New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-19
WORK AT THE NAVY YARD
THE srcRETARY's NEW REGULATIONS.
orv,crps HEARTILY APPROVE THE REFORM
FASTENING THE DELIVERY OF
ARMoR PLATE.

- % tho several Navy yards Is Proihuies', -
The system which General Tracy mas oeen woiA's rs
- -. .ho mon now employed being IN STATE Oh
,an ,nrobonsion about their places is much exas
| - - ,nco - they are men fitted for tile pIaccS
rh,ch thev occupy they will be aole 10 Prov ''.n
soves en- when the examination DeSins vi ny g.
Tboeo nov employed in tho yard afe 10 i , zoo.
s,ruction department, LOO; steam engheeil"e,
Yards and docks 49, equipment 90 orun"'o,
provisions and clothing, oo' INV
| Ing on the subject, said: ..,,ro.,on os m
o oonobilitv Of master mechanics now enpio9eu az
.bts rard will result in any radical Change III u ~
Tho fact Is that the material no" eihPioSeu .
| a.r. over that which Secretary Tracy louiio
when he took hold two years ago. for liie iou,
~, a. 81 time enormous sums were spent LOT 'ui'
| necessarv work solely to give pay 10 Uhc i"N', 49,,
-. - d,sbonest mechanics and laborers Ill oruer
- ecrre their votes for the local. state ana NdUonai
.o,,ots This condition of things eHiseu Ill o''i,
NAVY yard I'm the country, and wouiu nav ,I',h
10 exist IL the combs OF such men VI Po"u g
Mel aucblin his faithful lieutenant Jales
gresham Timothy J. Campbell anu 'a. ,.,otra,taD
Sod NOT becn cut by the change OF the ADMINISTRATOR
n.'u nv ,os names give were permitted TO con-
81 .hIros At This station with high hanu' anu Il '
Nov, officers who are held responsible lot to WIZ
do,o nj thc ward attempted to INTERFERE 'neS We
advised To keep their hands OH OF ucs WYNN =,
t,cbed and put whiting orders Ut SouV ~ 80 -,
tr Instance the case of Chief Engineer John T. henS
who refused to submit to the dctatiohS Vi
Can,ho,, in the employment Of men, ana soon AFTER
~ ,,d q letter from the Secretary OF the Navy
-. H. oor1d have six months leave TO go aDtOau
- .ol,o orders for sea. lie chose the FORMER anu
when he returned ordered 10 sea uuS anu
few months later died. could cite Quiet caseS
ccrs who interered with politicians under the Ce'e
land Administration were detached from shore SVh.o'
aIet me call your attention 10 TINS abuse Vi po-
r4soo, norep in another way. Under the law the
~ " Sa,,, Ward cannot be increased within sixty
49, % on election Yet in September, 1888. TWO
months nrecedng the election for Mr. Cleveanus SUI
ooseor the force was increased to between 2'-V anu
. 400 a larger number than for many years U0o'
and nearly double what 1t was elght moh"'S o.io'o
Al n corresponding date in 1881 the NUMBER e'hpioSI
was only between 800 and 0Oo' bul W l''ui
,eas month after Cleveland's defeat the force had
49, tom . 900 10 400, and month later 10
100 Was there any political manipulation OF inc
NAVY Yard force in this The facts speak lot unen
eolves The officers Of the Navy refused to aoquesce
in this rascalty, and several OF them Were u'PI'o
NJ the power to prevent IT, The pohuolaiS my
better than TO expect aid or encouragement rum .0
officers and therefore they secured the conIroi VI '
working force. .--ou
aWhen the Harrison Administration came into power
General Tracy found that all of the old foremen anu
mechanics who had been in the yard for mary years
and were thoroughly capable men had been dsplaceu
~, those selected by the bosses. not because OF ter
fitness 10 do the work, but for their sRll III "orhns
I'm the party voters and making deals WIN the cahu
dates of the 'bosses.' General Tracy al once "ehU
IN work TO bring about reform to prevent the con-
tinuons frauds on the Government and the delays III
fitting out ships and to stop the turning out OF iau'y
ond dangerous material. But this was slow, because
he did moi. wish to be charged with violating the
principles OF Civil Service reform in any sense 10
anureciae the Improvement one Should pc acquahueu
with the present force and that which was empoyeu
in 1893. | remember an instance when foreman
as found fault with by Of the officers and threat
enea with discharged He replied Discharged IS it7
Faith, it's you I'll have dschargedP lhaO oilcer
was detached few days before the election in NO
vember, 1855" ,....
