New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-30
WORK AT THE NAVY YARD.
STRIDES IN MARINE CONSTRUCTION.
srxEwED INTEREST IN THE MAINE pRoSPEC-
TIVE MOVEMENTS OF VESSELS


THE BENNINGTON.
Any one who looks at the Norwegian viking ship
md the spanish caraves at the Worlds Fair must
g. impressed with a conviction OF the enormous ad-
,ce that the world has made in the art OF ship
,",a,nc since the Middle Ages. Compare tn, tiny
ys,,a which actually crossed the ocean with some
:, the great transatlantic steamers OF this day com.
,.re the crude means OF defence and Of offence on
80 viking with the powerful protective armor and
.hs terrible ordnance Of modern steel ship; and
son,parc the minute gun the santa Maria with one
:, The I3inch guns which is carried on a nineteenth
century, ship: the contrast is certainly striking.
,rartne also, the wonder and CONSERVATION which
,sould have been aroused II a modern swift armorcd
erliser or bauleshlp could have steamed into one
81 the Spanish ports Of the Middle Ages
modern ship is not only a more powerful engine
a, war than an ancient ship, but II IS also far
heauful object TO See The graceful lines the model
oompactncss the neatness and rlmness of the whole,
the estening guns, and the easy motion the YES
se rlides through the water propelled by steam. TO
.av nothing Of the beautiful interior fittings make
6sf in reality OF the trtumphs OF the century.
There are several such ships now In the Navy
Yard while others which belong to the home squadron
ara Of on Il cruise up the coast. There have been
several types OF vessels In the Navy Yard during the
last few days. and they destined for various parts
a, the world. The dynamite cruiser Vesuvius prob
oh
cruiser Baltimore Is going away, soon as she is
finished to act the flagship Of the Asiatic Squad
ron The gunboat Bennington another type OF yes
40, is going 1t is expected, to Europe TO join the
souadron there. OF course nothing is yet known OF
the destination Of the vessels now in course of con-
,truction-the protected cruiser Maine, and the I'M
protected cruiser Cincinnat-or OF the two monitors
which are being built but II is safe TO say that they
will be at home long enough after their completion
N give people many q chance TO see them and TO
visit them.
TRIAL OF THE NAMES ENGINES.
The Maine will be fine vessel when she is nnshed.
ehe has been pushed ahead as fast possible. All
81 the armor plates for the forward barbete were IN
the Yard yesterday morning. although they had p0t
Seen unloaded. The plates for the after barbette
arrived some time ago. Now that the omcial steam
trial of the machinery Of the Maine has been maze
and reported upon satisfactory the interest in her
completion has been Increased and will be proceeded
with as fast as circumstances will permit. One OF
these circumstances is the delivery Of the armor plate
for the l3inch armOr belt The first or test plates
are ready TO be taken TO the Indian Head proving
ground or rather to be tested with the 10inch gun
firing the Carpenter shot at whatever place Shall be
decided on There is some talk Of having the test
made at Bethlehem, Penp where there is an excellent
proving ground, and where there Is q lo-inch rlne
loaned by the Bureau of ordnance 1t Is consider
able expense send such large plates TO the proving
ground near Annapolis. These plates are the heaviest
armor which has boon treated TO the Harvey system
OF hardening and there Is considerable curiosity TO
sec whether 1t Will surpass the l7-inch Plate not SO
treated, which recently tested.
The report of the Trial Board which conducted the
official steam trial OF the Maine at the Navy Yard
last week has been sent TO the Navy Department ana
shows that the machinery ana boilers are suone'
well built and in accordance with the specifications.
The trial had to be made necessarily while the vessel
was moored her dock and is reported as satisfactory
In every respect. 1t is reported 10 be such as TO
warrant the belief that with the ship In free route
the full contract power o. 900 horsepower, will be
obtained. As the port propeller was fouled by
raft In the course OF the trial. the vessel Is soon 10
b. put into the drydock for inspection Of the pro-
peller blades The engines are Of the tnpeeXpansioh
type and this peculiarity Of them Is the Arrangement
of the cylinders Ordinarily the highpressure cy nder
l. forward bat I'm the case OF the Maine the hisi-
pressure cylinder OF each engine is placed aft and the
low-pressure cylinder forward. The low pressure
cylinders are so arranged that TINY may be diScon-
lected when 1t is desired to run at low power this
arrangement being made In order TO avoid the uheeo
nomical working OF her high pressure cylinders at low
powers. This same device was followed In htuue
I'D the engines OF the Russian cruiser Nicholas ].
All the working parts the Names engines are Of
forged mild, opcn-hearth steel II was originally dc
signed that the framework Of the engines should con-
sst OF hollow cast-steel columns, but when twenty OF
found to be defective and wrought sieel columns were
substituted The builders Of the machinery and
boier, A. F. Palmer, jr., a CO., Of New-fprh, made
the contract for 5 O0O ana the work has been done
under the supervision OF Chief Engineer Albert v"
Morley who will be assigned the vessel when she
Is put into commission.
The Maine was built at the Navy Yard here, under
on act OF Congress approved August j. lo70; she
was desIc,nd by tile Navy Department, the plans
being approved November ], 1887, and the BIDS Tor
Tie materials OF con trucion were opened on June d.
1855. The contract for the materials was a"aru'n
10 Carnegie, Thipps Co., on June II. Inc hrat
frame was bent september 10, 1-o- tle his'
keel plate was laid on October IL; the first HVe'
driven at IL n. m. oil November .; the first frame
was raised OIL December ,. and she WAS launched
on November Is. 1880.
WORK ON THE NEW DRYDOCK
III. Board o. Inspection, of which Captain joseph
n. Miller commander Of the vermont. Is chairmah'
appointed TO make report upon The present condition
OF tho work on the new dryd)ch. under contract with
John Gillics Of Brooklyn, ad TO recommend upon
The proposition OF the contractor TO sci u DICK sAS
five feet further from the water line than The Ninety
feet which the original plans provided for las been
Of work the last three days MI 'hhs long "sp
wished himself rid of the advance which 4 IS dock
has caused him. In the frs; place. h, LA to bnhd
Che dock was less than 100000, ana h' "omp'l'o'"
Declared ,hn, he could not make any money n such
d price and he has concluded that ih"y were no' ar
ont of the ,oy Then tie Government ordered ~
Increase I'm the length OF th" dock 10 accomho'""
,hc larg,~; steam vessels afOat-cSprciauy In" IdrS
AID New York which vcie then about TO be trans
ferrcd TO the American hagfor which III" contractor
asked an extra allowance Of $4,000 bat Inc nov
eminent Insisted that The extra allowance S'"'i'
Be only In proportion TO ia" bid for ne docN 0" III"
original plans and ne had 20 submit me" i'"N'''
who HE MiCawbcr. WI waiting I"r S"""'''"s W
turn up advised the Italian iaborors at wo'K o" '"'
foundation that ihIr employer violating IL"
Of Congress IN olglne them TO WORK moro ''" S"'
hours. Mr.. Chile, explained 10 then 'h'' Tue ""
applied 10 Government work. and Tint was III" VI
d.. L., L.. ,.n. Nli.lN lose