New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-04
AFFAIRS AT THE NAVY YAKD
NUN IOWA LEAVES DRHDocN
STARTS FOR BOSTON

r,,r COURT OF INQUIRY on THE Fo'~
,,,ru,Srss OF THE MoNIroR-i"
annapolis SENT HOME FOR HhS
,,,.,, her nur coated with specla A,, Tn ,nrougr
..rsa with view Of allowing ne ,,,,re Of power
Tho water with as little eApe" a-fAct condition.
=. noss,h,e and her engines ~ ,,,, % the now
.na h,r hattle-ship Iowa nos'eI sra.v forenoon
sn,,aocs about 10 o'clock s. ,h. r,ver FOR
ora s,on afterward star'eu pos,or The yor,,
ana soon a, an her way to Boston, Inc "oiN
TompKihs'N'., 80 been done 10 the entire salts
on the snip soldiers, and John Patterson her
fac'ioh VI ~" md Captain Sargent, VINO COM
chief ensine' .ssed the utmost confidence that
manos nS. abIe TO drive her over the forty
they "ou'N wednesday at least knot an hour
mi the contract under which she was
lss.' u. Cor The making OF seventeen knots d!
butt cans .srsb,p means 5000, 900 TO the Cramps,
vi .,.v feel almost as sure OF winning 1t as II
- u.,ord had already been made AT Boston the
80, Roard Of Inspection will go on board and
,.,,nonv the vessel until her trial Is over.
-, poard Is composed OF Commodore George
r,u,sv president: Captain Henry f. Picking,
commander Charles II. Davis. Commander
w u Brownson. Lieutenant 8. A staunton.
,,a,cal Inspector w X. Van Reypen, Pay In
Arthur anu SOhspuo'"i
IF Hanscom. An engineer board, consisting
=, chief Ensineers c. b. Rocker, c. w. Rae and
W b. Bailey, has been appointed to assist the
Roard Of Inspection and pay especial attention
90 the engines and their behavior IN the test run
Edward s Cramp, who Is with the ship took
hreakfast on board the monitor Puritan yester-
dsv morning, while the dock was being flooded
II IS expected that when the ship goes into COM
mission CAPTAIN William I. Sampson the pres
ant head of the Bureau Of Ordnance, will be her
commander, as he has declined the appointment
az chief Of tho Bureau Of Navigation, and ex-
dressed preference for duty on the Iowa
NO DEFECTS IN THE DRYDOCK.
Tho new dock has successfully passed through
the ordeal OF keeping the Iowa safe and sound,
and no defects I'm the dock have been made APP
parent through the taking Of the big ship out or
water This is the cause Of much satisfaction
on the part of all the officials connected with the
dock. and as the work Of the contractors In the
way Of finishing UP around the edges OF the ol9
hole is almost completed, It is expected that the
construction plants will be removed entirely from
the Navy Yard territory within short time, and
the final payment made by the Government. This
will close the history Of one Of the most exasper-
ating Jobs ever undertaken by the Government,
and while the delays were the subject or lou
Of talk and comment at the time they were de-
yeloped the Joy over the fact that they are all
done now is almost sufficient to wipe out the
memory of the days when the dock seemed to
be more of a phantom OF the imagination than
q growing reality.
THE PURITAN INQUIRY ENDED.
The usual plan of strict secrecy in regard to the
findings Of the Court Of Inquiry which had under
investigation the troubles Of the Puritan's en-
gjnes has been followed, and the report has gone
10 Washington and is in the hands OF the oihclais'
It is known, however that the result Is favorable
to the officers Of the yard and the ship. Inc pre-
cepts under which the court acted called for an
investigation of the trouble with the engines
and then the settlement Of the question as 70
whether the blame for the defects should be laid
ON the engineers of the monitor the
ward forces who had the direction Of the work of
oyerhauling and repairing them before the snip
went 70 sea This involved Chief Engineers
Farmer and Cowie and their Junior officers, ana
everybody who had anything to do with the en-
gines was called before the court. Inc evidence
was voluminous and comprehensive, every point
In connection with the subject being gone over
thoroughly Now It is whispered on good au-
thority that the court in its findings, decided
that the fault was with the engines themselves.
They were built more than twenty years ago by
John Roach and are excessively heavy ana pom
derous pieces of machinery. 1t was found that
they had too small number OF bearing points
10 carry their great weight, and that the metal
of the bearings was not of a quality which would
stand the test Of twenty years of idleness fol-
lowed by the excessive strain of the terrible
storm encountered by the vessel off Hatteras.
The chief engineer of the yard, Edward
Farmer Il was found had done everything that
n skilled engineer could be expected to do In
the way of placing the engines in the best pos
sibe condition and the fact that the defects
did not reveal themselves at the numerous dock
trials held while the work Of overhaulinS was
going on. was shown to be due to the fact that
the greatest strain put them at the time was
nowhere equal, and could not be- to the STRAIN
brought on by the rolling ard tumbling resulting
from the storm The ships engineers Chlel
George Cowie and Passed Assistant Edward L.
Beach are also credited vito having exercised
due care and Judgment and skill in handling
the engines under the conditions imposed ana
that the machinery broke down is declared 10
be through no fault Of the men who were con-
nected with 1t, except those who designed ana
built it.
sEAWORTHINESS OF THE MONITOR.
There has been some talk about putting the
monitor out of commission in consequence OF the
expense estimated necessary to put her en-
gines on a modern footing. An officer at the
station in speaking of this yesterday. alluded TO
the fact that putting ship out Of commission,
especially one which had been in commission no
longer than the Puritan has, was much more
expensive affair than rebuilding her engines
would be- and that while the latter would cost
perhaps $4,000. ii would take about SoOUOo 10
put her out of commission. This expense would
be caused by the necessity of dismantlng the
vessel Her machinery would have to be over
hauled, the brasses and bearings taken OUT ana
the rest painted and covered with an anti-rustlnS
compound, all her stores. ammunition, supplies
and fittings would have TO be removed, ana niue
would be left except the hulk. Ihen, III case her
services were needed. all his work would have