New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-15
WORK AT THE NAVY IAkD
ICE AND SNOW CAUSE DELAYS
REPAIRS on THE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Nv
ENGINEERS CORPS.

&c extremely untSI;i W Hh"
no, In tho Navy Yard frozen over. lpiS wv -. I'm
",.a.. r,rtor but ONLY on special Occasions. NV ~.
I, l., q sight to behold This condiuon " - o.,
now in existence In the Navy lm"' -, ,,a,r
have become wedgcd in the wanpou' T ,' snow has
frozon together. while the last "' ,,rr
covered the surface The steam ScoW " 49,. hocome
rI,os between the Yard and the Cob DOCK ma 80.
Pi'S " y, ,', &c. nj tee and Is unable to move
a on Tho only way Of communication oe'"ee' ~.
Zoo sidcs &c by means OF pain oH'o"s s
ton or over n bridge long way aro"'" o'
the Horn the officers call IT, - 4, .is cov
coo,nc wollabout ChaI mel frozen over !" wv, "
m,Les ono think Of the Arctic regions IL
officers who have been to tho zohc "' :. ,ood
=, oo,d find little resemblance between '"' ~
i, ,a ,his fame little freeze: but In the Dyes VI
lemon native Ncw-N orker. this hcid ioo>s h''h'
orourh 70 turn his thought toward 'he al, .,,
only * the scow frozen In. but "''c' -, - {,
mart Of the channel are held fast. Inc "''' -
In, nrisoncd at her mOorings h'A' '" Wv .,
,rou bv her side the mentor Ml''o'''" -,
ond cannot be moved so rs to perh' INV VIC
, crane 70 he hauled out and used, ana near 10 h''
us ,ro which Itself could not be moved
va 1, ,,o Miami, nomoh were out OF the WHY
M course this condition Of aifairs-coid anu re ~
srow-d,lays the work that Is pch's "o'0 ~, 60
Navy Yard but probably 1t VIII soon I've o''
,r,u not cause 81 rious delay. Tie "'"'l'e' "
d,Gcrencc 10 the cruiser Philadelphia io' '''
That vessel has fccn repaired III" "'" ~,
I, some coal TO make her ready for sAihhg' i"'
IN, coal Is not ready for her. as 'he hE'' A..
,,, ,,ozo, In thc Ice somewhere. Ac Ing H'a' Al
,ro, walker when he returned TO his hAgNhip y"
Friday brought with him the orders 'o' u"
dolphia which say that rs soon hS She van
ready she shall sail for Port Royal = =. 49,,
corrv s,me projcciilcs thithcr to lie uN'u III Wv 49,
NJ tbc dynamite cruiser Ncsu>us ms ''cA''e ~
he NAVY Yard carries Of the naval oicerS p'
T., ,n Vow Ward ready 10 sail for China. but hio'E
cor,c y cold snap and caught her In the iou ''
held her there from December ID uh'h '"''''
n an officer had leave to go ashore I'll he h"i
10 do was to 60 from the snip down u" ''' " ~
walk at ross TO the main part oil the S'hu' 49,
The repairs on the Chicago the haeshp o' nan
Admiral John e.. Walker principally those o' wv
- ,Io object hcin- 10 make them fit for another
- ~ crui.inc ai least. Englnccrin' hi'f "'"re'
" Melville I'm his report To the secretary III ''
Navy saws that it Is not likely that h'r p""''' '
dcpcnded upon for more Than another 'r"'S', I'LL" ~
"A IS none too soon 10 consider inc H"''u'" "
u,,ci,c tb,m That her boiler, arr In such "o'n
out condition Is not surprising. for she mas ~" :"
active and constant service since h'r c"mi''n
c,,roaorc Melville I'm his report, sais Inc nun
, ,h,. vcsscl + Of excellent design ana IN r't'"H'
condition and she Is, therefore well worm N'S
With modern machinery. The present oo'i.'' ~
externally fired with brick furnaces NP' " "
some merits. but whose great "c'n"' ~ wv
dcvc,oncd renders II, msc on a modern warShlp III
admissible The engines are comp"ni" !" raj" '"r
4 type that Is also heavy. unsuitable anu o"' Va '''
nh r,,chincrx Of This vessel weighs In st"hih'"-
condition about IO4c tons and occupies iorc ana ''
in the ship a length OF II: feet the greatest "o'
mower ever developed by II was o'.9S' ana ''' ~
~ the vessel slightly over hit"h MINUS
