New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-10
AFFAIRS AT THE NAVY YARD
r,N,surNa UP THE WORK OF REPAIRS
ON THE FLEET

ON THE FLEET.
.,, or THE LARGER VESSELS EXCEPT THE
TEXAS TO BE COMPLETED BEFORE THE
rxn OF THE MoNr14-rHE vEsuvIUs
ALI. RIaHr-rLANs FOR
SAILORS REST.
WE, Tho tr,nle-screw cruiser Columbia. more
-r,;,ar,v known as the pirate. In the timber
aocr at the Navy Yard. and the Massachusetts,
cha or, one left of the larger vessels In need or
attention at the hands of the reftters and re-
na,rers there is a prospect that the end OF the
month will see the yard pretty we'll cleared OF
war ships fitted for active service, excepting. or
course the Texas which is apparently fixture
at her mooring place over by the Cob DOCK wall
The Montgomery is ready for sea and VIII start
for Hampton Roads Tomorrow being followed
IN o few DAYS by the Marblehead. according to
the present programme. The work on the
Columbia will require at least week, although
she will come out Of the dock early this week.
The ram Katahdin. and the monitors Puritan
and Terror are still ION the hooks. and just
what they will do and just when they will do
e. are things yet to be determined. There has
been considerable comment caused by the pub
ucation Of the expense Of keeping the big ships
ouainted with the details are wondering how it
is that IT costs much more to keep war ship
going than it does liner. There are numerous
answers to the question. any one of which is
sufficient. one of them being that the liners are
not expected to do the work called for when a
war ship is spoken Of and that the difference in
construction is the great factor in the difference
in the cost OF maintenance Another reason.
which is not so freely given out is said to be the
fact that the more money spent the more men
employed and the corresponding increase In
political force One interesting point in the
item Of expense came up last week when 1t was
found that number OF the copper pipes in the
internal economy Of the Columbia had become
badly damaged by electroytic action that
they had to he taken out and replaced by new
ones. These pipes are expensive and the num-
her and value Of the supply needed by a ship
the size Of the Columbia makes their rapid de-
tcl:oration a subject OF grave Importance. 1t
was said by an official Of the steam engineering
bureau that the coppersmiths were working
overtime in the effort TO get the task completed
with little delay as possible. and that while
the pipes taken out of the Columbia had been In
service only about three years there were some
much older on the other ships and the same con-
dtions existing them on the flyer the
extensive overhauling within a short time The
chemical and electric action which has had this
result is one to which all the new steel ships are
liable. and the problem Of guarding against 1t is
now engaging the minds Of experts. 1t is known
they are anchored or tied up near ship sheathed
with copper. and this has led to the adoption
OF regulations covering the mooring OF naval
vessels but this insidious foe within the vitals
Of the ship itself is more difficult thing to en-
counter and fully dangerous to the welfare
md usefulness of the vessel.
The training ship Essex is expected to leave
the yard tomorrow for Newport r. J., where
she will take on apprentices for her usual win
ter cruise. Her itinerary is AS follows; Leave
Newport about January II. arrive Barbados
February g. leave February 10; arrive st. Kits
February 26 leave March IL arrive st. Thomas
March 49, leave March %; arrive La Guayra
March 81. leave April H. arrive Kingston, ia
maica. April IA. leave April 81; arrive Key
West May 3, leave May II; arrive savannah
May % leave May ~; arrive GARDENERS Bay
June 10.
FINISHING THE BIG NEW DRYDOCK.
Tide water has been washing the caisson of
the big new drydock No for the last few
DAYS but the dock will not be ready by the
first of next month as had been ahhouice"'
There is a great deal of work to be done in con-
nection with removing the old quay wall when
formed the bank of the Wallabout Channel
where the entrance to the new dock is being
built. and already the old stone ways are piled
high with stone taken from the wall. 1t il ex
pected that this work will be finished Withn
a fortnight, and then the dredgers can nnlSh
removing the mud from in front OF the caissoh
The repairs the exhaust or drainage pipes
are nearly completed, the final connection al
the elbow where the pipes turn from the iock
toward the punphouse. being IN hanu. lH ant
Is some trouble with the water which leaks INTO
the dock from spaces between the affairs on
the westerly side. the entrance, but II Is
thought that this can be remedied witnou.
much delay, and the leaks are not considered
dangerous Some of the affairs have been taken
out and new ones put in place. but the drainage
system Of the dock is pretty near pc erection ana
as the soil is in places little better than quick
sand il is expected that there Will always be a
slight scepage through the wooden walls. the
middle Of February is now set for the nnal
work to be completed. and unless present plans
are changed the Brooklyn Will be the hrst snip
to cross the sill Of the new structure.
There is still some trouble In getting enough
men OF the right sort TO make up the compile
ments Of the ships il is intended to place in com
mission and there may be some delay in sending
out the full feet owing TO this trouble On near
" all the ships there are vacancies In the engine
rooms and machinsts and engineers are run
ming short-handed. There are hopes that action
will he taken by Congress looking TO an increase
in the force and officers interested are pointing
out the urgent need for relief measures. In
stances are cited where engine-rooms which
should have four men are struggling along with
two and the whole situation is far from salts
factory TO those on whom rests the responsibility
for keeping the ships moving.
VESUVIUS's TORPEDO TUBES STILL GOOD
Considerable interest is shown in the placing
IN commission Of the dynamite thrower Vesuvius
and the statements which have been published
in several papers that her torpedo tubes nave
been removed are wrong They in good
condition for throwing aerial torpedoes and as
III for service to-day as they were when they
made their wonderfully accurate target practice
at Port Royal. They will also have the advant-
age OF torpedo projectiles carrying fifty 200 or
800 pounds of nitro-geatine and these projec-