New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-27
WORK AT TIE NAVY YARD
TESTS WITH THE TORPEDO BOAT DE-
STROYER.
INTEREST IN THE OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT
NEW NAVAL BILL.


,srest in connection with the Navy IS the Ericsson
torpedo boat DESTROYER This vessel lay In the Navy
Yard for a long time but few months ago She was
taken away Within few weeks tests nave pce"
begun on the vessel by board OF naval oihcerS III"
vessel has been the Erie Basin while the tests WIZ
roipg on but on Friday she was taken to the Navy
Ward IN order that they might be completed there'
sbe Inv Yesterday alongside the Cob DOCK, where d"
interested visitor had chance TO view her eNleoi'
but only that. for no one Is admitted 10 inc i"s"' "
even TO the deck except by special consent Vi So'"o
NAVY officer She is about 125 feet III lehS'" az"
narrow in the beam. Her bow comes TO II sha,p
point and the deck is only few inches above 'he
water line few feet back from the bow Is 'he
nperstrucre II rises several feet In height and eX-
tends nearly the whole length of the vessel II i
made OF steel with windows or other openings Oh
the sides. The vessel can be sunk In the water "
nearly the top OF the supeIsructure Her ohc"HN'
armament consists OF torpedo tube In the bo" peIo"
the surface OF the water, which IL thirythfee l'.
long and has a 1G-inch bore The boat was deSeheu
and built by Captain Ericsson, the inventor Out a'
the tests did not show all that was DESIRED inc WV
eminent did not complete the purchase Oh inc >cs'
and her gun. She now belongs TO the heirS Vi zap
tain Ericsson and they trying to make hcr 'eS'S
successfuI 50 that the Government Will accept her'
Tho snoed and other qualifications of the little boat
are already known and the present trldis are heeA
cun trials They are, however, also tests VI '''
Edison torpedo which has been invented reo'"'N'
Four NJ these topedoeS lie the deck OF the NeSSc'
They are long and slim, the greatest ulaihe'e' O7
only fifteen inches and the length twentySeNel "
The head is made OF brass. but the rest OF S.ee.. -
,le tail are small projecting pieces OF met@l "hch dc'
As fms 10 guide the torpedo in the water Nheu u,
vessel was in the Erie Basin the guns WERE ni,u '
some tests were made. But row thal she II III -"
NAVY Yard she is to be put into the tlmoer uiNu
on Friday she put In charge OF the Orunh"0e :"
partment The tests OF the guns VIII De mauc j."
in Orde
recovered after firing It,, ILL,
Another affair OF some interest Is IN cohhecuo VIZ
the torpedoboat Gushing. She Is 10 leave 'e az
Yard and 60 TO Washington where she VIII w 'o"'
porariy under the control of tie ordnance Depa'V
ment In preparation for the voyage ooch u'". Vi
,h vossel,s engines was held yesterday. The boilers
had already been tried. The place on inc uecN "i'
was opened for installing the torpedo tupes u" o0'"
will be covered over again and the VeSsei ProD"o'S
will sail this week. In the Washington yaiu NV wiz
no nj the headquarters Of the ordnance Dcpar'n''''
and will have the benefit Of the gun foundreS there'
A casting for the torpedo tube which Is I" De put
On the how Is now board the YES
sell To fit this torpedo tube III pace "
will be necessary TO alter inc sn'Po -
The bow. This comes together SHARPLY ou' q"
will be necessary to spread the plates anu ni'"0
round hole such as can be seen In the bows VI
..o nov, cr,isers In this hole will be fitted the
casting which is now on the vessel. and the torpeu
tnbe will be attached to this Inside the vessel
90 this work the vessel probably VIII pe """'' F
nm shore The bow torpedo tube VIII be 'aDoNp ''0
uetor line As TO the rest Of the torpedo-h'uns "
the vessel. the opinion Is mat Il uo'oi' ~
placed on the deck amdShll'. , 49,
The dynamitecruiser Vesuvius Is still IN the Navy
Yard The valves for her guns have not pech put y"
hoord some work still continues on inc "''"'
Nantonomoh and no orders for duty have oc'" io
cdved The work making the monitor N"''"'"
~eoav N 20 TO Boston to be used as rAimhs-sh'p
Gov tho Naval Reserves continues. dock tiial ID
hcr engines has been held some construction "oi -
he,nc done. The new steel tugboat NarkceI' mas
arrived in the Navy Yard. but has not been pn
into commission The construction work on the '"P
cruisers Maine and Cincinnati ana me u"o mo-"
uors puritan and Terror advances steadily
Tho historic guns which were captured from INC
British ship Macedonian, in the War OF I0I-' h"Ne
been mounted and PARTED black and placed aiou"u
tho u,tle triangular green near the Lyccuh ouilu"o
I'm the Yard. o,.