machinery I'm one Of thc newer vessels vi Inv az
n,s dcv.lopcd roc horse power on weight o' "uo'
an
aft in the ship Of 100 feet; In other "or'"' "''n ~
. oo,, moro poycr than the Chicago or NOR" 'hHl
~, nor cent les, weight, and space o''"p''i wv
and aft less by twelve feet. similar m'ohn''S :"
This can be fitted IN the chicago anu VIII -''o ~"
an increase Of speed Of nearly three h'"'' u WV
a. an increased carrying capacity {" Nearly ''' '''
ro decrease the weight Of the machinery oi VcS''i
IN ,ho, necessary for the safe production oi inc power
,,oa means more than merely additional w'lghf of
- .,o,I,hle for something else II means also 'ha'
,t r.cd,css cNpcnsc Of frcghtin; unpichuctN" h'I'
cicb, around the world + avoided. ana inns 'Nlch''
T., IA. ease OF n vessel like the Chicago VIII SON
mount 10 a considerable sum-
Commodore Melville advise that Il would be unwise
IN furnish the vessel with new boilers ana alo" INC
nrc.cnt on gines TO remain In hor' AMI 'h'S 'uS's
u nro,ably be followed. He estimates that these
chonrcs utilizing material now In some oi inc navy
, nc we'll as pumps blowers. line shifting ana
thar u,r,s 81 machinery now In the vessel, conid he
,odc for 100000. II his recommendations meet inc
anproval OF Congress the work OF CONSTRUCTION NJ inc
navy Yard or by contract. could be p'gnh aS soon
a., tho appropraiioh should become available, and be
completed inside Of two years.
New propclling machinery for the large Navy Tug
Nina which has done 50 many years service W inc
S",., yard has been designed and the work Of con
tructlng It has been authorized and VIII soon Dc
undertaken at the yard. The estimated cost Oh 'n'S
h,,.rv was 100000 but by using some parts OF the
,.o .c,, machinery and much suitable macnh lyiAG
uscess-as old castiron guns brissS' Pr'p''o D. cue.
.dore Melville SAYS that the construction nj the
Navy Yard will not exceed $1,000. III 'ohnohor'
McIyc's department have alNo Deem prepared 'hr
r,ons and specifications for the motive machinery OF
tho large armorcd cruiser and the batics SNIP the con
tracts for the building OF which were awarded 10
Crop,p g. Sons n few days The main boilers de
icpcd for the batlcshlp the largest STRUCTURES oil
The kind vet undertaken in this country. They VIII
III, h,t NJ steel plates twenty seven sAty-lurth
inches in thickness
The contracts for building these two vessels referred
to tho sca-going lattlcslp Iowa an the arInorei
cruiser Broolyn-provide that the COST Oh 'e rorh''
hall NOT exceed S3OIO.Oo0 and Of the latter S2,ysO
200 This is from 10 t. IL per cent less than the con
,,-,c, pricc for any other new ships that The Navy
Department has contracted for heretofore.
An item Of special Interest occurring In the last
vo weeks was the granting Of TWO years leave 10
thief Engineer Nathan L. ToHnc who for four years
has been I'm charge OF the drawing rooms OF the Bureau
Of Steam Engineering, ana also principal assistant to
Commodore Melville. Immediately after securing ire
two wears leave II became known that Chief Engineer
Townc had secured place with Cramp e Sons similar
10 that which he has filed at the Navy Depart
| and at II salary Of 10000 year IL Il only lew
years ago Naval Constructor Lewis Nixon resigned
from the Navy to accept the place Of chief niva con
strucor at Cramp & sons. The Offer to Chief EnGi
ncer Townc Is n just tibutc TO his professional
ability. lie has been in charge OF the details Of de-
signing the machinery of all the new ships contracted
Tor during the present Administration. and is the In
vcntor OF the boiler which bcIis his name. Only
short time ago Passed Assistant Engineer Asa NJ
Mattice resigned from the Navy to accept a place
in civil life at 10000 year In Boston, and several