New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-10-24
.rrAIRs ATTHE NAVY YARD
-,r WORK TO BE DONE ON THE
VESSELS IN THE FLEET.

urrx OF DELAY IN THE CoFFERDAM OF
-ur TIMBER DoCK-A GENERAL CLEAN
,..o IGNORE WORK FOR THE TERROR.
n.. Homecoming of the North Atlantic
-.,aron will not cause any extensive rush OF
-. a, the ward as the ships are scheduled 10
w. IN mort only a week or ten days, and then
.r ,or Hampton Roads to begin the southern
.,,.s Some Of the vessels vii come up 10 the
.'.ra for minor repairs and little overhau!ing'
-, nothing extensive will be undertaken until
nv return for general rehtting later IN the
....on. except In the case Of the Dolphin On
IS. ships at the yard there is little left TO DO
The monitor Puritan Is having some work done
% her engine-room, the Marblehead is prac-
,,caIlv ready FOR sea- and the gunboat Helena
= in the stone dock receiving her Anal cleaning
and painting preparatory TO her departure TOT
.ho Asiatic station. She is expected to sail
u,,hjn the next ten days When the dispatch
,oat Dolphin comes TO the yard. where she IS
.xnected to-day or tomorrow, she VIII at once
r. nlaced in the hands OF the repairers, and
uben she sails again she will have new set OF
,oilers. new propellers and lot or other
changes 10 show for her resting spell. The boil
arc have been standing in the shops or the En-
,neering Bureau for some time, and as those
.,r the Chicago are also there and will be taken
"a the ship as soon as the engines are in place,
those two vessels will make a great change in
me appearance OF the shops by the time they
are again ready for duty. There is still trouble
with the machinery Of the torpedo boat Foote,
which Commander kimoall had intended to
make the flagship Of his fleet Of small craft, and
M one seems to know just when she Will get
away from the yard
The week has ended with little new 10 show
On the coffcrdam Of the big timber dock the
most important piece Of work al the station
At this time. Storms and accidents have de-
,aved the arrival Of the necessary timber, and
those men who are retained the work are
KEEP, busy in preparing for work TO come more
than in doing anything of immediate Importance.
II was said al the yard yesterday that vessel
loaded with the timber pieces OF the coffer-
dam was expected TO arrive to-day or to-mor.
row. but there no assurance that she would
be in in time 10 permit the men 10 90 any effect
i've work before Tuesday. Divers are finishing the
Underwater portion of the walls. and on Mon
day drilling in the cement wall of the approach
10 the dock will begin. to provide places for part
Of the str!ngers to Mt in.
IMPROVING THE APPEARANCE OF THE
YARD
Slowly but surely the face Of the reservation
is undergoing an agreeable change. With the
clearing away Of the unsightly heaps of iron
pipes. machinery and other junk. and the re-
moval of several small and entirely useless
buildings. there has been a general grading and
cleaning UP, and lot of paving work has been
done, much of ii In the neighborhood Of the
stone dock A large and greatly needed extern
sion OF the electric lighting plant Of the yard
mas been begun. and when the contractors for
the various portions Of the sea wall have finished
their work the yard will be more like a great
naval station than il has been for long time.
Ii has long been a source Of wonder 10 those
acquainted with the spIk and span neatness
Of warship why the yard itself should be al
lowed 10 resemble junk heap or place for the
sale and storage of secondhand material, where
the streets were OF mud and the byways i'm
passable. The removal of the old storehouse
al the coal wharf has made big improvement
at the western extremity of the yard, and, as the
space between the flooded timber dock and the
boundary wall on the Westinghouse. end ia
10 be graded and paved some time. that is after
the sea wall and causeway are finished there
Is good ground to hope that ultimately the yard
Will be less like a ouagmire and more like
part of civilized and sanitary city The civil
engineers have their hands full Of work. and
are pushing II along as fast as possible. in view
o, financial limitations
CASTING A PROPELLER.
When the monitor Terror returns to the yard
she will be placed in the drydock and new
pIOpeLer 0llel. ne SlOlN OF now neT star DOdrU
wheel vas patched was told in The Tribune
short time ago. and yesterday afternoon the
foundry building was hot place, for the big
electric crane had kettle holding about seven
tons Of molten metal swinging in the air. With
. display of golden rain sparks that would
have been a pointer for Pain and a beautiful
exhibition Of blue flame from the vent holes OF
the mold. large part Of the metal was poured
into a big hole and when Ii comes out IL Will be
complete propeller for the monitor, lacking only
the finishing touches before being ready for use
Among the changes of the week are the fol-
lowing affecting ships and men OF this station
Boatswain William Anderson. detached from the
sw-York and ordered to the Ne"-fork Navy
Yard
Acting Boa.swain p. Mullen. detached from the
New-York Navy Yard and ordered to the New
York
Acting Gunner T J Shuttleworth detached from
the Indiana ard ordered 10 the Richmond.