Tho receiving. ship Vermont l. 10 have some ~"
c,v,s This will be the first time that tne VeSae'
bas had modern guns. But inasmuch as the mal"rlN
~ tho men in the service pass through tins receV"s
shin II would seem TO be necessity that sne S"o"lu
bav. the proper guns for training them iere NV
men are shipped, some Of them knowing ho'h"s GU
laval war weapons, and up to TINS Time u's V''--
only he instructed with the odfashoned guns which '
-, Rad and with pictures OF modern guns
Now however she will have guns which can DC
,sed for practical instruction. The new aIHiai"o"
u,u consist Of two 1-pOundcr H0tchKNS guns o'0
q nornder and one G-inch rife. These guns arc
merely lent 10 the snip by the Ordnance Depa'n'c
Some OF the parts already AT the SNIP $500
One of the officers said yesterday tha' 'he ii'A' INNS
which would be needed for the VeSuvis was some
kind OF target range The ship at present has not -
nuch as shooting gallery such "a can Oc seen "'
Coney Island. II the money were APPROPRIATED
target-range could be buiit for instruction anu PRAY
tice in the of small arms
p,omo,ion which has reported in the case OF Com
,oander Frederick Il. Smith that he is morally uhit
for promotion, has removed one obstruction winch eN
isted 30 long against the promotions nom mat er""
10 fill the vacancies in the list OF captains vi"
nander smith stood at the head OF the list but a. no
one could be promoted above him his Juniors haH l"
wait until his could be disposed o. But dho'h''
abstraction has presented itself. In the case Oh Coh
nander James ID. Graham, who Is next below tom
maoder smith, and who has been ordered 10 Dc court
uartialled. Until his case is disposed OF his lHiheui
ate juniors will have to remain where they are.
rh. result OF the decision of the Promotion Board III
the case Of Commander smith is awaited with intense
interest ny officers in the Navy The proceedings ana
ending, are now under review by secretary Tracy
and the Judge Advocate General. and in lew daSa
will he sent to the President for his acton Inc lue7
Non arises: VIII Commander smith have his comm~
sion The act Of August ), 1882 relative TO eAamiAA
tons for promotion reads that "t shall appear that
orch officer IS unfit TO perform at the duties OF the
,lace 10 which IL 4: proposed TO promote hh' Dy
reason of drunkenness, or from any cause arising o"
his own misconduct and having been informed oi ana
hoard upon the charges against him, he shall nOt D.
naecd on the retired liz, Of the Navy, and II tie hnd
ing Of the Board be approved by the President he sha
he discharged with no mole than one years pay
The paragraph quoted provides that the oihcer Is not
In he dsmi. SD unless the findings be approved Dy the
President. The same act provides that an oficer
morally disqualified for promotion cannot be placed on
the retired list. Nor the officer be promoted evch
"A the findings of the Board be disappoved BY the
PRESIDENT for Section 1.4g7 of the Laws Relating to
the Navy provides that "no line officer below the
grade of commodore and no officer not OF the me-
shall be promoted to a higher grade the active liz;
of the Navy until his mental. moral and professional
fitness TO perform all his duties at sea have been e.