The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1893-07-13
AFFAIRS OF THE NAVY.
THE YORKTOWN TO SAIL FOR THIS
COAST NEXT WEEK.
Order Issued by Secretary Herbert
Making Captain Howison Conn
mandant at Mare Island.
Special to the RECoRD-UN1oN.

cpSCldl W Ji6 hECORD-ONION.
WASHINGTON, July 12-The disposal
of vessels that participated in the naval
review continues, and as fast as they can
be made ready the white ships are being
sent 10 the four quarters of the globe.
The latest to receive orders to sail is the
Yorktown, now at the New York NAVY
Yard. She is in dock being painted, and
next week, if everything is ready, she
will proceed to the Pacific station by
way OF 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 Haw-
allan Islands, probably the Boston.
which has been a long time on the station.
and is in need of overhauling.
The Yorktown will 90 out under a new
commander, for an order was issued at the
Navy Department to-day detaching Com
mander Harrington from duty as In
spector of the Fourth Lighthouse District.
and ordering him to command the York
town, relieving Commander Frank
Wildes, who is detached 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 go from Norfolk to Valparaiso, Chile.
and if no orders await her there she will
proceed to Callao, Peru, where instruc-
tons will be sent her.
Secretary Herbert has taken action in
two cases of importance concerning the
navy-yard commands. He has decided
to make permanent the suspension or
ders of Commodore Kirkland to take
command of the South Atlantic station.
and will allow him to remain as com
mandant at the League Island. Pa, Navy
yard. This will probably result in send
ing Commodore Staunton to the South
Atlantic station.
The Secretary also to-day issued an or
der making Captain Howison COM
mandant at the Mare Island, Cal, NAVY
yard. The Captain had been in tempo
rary command for some time, and it was
fully expected that he would be relieved
by naval officer of the rank of Commo-
dore, in view of the Importance Of the
command and the desirabiIity of the
place. But Secretary Herbert was deter
mined by two facts in reaching the con-
clusion to keep Captain Howison in COM
mand. In the first place, the people and
newspapers on the Pacific Coast were
united in their desire to have him re-
tanned, and in the second place the re-
port of the Matthews Naval Board
which made close examination of the
workings of the yard, spoke so highly of
the efficiency of the commandant and
Naval Constructor Taylor as to Justify
what might be regarded as a departure
from precedents in the case.
One important result of the ar,nor
plate tests yesterday will be to ex-
tend the use of the Harvey process.
Secretary Herbert is satisfied with the
tests as far as they went, but be reached
the conclusion that while the plates were
as good as could be expected from plain
nickel steel plates, they did not show the
resisting power of the Harveyized nickel
steel plates. The contracts under which
the plates were made permit 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 practical diff
culties, Secretary Herbert is determined
that the armor protection of our new
ships shall be Of the highest resisting
qualities, and believing that American
ingenuity will meet the requirements of
the case, he will insist hereafter that all
plates shall be treated by the Harvey pro-
cess.
Secretary Herbert to-day accepted the
resignation of Commodore Wilson as
Chief Constructor of the Navy, and APP
pointed Constructor Philip Hichborn to
succeed him. Commodore Wilson re-
signed on account of i'll health.