The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-07-13

J
which loras out the riGcj cannon-ma-
chjnery which seems to move so easily
aud yet requires 50 many thousands Of
horsepower
PorJcroas Stiffness.
Tho ride to the navy yard is quite a
pleasure in itself. Tho cable line on
Pennsylvania avenue turns south on
East Eighth street and terminates at
tho entrance to the yard. The visitor is
at first charmed with the magnificent
gateway which looks mouolithic, but is
not, and is really awcd by the sentinel,
who is impressive in blue and white
and stands as stilly as if he had swal-
lowed one Of the rammers. The general
silence about the place is almost op-
pressive The rules governing the yard
amount to quite a code, and in addition
TO stringent regulations against loud
tall, or swearing or unnecessary noise
there is an explicit instruction to every
one duty 10 hold 10 conversation
whatever except in the line Of duty.
Even in most of the workshops there is
comparatively little noise, everything
running with what might be called a
ponderOus smoothness. The ono oxcep-
tiou is in the great hall where the rihod
c;uMou are maGVfachIred. 1t is the
nature of man CoreSpec5 power whether
IN the machine or the humm being,
and | know of no other Ilace where
everything seems to move with such re-
sistloss force.
Overhead the great tram cor, with its
monster teutacles Of iron hoops and
clamps and girdor loops, moves back
ward and forward with Gn energy which
seems rs if it were beyond control, and
yet tho engineer who sits in the iron
cage attached CAL stop Of start st with
a touch oe his finger l shall not weary
the reader by describing the long guns
OF steel and nickel, weighing ever so
many tons, which are so easily raised
and lowered by tho machinery Of Ghis
tram car, nor the great auSers, if I may
call them such, which bore out the
guns, seeming TO moyo with the most
gentle persuasiveness and yet tearing
of the delicate shayings of steel and
nickel with q power which really fas-
ciuaJes the beholder. Tor shall 1 at
tempt a description Of tho process for
various reasons It would take me at
least three months to master thesubject
and probably another mouth 10 put it
into simple English after which the Or
dinary reader would require three
months or so to understand it, by which
time some Of US would be dead or pros
trated with brain fag.
Uncle Sans Navy Yards.
Tho noted nayyymas andatations arc
at Norfolk, Brooklyn, Mare island, near
San Francisco; League island, noar Phil.
adelphia; Portsmouth, N. H.; Boston,
New London, Conn Port Royal, S. c.,
and Seattle, the last three being regard
ed as mere naval stations Fhore are a
training ship and torpedo station at
Newport, r. l., and minor establish
ment5 elsewhere: Tho Naval War col
lege ut Newport, r. L., was formally
opened II few weeks ago by Assistant
Secretary Of the Navy William McAdoo
The general result Of all the work done
at All thefe places and in the various
shipyards Is thus summed up by Mr.
McAdoo at tho close Of tho fiscal year
1894; "Yho Emitted States, whilo it does
not possess a great navy in tho number
Of It's ships, has within its limits colossal
plants, both public and private, and
great armies # skilled workmen, led by
contractors, designers and inventors of
marked ability. 1t is therefore essen
TALLY and substantially capable of ma
tional defense and, if need be- Of offense,
operations. Tho general summary Of
every naval report Of this year is that
we are just ready to make a great navy
aud to make it quickly.
History is taught at this navy yard
by object lessons, and the lessons are
fascinating indeed First is the progress
in ordnance making shown by the old
guns ranged in their order from the old.
est pieces hammered oot by the black.
smiths of colonial times and coming
down or up through all the changes
wrought by the Revolution, the second
war with Groat Britain and tho Barba-
~, Mexican and civil wars. Some Of
the old guns look like mere unwieldly
Jumps Of metal, bearing ludicrous re-
sc,nblance to the toy guns which boys
sometimes manufacture of lead on the
Tishman's principle--"tako hole and
pour the lead around it. " Tho old NOR
tars which fired hot shot into the cities
Of the Barbary coast look like big ket-
ties with somewhat raised sides, and to
tho ordinary civilian eye it would seem
impossible to give any designed direc-
tion to,a shot from one Of them. The
Algerines had captured various pieces
from the French and Spaniards in the
century before wo went to war with
them, and it was our good fortune to
capture some f those pieces. which are