. Rose en-
Signs, Reuben Q. Bitter and Mark l.. Bristol;
pds>cd-1Ssst1nt engineer, George Cowic, lr.
pas,cd-as,istant surgeon. Henry g. Boyer, and
paSScd-ass>tant paymast"r, Leeds c. Kerr.
The sloop-of-war Galcna, which VAS put out of
commission several months aco and has since lain
in tie Navy Yard has been hauled out of her
berth near Rotten Row." and is 10 Oc fitted for
sea. TIE boilers small boats stores and various
other things belonging TO the ship are to be put
on board of her, and then she - ~ taken TO
Portsmouth, y H., 10 be- fitted ont and made
ready for service II is said that the vessel will
probably De ready 10 leave the yard in
two weeks. The Lancaster. one Of the best and
most comfortable of The old wooden war vessels
If the Navy has been ordered 10 I've made ready
for service as flagship Of the ANatc Squadron,
- take iLr place of the Omaha. The Lancaster
Is now at the Portsmouth Navy Yard. but is t.
be- brought To- the Navy Yard here before the end
Of the week 10 be- fitted out. The battery has
been shipped from the Washington Navy Yard
and the vessel will probably be- under way to
the China station before March TO- The fol-
lowing officers have been ordered to her mp To
this time Captain Henry T. Sccly e. command,
Chief Engineer i. g. II. Wharton. Passed As
sis;ant- Engineer Richard Inch. Lieutenant Com
mandcr f. =. Gilmore. Captain Richard Wallach,
Of the Marine Corps; l}oatswaln T. H. smith, and
Gunner john Russell
Commodore y. II. Farquhar Chief of the Bureau
Of Equipment, paid visit to the Navy Yard
yesterday. He called on Rear Admiral Brainc,
the commandment OF the yard
In the last issue Of The Annual of the Office Of
Naval Intelligence" published By the bureau of
that title ~ the Navy Department Washington
some important details are noted with regard to
the failure of the Hilton guns of the British
Navy. II notes this fact among Others that
naval writers lave advanced many thcorc, to
account for the failure Of this gum but all unite
in utterly coudcmning the design upon which
it was constructed" Attention is also drawn to
the fact that the steel used by the gun-building
firm is manufactured by a process which produces
the metal al little more than half the cost of
that Of krupp and Schneider and from this fact
argument Is presented 10 prove that it is not
more than half s. valuable for practical purposes
The officer who writes this criticism has given
the matter practical INVESTIGATION abroad and
from it lac shows that the Armstrong Hilton
gun is constructed at cost of S93,I6O
or about ssh, per ton, while
ll9-t0n Krupp gun costs $l44,575, or Sl.21O
ton. The powder charge of the Armstrong gun
weighs $50 pounds, while that Of Tie Krupp gun
weighs ~ pounds. The chamber pressure is
about - per cent more in the former than in the
latter, hence il is not to be wondered at as a
practical 1llSh ordnance expert recently said,
that " no II ton gun Yet made would he safe
after ten rounds OF rapid firing i'm service. and
iull powder charges As for the l19-ton krupp
gun one recently purchased by the Italian Gov
eminent has been fired zoo times. and is still lit
for service. The English expert alluded 10 says
that the excessive work demanded of the Arm
strong gun not only causes rapid wear, but also
danger of rupture.
An auction sale OF certain articles and material
belonging 10 the Navy, condemned unit for
ne therein, is 10 take place at the Navy Yard