New-York tribune., 1895-07-28
AFFAIRS AT THE NAVY YARD.
PREPARING FOR THE FALL MANOEUVRES
OF THE SQUADRON.
TIE MAINE READY FOR CoMMIssIoN-woRKING
on THE MoNTGoMERY-THE "sHAKEUF'

The week which ended yesterday one OF
steady activity at the home station OF the North
Atlantic quadron. and a.l hands were kept on the
r,ove qAc arrival OF the New-Yorl, at the yard
and the immediate transfer Of Admiral Bunces
ror from the Cincinnati; tho larger ship the dock
,,r O. the Montgomery and the preparations for
writing the Maine and Lancaster IN commission pre-
vented any idleness. and IN addition 10 these mat
,ers Of fact there was plenty OF food for discussion
4, the upseiing Of pans by the biz LIST OF changes
=, asarnments made public Oh Thursday morning.
md other matters of interest affecting the personnel
81 the different corps.
SECRETARY Herbert is expected at the yard AZ 10
,..,ocl tomorrow forenoon the Dolphin. and Will
he received with full honors He has left the Wash
r,on end OF the department in charge OF Assistant
enc,c,arv McAdoo but before laying down the re!ns
.o shaccd the course OF affairs that the projected
.vo.u.ions Of the North Atlantic squadron viii be-
r.n clos, to the appointed time The fleet according
:, the latest programme. Will consist OF the New
york Cfagshlp). Columbia. Minneapolis Cincinnati.
Atlanta Raleigh. Montgomery and Amphitrite 1t
70 noss,be however, that Of these vessels Will
40 re1uired in the West Indies and as it is not
skely from present appearances, that the Texas
or Maine VIII be in commission In time to join the
nret the squadron will probably consist OF seven
vesses II the cruise begins on August o. as at pres
ant intended II will extend along the w-England
,oss, until September, and will take on short trips
the Naval War College class from Newport for
assistance in solving tactical problems Admiral
Dunce will confer wish Captain II. c. Taylor presi-
den, Of the War College, about his programme OF
r,anoeuyres The fleet after its exercises about
Newport will come 10 New-York waters and drill
:, the reach between Sandy Hook and Hampton
Roads winding up with target practice and the dis
nersal Of the fleet at Hampton Roads about Novem-
ber
.vo,uons will be the tra. OF the revised squadron
dril book This book is now undergoing revision and
NIL shortly be finished. Copies of the volume VIII
he furnished to each of the commanding onicers OF
the vesses and he will be instructed TO observe II as
.osely as possible in manoeuvring. Admiral huhce
will Of course have his own drills. He Is expected
q begin with the simplest evolutions at first ana
.osa with the more difficult ores. II IS expected
,Aa, he will form his ships into two divisions. the
FIRE, 70 be led by his flagship and the second oy
either the Columbia or the Minneapolis, IN al prop
Ssblity the former. BIZ the end OF september Is
.x,ac,e1 that his force will be increased by the ad-
di;lon OF the Maine and Texas "hich ought u 0e
rcadv for sea about that time
The Montgomery was paced In the tmper COCK
IN Thursday and came out yesterday win the
Steam Engineering Bureau hard al worK retuo.hs
her boilers The Cincinnati Will be docKeo to-iho'-
row and will probably out on Wednesday 10
- roo,o for the Ncw-York. and the big cruiser
,,u h. ont OF the dock by Saturday. The New
York vii take 1.lt0 tons Of coal hlng her DUNK
era % their full capacity. and the few ODD joos
which are always ready for workmen ~nen a snip
order ,
rh ,u.s.,on ., men for the new ships the Maine
,d rsxss is bothering the Department some. as
the number available at present while suHc'eh'
10 fully man the Texas. is not large enough 10 pO
vide crews for both ships As far as poss.ple' me"
are being concentrated az the Brooklyn idfo 10
meet the call.
THE "SHAKEUP' AND WHAT 1T MEANS
II will be some time before the pool which was
~larc n
day settles back into its customary calm Inc as
srrrert OF Captain Glass 10 the Texas Is IN 'he
nature OF a compliment. which, while IL taxes
him away from a ship which he Is proud or cannot
be declined with grace. and coming so soon ai,c'
the Execution Rock affair and the court OF inquiry
which followed II is not looked with pleasure
by those who have been inclined to believe that the
CAPTAIN was unduly negligent when on MS way
through the Sound
The sending OF Captain Theodore F. kane 10 the
Psc.ac Station relieving Captain Higgnson. OF tho
Monterey leaves the command OF the Maine
matter OF speculation while one seems 10 know
why Captain Mortimer l.. Johnson. who had been
slated for the Texas. should be assigned 10 the
smaller ship. the Cincinnati. when no commander
had been selected for the Maine Captain Bartlett
J. Cromwell. who Is 20 be relieved OF the COM
rand OF the Atlanta by Captain J. II. Sands. is the
man who as commander. took the old sloop-of-war
Ticonderoga with RearAdmira Shufeldt on board
around the world a commercial cruise in the
seventies
Captain Sas W. Terry, who is to have season
o, ease on the receiving ship Franklin was recently
relieved OF the command OF the Newark OF the
South Atlantic Station by Captain Yates Stirling
When Chief Engineer Thorn Williamson leaves
the State. War and Navy Building on August D. lie
will be succeeded by Chief Engineer George W.
Baird, who until recently In charge OF the
engines OF the Dolphin.
The changes in the star by which Chief Engineer
s L. r. Ayres goes TO Philadelphia and Chief
Farmer. OF the Boston Yard comes TO Brooklyn,
have for their ultimate object the selection OF the
available for the engine-room forces
o, the Maine and Texas. Naval Constructor
Bowles has not yet reported at the Brooklyn Yard,
and as Constructor Fernad sailed for Europe on
Wednesday. having been summoned by telegraphic
orders the office is in charge OF Frank W. Hibbs
the senior officer OF the corps now in the yard
NEW SHIPS AND OTHER MATTERS.
So much discussion has been aroused by the dec-
sion OF Secretary Herbert to have the two new bat
ue-shps carry doube-decked turrets that the points
for and against the plan are of much interest
to naval people. AT the meetings Of the bureau
chiefs when the plans being considered these
objections were cited against double turrets: Ina
blity turn the S-inch turrets by hand reduction
of the number OF turret trainers; the probability
that the disablement OF either would disable both;
he restriction OF gun fire resulting from having TO
train both turrets upon the same object Captain
Sampson chief o, the Bureau Of Ordnance. states
that It is manifest that every appliance necessary
10 secure proper rotation of turret IL weakness
and II the guns could be trained without them. 1t
would be great gain in efficiency. In the double
turre plan the Snch turrets are absolutely without
Mechanism OF any kind and consequently they are
assured against all the accidents or injuries which
may easily disable single turret dependent upon
20 much machinery. He thinks that the objection
mat the four guns the double turret must be
pointed at the object has no foundation under
service conditions and Is in fact Impossible unless
III
one TO use the l3-inch guns OF the double tnrret
against one enemy and the Snch guns aSairst an
ether II II is desired. After the lS-ncn guns are
nred the turret be trained on the other pearn
sha the s-inch guns fired or three times peuore
.ne l3-inch guns again ready 70 ilre Inus
uaining the turret does not In the least interfere
WIN the operation OF loading a., -,
.Captain Sampson says that the only Vano oo.