New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-02-17
ArFAJRS AT THE NAVY YARD
WORK ON THE IMPROVEMENTS DELAYED
BY ICE.

,,..or o, Tho homo station Of the North Atlantic
couadron were ouiet last week, owing more TO the
fact that everything was iced up IMAM 10 any iach
O. business on hand. The uipie-scre" CRUISER
MINNEAPOLIS Rugged her place AT the quay wal
all the week and KEEP; her usually white sioes
nice and grimy by taking IN coal IL Is piooaoie
,ha, che will start for Newport to get her torpedo
20. an Monday as the report has come down
t.o-o CIV Island that there is not enough Ice In
the Sound to delay her passage
rrbo Maine is still in the timber dock, and will
STAY there until the Columbia, better known as
"the Pirate" gets here from Norfolk for her clean
ing and scrapng. Just when she will arrive az
tho ward is not known. the latest word from the
southern ward is that she Is practically frozen in
In the mean time only little work is being done
on her on account of cold weather, although a
number of men from the Construction Department
are doing the best they can to fit up her interior
ARRANGEMENTS The work at the yard in charge
of Captain Peter c. Asserson, the head OF the
Bureau of Civil Engineering, is also delayed b.
the ice and snow as the big dock on which Con-
tractor Gillies is supposed to be at work IS Ice
bound, and it Is impossible to begin WORK on '''e
construction of the new quay wall or the PROPOSE
causeway connecting the Cob DOCK Win TIE TO
of the yard Piles are being driven 1or 'he ~
tional foundations for the new building NO o. anu
ubile work IL going on at its Usual rate IN t"e
various shops the principal job being the puiiu"e
OF the new trple-expansion engines Tor 'he Ni"0ev'
the outdoors part of the yard II coiiipa'
The double turreted monitor Puritan Is SUN ave-
ing the arrival OF the two plates necessary |" -
nlete her side armor. but the construction oi ne'
r.us ,,,rrs, Ton is pre:ty nearly finished fter
sister coast-defence vessel. the Terror. mas haa
nice new coat of red paint and looks almost pretty
cnouch 10 be of some use she Will ho' pe' INV
aver for some little time yet, as there Is large
amount of fitting and fixing yet TO be done oeiore
she will be ready to go into commission
,ha
..ooa is now, on her way home. is awaited with
r,ucb interest at the yard, the present under-
standing being that she will be practcaHy ois-
mantled 90 out OF commission, ana pe 'urheu over
70 the departments of construction anu repair anu
steam engineering. Those members OF "er 0'e"
who are available for service Will be Weicome
addition TO the list. as it will be Impossible TO
commission the Maine, Texas and Olympia, without
an Increase in the number of men al present avail
ahle Speaking OF this matter at the yard yes'el-
1o, ono of the officers said that while II was all
right TO look after the higher officers in the ser
vice and possibly create the grade OF Vice-au-
,,Ira, in order 70 place Rear-Admiral John @.
walker on a par officially with General SchoneIa'
If the Army. Congress should not overlook 'ne
roeds a, the Naval vessels which are practically
rr,,c for more men. The number OF men on YES
sells in commission is already over o'VV' anu II
seems from present reckoning That unless 'he
Coast Survey and the Fish Commission give up
their naval men. II Will require al least @'VVV au-
,iona1 men In order that the efficiency of the new
IT.. nov M, he hampered when they are FIN
,sbed There Is little doubt that an ample supply
~ nrst-class men, more than willing to JOIN the
NAVY could be found. II ordinarily good wages
and fair treatment were assured, ana these TWO
ro,n,s are matters to which Congress snould pay
attention
Among the coming changes in the service Is 'he
transfer OF Captain Winfield Scott schieE' al
present ,nspector OF the Third Lighthouse District
with Headquarters at Tompkinsvil!e : L.
~ the Board of Inspection and Survey captain
Schley will be sadly missed by Staten lsiahd peop'e
when he goes TO his new place on March J. anu
Il has been noted that for the first time IN many
wears the inspectorship OF the most important
;ah,house district on the coast will be filled by an
oHicer lower than flag rank. Captain Schiey was
appointed a midshipman In 1885, ana oeiolss ~
well-known Western Maryland family. he maui
his first practice cruise in the soop OF war freoe'
In 1857 was on the Plymouth IN 1859 ana year
later was graduated from the Academy. he joined
49, ,rieate Niagara which carried back TO Japan
tho Japanese Embassy to this country In 100 ana
1851 afterward serving China station. III 1871
lie was promoted to be master, ana assisheu :"
the frigate Potomac. While serving In this Vessei
he was present in Vera Cruz at the Occupation
~ Mexico by the forces of the Triple Alliance
ard when the Potomac was converted INTO a store
ship. he was ordered to the gunboat "inoha' oi
the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. under Al
,nral Farragut and served In Mobile BAY ana
afterward in the Mississippi. He was engaged IN
the fights which led up to the capture OF foI'
Hudson in July. 1853. having been commissioner
a lieutenant In 1862 From 1864 TO 1866 he was on
the gunboat Wateree the Pacific station anu
during his service suppressed an insurrecuoh
among the Chinese coolies on the Middle Chihcha
island He was present during the spanish "a'
against Chill and Peru In 1886, having year oe
fore landed with 100 men at La unioh' san 0a.,
vador. protecting the American Consulate as wen
as the Custom House at tha' place " Wv
revolution going on.
In 1896 he was commissioned as lieutenant-com-
mander. and on his return from the Pacihc was
ordered at the Naval Academy at AnnaPois' se''
ing in the practice ship Dale In lS5 the sooP .,
the steam sloop Bencia as executive officer remain
Ing with her on the China station until 1872 While
tbe Corean forts in the saee River by the Asatc
feet under the command OF Rear-AdmiraI Johh
In the fall Of 1874. after his return from Asiatc
waters. he was again ordered to the Naval Aca IL
erny as head Of the Department OF Languages. IN
June B74 ne was commissioned a commander, ana
in charge OF the sloop-of-war Essex served on the
isDtc Stations from 1876 to 1850 During this cruise
he adjusted the boundary line between LIBERIA ana
Sharks Point in the Congo River relating to the
pratical destruction Of an American vessel uso,oo
as inspector Of the Second Lighthouse District, with
headquarters at re%anns 1nefe ,rT b
Bureau OF Equipment and Recruiting In the Navy
Department and was placed IN charge Of the train
ing service In 1884 he was Reelected by President
composed Of the Thets. Bear. Alert and Loch Garry;
For his work on this expedition he was promoted
by President Arthur 10 be chief OF the bureau OF
Equipment and Recruiting. TO which place he was
reappointed by President Cleveland In 1883 he re-
signed this position 10 go TO sea again having 1cen
promoted TO the rank OF captain. lie was placed In
command OF the cruiser Baltimore. and served with
ner on the North Atlantic. European and south
racine stations. While the Baltimore he carried
BACK 70 Sweden the body OF John Ericsson. the in.
Naparaiso at the time OF the revolution which over
tnrew the Balmaceda Government. when number
streets 1870 -
captain sehley has received two gold medals for
services, ana from his native State d handsome
goI1 chronorneter watch and chain for services In
command OF the Relief Squadron which found and
rescued Lieutenant Greedy and the s,rvivors OF
the Lady Franklin Bay expedition
The officers at the yard who had ouarters at the
Lyceum Building are much pleased at the improved