The Board of Examiners appointed by Secretary
Tracy consists Of Captain Frances NJ buhce, Oiui
Engineer David Smith, Commander Charles ONein'
Commando. F. E. Chadwick Naval Constructor fra,ol'
r povles and Lieutenant William Il. Caperton. lhey
will meet at the Navy Yard on May 10 arralso
,or the competitive examination OF candidates lor
,orc,nen NJ the several branches OF mechanics anu
lohorcrs which win begin on May H. NJ a. H.
81 the close Of the examination the 3oard VIII MAKE
report OF the comparative merit OF tie caIhuaVes
for each place which it IS declared shall DE vacant
On June l. and designate the name Of the hdlVldua
who ts hest qualified for the place. Upon hnismng
It's work here, the Board VIII 90 W 'ne NViioi -''
Yard on similar duty
Tho Nav, Department has found 1t necessary 10
pre the armor plate manufacturers TO hurry In ther
supplv Of the for the new ships OF the navy
and I'm order that the plating may be furnished faster
thar n has been and within the time limited by the
contracts the Homestead Mills, OF Pttsbug ordered
a lot Of machinery to be imported from Glasgow to
trim the plates This arrived at Baltimore few days
oco and consists of 100 pieces, averaging ton In
weight each To build the machinery In this country
would have taken too long time, ana the machinery
impoded was ready Just at this Tine The eNlsuhg
contracts for the construction OF the armor Tor Tue
bips and protected cruisers designate certain
time for the completion Of the work. The plates for
ho doubeturreted monitor made at Carnege's Works,
will he the first 10 see service In the new vessels Park
Brothers & Co. are making the armor plating for the
Maine and Texas; Park Brothers and the CarnegieS
are Jointly furnishing the plates for the
monitors Amphitrite and Puritan, ruisers Nos. O. Q,
G. = g o. 10 and IL, and gunbOats and Z; and the
Carbon Iron Company is furnishing the plates for the
Naval Academy practice-ship building at Eliza
bethport.
The revised table of the armament TO be mounted
on the new vessels Of the Navy, Just issued By the
Ordnance Bureau show that when in commission these
vessels will present more formidable array than q
mere description on paper indicate large proper
ton Of the guns. and these include those OF slxnch
cabre ard over will be efficient against many of the
biggest amorprCtected vessels Of modern type The list
includes twelve thrteeninch, eight twelvench twen
tytwo teninch fifty eightnch, 125 sxnch, fifty four
nveinch and seventy-hvc four-inch guns; 22s six
FOUNDERS forty-seven threepounders ninety nine one
pounders, twelve fory-seven millimstTe, fortynne
thirty seven milmere, ninetyscven Gatlings, three
6fcen-inch dynamite guns OIL the vesnv.,s, lac
launching tubes for automobile torpcdoes. The crews
Will be aimed with 6eOi rifles and 4,792 reyDlvcrs. (
The twelve thrteen-nch guns VIII be distributed
equally between tie batueshps Indiana, Massaehu
sets and oregon.
Wok has already been begun on the launehingways
for the new cruiser Cincinnati The material Is being
collected and some preliminary work has been done
During the summer divers and various other workmen
Will be busy preparing things for the launching Of the
sell 10 has been the intention 10 launch the ship
In the fall and this will probably be done. The work
on her is we'll advanced. The deck beams are now |
being fastened In place. On the Maine too there Is
good progress The work on the superstfuctlre has
claimed attention for time aid this continues TO
advance rapidly The deck plates have been left un-
Iiveted IN order that the boilers, upon their ar.