New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-24
WORK AT THE NAVY YARD.
OFFICERS TALK ABOUT CHILL.


Tho atmosphere at the Navy Yard YESTERDAY wa,
| almost as hay as when the Dahh vi wal No ,.i,,
",.or # ten DAYS ago Some Of the officers rilo"i'
wv tIot there will be any real conflict between
I I,i,ed STATES and Chill, while, on tn other manu-
como are not 80 sanguinc that there VIII DC u P-'
termination of the present controversy, AZ VIC a"
| time both Junior and senior officers VINO nave "
in the south Pacific recognize ths fact tha' inc o
| ORC an uncertain quantity when in cohdluou VI
| mental commoiion, at present, ana thao '"o'V "
= c,ass NJ people-mcrchants and bankers, rs run
| i voInaraiso standing at the boiling caunro" an"
stirring away and acitting tn, elements all" ,,
,tinc them to the highest pressure SO tn"' T" "O
| over Is likely to occur at any Tune
one officer in speaking Of the Chillahs Se'e'",
Of the opinion which they hold In regatu 10 ,io ~
| u,,tes told an interesting incident lie said una. 'V
| ono time when he was In conversation with a 'hn"''
nv officer the latter had expressed 1t as MS op'no
that the ChIlans could land an armed ioroo III ~
u,,cisro and march right across the country " WV"
| Yor1. . . % tho
The officers hold different opinions IN regard 10 'o
,nbIc bu, they say that they "ootain all vi 'no''
"o'DI,' ,, tram the newspapers Many Of them
ok At the matter from quiet point OF view" o"' III
a.c ~ need they ar. ready to go 10 'hin' ''.o
nccr Thought Yesterday that a war Win 'hi" "
| bc Of immense benefit to the Navy vi ''o '
s,a,es a. that would prominently ihlo wow
Other officers also think that the result w"uu " -
n country. one OHCcr reHidih'' W."
,,as not the proper respect for the America" ""9
ro,c foreign nations and that they must DC haue ~
"a n.c, II and IL. loyal defenders. Eut tme VIII Vi
| what shall be done. and all walt for tha''
| In the meantime preparations are going on al u'e
Navy Yard here and at other Naval Stations 10 put o
vessel, i'm condition TO meet al emergency i"o -
ni,, cruiser Ve,rvins IS in the drydock having he'
| sgbtinctowcr protected with chain arhloF' no "
,o,o,t ,,tu afford an effective shield to those III
,d from, the shot Of the rapid firing guns gah'hs
shot would bound or although a shot sUh'is Wv
tower full in the face might pierce the artl'r III ''
tower are the lever, for discharglng the dyh'c gun
~, chain which is being used belongs To the veS'ei
il * hing around the turret and VIII pe l''cli "
This was the way the Kear-argc was Prec'eu u, '''
o,, NTH ,bc Alabama in July lo6t. When httei inc
,,, will lc taken down t. be put up again II hceucu
some time ago the ship was examined win ic'''o''o
IA putting some additional plates on the nun ~ Pr
tcct the vital part. The report, however mas "o o
,p,royci a. vet. 40 other work II being done Oh '0
| hin some valve, for her dynamite guns arc oelne
nd, hv the contractors but these could be put ~
n,re when the vessel is In another place II Sle i"
| all away. But it l. not at all likely 'n'' '"o =
| sin, will 10 sent 10 Chill she ISN'T quiz 'nh' "''
| That j.. ,hc l. not Of construction 10 wins
tho heavy weather to BE- expected near ape H''''
| nor T. II probable that she c"uid carry
| ,1 enough 10 steam tho long distances. she prop
atty would hc kept the home coast for pu'Pos' y"
defence especially against the Captain Piat' II '""
vessel should come her" l.,
r. r,,l. totpedoboat Cushing Is now IN
| the Navy Yard having some OF hcF 'orpcuo ."D,
| ,. &, Mac. She lies in a cove In tbs ovo Do'N'
-, =, a.. lie n lie thcre for several weeks. IhF'c
-, ,h, ,,te. for launching tOpedocs ARE to DC p"'
| nj, honrd the vessel now. The circles ior '''e'i ~"
| NOW lcipg made and fitted, on when VIII o' P'','"
the mount and the launching tube. Inc ''ue "''s"
& IN 20 I'm the vessels bow under water VIII D. put
into place later. ,., Tor
The work ~ fitting the monitor Mahtohoho" p
c, Is being pushed ahead at present ana u j. ''I'
,h., ,b. sbin l. ordered lie ready by febrnarS l.
