The morning call., 1894-02-14

Great Effort to Get the Alert
Ready for Sea.
WILL SOON BE A NEW VESSEL,
By His Courageous Action in Rio
f1arbOr Brave Benham's Service
May Be Prolonged.

VALLEJO. Feb. 13-Commodore Will
liam A. Kirkland, U. S. n, will sue
coed Rear Admiral John Irwin, U. S. n,
In command of the Pacific squadron.
with headquarters at present al Homo
lulu. Re4r Admiral Irwin will retire from
active service April Is. He has spent a
long and honorable career in the service
of his country, and no officer will be more
entitled to a well-earned rest from toll.
Admiral Irwin will probably take up his
residence with mis- family either at San
Francisco or here In Vallejo, which may
be said to own him, as he has ever treated
our citizens as though mem bers of his own
household.
Rear-Admiral Benham was to have re-
tired the 10 h of April. but if Congress
should give him vote of thanks for his
action at Rio it would mean ten years
more of active service. Instances like
this are rare, but should it occur it would
be an honor and emOlument we'll earned.
A days action may make or unmake an
officer.
Every effort is being made to have
The United States ship Alert COM
pleted and ready for sea by the 1st Of
money to further this end; time and good
work is what is now required. All the
work that could be done on her while in
dock having been completed. she was
to come out Saturday and again take her
berth alongside the wharf, where The re-
malnder of her machinery and woodwork
will be fitted In place. When completed
the Alert will be practically new ship.
Machinery, boilers, woodwork. rigging
and canvas outfits will either have been
replaced or thoroughly overhauled.
As the Alert will be the first of the two
ships now at the yard ont OF commission,
the Boston being the other, her crew will
be drafted from among the 200 and odd
men on the receiving ship Independence
The men now on the guards" are, accord
ing to the views of the officers, an excep
tionally fine body Of seamen and will form
a crew for the Alert hat any officer may
feel proud to have under him.
The only new boats coming directly
from the shop that will be given to the
Alert will be gig and a dinghy now un.
der construction in the bOatshop, where
also is being built a surfDoat for the United
States ship Thetis now employed on sur
vey duty on the lower coast. This boat
will be used in landing parties on the
beach who are engaged in putting up sig
nal flags as points of observation from the
ship. The boat is intended to stand any
swell of the sea or land through any surf
that may be encountered along the sea-
shore that the Thetis may 90.
From the looks of the great piles of
boiler tubes that have recently arrived al
the yard marked for the Philadelphia it is
surmised that when she comes to the yard
it Will be TO remain for some time, as to
retube all of her boilers means a good
deal OF work in store for the boiler-makers.
The Yorktown on her arrival will also
require considerable work to be done to
her.
1t is the rule and law 10 the navy now
that prior to the return of a ship to a naval
station a statement is to be forwarded,
giving a complete description of all repairs
needed. This is great advantage to the
departments, as it gives them an orportu-
nifty, in measure, to lay out and plan for
work that is to be done. AS far al learned
but little will be required aboard of the
Marion ON her arrival from China and
prior to her trip up to Boring Sea. Com
mander Dennis W. Mullan, U. S. n. for a
number of years on this coast, will be
given command of her on her arrival.
which is expected TO be about the first of
March. He is ordered to assume command
on the 18th of March