New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-09-19
THE FIRE RECORD.
LOSS BY FLAMES AT THE NAVY YARD.
TIE CAUSE NOT DISCOVERED YET But IS SUS'
PTCTED.

TIE CAUSE NOT DISCOVERED YET. But i >Co'
PECTED.
A force of men was busy I'm the large machihe snoP
az the Navy Yard yesterday renewing ue ''''"
betting destroyed by the fire on Saturday mofhH5' a
oyo cleaning ND the athcs and other tools which "sro
slightly damaged by the smoke and water III ""'"
nation OF resumlng work In the big shop this morn
ing one of the officers said yesterday DOUBT II INC
amount of the damage by the fire will reach the ls'
estimates OF $1,000 10 100000 or that IL Will re"o
one ehalf OF that amount The principal iosS WIS Ny
the damage TO the engines OF the Cincihna'l oo"
struced under the supervision OF Chief Engineer JAMES
II. Chasmar and Passed Assistant Engineer George H.
Kearney. The Tribune certainly had the most cor
rect account Of the fire; In fact observed no as
crcpandes except perhaps the one OF actual loss anu
the figures given were practically the same aS INC
rough estimate made on Saturday afternoon. bul 'ho
actnal loss cannot be determined until the engines arc
taken apart and each piece Is cleaned up ana teSeL
1t possible the cold water poured upon the heated
parts has caused of them. like the piston ana
valve rods 10 warp and 1t may be necessary to MAKE
new ones. One OF the low-preSsure cylinders WILL
have 10 be condemned and a new one made; the TWO
surface condensers will have TO be rebuilt, ana some
new parts made in addition TO being retibed seVera
OF the composition blocks and valves VIII have 10 pe
recast and fitted and al OF the parts Will have 10 DO
turned over 10 the worInen again to be cleaned up
The building. which put up TO erect and test new
machinery in. entirely destroyed. The report
that the engines Of the cruiser Raleigh had been
shipped TO Norfolk only couple OF days ago was aH
error: they were tested and shipped TO Norfolk hVe
weeks ago. hence they did not Just barely escape d"
struction. The damage to the main machine shop
was very slight beyond the leather betting, ana ths
was totally destroyed by the heat II Is very likely
that tho mechanics can resume work tomorrow morn
ing In this shop there was not much being done be
sides the repairs 10 the machinery and boilers, making
new parts repairing the old ones, OF the cruiser
Atlanta. and some work for the Miant0nomoh and
the Maine. but other work is nearly ready 10 begin
upon
THE four blowers for the forced draught system on
the Cincinnati and Raleigh Were entirely destroyed
besides the working drawings Of tho machinery OF the
3O00ton cruisers IN Chief Engineer ChaSmar's Office
The origin Of the fire Is unknown, but Is TO be In
vesugatad by q special board which WI begin H.
work at 10 O'Clock 30 morrow morning. It's cJmpo-
siti)n T. Captain Charles s. Norton. cOmnandant OF the
Vermont: Captain Montgomery Sicdrd commanding the
Miantonomol, and Chief Engineers George W. Nag,l
aud james H. Chasmar. 1t has been hlntod that
In violation OF the regulations the watchman may
have been smoking pipe or cigar and hearing sOme
apprOaching laid II down hurriody near some oil
soaked substance and that the fire was thus started