New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-19
WORK AT THE NAVY YARD.
NEARLY ALL OF THE SHIPS GONE.
VISIT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE NA'f
j. RUSSELL soLEY-COLOR BLdNpNh'"
,,,o~c orrrcEpc or THE NAVY

j.
AMONG OFFICERS OF THE NAVY.
The chief topic OF interest at the iAHy fa the Hs'
week was the visit Of Assistant Secretary OF inc navy
j. Russell Solely and OF exLieutenant D. W. H'i'i
comniandant Of the Naval Militia Battalion Inc nS
ter was at the Navy Yard TO select the mushels anu
other small arms, temporarily lent 10 inc oa'
for its drills with the Squadron OF Evoiuuoh Oapd'n
Henry Erben the commandant OF the yaru' eAUenucu
every courtesy to Lieutenant Miller, and under his IN
strrctions the officers Of the ordnance oeprVoh'
helped him to select such arms as are needed AS
sstant Secretary Solely had a long consultation WIFI
CAPTAIN Erben about the needs Of the battalion, ana ne
will return from Washington the latter part Oh uie
go with the Squadron OF EVOLUTION 10 flshci
Island. The squadron-consistng Oh he Nin'"eo'
flagship Of Acting Rear-Admral Walker; the Newark
Atlanta Boston, Yorktown, Concord, Bennington
Vesuvius and Cushng-is scheduled to start LOT uio
mouth of the Thames River on Friday or SATURDAY
next
The Pennington was not expected to be ready 10 go
with the souadron because of the fact that there Is so
much to be done upon her to tit her cohpie'eV ior
cruising service. She recently accepted oy ulo
Government from the builders and put lnto coinhis
son but as upon all vessels, there are many niue
details Of Imperfection in the various departments Oh
the shin which are required to be looked after Sec
rotary Tracy, however, sent a perernptory oruer OIL
Thursday night that finished or not she must accom-
pany the Squadron Of Evolution and must be reSuy
for duty soon as FRIDAY neAC- Consequently
on Friday morning last she was hauled back 10 ule
coaln1 dock and made ready to fill her bunlers with
COAL In the meanwhile the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
iron workers. etc.-are kept as busy as bees, but max
ing much more noise while they are getting roonis
decks guns and engines ready for her first real service
The torpedo boat Gushing is another Of this Meet
which is not yet here and it Is doubted that she will
be ready TO accompany the squadron up the sound
The vessel has yet had her full power trial. and
board has been ordered to conduct upon her this
week. She Is now in Washington being made ready
for this trial, and the opinion has been expressed
by soma officers that the test which must De
given 10 her boilers this trial may unft
her for immediate service. Inasmuch as her boilers
carried a maximum OF $50 pounds pressure OF steam
on her speed trial. they will probably greater
pressure this time and the test decide the ques
ton OF the comparative value of the ThorDycrofc
boiler with which she Is fitted
When the Squadron Of Evolution Is gone the port
will be practically abandoned by the active navy In
fact It will be such desertOn has not been wit
messed before for long tlme and foreign navy
would find the opportunity the best might ever have
to capture the Empire City and its surroundings
There will be only two Navy vessels In commission
in the por-the old frigate Minnesota at West Twenty
sxh-st at present ship for lads who aspire
to become American sailors Navy warrant officers,
and the old wooden slOop-ofwar Yantic now lying In
the East River off Twenty -sxth-st.
Visitors to the Navy Yard will not find so much 10
interest them as there has been for several months
past and yet 1t will not be void Of Interest. Al the
bukheads lie three OF the biggest ronclad monitors IN
the world-the Mantonomoh, the Terror and the Pur
tan-each Of which is busy hive in itself with the
WORKING of the electric drills and the incessant drum
ing OF the rvetng hammers on the turrets and the
decks The MlantOnomoh Is the nearest to completion,
and the expectation is to have her ready for commits
sion within the next three weeks. The only practcai
delay now Is due to the nonarva Of the last OF the
I &c hO1t non
TO be shipped from the proving grounds at Annapolis
and as soon as II arrives will be mounted in the
forward turnet with its companion weapon The after
trrret guns are already in place. The Terror, inc
sister vessel TO the MiantOnomoh can hardly be eX
pccted to be ready for service under year. Her
turrets are being built, and when ready VIII oe
put in place on the ship
The Puritan, which is being altered to barDette
vessel Is no ready for service than the Terror
but she interesting study 10 either warriors vi
| members of the " Universal Peace Commission
The big armored cruiser Maine, which is really TO be
| a battle-shIp, Is wonder in itself, although she Is
nothing more than a big steel hull aioat up to the
present time. She gives pretty good ldea however
Of what monstrous deathdealng weapon she TO De-
A hundred or moro skilled mechanics will ma plenty
TO keep them busy from until she again goes INTO
the dry dock to receive her great armorplaung winch
Is to be hoisted in place by immense derrick yet 10
be built.
"N''o
hurried forward to get her ready for launching ABOUT
October l. The manner of putting this ship together
IL an interesting study the three rude buildings
near her are great where the plates are beng
heated for shaping; there immense machines AT work
punching holes in the plates for the hundreds OF tou
sands of rvets to them together ana there are
lahes with great cutters shaving OIL great curls from
the 2inch steel plates, which shaVlhgs looh hhc MN
iaaire towers Of Pisa.
The senate Naval Committee, acting upon res
oution OF Congress authorizing it to make an hVeSu
cation Of the condition and needs OF the entire navy
md especially In regard to reorganization Oh te per
sonnet of the Navy Yard management, etc, VIII meet
AT the Fifth Avenue IO;el on August 4 TO map Gus
the programme for its work 1t is expected that after
IN spccIug the various departments in the Navy Yard
here the committee will 90 oh board Of Admiral
walkers flagship Chicago, and be taken TO the various
Navy Yards and stations on the Atlantic coast Inc
committee will also witness some OF the Meet evohi-
lions that have been arranged for The committee
will make report 10 Congress upon such legislation
As is needed TO improve the status Of tho officers, IN
cludng reimbursement of the payable and the method
OF promotion also what is needed TO improve the con
dton Of the enlisted men on board Of ship, and the
best method to be pursued to increase the number OF
enlisted men, that the ships may have the necessary
compliments, the necessary Improvement OF materials
In the yards etc
The board of which Captain X. L. Phythlan Is chair
man. and charged with devsing some means Of re-
ueviug the present stagnaton in promotion among
the officers, has held several meetings already Their
report which must be submitted TO Secretary Tracy
before october l. will he incorporated with tha Of the
Senate Committee. The systems of promotion in
foreign services win be carefully studied, and the
features that appear to be applicable to the United
states Naval service will be noted. The Phythian
board is expected to observe the provision made by
foreign Governments to the advancement of
officers TO responsible positions before age uafs them
for the duties they expected 10 be able to perform
In all of the great naval powers there promotion by
seniority and by selection and In Italy In addition 10
seniority and selection, officers must undergo
nef1tive examination There age limits, time lin
It's and seaservice limits In each grade as requirements
for promotion as well retIrements for in each
grade The unanimOus conclusion reached by the
the board through its discussions up to the present