New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-12
WORK AT THE NAVY YARD.
SECRETARY TRACY,s INSPECTION.
FEW VESSELS HERE, BUT LOTS OF WORK BEING
DONE UPON THEM-THE PROGRAMME OF THE
NORTH ATLANTIC SQUADRON AND THE


DONE UPON TuEM-TuE PROGRAMME OF THE
NORTH ATLANTIC SQUADRON AND THE
SQUADRON OF EVOLUTION.
Notwithstanding absence Of all of the vessels, ex
cepting the historic old craft Kearsarge OF the Nor
Atlantic Squadron at ew-London, and the vessels OF
the Squadron Of Evolution at Boston, Secretary Tracy
found enough occupy his attention at the Navy YARD
for nearly hours Friday. 1t was his first Visit
to the Navy Yard since Captain Henry Erben relieved
Rear Admiral D. L. Braine of the command, when the
latter put the retired list In May How thor-
oughly Captain Erben has administered the aharS Oh
this most important Of the shorcstations-and this com
prehends the building repairing and httlng out OIL te
largest as well as the smallest vessels and their com
plcated partsmay be best told in Secretary Iracys
own words. lie was agreeably surprised to find that
so much been DONE and that it had been done so
well. Secretary Tracy has exhibited remarkable ana
most intimate knowledge Of every department ana us
work, and does not need to ask many qlesuohs d. ~
what this that particular thing Is for lie Iandeu
from the tug Catapa which brought him from East
Twenty-sxth-s and after hearty shake OF the hand
Of each of the officers who had gone to the wharf to
meet him, he started in with his work OF Inspection
From the deliberate, careful manner IN when the
General inspected every point II was evident taC e
intent business and nothing else lie hrs' ."eh'
to the partially constructed Cruiser NO. :, WHICH Is W
be christened the Cincinnati. Here he found one OF
the new OOoton cruisers seemingly nearly ready to
take TO the water Two hundred mechanics are al
work upon her, some getting ready for rivetng the FEW
remaining hull plates yet to be put In pace Others
working on the frames that are to form the gundccK
and which is soon TO hide from the visitors eyes the
looking steel protectvedeck that runs from
stem to stern and has just been completed others are
working on the stem piece and the frames that are 10
hold the torpedo launching tube, through winch may
some day shoot missile that will send to the bottom
an enemy's 1OOoOton battleshp, which cost four
millions Of dollars, and send to Davy Jones locker
four or five hundred human beings. For hundred or
more feet astern divers and other men are busy seB
niles for the launchngways which TO be ready to
send the vessel afoat about the first Of October At
the other end beyond the bows OF the vessel are e
sheds under which the hammers, stearshears
steam punches and steambendng rollers are rafting
pounding and crunching the frames and plates that
are 10 finish the hull OF this marine cavalry monster
Next beyond the Cincinnati and only 300 feet away
ls the new thirdclas cruiser gunboat Bennington
This vessel Is In commission, with officers and part
OF the crew on board but she Is an immense workshop
at present and is likely TO continue one for some time
She Is so far from completion that even the officers
cannot be accommodated for sleeping on board. Inc
onlv staterooms occupied those for the three or
four watch-oficerS. Carpenters and ioners were as
husv as bees in hive yesterday getting the wardrooms
and Junior officers quarters ready for occupation.
Ironworkers and caukers scattered all over tle
ship keeping up a deafening din OF hammers on the
decks the gun-tracks, gun-carr1eTs ana ouer P9 VI
the shin The engineer officers were laying out
and expIainine designs, and their force OF petty
officers and fremcn were busy putting the hhlshihs
touches on the machinery and boilers.
n will he six weeks yet before the Bennington can
no made ready for service, she Will hardly be eA-
pected to be ready to take part in the summer naval
drills Of the SQUADRON OF Evolution, TO which she Is 10
be assigned.
ON the other side Of the channel, lying alongside OF
Cob Dock is the third-clas cruiser Concoru' enc
came ont of the drydock on Thursday and as she was
aoated out she got hard blow on the side oil 'e il
from a corner of the dock, which it was feared h1d
damaged some OF the plates seriously. But upon eA
animation it found that she received no indeiid
damage The repairing OF the steam-pipe' WHICH ouis
nj Hampton Roads and scalded two men so OahS Iiia
they died. has taken longer than was at hrs' eA
pected The delay has been due to the ntuhg VI
new pipe and she will not be ready 1or ser'l0o III ''
than ten days from now.
The partially completed armored cruiser Maine -
In the timber drydock, where she is to have her eea'
armor plates put In place, and also have put Oh t"o
new struts for the outward propeller shaiths' i"0
two big cranes that necessary for this "orh aie
vet TO be built and the contracts for thefh VIII 10
awarded in few days n. F. Palmer, j., d Co., WIN
have built the engines for this ship, have begun 10 put
the machinery in The work of completing the uouoc
turrcted monitors Mantonomoh and Terror Is an>"io
ing rapidly and the former which is nearest coinpc
uon will be ready to put into commission Ill auou' /"
month. Her commander, Captain Montgomery S'''iu
who came on from Washington on Friday ana inc
other officers detailed for her have been oiueios "
report for duty on July ~.
Captain F. NJ. Bunce, chairman and the other ON
GERS of the Civil Service examining boaN VIII iec' ae
the Yard on Tuesday to conduct an examination VI
the ouartermen the foremen Of the various gangs Vi
mechanics This board is not only TO cohuuct eAaii-
nations but also to look into and devise way "heeoS
the entire Civil Service personnel ana the pans Vi Ic
conducting the work In the several navy yaus may NC
reorganlzed into established system. IL Is hoe
only TO DECIDE what Civil Service examinations are
needed and conduct them, but 10 look into the "orh
ncs Of the various departments and their relations 10
Zach other devising q way In which the work may DC
s,mplihed cheapencd and made more eihcleht Inc
examinations to be now made are OF the head men,
comprising thrtyseven in the construction depart
ment. twelve in the steam engineering department.
40. IN the yards and docks department, one in the
equipment department, three IN the genemf store
kecper,s department and two in the ordnance depart
ment.
The historic old wooden sloOpof-war Quinnebaus.
or the Yankee Excuse,' she was dubbed by the
foreign navy sailors when she was on her last cruise
Is now q coal barge She was recently condemned
and sold to l.. Luckenback contractor, for $4,000
who fitted her up for use as coal transport. She
started on her first trip Friday with 1900 tons OF
coal for Boston. When she returned from Europe
two years ago she one OF the most dilapidated
war vessels that had crossed the Atlantic for many
wears and the name given TO her. the Yankee EN-
cusc,' was an appropriate one. derived solely ana
without prejudice from the fact that she was simply
n back-number. This was particularly noticeable at
the opening Of the exhibition at barcelona and Cadz
during the Cleveland Administration. where sixty
three war vessels represented the European Powers
and the Ounnebaug subject for the ridcule OF
even the smallest naval Power represented
Commander Edwin NJ. shepard, who few years
ago was in command of me nautical Scholarship ST.
Mary's and is pleasantly remembered BY everybody
who came in contact with him, reported for duty AT
the Yard on Tuesday. Assistant Engineers John u
Patton George W. Danforth and Cleland n. Oifey Will
begin a special tour Of duty at the Navy Yard on
August I. They will aid In the putting together OF
new machinery under the direction of Chief Engineer