Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-07-26
AREPLY COLONEL BRADY.
| Monitor officers and Men Almost Unani-
nous I'm Favor of Richmond.

To the Editor of he Dispatch:
In reply to the statement made by Colo
mel James ID. Brady, of Petersburg, IN your
columns Of the 23d instant in an interview
with your Petersburg correspondent.
would like to state that whatever the de-
STABILITY in any way claimed Tor the City
Point anchorage at the time Of placing the
monitors at that place, there IS now no
question that the proposed berth for these
vessels off the city OF Richmond IS so III
comparably superior and more desirable
in every way and detail that the two
are not TO be mentioned i'll the same day.
The Colonel says: The place at which
the fleet Is now moored was selected after
all the points near Richmond on the James
river had been carefully examined" and
then goes on to tell of the necessity OF
dredging, &C., making the mistake that
the money expended for the dredging was
refunded" by the United States Govern
ment.
MANY IMPROVEMENTS IN THE RIVER.
ut would be well for him to consider
that since the placing OF the monitors IN
their present anchorage about three years
ago there has been expended on the I'M
proyements in every way OF the James
river. about the harbor Of Richmond,
many months Of labor and many thousands
of dollars, and there is something 70 snow
for 10. The conditions are entirely altered
il what he claims was the case. 50 let US
dismiss this question at once ana tor all,
as there il now no doubt or the eoiiity OF
the harbor of RICHMOND TO anord al tn9
water needed for berthing tho monitors on
the cty-this officially from the engineer
in charge of the Jane .riyer improvement
to MS Honor the Mayor"
JACK DOESN'T CARE.
In speaking of the grounding Of the ships
the Colonel says: THE crew have time
after time, by letters andpersonai appeals,
desired me TO represent the matter 10 inc
Navy Department" 1 suppose no means
us to infer the matter OF going back to
City Point, as it is scarcely 10 be supposed
that Jack" personally cares very. much
whether the ships touch the mud occa-
sionally or not as long as he Is happy, ana
II IL asking entirely too mach TO oeleVe
that he could be happy in such God-for-
saken excuse for town as CITY POINT, Win
store or two, railroad STATION, gnu
mill, and superabundance OF negroes
with Petersburg twelve miles away.
As a matter of TACT, the roster OF the ships
shows at present on board five officers and
sixty men. OF this number there are Just
nine from City Point and Petersburg To-
getter-t,co ul,ite men and secea colored.
1t is natural that these nine persons
should like to 90 back to CITY foint, out
even this is not the case, as two OF the col
ored men are understood to be perfectly
contented here. The remaining ttty-one
of the crew are from other parts OF the
State, tho North, or old sailor-men whose
home is the navy itself.
SMALL CREW.
So the Colonel's "crewn is composed OF
two white and five colored men, and most
probably of one who was q yeoman en-
board the monitors. when he was dis:
charged on account OF the expiration OF
his term of enlistment and returned to City
Point, his home, where he has a store and
is one of the leading merchants OF that
place.
Ii is obvious why this merchant should
have interested himself while on the mont
tors and does SO now in supplleating by
Letters aud personal appeals" tho re-
moval Of the vessels to his town.
With the exception Of the aboye-men:
toned interested "erce" OF Colonel
Byady'a. Il y almost needless 70 sa1 that