New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-23
AFFAIRS AT THE NAVY YARD.
PREPARING THE MACHIAs FOR DUTY IN
AsIATIC WATERS.
THE CAsTINE MAY ALSO co TO CHINA-A PRE-
LIMINARY TRIAL OF THE MAINE

| or all the Jobs Of work which are being done at
| the Navy Yard the work the gunboat Machias is
! perhaps the most pressing just now. This vessel
| put into commission last week, but although
| she in commission she Is not yet ready for sea
by any means The big jobs finished. but there
are many little things TO be donethose little things
that take time. The ship Is. however under orders
20 be made ready for possible. but
just when this will be is uncertain. Altogether, in
| Guiding the officers. the marines and the crew.
there about 80 persons attached TO the vessel!
The officers live board, but the crew still
lives on the receivng-shp Vermont. and goes over
| 10 the Machias during the day as a working party.
| IN short time the crew Will also be permanently
quartered board. The eleven officers are as fol-
| lows Commander +. S. Houston, in command;
| Lieutenant W. p. Day executive officer; Lieuten-
ants s. W. b. Diehl, j. c. Gilmore and j. II. Rohr-
| bacher; Ensgns A. II. Scales. f. j. Pollock and
George Madison: Passed Assistant Surgeon T. b.
| Bailey, Assistant Psymaster W. L. Wilson Ch'ei
Engineer B. c. Gowing
| The gunboat Castne Is also soon 10 be ready Tor
service for she is TO be put commission on Oc-
tober Is. II practicable In preparation Tor ms the
| following officers have been ordered TO her Com
mander Thomas Perry. in command; Lieutenants
| r. G. Davenport and Samuel Seabury; Ensisns H.
| F. Bryan and G. c. Davidson.
| These two vessels. the Machias and the Castine'
were built with service in view as the Machas
| is about go When they were found to be not
sufficiently stable. they were treated alike, each
being cut apart and made longer by fourteen ieet
Now they are thought 10 be really better vessels Tor
their line O, service than they were as originally de-
| signed for they have greater coal capacity and
can steam a much greater distance without recoaI-
ing Their light draught enables them to cruise IN
the comparatively shallow water OF rivers, ana al
together they are excellent ships for cruising where
the heavier ships Of the squadrons cannot 60 The
Nachias IS going TO China such duty as this, and
It is rumored that the Castne will also be sent there
In regard to this however there was no ofhcla IN
formation in the Navy Yard. II is reported mat
| the Machias will be employed to carry back the
Vatican relics which on exhibition at the Co
lumbar Exposition last year but an officer of the
ship said that he did not know whether the vessel
would be used for this work not At any rate. II
| she were used that would be only an incidental
duty performed while on the way 10 China II the
! Castine should go China the Asiaiic squadron
would be increased 10 eight vessels. The Baltimore
is now on the station and is flagship of the squad
rom she is second-rate protected cruiser or 40V
| tons The Monacacy is the only old-siyle snip in
the squadron and she is of 1870 tons the Concord
Is gunboat of 100 tons. the Petrol is fourih-rate
vessel gunboat of $50 tons. In addition to these
there protected cruiser Charleston. or
900 tons. which Is on the way TO join the other
vessels there. and there the 2ocoon cruiser De
trot and the l05o-;on gunboat MachiaS, which are
soon 10 start and finally the Castine the twin Of
| the Machias which. says. Is also going.
| These vessels would make large and efficient
squadron China II several OF the vessels are
the smaller OF the Navy. for these little yes
sells well armed and could do effective work in
Of necessity.
II il expected that the cruiser Cincinnati will leave
the Navy Yard this week and assist al the rial trip
OF the torpedo boat Ericsson a stakeboat. Int
vessel has been Standing by In readiness 20 30
whenever the order should arrive for the As; week
although there were orders yesterday morning
| about when she should start 1t was thought that
it nigh, be tomorrow morning. After The mai Of
the Ericsson. the vessel Is SO 20 Newport,
where she receive her torpedo outfit. The tor
pedo tubes and other machinery are In place on the
ship. and now she has only 10 &c; her supply OF
torpedoes and 10 have little testing done N con
nection with them 1t is thought that everything
be done IN days and that al the enc OF tha'
time she be back In the Navy YARD II IS hop"f
TO have the much-desired official trial OF her speed
and her ability in other ways some time ms fa.i
bu. IN the mean time we could into battle 20
day II We only had ammunition, as one OF me
officers said yesterday.
The San Francisco will probably be az the Navy
Yard several weeks longer. there IS SIN sooi
deal 10 be done 10 her. The boilers have been re-
tubed bu: a long job in connection with hcT ora
nance s now hand. This IS the Installation oi he'
torpedo pant. and Will probably take a. least
month longer. In regard 10 the rumor tAai "e
dynamite cruiser Nesuvius Is 20 be sent 10 NlcaTdShi
to be available for RIVER duty, only the rumor was
known at the Navy Yard; there were no orders Oh
the matter
Notyi,h.,anding certain wOfIl Representations
Tn[ CRUISER WTe s Mas s Scsssfa ia a o.
the drydock Monday and Was not pu' BACK i.tS
and difficult JOB to dock ana refoai arg yesss!
as the New-York at the Navy Yard Tns ve ci IS
dependent on the amount OF water ana thr Jop n
to be done at PARTICULAR Tines aD5 was done ae
been e9ng s yea Vas s' not al" the a q
tide that kept the New-York in the dfydocE ihtte
instead OF the quick patent paint ihai IS gen
10 be done to the New-York-so much. IN TAG, thai
She may be KEPT here 1ss q Phcn sf %os
i Gsr steam ANN cheering bparmen he rsiueng Of
Ano;Aer biz JOB the replacing Of the flushing sys-
tenn The present one When IS 81 sna ,se 1 T9n
are 10 be replaced by pipes Of brass ..
comnla,nts from some officers. A vessel goes away
for a shor, cruise OF a few months and then goes
back to navy S ysTs so ana Of ns the DO not
Ike Tor some OF them do not and they criticise the
The rsd.ape that 10 be gone through In order 70
get anything done are often heard ana ine oeers
tfat whatever work a vessel needs could be done
Navy Yard oficers object to being Navy-Yard
cruisers. ,., ,,,, 4, o, o nm ,ba
s5 Tns oS Tus.asy or se %
the departure OF this vessel VIII be one OF the i'm
p0y two n or three day. on Til. Trip
back yard q the ,s end d Of ,haj time to be
Cook sssist11t enSr Of
h ns s fHmped Of an
of1cers viii be senior reara dmirals OF the Navy IN
The next fourteen years provided only the ordinary
casuaities desired-retireme on account or age
create the vacancies The senior rear admra! stands
I'm the same relative position In the Navy tthdI
Ma tor General Schofed does in the Army, ana ther
ranks also correspond. Rear Admiral Bancroft
Cbersrd IL now the senior OF the grade, ana wheh
he retires on November 10. Pear-Admiral James a
Greer becomes senior. only TO be retired on FEBRUARY
% 1sA5 and succeeded by Rear-Adnira! George
brown He will reach the retiring age little more
than two years later. June IL. lsy' when teal
ADMIRAL Richard w. Meade, now In command OF
The North Atlantic Squadron. with the New YORK as
his flagship will succeed to the seniority re VII,
re-, ain The n ace until October O. 1899. when he VIII
give way to him who is now Captain FREDERICK V;
ScSair the present superintendent Of the Nayal
3bservitory When he reiires. January u, 1901.
Captain Albert Kantz will have the place OF senior