New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-13
WORK AT THE NAVY YARD.
s,1ror1Ayps TO THE CITY OF BROOKLYN.
IMPROVEMENTS WHICH IT PREsAGEs-VEssLLs
GONE AND GoISG-PRoMoTIoNs ARE
FAR WAY.


to provide for the sale of Navy va ianus III ''e
citv of Rrooklyn.' approved December -, 49, the
municipal authorities OF Brooklyn have nou !"
the Secretary Of the Navy that they VIII tecePt
the terms OF contract This they did with only iou'
DAYS left Of the limit when the condition OF INC
act would have lapsed. This means that frac-
ton more than twenty-seven acres OF tn Navy
Ward lands are 70 be transferred TO Brooklyn Tor
sa 600 an acre or 81 POS Sos. including expenses TOT
the Mot the amount determined upon By the speciai
board appointed to appraise IT on January last
The area OF the yard left after this plot IS us
posed of will be about $50 acres and the Govern
mont retains almost the entire waterfront WIN
dnr,h NJ land which 1t is believed. will meet any
future possibe necessity. The land thus TO De
acquired by Brooklyn includes that lying peyohn
the Marine Barracks ground Cat Flushhg anu
Clinton aves). $50 feet along Flushing ave. u
Washington-ave, thence northerly along Washing
ton ave 15S feet. thence westerly 933 FEET thence
southerly to the place of beginning. section OF
the bill provides that the sale be made upon the
EXPRESSED condition that the Brooklyn authorities
shall within two years open one or more water
channels for commerce, upon the plot cohVeyeu'
from the Walabout Channel to one-haf the ais
lance toward Flushing-ave., with only an open
street intervening between II and the Navy iaru
proper. and that the Government shall have free
access to IT, 1t is proposed to make TINS chahiei
l. 700 feet long and 30 feet wide. At the present
time the discharge from the two large sewers OF
brooklyn finds It's way into the channel pet"ce"
Cob Dock and the main shore. This discharge pe-
ing met by the tide coming up the channel iorhs
n serious deposit this has cost the Government
several thousands OF dollars year for excavation
II Is proposed TO build n solid causeway across
Wallabout Channel entirely west Of the land to he
conveyed. which will prevent the sewage beme
drawn in and forming deposit Inc purchase ~
BROOKLYN will enable the city to have better
equipped market and give the people free access
to the waterfront thus cheapening the supplies
carried in boats from all along the coasts.
BY the sale Of this land the Navy Yard improve
ments so long contemplated can be begun with that
part Of the proceeds OF the sale to be allotted Tor
that purpose. provided for In the act oil Ton
eress Secretary Herbert is credited with having
MANNED after consultation with the various rrinci-
pal officers of the Navy and the heads Of depart
ments to transform the New-York Navy YARD
into one of the most important and best equipped
naval stations in the world, capable OF turning ont
the heaviest battleship or the smallest gunpoat'
complete I'm all It's parts The plan Is SAID 10 con-
template the building Of twelve new shops princi-
pally near the waterfront, TO he devoted 10 'he
special work Of fashioning every sort OF materlai
REQUIRED for the building of modern vessels OF war
and 10 be Furnished with the most improved ma
chincry for the entire construction Of iron and steel
vessels 1t has been shown In the building OF inc
sras..on armored cruiser Maine and the 3,o00-ton
protected cruiser Cincinnati. and the engines ana
boilers for the Cincinnati ana her sls'er-Slip' 'he
Raleigh. that the Navy Yard has the plant. ana
tho Navy has the officers competent 10 do the best
and largest work In the case OF tho machinery
and boilers for the cincinnati and Raleigh every
casting and every forging was made IN the SHOPS
of the Navy Yard. and the whole finished ana put
together in complete form by tn" mechanics from
the drawings made ny and under the supervision
OF the engineer officers Of the Navy In the buiIh-
ing Of the Maine and the Cincinnati the WORK was
done under the supervision and direction OF de-
tailed line and construction officers; SO that the
Navy possesses IN itself the talent capapie OF
building. cqrrr'ng and running the vessels. and
fighting with them afterward II need be
secretary Herber-'s plan. which follows closely
that laid down by the Admiral Braine Board Of 1882
con,en1platcs a completion Of the Cob DOCK goa
ali which is now only half built. and he deepen
ing and dredging OF the whitney Basin ma sur
rounding II with retaining wall OF concrete ana
masonry The limited extent Of waterfront proper
makes the proposed improvements OF the utmost
importance. as the basin when finished in Accord
ance with the plan would add TO the available
water frontage Of the yard about 800 lineal Feet
with a water area OF IOat acres. The basin has
sufficient area 10 hold almost the entir" United
States Navy, and having an outlet from con DOCK
is too valuable to remain. as II IS now. mere
mud fiat. With the basin dredged TO Depth OF
twenty-two feet at mean low water, and n quay
wall constructed around II. 1t could be used both
for ships in Ordinary and those fitting for sea
The plans also include improving the present sys-
TEN of railway for transporting heavy materhis
from the shops to the waterfront. from the water
front TO the shops and from one shop 10 another IL
Is suggested to extend the railway system so as
10 connect all the buildings in tho yard and to
cross the Wallabout Channel to Cob Dock at
point near where the receving-shIp Vermont Hes
The work Of reconstructing the monitors Terror
and Puritan, and the completion ot the Maine ana
Cincinnati and the making ready for her three
yeors' cruise In Asiatic waters OF the cruiser Bal
timore are continued without any unnecessary de-
LAYS It was a cheerful bit OF news to the work
men at the yard several days ago that the Navy
Department had ordered the immediate shipment
of nearly 20 tons OF armor-plating for the Maine
and Puritan to the yard, and for two other new
vessels which have been delayed because OF Its
non-devery. This steady or revival OF
work for the force for several weeks at least and
the earlier completion of the ships. The plating
for the Puritan Is made of plain nickel-seel ana
part Of it has been treated with the HarveyEg
process OF tempering A firing test has been or
dcred Of these two different kinds of armor-platc
for the purpose of determining the relative merits
Of the resisting qualities of each.
Oincers of the Navy are always awake to the
latest information concerning changes In their sta
tons hence they have taken much interest in the
last few days studying the circular recently pub
lished giving dates Of reiremenis. But the one
just out does not offer much enc on, or
several grades awaiting VACANCIES FOR promotion. IN
the line there Is not an officer who Will reach the
retiring age before the close Of 1885, the first one 10
reach sixty-two years being Rear Admiral George
l.. Bclknap, on January % 1884. This would make
q vacancy for Commodore John G. Walker to L.
ceivc a commission as rear-admiral with .conse-
ducnt Increase of pay. Of 5000 a year, TO 5000 a
year shore duty. for an officer OF the highest
rank In the Navy who has spent forty years in
that service and four years OF It in a bitter and
saddening war: hut Rear Admiral Aaron w.
Weaver conemplates voluntary retirement under
the forty years service clause In a few weeks,
Commodore Walker viii not have TO wait until
ana Commodore r. VI. Ramsey now the CHIEF OF
Bureau of Navigation will step into the Admiral
Belknap vacancy I'm January.
In the medical corps the FIRST TO retire for age
will be Medical Director Delavan BloO1sood. now
at the Naval Laboratory IN brooklyn. and he win be
retired on August %. The next age retirement VIII
not take place until May -, 1885. The pnymast"rs
less fortunate. for the officers nj the head 81 tho
several grades realize that tho first retirement for
age will take place til October T. lSti or more
than two years hence. chief Engineer T. H. Roble
he In Olnear l'nrna the