New-York tribune., 1895-02-10
AFFAIRS All THE NAVY YARD
THE MINNEAPOLIS AT THE YARD AND
THE COLUMBIA COMING HERE

Floating ice in the river and harbor has not only
interfered with the plans Of owners OF private ves-
ses. but has upset To certain extent the cacula-
tons of the Navy Department. Contrary to gen.
era expectation, the first rate cruiser Minneapolis.
the sister shin of the Columbia, left her anchorage
of Tompkinsvllle. Staten Island on Friday fore
and came UP to the Navy Yard. The coal
balgcs which were alongside the cruiser had been
camaged by ice. and her course Ia through
Hell Gate and the Sound 10 Newport. it was deemed
advisable 10 put her in comfortable quarters
while the "cod snap lasted than she had at the
inner harbor end of the Narrows. Even at the
quay wall OF the Navy Yard she Is anything but a
comfortable ship. and the men are sorely missing
the comparatively temperate weather OF Norfolk
With all the steam that can be forced into her
radiators there is coating OF frost inside her null
and the warmth and moisture striking the lower
part OF the upper deck, which is the ceiling OF the
interior of the ship Is condensed by the extreme coo
side. ard there Is small but constant shower
OF water dripping down on the men, Ihe present III, ,
tention is to have her finish coaling at the yaru
and as soon as the passage through Hel ua'e !,
clear. she will proceed on her way 10 >e"po'' "
receive her torpedo OUTFIT.
All outside work at the yard mas peeh su'p p.,s
since the cold wave came TO port pu' ' 49,, -,
which Is now in the timber dock. VIII COM -, ~
Monday or Tuesday to make room FOR the |o'u'D,' ~,
u,hicb "a expected here within day or t"o DIS ''e
WAS scheduled 10 start from Norfoik yes.ei""' -,
stay in the dock, however. VIII De piie'' q" 20
work TO be done is the securing anu iepe
her bottom and she will then follow the u"oA ~
her sister ship Newport. receive ne' 'o' 49, t
outfit and join Rear-Admirai Meaues "' " ~
West Indies as soon as possible. -.
or ALL the bleak and dreary places around New
York il is safe 10 say that the Navy Aard was one
of il not the b,eakest and dreariest yes'eroa!
and the day before The Wallabout Channel had
been frozen over completely. and any one wanting
10 reach the Cob Dock had the choice of crossing
the ice on foot or going by way OF Cape Horn ana
over the long bridge. Yesterday afternoon now
ever. the tug Nina put In several hours oil haiu
work backing and filing through the channel IN
order to at least partly break up the ice, but IL
was the general opinion that the work wouio pe oi
little avail as when the flood tide set in the whoe
place would be choked with ice again. The niue
ferry scow calmly resting at the COD Doch
end Of her long rope with steam UP, wa'ths lot
a chance to reach the Brooklyn shore. When that
chance would come matter of grave DOUBT.
All work on the walls and buildings ior
the ward was entirely suspended, and the skeleton
Of building No. stood out gaunt and desolae. WIN
almost as much snow inside Of 1t as there was
outside The excavation made by Contractor Gill
lies in his strenuous. but apparently futile EFFORTS
10 build another big timber dock was piled three
feet deep with snow, and his mud-dggers ana cars
and pile work were calmly resting waiting Tor the
February thaw. Waiting appears TO be the prin-
cpal work which has so far been done Oh 'ne
dock, and while the Civil Engineering Departmeh,
has hopes that some time or other the "orK VIII
be finished present indications are that 1t VIII be
a case of hope long deferred making the hear'
sick.
THE RETIREMENT OF REAR-ADMlRAL
GREER.
