The herald., 1893-07-13
TO DISTANT PARTS OF EARTH
Uncle Sans Ships of War Sent
to Foreign Seas.
Vessels of the Naval Review Squad
ron Disposed OF.
Secretary Herbert Takes Action Con-
corning Two Navy Yard Commands.
Extended Use of Harveyized
Armor Plate.
Rx the Associated prass.l

WASHlNGfON, July 1@' Aho uirPoo"i
of the vessels that participated in the
naval review continues, and as fast as
they can be made ready the white ships
are being sent to the four quarters OF
the globe. The last to receive orders to
sail is the Yorktown, now at the New
York navy yard. She is in the dock be-
ing painted, and next week, il every
thing is ready, she will proceed to the
Pacific station, via Cape Horn. The
voyage will take nearly three months
under ordinary cruising power, and it is
probable the ship will bring up at San
Francisco, unless events in Peru seem
to require her to stop there. She will
then be cleaned and put in shape for
service to relieve one of the vessels at
the Hawaiian islands, probably the
Boston, which has been long time on
the station and is in need of an over
hauling. The Yorktown will 60 ont un-
der new commander, for an order was
issued at the navy department today
detaching commander Harrington from
duty as inspector of the fourth light
house district and ordering him to the
command of the Yorktown, relieving
Commander Frank Wildes who is de-
tached and granted one months leave.
The cruiser Charleston, which has
been undergoing repairs at the Norfolk
navy yard, is now ready for sea and will
leave for the Pacific station in few
days. She will 60 from Norfolk to Val
paraiso, Chile, and if no orders await
her there, she will proceed to Callao,
Peru, where instructions will be sent
her.
NAVY YARD COMMANDS.
Secretary Herbert has taken action in
two cases of Importance concerning navy
yard commands. He has decided to
make permanent the suspension of the
orders of Commodore Kirkland to take
command of the South Atlantic station,
and will allow him to remain as COM
mandant of the League Island, Pa, navy
yard. This will probably result in send
ing Commodore Staunton to the South
Atlantic station.
The secretary also issued an order to-
day making Captain Howison COM
mandant of the Mare Island, CAL, navy
yard. The captain has been in tempor-
ary command for some time and it was
fully expected that he would be relieved
by q naval officer of the rank of commo-
dore, in view of the importance of the
command and the desirability of the
place, but Secretary Herbert was deter
mined by two facts in reaching the con-
clusion to keep Captain Howison ia
command. In the first place the people
and newspapers on the Pacific coast
united in desire to have him retained,
and in the second place the report of
the Matthews naval board, which made
a close examination of the workings of
the yard, spoke so highly of the efficiency
of the commandant and Naval Construc-
tor Taylor, as to justify what might be
regarded as departure from precedents
in the case.
HARvEYIzED ARMoR PLATE.
One important result Of the armor.
plate tests yesterday will be-; to extend
the use of the Harvey process.a Secre-
tary Herbert ia satisfied with the tests
as far as they went, but ne has reached
the conclusion that, while the plates are
as good as could be expected from plain
nickel steel, they did not show the re-
sisting power of Harveyized nickel steel
plates. The contracts under which the
plates were made permits certain
pieces to be made of plain nickel
steel. The reason for this is
that the Harvey process is very
difficult of application to curved
plates or pieces of irregular
form. But, notwithstanding these prac
tical difficulties, Secretary Herbert is
determined that the Rrmor protection
of our new ships shall be OF the highest
resisting quality, and believing that
American ingenuity will meet the re-
quirements OF the case, he will insist
hereafter that ali plates shall be treated
by the Harvey PROCESS.
NEW NAVAL CONSTRUCTOR.
Secretary Herbert today accepted the
resignation of Commodore Wilson as
chief constructor of the navy, and ap-
pointed Constructor Philip Hichborn to
succeed him. Commodore Wilson re-
signed on account of ill health.