New-York tribune., 1896-10-18
AFFAIRS ATTHE NAVY YARD
woRKMEN BUSY MAKING REPAIRS ON
THE CHICAGO.
A LIKELIHOOD THAT ONE OF THE BIG SHIPS or
THE SQUADRON WILL. GO TO THE YARD FOR
REPAIRS THIS wEEK-MoRE DEFECTS


REPAIRS THIS wEEK-MoRE DEFECTS
FOUND IN DRYDocK no. 3.
Activity is the order OF the day in the Navy
Yard, and in no department is there an idie
man The expectation that one or more OF the
ships Of the squadron would come to the yard
for repairs was not fulfilled. but 1t Is likely 'hat
there will be an addition to the vessels AZ the
yard this week. as the monitor Terror mas pee"
moved from her berth inside the channei 10 'he
outer edge Of The Cob Dock. to make room where
a ship can be reached oy the workmen. IN the
vessels the sounds of labor are steady ana the
big hull; Of the Chicago looms up out OF 'he
stone dock q piebald mass OF dull iron ana
streaky white paint. Her propeller blades nave
been removed by the gentle process Oh preaA'is
the hubs open. and little is left or the graceful
cruiser save an unsightly hulk In the umper
dock the monitor Puritan Is receiving her SEC
ondarv battery. consisting OF four 3-pounder
rapid- Are guns four 37-mm. Hotchkiss revolv-
ing cannon and four Calling guns. together with
several coats OF paint and genera' oVerhau'-
ing and putting into shipshape She Will not
come ont of the dock before the latter part OF
next week, according to estimates made yester-
day and will be ready for gonG into conlnlis-
eion on November l. with either Captain Colby
NJ Chester or Captain William BainbridSc Hoit
in command The enGine-room OF the katahdh
is still in a state of upheaval and the end there-
OF no man seems to 1t Is regarded as more
than probable that when this vessel Is again
ready for sea she will be kept In commission
for short time and ther be laid up. She mas
been so far much like the torpedo-boat Erics-
son-a costly and Improbable investment.
MORE DRYDOCK TROUBLES.
The drydock question is rapidly assuming
formidable proportions While repairs OH DocA
No. are being completed with ah possioie
speed. the chances that any OF the DIG pa'tie-
sb,ns vii, see the inside Of the new dock No. ).
seem to bc growing smaller and Beautifully
less. The latest cause for delay Is the trouble
over the suction pipes for the removal or water
from, the dock after vessel has been f'oatcd
in IL seems that when the contract was maoe
the specifications called for suction pipes ot 'he
same size as those already In use Inc Pia's
for the first dock were looked over. and they
called for a pipe. by the scale. " inches ih III
aneter. but there were no figures on the p'an.
The pumyfwas known to be a 42-inch pump ana
the natural suppostion was that the new pipes
would have to be Of the same size Accordingly
tho nine was laid but the inspection Is appar-
entity another story.
Tha work on .he little training ship Essex ~
heinx rushed ahead and the framework or ner
heightened bulwarl,s ia almost all in place.
II will require at least two months TO fInish
this work and then the ship will be fuii-risssd
instead OF bark -rgsed as formerly.
CONDITION OF CONTRACT WORK.
Tho condition Of the contract work In the yard
"a az satisfactory as usual with that class OF
work. large part Of the plate handling ma
chinery has been put in place In building No. li'.
and workmen are putting in the countershattihg
and overhead pullieys. Much of this machinery
which IS extremely valuable. VIII require
lot OF cleaning and repairing. as IL mas p"eh ~
posed 70 the elements ever since The Ola pu"a-
Ing was torn down. early In the spr'ng oi 'hs
year one OF the most difficult Jobs at present
under way IN the yard Is that ior when the
King Bridge Company OF Cleveland has the con-
tract. This Is putting new rooi on pui'u'ns
No H. known the construction smltheTy.
The b,,udinp has a frontage OF 900 feet on Nor
ris-ave and 100 feet on both Second ana IhiTd
81. The main building is 80 feet wide. the Second
st, 81" being OF the same width and the Third
st 60 feet wide The work Is 10 be completed Ia
1OJ days ard II is the intention to have the
work done without interfering with the Work
Of the shop. To do this the old roo, VIII have
70 b. taken off In sections. and the new roof
placed Already fourteen carloads OF structural
feet OF the second-st ~" has been urToo.eG. The
work will require seventy steel ,russes, OF which
sixteen will have . sixty -nne-foo spand. and
forty 4 span OF sixty feet The new roof VIII
have a ventilated monitor top, with pvoted WIN
dows between each pair Of trusses. The as-
grcgate contract price for the work IS A5o.'h'4
THE PIPES THREE INCHES TOO SMALL
The fact was overlooked that In the slzlnf o:
pumps the figures given relate to the outflow and
apH y-tI yp-ipC
pumps of the old dock called for suction pipes
forty-fve inches in diameter. It now turns
out. so it is said, that when the pipes were
connected with the pumps for the purpose OF
emptying the dock after the calsson had been
fioated into place. a bonnet or hood was used.
with haring end. which htted both the pump
and the pipes. At a later stage Of the proceed
ings II found that the water could not
be lowered below certain depth, and an
examination revealed the fact that there we're
several leaks at the joints. and one break The
Iipes We're uncovered. and board. consisting
Of Captain Sperry. Civil Engineer White and
Naval Constructor Zahm was ordered TO inves-
tigate the affair and incidentally to place the
blame for having pipes in the place which were
three Inches less I'm diameter than those required
ny the contract. Inquiry in Washington elicted
the information that rather sharp letter had
been sent 10 the yard. calling attention TO the
fact that there was something wrong with the
inspection system. and asking what inspectors
were for any way.
In tine mean time there WAS a halt called on
the work, and an inspection Of the trench re-
vealed that the pipes had been laid without a
due regard for the weight of tho work. and that
In several place they were unsupported by
earth. 1t was natural that when the filling
in placed on top of them and hammered
down, they should fee! the strain and bulge
at the sides natten out. Just where the
blame rests Is what the Board is trying to
find out. and it has dificut task ahead OF II.
Whatever the investigation may reveal, one
thing Is certain. Tho dock VIII not he COM
peted on schedule time, from present appear
ances. Other points which may he considered
are that there will be extra expense of at
least 10000 on accOunt-Of the trouble as IL
has been decided to remove all the pipes now
laid. which are Of cast-iron, and substitute for
iho,n iaandIln ci.nI i1lnaa fhrnn oh In,