The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-03-12
NAVAL MATTERS.
Events of a Week at the
Mare Island Yard.
Repairs to the Yorktown-The Big
Ship in the Stone Drydock.
Society Notes.

drydock Thursday noon for the purpose of
being cleaned and painted; also TO have
her sea and cupboard values overhauled.
As she settled on the keel blocks and the
water was pumped out of the dock, thus
exposing the bull. the officers were all
agreeably surprised to see how free she
was of barnacles and foul matter-more so
than any iron ship that has been taken IN
dock, and especially as the Yorktown has
not been in dock-if so, not more than
once-since she was here last June. At
that time she was given a good coat of
anti-fouling paint, which seems to have
the effect o. keeping the barnaces away.
AS soon as the \ orktown was out of the
water the crew were sent over the side
with scrubbing-brushes and commenced
at once cleaning her. The old-fashioned
three-eornered iron scraper is no longer
allowed to be used in removing marine
growth and barnaeles.
While the gunboat was here before two
of the boilers were retubed. Now the
other two boilers require the same amount
of work. which will be done before she
leaves The yard. Her pumps and other
portions of the machinery require some
few Slight repairs.
1t seems 10 be the general impression
that before l0ng the Government will
have to discard the use of iron tubes in the
boilers aud return 10 the former kind, that
OF composition, they being much more
dur9 bic and entirely free from pittiDg and
sealing, as the condemned tubes in the
Yorktown already show.
Quite gang Of mechanics are already
at work upon the ship 10 complete the re-
pairs as early as possible.
The large crank-Shaft belonging TO the
Boston was successfully hauled into the
steam engineering machine-shop and
placed in the lathe. where the journals
are being bored. The shaft is one of the
largest on board of any one of the new
cruisers. 1t was quite a little kDack to
get the shaft out of the ship, and il will
require much more ingenuity in getting it
back in place. MIR. Well, who mas charge
Of this class of work, is, however. equal
to The task. Not long since the Alert was
lying up under the great shears with her
boilers IN the hold Of the ship. 1t was
noon and there was no steam up to run
the machinery that runs the derrick. Still
the order was that the boilers should be
cut before 4 O'Clock. The boilers were
disconnected and hauled I'D TO the shop a
quarter of mile distant within the pre-
scrIbeG time. 1t is of record that that was
the best time ever made at the yard in the
handling of that class of work.
An investigation was held at the yard
last week which excited considerable in
teTest. The Secretary of the Navy re-
ceiYed an anonymous letter complaining
that certain persons had been employed in
violation of the rules and that they had no
knowledge of :he calling for which they
had registered at the board of labor en-
ployment office. The letter was referred
TO the commandant for investigation. Can
tain Glass, Chief Engineer Burnap and
Assistant Naval Constructor Snow, the
three officers comprising the board of la
Dor, were detailed to hold the invest iga-
ton. A number of witnesses were exam
ined and testified, as also the late em-
poyes, as to their ability and previous ex-
perieDce in the work on which they had
been employed. The result of the invest
igation will undoubtedly prove that the
anonymous letter-writter had no cause to
justify the statements made to the Score
tary. and that the officers and employees
were perfectly justified in the course they
had pursued.
1t is announced that Tomorrow J. P.
Tyree, second clerk to the commandant,
will resign his duties to accent second
cleEkship in the Navy Pay Office at San
Francisco. The vacancy will be filed by
j. r. Whitaker at the instance of the Sec
rotary Of the Navy. This will be the first
time in the history of the Mare Island
Navy-yard that the commandant has not
been given the opportunity Of appointing
his own clerks.
Lying in the gun park, fronting the /
ordnance building, are 10 be seen several |
Of the guns that were on board the United |
States ship Kesrsarge during her memoir |
able sea tight with the rebel privateer Ala
bama. The guns were left here at the |
time the Kearsarge was so extensively re- |
paired IN the years 1928.
Lieutenant o. w. Lowry, well known on /
this coast and for the last two wears SUI
perintendent of the House of Refuge on |
Randall Island. will shortly return to ac- |
tive service in The navy. In recognition of |
while administering the affairs OF the |
home and his uniform kindness. which had |
won the hearts of his associate officers and |
the esteem OF the inmates of the instiru- |
ton and their parents, he has Just been |
presented with full dress sword and belt, /
chapeau and epaulets by the officers. |
teachers and employees of the Institution |
Mrs. Lowry, his charming wife, is noted |
Tor her accomplishments as vocalist. She /
was pupil OF Madame Marchese a con-
temporary and devoted friend of EteIka |
Gerster, and was won by Lieutenant Lowry
when mighty crowned with laurels for her
exquisite rendering of the prima donna
roles in such operas as "Erna nie." ''Faust1
and Aida" at the Grand Opera-house of
Marseilles.
The many friends of Commander Henry
Glass, u. s. N, are congra tulating him
on Ills nomination TO the grade of captain
The eagle on the collar of his coat will be
worn with honor TO the country and credit
to his brother officers and himself
The following announcement has ap-
peare0 IN the newspapers:
Married-on the 10th OF February 1894, at the
american Church, Geneva. Switzerland By the
Rev. William s. Adamson. Albert Dakin Gfhon
son OF Medical Director Albert L. 6ihop u s.
Navy. and Miss Marie Reynolds. daughter OF the
late John Reynolds Esq. of the city OF New York
Mr.. Gihon will be remembered in naval
and San Francisco circles when his father
was In charge Of the naval hospital, Mare
Island. and among Bohemians as an artist
of great promise, studying under Joullin.
His recent years have passed in studies at
Partisan studies, under the best masters.
and in sketching on the coast of Brittany.
His younger brother. Clarence Ginou, is
also an artist OF equal promise, and has
been pursuing the same course of study.
The bride is a petite brunette, of beauty
and wealth. her widowed mother having
8 luxurious New York home for winter
residence and large estate In Alabama,
with an old colonial mansion, where the
spring and autumn are passed.
Lieutenant G. w. Jupgen, u. S. n,
stationed here for many years, a "sloper,"
or at least one who married fair Califor-
nlan. niece of Medical Inspector George
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