New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-21
AFFAIRS AT THE NAVY YARD
THE TEXAS ADDED TO THE FLEET AT
THE HOME STATION.
WORK on THE DRYDocK-VESSEiS IN COURSE
OF OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES IN


OF Observation-Disclosures IN
ASSIGNMENTS.
Another week Of jam at the Navy Yard came
20 an end last night, with the bat;leship 1eN'S
added 10 the ships which had attracted a'te"-
ton during the preceding days. ana the hee'
Is now the largest ever assembled al inc var
both in number and tonnage and weight Oh gun,
fire They are formidable lot O: vesseis' anu
as they are all in good condition. save lo' ''.
need OF docking and a little scraplnS anu P"''''
Ing war talk Is looked upon with s'ii'e "
sarcasm by those who have gone TO the yaiu "
see what this end OF the new Navy looh' nv
The work of supplying smokeiess po"ue' 10
yuns OF all calibres has been begun INC AZ
vessel TO receive full equipment pei's 80,
Msrblehead. which has sailed Tor 'he
,rre p,ogrammc Of the feet for the "ii''' 80"
heen decided upon by Secretary Long riO-'
this mort the ships will go TO Hairp'o'i
and after some practice on the Sou'"e'n u,'I
.rounds they will 20 on a cruise of seVerai WEEKS
visiting Charleston, Savannah anu o'"1i ~,
and nract;se evolutions and blockade work Inc
s-i.-,. 4. s,,-s thu, none OF the ships VII! go
anywhere near Havana. All the cruisers no"
,,ra.rco,ng renairs at the home station VIII De
80, ort .s soon as they are ready, and every
h.,,,asnin now in commission here Will take Pa
L. .he evo,utions. The ships now at the yard are
,h. Nevyork Ulagship). Massachusetts Iowa,
roxas BrookIvn Newport, Helena. Puritan ana
Fern in commission. with the DoipAin peihs u'''
mantled and the Chicago ana Atlanta idu ~
I,st how soon the fleet will sail FOR the SUI"
49,. 10, been decided and it Is likely that all the
-.r,,rs no,v under way will be competed oeIoie
they all get away ,-,Xo.s
rhs puritan Is not from present appearances
,,te,v m cut much Of a figure IN the co'ii'i's
cruise as serious trouble with her ooie's mas
made repairs necessary which VIII 'aNe sumo
time. Her engines. after LOT OF "orN' are -
good order. and fully able TO give 'ne snip az,
the speed expected Of her, II the poiiers cou'u
stand the steam pressure. But the oelec' III ,"e
boilers practically puts the Nesse' ou' VI
use. and 1t would seem that so Na'uao'e sp
% Tho Puritan for purposes Of harbor defence
should be equipped with ne" su",'"e
,orotus ~ she is 10 be kept in commission at all
~. los boon some talk about putting her out
., commission. but as she is the largest ana pest
=, Tho monitor fleet, and carries the heaviest
s,,rs the ACCESSIBILITY Of hauling down her nag
=. .er,ousv questioned by the believers IN the
usefulness Of ships Of her class
THE DRYDOCKs.
Drvdock matters ara beginning to assume
.oa. hetween the sections OF the coHeluai'
a. ,o,r,y started The contractors expect 10
h,yo the work completed a little ahead OF the
TINA limit of three weeks originally set ana an
electric nlant has been put in place. so that the
r,ork ,s not allowed to stop through reason OF
darkness As soon as this Job is done the pumps
u,;I, he started, and the full extent OF the IAN"
400 70 the apron Of cement which proJec's OUT
from the caisson Of the dock Will be mace 'is'-
HE The DELAY caused by the trouble IN getting
,,,nher I'D from the South has resulted III one
court of inquiry a board having h'es'ie"N
the responsibility Of Lieutenant John A. Doue"-
er,v for the grounding OF the tug Nina OH Drums
,,-,cl Ga while on her trip after a Vessei
loaded with timber The court was composer u
r,an+a,n Merrill Miller. Of the Vermont: Lieu'eh-
at commander F. P. Gilmore and Lieutenant
C,avton r. Richman. Lieutenant karmahy. Oh
the Marine Corps was Judge advocate. Inc
Roard has made Its report. and the documents
are now being reviewer ny '"oe'
General Lemly. ~,.,o, NIL, ANN
he submitted to the Department by a brooh.s"
arm looking to the substituting by the severn
,nent az a floating steel dock to be erected py
the arm in New-York waters According 70
the reports, II is proposed to make the noa,ins
dock large enough to take In the heaviest pat
tie-ship and also to take in any OF the big
ocean liners and II the scheme goes through
the structure will probably be built by Clark &
Stanworth, the English dock pulloers WINE
the NAVY Department could not grant SUBJ
eidy for such a purpose without special per
mission from Congress. a proposition OF tnls
sort could be entertained by the Department
With a view to submitting Recommendation on
the subject to Congress 1t has been announced
that Secretary Long in his annual report VIII
recommend the construction OF four new Dry
docks. one each at Portsmouth, Boston; As,sfs
for for New-York owing to the intention or the
Secretary to advocate the extension OF the pres.
ent docks talk with a well-posted oif1clal
on that point brings out the fact that the docks
now In existence could be heightened to twice
their present dimensions without interfering
with the portion Of the Government property
now In use. Their widening would be another
matter owing to the change required in the
present sea wall and the encroachment on the
graded and paved portion Of the yard
THE PRINCETON TO GO TO LEAGUE ISLAND
According to the contract with her builders,
tho Dialogues Of Camden, the gunboat Prince
ton should come to this yard to be fitted out
with her spars, boats. furniture, cooperage, etc,
but the Bureau Of Construction has recon-
mended that she be sent to League Island. and
20 tho Philadelphia station she will go. This de-
cision has been reached owing TO the fact that
the docking facilities Of this yard are already
overtaxed, and that the fittings needed are al
ready ak the League Island yards. and would
have to be transported to New-York.
Commander J. J. Hunker will start with the
Annapolis from the Newport station on Thurs
day next for her first cruise as training ship.
Her itinerary calls for her arrival at Barbados
on December II, leaving the same day; she will
arrive at Martinique on January l. remaining
there . week; arriving at st. kits on January
H. she will remain there a fortnight: week
will bo spent at st. Thomas, and she VIII ar
rive at La Guayra on February %. leaving on
March 1; staying there four days. she will go
to Curacao, and March IL will start for
Gardeners Bay by way Of Key West. Savannah
and Charleston. her cruise ending on May 10.
WORK ON VESSELS BEING BUILT.
The degree Of completion OF vessels under