The principal gossip among the officers al the
ward Is in relation TO the Personnel bill ana 'he
promotion which will follow the retirement Of Rear
Admiral Greer on February 2s Commodore VIII
fam A. Kirkland. acting RearAdmraL IN com
mand Of the European station, is next in line' ana
vii be No. on the list of Rear-Adnlrais' cap
tain Francis NJ Bunce. Of the Board OF Inspection
and Survey, will be No 10 on the list OF Commo-
tiores and Commander Purnell F. Harrington the
president Of the Steel Board. will be in order TOT
No 45 on the list OF captains. The recent retire
,nent Of Commander John J. Brice and the posso.e
hitch in the of Lieutenant-C commander rIeu
erick W. Crocker leaves Lieutenant-Commanders
Robert NJ. Berry and Samuel w. Very next IN oTder'
and the fact that Lieutenant James F. Seitridge
is on sick leave and will probably be retired places
Iieutenants John NJ. Hawley. at present with the
Detroit in the Asiatic Squadron. and Thomas H.
Stevens. OF the Yorktown. also In Asiatc waters
on the list for the next higher grade
Rear Admiral James Augustin Greer has had
an active and honorable career and will be re-
tired in consequence of having reached the age
limit OF sixty-two years, having been porn IN ONO
on February 2S 1888. He was appointed from
Ohio on January 10. 1s4s and was with the sioop
Saratoga and the steamer Saranac. of the home
he was in the Pacific Squadron the sloop St
Marys returning in 1853 to join the frigate Column
bia of the home squadron afterward being sent
10 the Naval Academy. He was made Passea
Mdshpman in 1854. and was with the lndepeho-
ence in the Pacific until 1851. being made Master
on September Is. 1856. and commissioned Lieuten-
ant on the next day. In 1853 he was at the Navy
Yard in Norfolk, afterward joining the Southern
Star in the Paraguay expedition. In 1853 he was
on the Sumter, off the coast Of Africa. and on the
San Jacinto in 1859 and 1861. He assisted III the
removal OF Mason and Slidell from the steamer
Trent and was commissioned Lieutenant-Com-
mander on July ls 1862. In 1862 and 1863 he was
on the sloop 81. Louis, on special service and on
April ls. 1863. commanded the ronclads Carondeiet
and Benton and a division Of Admiral Porter
VesseaPs isses1Pe on 1853 and fouFS, batter
incident of this fight was the killing and woundlng
Of twenty-five men ON board The Benton oy one one
shot Later in 1863 he was with the Req River
expedition. and on May q. took part In the con- CON,
blned attack Of the fleets on Nicksburg Delns ing
days OF the siege. In March and April OF 1864 ne
was with the Red River expedition. and in August
Correcting abuses at the Naval Recruiting Station
Cincinnati In the & w9 fGswag mGnas s Msund nd
CITY. III. and afterward commanded the gisna29 fagiisn29
version Of river steamers into gunpoaat,s: ats, +, roh
After service in the Sent M n xRva Ryf'
and was commissioned as Commander on July Z,
1sfx and placed in the command OF tne Steamer
Mohongo of the North Pacific Squadron He re-
mained four months at Acapulco in lsS TO protec,
Amerjcan Interests at the time OF the downfaH
OF the Mexican Imperial Government under Max
imian and received the commentator OF the
stafe Department for his course. In 1868 he was
in command OF tie Tuscarora. Of the North pacinc
aouadron and later in the same year ana curing
the early part OF 1863 was on ordnance duty at the
philadelphia Navy Yard -. -,
From March. 1852 until July. 1873 he was at the
Naval Academy, and July II. In command OF the
steamer Tigress, he started on the Poars relei
expedition On August H. one month and four hours
after sailing from New-York. he found the wreck
Of the PoIaris IAttleton Island. North Greenland
Learning that the had started TO the south IN
boats he started south in the hope Of meeting the
Scotch whalers, and cru.sed in Bafiin'S Bay and
DAVIS Straits without success until October B. when
4 was deemed expedient to return TO the United
States In 1914 and '15 lie the Board OF In
epeetion, and from rs 20 II commanded the steamer
Lackawanna on the Pacific station. He received his