New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-11
NIVIL NOTES OF INTEREST.
THE yEsUvIUS AND HER DYNAMITE GCNS-A
NAVY REORGANIZATION BILL BEFORE
A RECESS COMMITTEE.

RECESS COMMITTEE.
The yesrvius has returned 10 the Navy Yard after
partly successful trials with her dynamite guns and
is now TO receive few repairs TO make her ready
for the review.
The vessel is pretty She Is small, but every
thing on her Is compact. and the space Is all well
occupied. She bnilt for practice cruiser for the
naval cadets at Annapolis, and so Is elegantly lifted
for their accommodation: the stateroons. lockers.
wash-rOoms, etc, complete; the vessel has n
thorough electric lighting plant and she Is as com
pIcte as any battle ship In the way OF speaking tubes
and signals. There has boon some question as 10
how she should be used 1t is said that she Is too
small for a practice cruiser, but she would make, ms
an officer said yesterday, excellent gnnboai. An
other officer however. SAID that she just what
the Naval Academy needed. II is planned that she
shall carry a u about sixty men. and about sixty
cadets In addition 10 her regular officers. Now. this
would crowd the vessel great deal. and al the same
time wOnld not accommodate nearly all OF the cadets
at the Academy-probably not all OF the fresh
man Glass; But the Idea suggested by the officer was
that she could take part OF The cadets at time. and
in that way do the work; she would also be parcu'
lary useful for the saturday drills Mt target practice
II was suggested that. acting as an auxiliary TO
the Constellation she could take small parties OF the
cadets at time besides this. she could take parties
of cadets up Delaware to visit various ship building
Grms The vessel will be supplied with 4incb rapid
firing guns
In these days OF mastless war ships, through INC
abolition OF SAILS and when true and larry seamcn'
arc passing into nocuOus desuetude, SO far as gong
aloft to f topsas and squaIirg yards Is concerned
the question OF coal consumption Is one Of serious
calculation. Much attention Is also given TO the com
parative economy OF the several vessels In tie con
sumption OF coal. Rear Admiral Gherard's report
on the cruise of his special squadron from san Fran
cisco TO New.Y0r has been sent to the Bureau OF
Navigation, and shows what the consumption OF coal
and the performance OF each vessel In each twenty
four hours was. 1t shows also that the Baltimore
bnilt after English designs, was the most expensive
in is coal consumption, requiring forty tons
day 10 make an average speed Of 8 "a knots Inc
cruiser San Francisco and Charleston each burned
thir1 five tons Il day. and the coal consumption OF
the cunboat Yorktown eighteen tons a day.
ono OF the latest bills 10 De introduced N Congress
was 10 rcOrgaDlzc the corps OF civil engineers ~,
referred to the Joint committee which To- sit during
lie recess intervening before III" next session 10 con
sider and recommend 10 Congress what legislation
snM he enacted IN rssard to the e.; entire w 1yso eiy
engineers and eight assistant civil engineers. win
The relative rank Of captain and Junior grades TO
Of ensign The present corps ,% consists To ss
and Urks las recommended this increase, and The
has been approved by The secretary Oh
tho navy The present Tnmber OF civil engineers
Is entirely inadequate TO the proper performance Of
the engineering and architectural work 81 inc navy
PROPERTY and works. rcre is not at prc:sni eiyil
engineer available for detail to Portsmouth Navy iar
where engineering works In progress the civil
engineer detailed nj the Boston Navy Yard rs now
IN sck leave and the one civil engineer at the New
York Navy Yard is already Ovcrvcrcd, and Will soon
have added his abors the superintendent Of CON
striction VI the new mnmmoth dry,dock There Is no
civil engineer at the Washington Navy Yard. and II
has been necessary 10 detail an officer from another
corps to the charge OF the yard ana dock work
There Is no civil engineer available for the super
vision OF the dry dock to c built al New Orleans
Young graduate civil engineers from poltechnc schools
nave been employed at the various naval stations
in the last year do the work Of assistants to civil
an rinccrs of the Navy but they simply obtaining
prarslcai experience for, more lucrative employ mcn
recruiting this corps the graduates Of III. Naval
Academy. thereby securing personnel o. broad gen
OF technical education In civil engineering