New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-10
AFFAIRS IN THE NAVY YARD.
r,,r NETWORK TO TAKE REST AND
BE REPAIRED
OTHER VESSELS OF THE HOME soUADRoN-woRK
IN THE SHOPS AND SHIPS

o-.,,rR VESSELS OF THE HOME sQUADRoN-woRK
IN THE SHOPS AND SHIPS
~. rride OF New-york. the big cruiser named
- tho city. came up from her anchorage off
80, Island early yesterday afternoon and was
-ss al the coal wharf in the Navy Yard Beyond
,uth Of marine plants which has formed on her
lem during her trip in eastern and southern
.ars the flagship Of the North Atlantic Squadron
&s.ws few signs Of wear. Her stay in the yard
lever Is to be an extended one, and before she
It's TO sea again she Will have rest in the timber
Sck and lot Of work done in her engine and
a. rooms Her fire mains are in bad shape, and
49, bureau Of Construction and Repair will have
,,.s,v time putting her in shape by the time set for
,ne formation Of the feet for the winter cruise OF
,ution The sailing date has been set for De-
oe,nber H. and Admiral Bunce is expected TO be In
washington in a few days and consult with the
secretary OF the Navy regarding the programme for
tne msnoeuvres. Ii seems that nothing has been
settled definitely 10 what ports the ships will
visit but is believed that In a general way the
itinerary laid out by Admiral Meade last winter Will
be followed. officers Of the ship say that valuable
results have been obtained from the squadron
nanoeuyres Of last summer, and that from tech
uloal point OF view the benefit the naval arm OF
The country has been great. They pleased with
the prospect of having the Maine and the Texas
with the fleet on the winter cruise and believe that
the b-tte-ships will give a good account of them
selves.
The Texas. which is now in the timber dock, viii
remain there for some days. as she is TO have a
outfit OF propeller blades. and they have not yet
arrived al the yard from Norfolk. Her old blades
have been removed, and now in the machine
shop. They show marks of usage. and one or two
OF them have pieces broken out of the end. An
other thing which will keep her in the dock is the
lack Of sufficient water TO float her until
spring tide comes along which will be IN about
a week In the mean time she will be all fixed up,
and when is more aioat Will be pretty
as d brand ship should be. 1t is expected
,hat the Texas will be In the hands Of the Board
Of Inspection before the month is ended as her
turn Will after that Of the Maine, which sailed
few days ago for GARDENERS Bay and Newport
Al the latter place she will receive her torpedo
supply and be inspected OF the other vessels of
Admiral Bunces feet the Columbia is slated to go
10 Norfolk and receive a new eight-inch gun 10 re-
place the injured in target practice week
ago the Raleigh and Montgomery are at the Nor
folk yard undergoing repairs and the Cincinnati is
a, Key West. 1t is said that she is in the same
tx az the New-York In the way OF needing repairs,
and will be ordered home for fixing up and new
SCI Of boiler tubes before the rest Of the feet goes
10
The fog nterfered a little with the progress Of
work On the new drydock. known drydock No.
, las, week. the tmbers and crib work are not
pleasant to climb over when soaked with moisture.
and when everything about Is shrouded In mist The
chef obstacle the completion Of the dock Is the
difficulty Of working in the soft. flowing mud which
constantly accumulates az the bottom OF the big
hole The side walls up for about one-third of
the length of the dock, but the pile drivers and
foundation layers cannot keep pace with the
who are laying the side walls. and as there Is lot
o. digging still 10 be done, there is prospect of
little delay when cold weather comes. The contract
with John Gilles called for expenditure Of Al2-
o. but there has already been expended S35.l66
AM there is a call for $4,000 more to complete the
big Job with wing and quay walls, and the time OF
completion is uncertain
Work on the buildings which It was planned TO
improve and rebuild is In some instances. completed
but in others there is more trouble ahead When
Thomas II Stanley & Co contracted to improve
buildings Nos. Ia 1l5 and 1ls. $4,000 appro-
priated FOR the work. They failed to fulfil their
contract and as a result between $4,000 and $4,000
OF the appropriation has been expended on Nos. ia
and rs. while No. 1ls has not been touched, and
floors Of buildings No. IA and 1l5 were omitted in
the hope Of keeping inside the limit of cost In the
mean time the price OF steel has gone up and the
Bureau not having money enough 10 carry out the
work IS figuring how do the most possible
with what there is left OF the Appropriation.
Many visitors to the yard in the last week have
gone over 70 the Cob Dock TO inspect the Ammen
ram Katahdin which has been tied up there. That
the ram. In every respect that OF speed, comes
up 10 the Naval requirements is admitted by the
officers in charge OF her recent trial and now the
engineer-in-ehef George w Neville. ana me cnleI
OF her acceptance or rejection In their hands In
mean time she is at the yard. but as there are
no orders concerning taking of her she is TAX
ing her chances and is In rather a peculiar predica
Inent for vessel in Government waters There IL
10 official ship-keeper board, and as far as can
he learned she is there entirely at the risk OF her
owners. -
once more those two sorely tried and repeatedly
falling little vessels the torpedo boats which II IL
intended the Maine shall carry, are In the held
one Of them f. slated have trial on the meas
ured mile course in the Hudson River morrow
while the other is in the hands OF the Board which
+ experimenting with different methods for the use
OF LIQUID fuel under the boilers of naval vessels