New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-12-20
AFFAIRS AT THE NAVY YARD
sr,ps TO BE MADE READY FOR SEA BY
JANUARY l.

DAY-THE DRYDOCK TROUBLE-SPAN-
1sII PREPARATIONS FOR WAR.
,-rder the influence of hurry orders from the
ranartment in Washington, work at the Navy
vsrd has been on rush for the last few days.
.,a'r the orders are carried out all the ships
~ commission now at the yard Will be ready Tor
-. and on their way to the Hampton Roads
,andezvous by January ]. The flagship New
YORK was foated out of the drydock yesterday
-.orn,ne and started down the East River. join
,ro the Maine off Tompkinsvllc. She will con-
.,rue her trip tomorrow and wait at Hampton
poads for the arrival of the rest OF the fleet. eX-
.sntng the Newark and Raleigh which are at
vsv West The triple screw cruiser Columbia
raptain Sands. will be the next vessel to go into
.ho drydock but the work necessary on her is
ant NJ a nature which will require much time for
.,rnletlon The Massachusetts will be the next
:, receive attention, and then the little Marble
,ead will BE polished up and made ready for bust
,ess The monitors Puritan and Terror the ram
xatahdn and the cruiser Montgomery are also
- no added to the fleet. although there is doubt
.xpressed that the monitors will take any active
mart in the operations of the fleet Much salts
faction has been expressed at the yard over the
action Of the Congress Appropriations Commit
Tor which came to the rescue of the Department
With the promise of 81 900 900 with which to COM
o,ete the work now in hand. removing the diff
Guilty caused by the deficiency in the appropria-
ions for repairs ships. Few people are aware
If the large amount of money which has been
scent in and by the Brooklyn yard within The last
three months the ships OF the North Atlantic
SQUADRON. nearly all of which have had some at
tenion at the hands &C the yard forces. AS it is
thf work on a<me of the ships has not been COM
p,aed but III ~ are. with one exception in good
eo,dition for d lot of service The one exception
she Texas. While all the hands that can prof
M.by be employed are at work on her weak
blkheads and buckled doors. there is little
oance Of her getting to sea soon. If she is to SO
y true shipshape naval fashion.
The long report by the Secretary as to the per-
iect fitness of the ship for naval service is re-
ceived with smile Of incredulity by those who
are acquainted with the ship and have no per-
sonal interest in her. and the fact that the YES
Gel needs an apologist is regarded as an adms-
sion that all is not right. The superstitious are
Inclined TO look on the fact that when she was
launched the bottle of wine which christened
her and let fall by granddaughter of
sam Houston struck fairly on the figures IL
which marked her draught the bow with a
good deal Of being foundation for the
Nl-luck which seems to have followed her. while
others point to the fact that the transfer OF
her captain and executive officer from the Gin
cinnnat. which only a short time before mar
rowly missed having her bottom torn out, was
. case of giving bad luck larger field in which
to work Be this as it may, the fact remains
that the Texas is generally regarded as an i'll
omened ship and that she is not what the
popular mind has conceived as the ideal battle
ship. Her defects lie deeper than is apparent to
he ral ricor Ofn ar
ord with that Of ships of home design will only
serve to fix more firmly in the minds of
Americans the idea that the Nation is fully
competent to design its own vessels.
Officers at the yard are inclined to the belief
that there will be with Spain. and
plain that the Assem- ding of the heaviest feet
ever gathered under the American flag at a
point within a short sail Of Cuba is only follow
ing cut the regular annual programme of the
Department in relation to squadron drills al sea
At the same time they are willing TO admit that
extreme care has been taken TO place and main
tain the feet at the highest possible point Of
efficiency in case Of international complications.
The squadron IL is pointed out, is strong enough
to sweep away the Spar sh vessels that sur
round Cuba. and is also able to withstand any
naval force which Spain could send to the
American coast In view Of the possible recogni-
ton by the legislative arm OF the independence
Of Cuba the arm is sufficiently powerful
70 back up the recognition TO any extent necss-
sary.
SPANISH NAVAL ACTIVITY.
But. while the Navy Department has been
far from idle. Spanish shipbuilders have had
their hands full Of business. In the report Of
the years naval progress. Just issued from the
Bureau Of Naval Intelligence of the Depart
ment there is some interesting reading relative
to SPANS equipment for long naval struggle
In connection with Cubas fight for freedom
The report says:
There are sixtythree vessels. cruisers torpedo
No I'D IN VA nd n
Der viii be augmented "a rapidly as circumstances
vii allow. England Scotland. Italy and the United
States have been drawn either for suggestions
new constructions or the purchase OF merchant yes
sels for conversion INTO warshps the naval est
mates for the current year aggregate S,ESODJ OF
this S3S5.Va will be expended for the new Reina
Regene $3.50 900 for new battie-ship OF 1000 tons
the total cost Of wcn is estimated at 900 $3.50
W for two GSoo-ton cruisers, which vii cost before
isstN for three go on tugs. The changing OF the
a,.;insh breoch-loaa r4n.s = me re.ayo 70 %
Numanc!a. 100000; new boilers in the Des,ructor
The Spanish people Of the colonies. well the in
habi,ants Of the mother country. Rave taken most
Ungual interest IN ne rehan,laton ara Ticnsion
eiydual contributions OF money nave been proffered
iSs the work soaPny o. Nsd S1nss 9S
me coz y On OF eunboat for service In cuba
Centric le Dependencies de Concrete. Of Havana.
which will probably De accepted. Spanish subjects |
Esss for torpedo yssss to be bul after the lines
q the Temoraio, and spanards in Lima and Caracas
have been equally liberal
WORK IN FOREIGN YARDS FOR SPAIN.
The torpedo-boats Furor and Terror. which !
Nessrs J. g. G. Thomson. OF Glasgow Scotland. |
nave been building for the S'anish Navy. are |
ready for service These vessels begun in !
November 1885. They are of the destroyer type, |
but constructed on larger scale. Their displace-
ment is $50 and their speed twentyeigh knots.
The armament consists OF four 22i-inch Maxim /
Nordenfelt rapid-lre guns. II is understood that ,
pans or the same firm have been accepted for two /
Wner vessels of similar type. to attain speed |
81 thirty knots with displacement Of 40 tons at
cost Of sa62 200 The Th0msOns have also completed
four sngle-screw steel gunboats for service I'm |
Tuba, with armament of two 22i-inch Nordcn- /