The morning call., 1893-09-25
Their Condition in a Time
of Peace.
AFFAIRS AT MARE ISLAND.
Work to Be Done on the Hartford
Preparations for the Trial Trip of
the OIympia-Notes.
Correspondence of THE MORNING CALL.

Navy-yard was the occasion of much re.
| Jolcing among the people of this vicinity.
1t means the expenditure of hundreds OF
thousands Of dollars and the placing in
commission OF this fine old historic ship OF
war. When fitted out with her battery of
thirteen 5-inch rapid-firing guns, four G
| ana two 10 Founders she would prove as
formidable foe as many of the ships OF
| war OF foreign nation can boast The
boilers will be constructed at ths yard
mere, and the engines, which are TO be OF a
| new aud modern design, will be built al
the Brooklyn Navy-yard and sent out by
| rail-. The probable cause of the decision
OF the Secretary of the Navy in the latter
instance is owing to the success there OF
| engines recently built, and having the
necessary patterns to work FROM These
latter could. however, be sent here at a
little expense if desired, and the steam
engineering department, under the efficient
management of Chief Engineer George F.
kutZ, Z. ). N, with the corps of mechan-
les and facilities Of machineryin the shops,
would be capable of performing equally as
| good and economical work.
Ii is to be sincerely hoped that when
the proper time comes orders may also be
issued 10 have the entire reconstruction of
the Hartford done at Mare Island.
Modern ideas will prevail in ali respects
| lbe internal arrangements for officers and
crew Will be remodeled; her facilities for
! carrying coal will be increased; from a
| ship rig she will be transformed into that
oil bark. which, of course, will reduce
| ner sailing power and REQUIRE various al
| terations in the spar ana running gear
| formerly used, owing to the change in her
battery from the cid to the new style guus
| Her decks and their supports will he made
stronger and more dura BILE. When work
| Is falrly commenced large force Of ship
| carpenters Will be employed. During the
past few years this class of mechanics on
tile coast have had but little work at the
navy-yard to do. owing to the change from
wooden to iron ships in the American navy
Within the next few weeks tile water
front VIII again present lively appear
ance. as well as occupying most of the
/ available room along the quay wall. The
! Alert arrived at tie yard Saturday from
China and will positively go out of COM
| mission, as II Is reported she will reQlire
| extensive repairs after her long cruise in
/ As attic waters.
| The Ranger and Mohican are on tEeir
way down from the North, to arrive within
the next couple If weeks. The Boston is
on her way. from Honolulu, to be here
| about the end of the month. After a sur-
vey is held on her 1t will be determined
whether her condition will warrant her
| going out OF commission for repairs or not
1t is hardly expected that it will
be necessary to place her on the
retired list for this purpose. If
so, her crew will be sent on board of the
receivlng-ship Independence to await the
completion of the cruiser Olympia, which
will soon be ready for her trial trip. The
preparation OF instructions To govern her
| trial nave been prepared, aud tile board
TO supeTlntend the same has been ordered
and will be made known in a few days, 1t
will consist of officers already on the coast.
Ihe course To be run Will in all pro ba-
blilty be the same as that of the San Fran
| cisco and Charleston, and is known as the
Santa Barbara Channel course, where there
IS plenty OF deep water and ample room for
| all maneuvers required. The Olvmpia
will be the largest and most powerful built
cruiser that has been constructed by the
! United States She Is thousand tons
larger than the Baltimore, and will ba We
coal-carTylng capacity of steaming $4,000
miles at a ten-knot speed. With the pow
! erfui battery to be placed on board she
will. it is anticipated, be the most efficient
commerce destroyer atlOat. Much Of the
completion OF the work will be done at the
navy-yard. Already the equipment de-
partment has quite gang of sailmakers at
work on her awnings and other canvas
Quitting.
The guns and their fittings will be sent
out from the ordnance workshops at the
navy-yard, Washington. The Patterson.
now at San francisco. will come up to the
yard in short time, and also find room
alongside the wharf for the few repairs to
be done on her.
Ii affairs at the Sandwich Islands remain
quie; for any length :of time, the PhiladeI-
phia now there as the flagship of Rear
Admiral Skerre't will come up to the
navy-yard and go in dock. which is needed
| after her long run from the East This
would still leave the Adams at Honolulu.
o that w0nln 20
purposes.
The drydock caisson was on Thursday
morning last heeled Ovel by means Of the
crane scow, and repairs made to the gasket
which in places had been worn. II was a
very neatly done piece OF work in turning
the monster mass of iron over on her side
| The officials are deserving of much credit
Tor the manner In which the feat was ae-
complished. Hundreds of dollars was
saved TO the Government by the operation,
as otherwise it would have cost over a
thousand dollars to have the same amount
OF work done at San Francisco by either
of the drydock companies at the bay city.
Already bill has been introdu uced in
Congress by Congressman Hilborn to
build wooden dry-dock at this yard of
the simpson design to cost 500, ,0OO with
the provision that S150,000 be made at
once. Another dry-dock is needed at
Mare Island, but whether in the end it
would be the most advisable To have
wooden or another granite dock is
mooted question at the department. The
dock proposed by Mr.. Hilborn would prob
ably be built on the site of the present sec
tional dock basin, where considerable of
the material now there could be utilized.
The present pumphouse. now used for the
stone dry-dOck, would answer for the new
| proposed dock and thus large item Of ex-
pense would be saved. If the bill intro
duced is passed it means large increase
in the working force of the ward.
The turret plates for the forward turret
OF the monitor Monterey have arrived at
the yard and are now being set up on
foundation OF heavy timbers in the court
OF the construction works shops. This is
for the purpose of fitting them together
properly before being finally placed on the
monitor. The great masses of steel plate
attract considerable attention, and from
appearances will prove a bulwark suf-
| fcient to resist any shot that might be
] hurled against il. The giving of this work
to the yard to do is also another indication
that Secretary of the NAVY Herbert wishes
the yard officials and mechanics to become
| perfectly familiar with all classes Of work
required by the new navy, of which he is
firm advocate. 1t means the addi-
tional distribution of more money to the
| people at ;he yard, and it also illustrates