New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-04-10
WORK AT THE NAVY 1ARD
ARMOR PLATING URGENTLY NEEDED.

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condition until the North Atlantic squadron returns
from Its winter cruise. This probably Will not be
until some tine In May. Then Of course. there VIII
be much bustle for awhile for there VIII be repairs
and painting to be done, vessels TO be docRed anu
stores and coal to be taken on board. all OF which
| requires wOrlmen and time.
Now however only routine work goes on RAPID
progress is made the engines and boilers Tor the
Raleigh the new cruiser which recently launched
at the Norfolk Navy Yard. The various parts OF the
engines are being fitted together In the erection shop
According to the original plan. when the engines were
completed they were to be run by steam as a tria'
This plan may be followed the set that is being
built fer the Cincinnati. As each part IS pat into
place on the Raeigh's engines it tried. that the
officers are practically certain that everything VIII
work all right. The reversing gear OF one engine OF
this set tried by steam two three days ago, ana
proved satisfactory. In about month"; it is expected
the men begin to take the engines apart and ship
| them to Norfolk. About the same time one set Of
bollers-that is, six bolersw be ready to be shipped
The great need in connection with the cOnstruc-
tion Of the vessels in the Navy Yard Is plates.
| The vessels In the condition where
! they need the heavy armOr plating. BY the lack OF
| this the completion Of the vessels will be much de
! layed. While other construction work can 20 on
without the heavy plating. yet it could be carried on
just we'll at the time that the armor was being
| fitted Into place.
some changes have been made in the original plans
Of the Maine and the Cincinnati. one Of these changes
is In the quarters Of the Cincinnati the interior ar
rangement is to be altered that the space viii be
! better used and will BE- given TO the crew.
On the Maine a mess-roOm is TO be fitted up for the
officers outside of the ward room. Another change Is
in the mists OF the Maine Instead 4 three mass with
sails, she /, now 10 have two steel ma>t- fitted with
military tops and these mastS 10 De- vertical The
Cincinnati will also have two ma,iS. but only one Of
thee the forcma> will he Of steel with military top.
rho otlp- he main will no made of good
The work on the monitor MianOnOmOh Is nearly
| finished. The two accumuators will be all ready In
few days. The vessel has not received Oric!s yet.
For several weeks the Supposion has been that she
will ont for more trials of her when ready for
sea. The main valves for the guns Of the dyna-
mite cruiser Nesuvus have been sent TO the yard and
the vessel will be ready for The only ordcr-
which she has 10 report to the North Atlantic
squadron when she Is ready for duty 1t is generally
supposed That she Will so for further trials OF her
guns.
1t has been decided to mount modcrl guns on the
receiving ship Vermont. In order that h- sailors who
there at any time may have practice with the
kind Of ordnance which Is used the ships. The
wok Of fitting these guns into place on the vessels
deck has been begun. The Ginch gun to b. used Is
the one at present mounted on the bow OF the Alarm
In Of need the guns to be removed from the
| Vermont for active use. On these pleasant spring
days the sailors Cob Dock take much pleasure in
playing ball the not very large open space the
| suardhouse.
| The nets which are to be stretched across the
timber drydOck 10 catch the proIcccs In the coming
trials OF the torpedo boat Destroyer. being
made. The trials Will proabby BEGIN In a few DAYS.
The work the single turreed monitor Nantucket j,
nearly completed.
The work OF moving the ammunition stores 10 the
Navy station at Dover, y. j.. Will soon begin.
There is no place available in NewYork Harbor for
keeping these stores Fort Wadsworth belong, 20 the
Army. and 50 the Navy IS TO make Of the station
at Dover In connection with the Army. storehou,c,
in which the ammunition may be kept have already
been Lut From Dover the ammunition can be taken
by rail to communipaw. where It BE- put lighters
and thus taken 70 Naval vessels.
Building No. - in the Navy Yard +. to be fitted
for paint shop. In preparation for This, the live
oak umbers which are now stored In it are being
hanlcd out. The present paint shop is In an old
w0rn-Out building. and the one /, much needed
some attention is now given 70 the matter Of a new
gate In the Navy Yard. 1t proposed t. make a new
entrance 70 the yard at sand,t. and for the gate
necessary grading il estimated that $4,000 wCml1
be needed The Naval Appropriation bill for the year
WILL If it passes and becomes Il Law. provide 5000
for this work. 50 the bureau Of Yards and Docks
+ now engaged in l0Okieg over the plan, and seeing
what can De done with only his amount Of money
The sud ending OF thc life Of Passed Assistant
Paymastcr George W. Long nj the NcwYOrk Hospital
On Friday, did rOt surprise those officers who knew
him. After his mysterious wandcrings about Til,
city last August, when general alarm sent out
for him, he broke his leg and sent to the Nv
York Hospital. lie was accustomed to use opium in
various forms and also 10 drink heavily. His ricids
in the service did all they could 10 restrain him and
cure him, bat without He OF
the late Admiral 4. X Long Of the Navy, who was "A
descendant Of prominent Maryland family. Eoth of
the prandfahers If Paymascr Long killed in battle
In the War Of 1912, and their Damcs-Cooacl Long
and Colonel Donaldson-are inscribed on the Battle
Monument at Baltimore His uncle. General J. d.
Donaldson, was the quartermaster general Of General
shermans army in Tennessee. on his mothers side
he descended from family eminent in the annals
Of English and Irish history. Payma-tr Long entered
the Amy In the civil War, in company raised mainly
from students Of Dickinson College, and joined the
celebrated Pennsylvania Eucktail7 regiment lilo
served with distinguished bravery, and soon rose to
the rank OF major He took part In the battles Of
Antietam, Getty s5urg Nashville and many minor
engagements. For time he had charge OF all the
military roads IN the southwest, and aftcrward
superintendent Of all the National cemeteries. on
October o., 1868 he appointed assistant paymaster
in the Navy by President Johnson. through the in
nuence Of his brother, who private secretary the
President He served the monitor saugus In the
SOUTH and the disorder which caused his death was
contracted this vessel In 1874 he paymastcr
10 the Transit Of Venus Expedition to Australia
the swaara, and was soon after this retired on ac
count Of angina pectOrs This disease became in
tenscd ana caused his death
The question OF drydOcks has been one Of earnest
consideration by the Navy Department for several
weeks. The plans recently drawn by civil Engineer
Peter &. Asscrson for the proposed drydock at the
Navy Yard, ara sil under consideration by the Navy
Department. II The plans are approved. this dock
VIII be large enough TO accommodate the longest and
heaviest war vessels likely 10 be constructed. The
dimensions 70 lie 900 feet In length, IS feet deep
the watcrline, and 10 feet vide at the narr0west
part at the bottom
As the advertisement for proposals to build the
new drydock at the Puget Sound Naval Station. Wash
ington, was published In The Tribune couple OF
days ago. that dock Will be begun and no doubt be
completed first The bids are 10 be opened on July
g. The dimensions are 10 be 6O5 feet in length and
30 feet draught. This station is one, at Port
Orchard Bay, and was selected by n commission Of
Navy officers recently. Congress appropriated $3.50 900
TO be expended upon the dryd0ck and the necessary
buildings for q NAVY Yard. This AUTHORIZATION be.