New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-09
Work AT THE NAVY YARD.
MORE VESSELS NEEDED BY ALL THE
SQUADRONS.
HIPS WHICH EXCITE neutrality-suspicious.


only waiting for the work to be finished before start
ING on regular service in sQuadrOns, shall be pushed
forward without unnecessary delay, and he knows
Tint he can depend upon Admiral Gherardi and the
heads OF the various departments do all that he has
reouested. In other words. the Navy Department Is
determined to get the commissioned vessels away on
legitimate duiv and TO the squadron to which they
have been regularly assigned instead OF having them
spend months cruising about the Navy Yards. II
there was OF additional vessels the disposal
NJ the Navy Department for sea service there would
be duty for them TO perform With periodical dis
turbances IN Brazil and the Argentine, and with fire.
ouent apprehensions Of a revolution in either both
countries, there has been desire TO have the South
Atlantic squadron improved. At present there is
only the fOurthrate wooden vessel Iaptic In that
squadron, and her armament is not an alarming one,
consisting OF only 0-inch smooth bore gun, one
s-inch mrzsle loading rife. one 60 FOUNDER reech-
loading rifle and three small guns. The Newark.
the flagship. recently left this place TO convoy the
caraves 10 the ST. Lavren and Is now at the Nor
folk Navy Yard undergoing repairs. She will not be
ready for before the latter part of August at the
earliest.
Affairs in the Pacific call for a larger feet than the
present one and from the Behrng Sea to the Straits
Of Magellan. including Hawaii and the South Sea
Islands, there is call for ships. With the exception
Of the harbOrdecnce ship Monterey at San Francisco
and the Boston. at Honolulu, there is not single
modern warship OF the United states in the Pacific.
There eight vessels assigned 10 the squadron.
but three OF them yet in Atlantic waters. The
Philadelphia is the way there, hut she has
not vet reached Monte Vidco. The Charleston IS at
the Norfolk Navy Yard but will be on her way TO
the Pacific On few days. and the Yorktown. at the
Navy Yard here, is about ready 10 start.
The Asiatic Squadron makes a pretty poor showing
as compared with those Of other nations in Chinese
and Jal waters There is not single modern
vessel In the waters Of the Orient but there are two
old wooden tubs-the Lancaster and the Maron-and
two ancient iron craft-the Alert and MonOcacy-
the latter long ago condemned as unfit for repairs
and the sale Of her ordered. She was put up at
auction n few months ago and even the upset price,
81 600 bid. The Baltimore is accredited TO
that squadron. but she is undergoing repairs at the
Navy Yard here. and will sail by way Of the Sucz
Canal as soon as she is ready This will be month
hence al least. The gurboat Concord IS also down
IN the Asiatic list but she has been under repairs at
the Norfolk Navy Yard and started away on Tuesday
TO sail, via the Suez Canal. TO her destination.
1'ut the thinnest squadron is that recently
established. the European. The Chicago at present
constitutes IT, but the gunboa Bennington how al the
Navy Yard will get away about August l, certainly
not before TO join her. The Benninaton's
captain, Commander Charles y. Thomas Is ordered
10 report July 90 and She will certainly not
get away before ten days from that time. In The
mean while the Chicago is making interesting cruise
under the direction Of Rear Admiral Erbcn. He IN
tends giving Ms command the pcaSantrSt cruise IN
European waters since the days of Farragut in the
Franklin. 1t Is that naval vessels do mU-h
cruising about Scotland Ireland but the CmCago's
programme includes straight course for Ireland,
and then visits TO ports along the coast. then TO
Scotland and on. making general cruise In
European waters. bringing up at Nice early In the
winter. There the Admiral will meet Lloyd Phcnix,
10 whom Lieutenant Eren took a strong fancy when
Mr.. PheniX entered the Naval Academy midship-
man, I'm ls57. Ex-lieltenant PheniX will be there
with his yacht Intrepid, and viii doubtless give his
former superior officer cruise with table fare
which will surpass anything that the two officers
sat down TO when they together the blockade
during the
The North Atlantic squadron isn't as large
It Will b.. The flagship san Francisco will on July
start on a weeks cruise at sea with the naval /
battalion Of Massachusetts. and later will take the
Pennsylvania and part Of New York's naval militia
The cruiser Atlanta. now her way back from !
Nicaragua. will it Is reported, come TO New.York .
for repairs TO her boilers and 10 receive other over
hauling While here she will also give practical /
test Of the method designed by ex-Licutenan Philip
b. Low for coalnc vessels at This plan has /
been approved by Commodore Walker and other OFF /
GERS who have examined it. II is the scheme Of .
transferring the coal from vessel In tow. a /
line stretching 10 the vessel to be ooaled. no stop
being made II Is said 10 be the most simple and .
most practical method yet devised.
Several Of the officers at the Navy Yard are re-
jo,cng that the President has acted upon 50 many
cases OF officers who had been before the examining
boards at Washington The result Is that six Off
GERS are placed on the retired list and five
The cases OF promotion were not de-
pendent upon the retrements ordered, but affected
officers who were advanced In due course 70 fill
vacancies which had existed for some time One OF
the officers promoted Is Lieutenant j. ID. j. Kelly,
who has been on duty AT the Navy Yard for some
time IN connection with the testing Of new designs
In small boats and who Is well known In the news
paper world as an easy and capable writer lie Is
az work book at present called The New Navy
II is nearly twenty-one years since ueutenant-Com
mander Kelly received his commission OF lieutenant
and II eight years before that that he dOnned
the midsipmans jacket; four years later he put on
the long tailed double breasted blue uniform coat OF
h full blown graduate. Mr. Kelly IS a Ncw-York
City boy. and was The personal appointment Of
President Lincoln. He graduated one Of
the star members Of the first five In his class
The Precedent has approved tbs recommendations
Of the examining board in the Of Commander
George W. Wood which reported him morally and
NJ nially disqualified for promotion 10 captaincy, and
he is dropped from the rolls OF the Navy with one
rear's pay amounting b $500. Much sympathy Is
oppressed for this officer who has paGsed his half
century of life and yet there not much surprise
lie got his commanders commission in 157o. when he
Uos on duty AT the Navy Yard here. but has had no
ea service since although he applied 10 the Navy De
oar, mcnt several times to send MIN TO sea lie was
,oin In Dubliu in lo43, and entered the Navy IA
.,o bnt has had less than twelve years Of SEA
service I'm his whole active career
Although the majority OF the members ci the ex-
.mining board reported in favor c the promotion Of
PAY Inspector John H. stevenson, who was In chafge
II the general sorekeeper's department al thc Navy
Yard in the first term of Mr.. Cleveland a. PRESIDENT
md is resident OF Brooklyn, the PRESIDENT mas "'s
approved the recommendation 10 advance the ohcer
But the question remains unsettled as 10 what VIII
&c thu next move in the matter; In fact IL STANDS
n practically the same condition which IL ala whah
inspector stevenson first examined LOT Pio'houo
,bout n wear ago This Is the third time that the
nuIco II WAS when Mr.. Harrison was In
he clAr) has dlsapproved the recommendation oil eA
mlnng boards for promotion of this oicer ana IL
reported that secretary Herbert VIII oIder INN DC
tII.r. y