The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-12-02
OUR VARSHIf, AJAX.
Western Division Naval Reserve
to Play Sailor on the
Old Monitor.
Specialto the Jerseu CITY Nssra.

CAMDEN. Dec. 2. 1895.-The Battalion
of the West. Naval Reserve of New Jer-
sey. will be in fighting trim by Wednes-
day morning and fully established at
their HEADQUARTERS. at Federal street
wharf. Camden. Several weeks ago, the
United States Government assigned to
the Battalion of the West the Ajax iron
clad monitor. to be used for the instruc-
ton of the young Jack Tars, their mani
fold duties including the handling of
large guns. For some time the Ajax
has been undergoing repairs at League
Island Navy Yard. preparatory to be-
ing turne over to the State of New
Jersey.
Governor Werts commissioned Com
mander Charles B. Dahlgren. of the Bat
talon of the West. to receive the mont
tor from the government, and. sign for
it on behalf of the State. as it is merely
loaned by the government. This for
mality was gone through with last We'd
nesday. in the Commandments office at
the navy yard. where Commodore N.
Fl. Farduhar reresented the government,
and the monitor was taken in charge by
the Jersey tars Saturday.
Through the courtesy of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad Company an excellent
berth for the monitor has been secured,
adjoining the Federal street ferry slips.
1t is proposed to put the Ajax in full
commission about a month after her ar
rival in Camden. This ceremony will
and his staff and a number of naval and
military offieials as Invited guests.
The monitor Ajax was built during the
closing year of the civil war. Her origi-
nal name was Manayunk, and this was
She is 247 feet long, AZ feet and 6 inches
breadth of beam, and is in excellent con
dition. There are quarters below deck
for twenty officers and about eighty sea-
men, and temporary quarters for the
commander and his staff on the hurricane
deck. These temporary quarters could be
removed within al hour or SO if the
vessel was to be called into action. the
monitors turret contain two fifteen-inch
Dahlgren guns, and to her armament will
soon be added several ~rapid-dre guns.
The government has also loaned the
West battalion two large cutters, a
launch, a captains gig n a dingy,
which will be used in boat drills and in
making surveys of the navigable streams
running into the Delaware River, taking
soundings, etc.
The oficers of the Battalion of the
West are:.Commander Charles B. Dahl
gren; Lieutenant Commander, E.. s. Da-
Wis; Lieutenant and Adiutant, Frank H:
Turner; Surgeon, Peter McGill; Assistant
Surgeon, Lawrence T. Glover.
OIRl0lON Ut flCEftO.
The division officers are as follows:-
Fist Division. Lieutenant, Fred F. c.
Woodward; Ensigns, 1. Scott SCANNED,
w. A. Hudnut and Norman P. Stahl.
Second Division, at Haddonield:-Iieu-
tenant, Charles s. Braddock, Jr.; En-
signs, j, Fithian Tatem and Frank A.
Nye. Third Division, at Camden:-Lieu-
tenant. J. A. Georges; Ensign. w. Cas-
person.
Captain Charles B. Dahlgren, who is
in command of the entire naval reserve,
owing to the absence OF Captain Vim.
C. jacques, in Japan, is the oldest son
of the late Rear Admiral John A. Dahl
gren, who was killed during the war.
The Captain was in the navy from 1851 to
1866, and saw plenty of hard fighting.
He was one of the officers of the San
Jacinto when the Confederate Commits
sioners Mason and Slidell were taken
from the British steamer Trent. In
Grants movements against Richmond
he was severely wounded while serving
with the James River fleet.
Lieutenant Commander Davis of the
Battalion of the West. has seen years
of active service afioat.
Lieutenant woodward, who COM
mands the Trenton division, was a
member of the National Guard. for
many years, acting as bugler of the
Seventh Regiment. He paraded his di-
vision for the first time in uniform at
Trenton, on Thanksgiving Day. There
were f1fty-six men in line, and they made
q fine aDDearancA.