The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-03-18
SCOTT INDIGNANT.
He Talks of the "Times' -
Accusation.
MADE OUT OF WHOLE CLOTH.
Officials of the Union Iron Works
Ready to Go on the Monterey
to Make a Test.

GThere was a great deal of indignation
and considerable excitement at the offire of
the Union Iron Works yesterday morning
when the dispatch containing an extract
from the New York Times article was
read, stating that the boilers of the new
coast-deiense vessel Monterey we're ruined
during the trial trip on account Of the
builders pushing the fires in the Ward boil
erS IN order to obtain the necessary horse
power required by the Government
The New York article stated that during
and after the trial trip rigid orders were
issued to ali the officers present on the oeea-
sion forbiddng them to disclose or make
public what they saw; that after the trial
Trip the officials of the Union Iron Works
made an examination, which disclosed the
TACT that the two magnificent Scotch boilers
were little better than ruined by tile heavy
pressure put upon them during the trial.
and that but for the prompt shutting off of
all steam they would have exploded.
The dispatch further stated that if IL had
not been for the determined opposition of
Commodore George w. Melville the Mon
terey would have been fitted up entirely
win the tubular Ward boilers, and that lie
ship. ''''
The article concluded by stating that un-
less provided with two new Scotch boilers.
the monterey Is practically unfit for sea-
anu mat 20 replace the two damaged boilers
means an expense of $50 000 which the
Goyernment must stand.
W hen Henry i. Scott, president of the
Union Iron Works, was seen he said he
would be inclined TO laugh at the charges
on account of their improbability and lack
Oh foundation were ii not for the fact of the
serious damage such an unfnunded publica-
ton might cause TO the firm
lie SAID he was prepared to show that the
Eastern article is tissue of falSehoods,
made up out OF whole cloth and designed to
inJure the outgoing administration.
president Scott stated that before the trial
IT'D. from Decem Der 10, 1892, till January
following. tie Monterey was continually
subjected TO tests by the company in order
10 prepare for the trial trip.
On the occasion Of the trial trip on jam
airy u was found that all the steam gene
rated by tue boilers could rot be used On
Inc occasion OF the second test the builders
altered the valves and reduced the uftcb of
the propeller, when 1t was found that all
the steam generated could be utilized 1t
was also found that for two hours a horse
power OF 5555 was obtained, which was more
tnan the o4UO horsepower required by the
Government.
On the trial trip the board of trial con-
sisted OF Admiral George Brown, Chief
Engineer ). +. huiZ Captain Louis Kemrff,
ChleI Engineer George Burnap, Chief En-
ID. u.
PsndletOn, Lieutenant j. w. Carlin. Lieu
tenant B. F. Nicholson and Naval Con
structOr Taylor
The board had a number of other Gov
eminent engineers TO assist them" said
President Scott. "All during the trial trip
there were two Government engineers at
each boiler keeping watch. If, as the dis
patch says, tile staples had gone nothing
would have been left of the Scotch boilers,
Tor they would have exploded. Even If The
staples had commenced to 20 nothing could
have prevented the boilers from exploding
The fact is that the day after the trial
IT'D fnll steam was again raised on the
Monterey, and the boilers were found lust
as good they ever were and are so now.
he Monterey has been under steam ever
since she was accepted by the Government,
while according TO the dispatch il VIII be
impossible to RAISE any steam al all on the
vessel without the boilers bursting. The
officials Of the Union Iron Works are will
ing TO 20 over TO Mare Island and place the
boilers under fun steam any day to show
that the boilers have not been ruined.
Il his ought TO be evidence enough that
the MOnterey's boilers are all right. II there
IS any fault to find with the Ward boilers
the Government alone IS al fault, because 1t
ordered and supplied them, and bad them
placed in the Monterey under its own su-
perySiOn. The Union Iron Works did not
make the Ward boilers. They were made
by Mr.. Ward in the East, brought out here
aud placed In the vessel under his own and
the Government experts supervision. As
lar as my knowledge goes Of the Ward
boilers in the Monterey they work ali right,
but there are not enough of them.
''On the conclusion of the trial trip the
trial board and the Government engineers
made an inspection of all the MOnterey's
machinery, and paid particular attention to
the boilers. In the course of their inspec-
ton some of the Government engineers had
to crawl into the boilers and make an ex-
animation of the interior. taking careful
unta md nal hon Q VA
hensive private memoranda.
''All these were forwarded to the Navy
Department.
ION the trial board were some of the most
honora BILE members of the United States
navy and some of the oldest expert engi-
neers. They forwarded all their reports
going even as far as 10 send the private
notes made, and after considering the sub
ject fully and examining all the reports
Chiefs Melville and Wilson, of the Navy De-
partmeDt at Washington, made report in
which the following passage occurs:
From a careful study OF the Data received from
the trial board and OF the notebooks OF the
assistants engaged we are Of tie opinion that
with proper firing and attendance the ma
ehinery sustained power OF at least 540O l. II.
Z. can easily be maintained Tor four hours, and
consider the department fortunate In obtain
ing the vessel at a reduced cost aud without iu-
Jury 10 the boilers that is sometimes caused by
G. extractor forcing them TO tile uttermOst during
a trial to gain premiums for increased power.
From this" continued Mr.. Scott, st
VIII be seen that the Government found the
Monterey's boilers to be in good condition.
and this is proved by the way she has since
borne up under high steam pressure.
Again the dispatch says that we were
willing to lose our bonus rather than to pay
$4,000 for new boilers when we found that
they were defective. That this story is
absurd you eau see from the fast that the
Government still has SIS, eco belonging TO
the Union Iron Works. In all Government
contracts for the building of warships there
Is inserted clause reserving So, 600 for
four months after the first formal accep-
lance of the vessel.
''At the end of four months the Govern
ment holds another trial trip of its own, at
which the contractors and builders are not
allowed on board, not even as visitors. II
defects are found for which the contractor
is responsible the SIS 900 reserve fund is
used to remedy the differences.
$50 you see tile Government still has our
S25 600. which is almost enough to pay for
entirely new boilers for the Monterey
when the Government holds is own
private trial trip of the Monterey the boil
ers will be found to be all right, and we
will get our $3.50
''The Eastern publication is certainly a
very great injustice TO the Union Iron
Works, and is a deliberate and malicious
Justification of facts"