The Monitor-register., 1897-05-21
Communicated
A Day at Mare Island Navy Yard.

EAST OAKLAND, CAL
April 5, 1897.
The first and most conspicuous thing
one sees on landing at the Island ia the
old gunboat Independence, nov converted
into a receiving ship. She resembles a
large three, story house, as the upper deck
is rooted in. l was told there was accom-.
mediation for three hundred, and two hun
dred are quartered here at present. 1t is
a good place to learn young men disci-
pline, if they never become first. class
sailors. Just below the Independence
lies the old Pensacola. another war-horse
that was a terror to the English navy in
1919. She, like her sister, is to be JON
verted into a receiving or training ship,
to be stationed at Goat Island, near San
Francisco, to teach boys the art Of war
and have the rising generation prepared
to help defend their WI country in time
of need. beside making a home for many
a deserving orphan boy.
One cannot but notice the contrast be-
tween the battleships Of 1912 and the up
to-date steel clad cruisers and turreted
gunboats, equipped with all breech.load
ing rifed guns. There were three of the
1912 vessels lying below the ferry and
four of the up-to-date gunboats above,
all %dismantled, and undergoing repairs
| and %remodeling. While the old wooden
| vessels were terrors in their day, one
of our improved boats of to day, we'll
manned, could sink a whole feet of such
boats in a few hours.
On landing from the little ferry which
runs from Vallijo. you are hailed by a
marine, who supplies you with a pass,
when you are at liberty to go where you
like and see what you car. The first
large and expensive object that attracted
our attention was the large dry dock,
built of solid masonry, large enough to
dock the largest war vessel in the navy.
After the boat is floated in at high water,
the water-tight gate is closed and the
water pumped out, leaving the boat vir.
tually in a dry cellar, ready to be cleaned
and painted. From the dry dock we Wis,
tied the draft rooms, which is the most
important department on the Island.
Everything ordered, either new work or
repairs, must first appear on paper in the
form of a drawing. where every piece Of
iron, copper, brass or wood appears in its
respective place before the master builder
commences his contract. And when the
work is completed the inspector compares
the draft with the work done, and if they
fail to correspond then there is trouble
ahead for some one, as the red tape is a
fixture, regardless of favor or expense.
From the draft rooms we went through
the different mechanical departments,
where are made all the materials, from
the small brass screw to the ribs of the
large cruiser and bending the steel plates
for the same. We next visited the head
quarters building of the Island. 1t is a
two story brick structure, q portico run
ming the whole front of the building, and
that covered with wisteria vine in full
bloom. Just in front of this building, on
the opposite side of the street, is a small
park, about fifty by sixty feet, of an OBJ
long shape. 1t is inolosed with iron posts
and heavy chain cable from post to post.
In the entire of this park stands a fifty
foot ack- staff and Old Glory flying at the
top. At the opening or gate of this little
park stands a twenty. foot iron pillar, and
on top is the figure-head of the U. S. s.
Kearssge. On either side of the jack.
staff, near the centre of the park, are the
two eleven inch pivot guns that sunk the
Confederate privateer, Alabama, off Cher
burg, France, June 10, 1864. While
there were several other guns on the
Kearsage, these two guns have the credit
of sinking the Alabama. The forward
pivot weighs 16,040 lbs, after pivot 49,
$40 lbs, both smooth bore guns. Twelve
hundred men and boys are employed on
the Island most of the time.
Fl. a. KIRBY, sR.