The herald., 1896-11-20
Chief MeIviIle's Report on the
Pacific Repair Station
SHIPS IN GOOD CONDITION
The Dry docks Should Possess Tools fol
Repairs
The Breaking Down Of Many Engineers
Shows the Need of an In
crease Of the Force-Trained
Men Needed
Associated Press Special Wire

Associated Press Special Wire
WASHINGTON, Nov. 19.-The report
Of Commodore Melville, chief engineer
Of the navy. made public today. says of
the Mare Island yard: This is the only
repair station on the Pacific coast and
there are now at that yard under repair
no less than seven vessels, requiring
more or less extensive repairs, after
several years of continuous commission.
The shops are i'll adapted to the work,
and the absence of the proper tools and
modern boilermaking plant are Sc
verely felt. The result is shown in the
increased cost of the work done at the
yard beyond what it would cost If proper
tools were at hand and properly ar
ranged for facilitating work. There
are centain things which should be OBJ
tanned without delay, the most impor-
tant being a hydraulic boilermaking
plant.
The report gives q detailed statement
Of the condition of all warships so far
as their machinery and mechanical ap-
paratus are concerned AS a whole it
shows that all the modern ships are in
good condition except in a few minor
overhauled. The old-time ships are as
usual reported as antiquated. but most
of them are said to be serviceable, con-
sidering their age. The report says tha.
during the year the bureau has prepared
plans and specifications for the ma
chinery of battleships, numbers s, 6, Z,
and for the Hartford and for tug No
for the League Island navy yard and
plans for the machinery for the twenty
knot and 22-knot torpedo boats, and for
Encouragement of the machinery OF
the Atlanta due to the fitting of new
boilers In that vessel
Work at the New York navy ward on
the new machinery for the Chicago is
progressing as rapidly as the appropria-
ton for that purpose will permit. The
completion of the boilers has been de-
layed. owing to failure to obtain the
nickel plates originally ordered and to
further delays subsequent to the failure
of the manufacturers to deliver within
reasonable time enough she'll plates of
nickel steel Of q satisfactory finish to
complete one of the cylindrical boilers.
The working of the nickel steel plates
finally accepted for one boiler has also
involved some delay and the experiment
| as whole has added considerably to the
cost of manufacturing cylindrical boil
ers. The department having decided
that, entirely new machinery should not
be built for the Atlanta, the bureau has
prepared plan for fitting her with new
boilers and making certain alterations
in her present condition which will make
her an economical cruiser but as the
machinery Is not of modern design, the
process of patching will probably prove
an expensive one in the end, as the
changes contemplated are only such as
will be nesessary to make the engines
hNt NJ \
room more accessible.
The bureau has expended $675, ,096 dur
ing the past year. The New York navy
yard has done the largest quota Of work,
the expenditures on vessels being $346, =
927 and the yard expenses $37. $50. The
Mare Island. Cal, navy yard disbursed
S123.362 on vessels and $8S.461 on the
yards.
The Norfolk navy yard has disbursed
$l22. 800 on vessels and $4S.471 on the
yard.
The Boston navy yard spent $500 on
vessels and $1o,o15 on the yard.
AS to the new dry docks at Port Roy
al. S. c.. it says: The completion at this
station of the only dry dock on the At
lantic coast which will take the battle
ships. makes it imperative that there
should be facilities al hand for doing the
ordinary repair work that may be re-
|'Quired when one of the vessels is docked,
time.
Commodore Melville points out in clos
ing that a large number of valuable
engineers have been retired during the
year for physical disability owing to
the heavy strain on this branch of work
and an increase of the force Is urgently
recommended. He says THE person.
al element is one which must enter
largely into the result Of any naval en-
gagement, and if we had the most pow
erful and the swiftest navy af1oat 1t
would be valueless to us in time of war
II we have not a sufficient number Of
trained men to see that the machinery
of this fleet is in condition good enough
to keep it going in action. The guns
would be powerless without machinery
and, other things being equal, that fleet
will give the best account of itself which
has the best list of trained men in the
engine room, as well as at the guns
The sacrifice is merely inviting disaster
to the whole navy"
OF the naval station at Sydney, Wash,
the report says: 1.-The only work at
this station was the small repair and
preservation of the Nipsic's steam cut
ters and necessary material and stores
amounting to 81 .640.40.
1.-THE new dock which has just been
completed at this place is the only one
on the Pacific coast that can take battle
ships like the Oregon. AS these ves-
sells are of such draught that they cam
not go to the Mare Island navy yard
when in need of repairs. it becomes ne
cessary to provide for this elsewhere.
and as many important repairs to the
machinery can be done only when the
ship is in dock, recommend that an ap-
preparation be made for the necessary
tools to do the work which may be
found necessary when ships are docked
and for the erection of shops for these
TOOLS"