.r or,ncino work being done Is that on the eicc,r
storing GEAR some OF the parts oil tue mhohi"c's y"
tins were ready yesterday. The ue'K> az p''"n
,,ulkcd After the ship returned from the u'"' Z"
| her guns there number OF ih'heS '""' "''"
| a. hc donc-somc parts to be completed ana some
oucr,ons to be maic-and with these th'nS' un ""'N
| , o,,ccrncd For one thing tho connections between
| ,h. ,utrets md the steam steering gear, ana a7p
| hct,rcen the pilots wheel IN the sdperN""cp"' anu
IA. steam stcarng gear. wcr" ~ be Hane 'I>o S'
changes we're to be made in the apparatus lor "oFA
| ing the great guns. 1t Is thought thaO WIZ" "'c
| vessel T. ready for .hc may be onl'''u !" SAN
~ Norfolk and perhaps to 10 further SOUTH even as
| far Brazil. -. .,,, H., l.,
| rh .t,cI. tirrrtcd monitor Nantucket stlll Hes IN
a., granite dr,dock where she IS being made rady Tor
sc, Her bottom has been cleaned and l. being lhVN
her deck IS Icing repaired and the parts o hcr eeio
r. heinz connected. The vessel i hot ~ DC pun INV
commission but IS 10 be merely made ready ior t'a'
She l. not receiving new guns In place OF the Oh ones
| f., her turret 70 10 THIS would take some Time Ior
| t,, chat Guns and mounts available and
dr II ,v,ild he necessary remove the old guns ana
mount. Gt and put In place the new mounts ana put
In. guns on them. Eat a. she Is WITHOUT "oucr"
,cai cnn. the Nantucket could be useful vessel FOR
hn,bor defence. She has 1jinch smooth bore guns 'he
.hcus from which would work havoc In an enemyS
unarmorcd cruiser.
| .rt T. NOW a force OF about 300 worlmcn EN-
| l,vod in the Navy Yard who are distributed through
| an, fla, different departments The construction DC
partmcnt las many, with some at work Oh the HIahc,
1iucinnati Puritan and Terror, vessels IN course vi
construction besides the other vessels behg repaired
Tle steam engineering department. the department oil
wards and docks, and the scVeral o'hcis' hcoP "o
rest Of the men employed
| The orders to Rear Admiral Ghcrardi, the com
mondaut Of the North Atlantic squadron, to 60 with the
! nacshp Philadelphia and the gunboat Concord 10
vnneyIdco IS looked upon by the officers as anticpat
ing the Presidents message To Congress and the prob
ohIe action Of Congress upon IT, The two
vessels have sailed from Iiarbadocs and are
now on their to south America The
orders TO these vessels may be interpreted as mean
| ing that they shall continue on TO Cmll. Acting
| Roar, Admiral Walker has also been ordered to 60
fr,m Montevldco 10 Valparaiso with the Chicago. Al
lonto and bennington. This means that the relatives
md friends Of the officer, and men on board of these
.bips would better abandon expectation Of their re-
turning home In the spring. But then. war or rumors
~ war always bring d!sappointments and sorrows.
When Admiral Gheradi reaches Chill he will be the
senior officer present hence he will be In command Of
ali of the forces present The ncet will then consist
OF the Philadelphia, Chicago. Charest1n, Baltimore
San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Yorktown. Concord
and BcnnInston feet OF "A total tonnage OF 33O25.
,d mounting ninety large brccch loading rifles rs |,
main battery aud I2f rapid firing Hotchkiss and Cat
ling guns as n secondary battery. If the Newark
hou,d he ordered 70 Valparaiso she would add twelve
large brecc loading rifles and seventeen guns in the
secondary battery. All OF these vessels OF the new
| -, ,,orld mako formidable feet against the