New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-25
AFFAIRS AT THENAVY YARD
AN EXODUS OF VESSELS FROM THE STA
TIoN THIS WEEK.


BUREAU OF YARDS AND DocKs-PRoMo-
rroNs MADE AND ORDERS RECEIVED.
With the Texas already gone. the Puritan to
start to-day the New-York to go on Thursday
and the Indiana some time within the next few
DAVIS the end Of the week will find the yard
practically bare Of warshps. The Annapolis and
the Detroit will be left. 1t is true. but the De-
troit Is in the hands of workmen, and they want
more than a month In which to complete repairs
which have been planned, while the Annapolis,
which went into commission Tuesday after
MON requires some time before she can be made
ready for sea duty. Commander c. S. Sperry,
VINO assumed the duties Of captain of the yard
n the forenoon, transferred the ship to the care
- Commander ]. j. Hunker. who will be her
,antain The other officers Of the ship are Lieu
tenant G.. ". Metz, executive officer; Ensigns
William V. Pratt II. j. Zeigemeier ana j. l.
Tompkins. Passed Assistant Engineer George
r. Salisbury will have charge of her engines,
Samuel 3. Palmer is assistant surgeon, and
Joseph Fyffe assistant paymaster. The ship VIII
he assigned to the North Atlantic Squadron for
the summer and fall cruises. but it is expected
that she will 60 to the Pacific for her permanent
station.
CAPTAIN George w. Sumner is acting COM
mandant OF the yard in the temporary absence
Of Commodore Bunce, who is spending Vaca-
ton in New-Hampshire. Captain Sumner takes
the place in the yard staff made vacant by the
transfer of Captain Higginson to the command
OF the battle-ship Massachusetts, which took eff
feet on Thursday.
Commander William Swift recently executive
officer of the Indiana, has assumed charge of the
ordnance Office at the yard taking the place of
Commander Hunter, who has gone to the An
napous Commander Swift is thoroughly famil-
lar with ordnance work, having been more or
less connected with it ever since the present
ordnance system came into use. AS soon as the
mass Of papers which has accumulated III the
office is disposed Of. work on the ships IN the
ward will be pushed ahead as speedily as posi-
BILE
The activity in the various departments or the
ward has settled down little, with the eNcep-
ton Of the that section under the control OF inc
civil engineers. They have their hands 1uI OF
business The work on the repairing OF the DIG
drvdock is one item and work on the DuhulhS
DESTROYED by fire is laid out and VIII be started d.
soon as the ordnance people get their wrechase
or+ or the way. Building No o is to be made
one OF the finest machine shops in the service
q new building. to be known as No JIG Is 10
take the place Of the unsightly wooden sheu Oh
the water side Of Dock-st., for the use OF 'he
CONSUMPTION Department, and there are severa!
o,bar iobs on hand. About four hundred cubic
,-or5s NJ gravel will be used foundation lor
the flooring of Building No O. which is to be the
rcuinrnent Departments machine shop THIS
will he mixed with cement and made ihto
soud mass on it will be placed cement lloor-
ing about six inches thick, and in TINS cei'ieii'
will be laid flooring Of vtrified CatsKh DITCH
The whole cellar Of the building VIII De HAeU
nv this mass Of material, and the result VIII pe
q floor on which the heaviest machines can NC
rlaced and run without vibration or DANGER \
large part of the sand and gravel mas a're@uS
been dumped beside the building anu N'sI'o'S
the yard are reducing the pile by sriiS'i' NAM
.,ls az the gravel is remarkably clean ana c'ea''
.,d the different colors found are an attracllo"
10 the young folk. ,.,
co,,voDORE MATTHEWs's POSSIBLE SCC-
CESSOR.
.u ,,,e work however is only routine ana
ooveee no feeling The chief things OF interest u
,be corps at present are the possiplIIIy u "
,oe-ober being selected TO fl the Piace "9i
.ora occupied by Commodore NOW near |Nu
,oiraI, F. o. Matthews, as CHIEF OF the puiea ~"
and the turning down" OF the corps =! ''7
-, IN the appointment Of the Nom
hars of the Nicaraguan Canal anu DP
yvotar Wavs Commission. The former queS
49, orousad considerable interest, and
-. suggestions have been made TO the
president regarding the point one sUohs
or,,,,,,,an+ recently advanced why Civil hnglh-
60 Aseerson formerly Of the Yard, 81 CiNH
r,qi,eer Endicott his next in rank shoulu DC
onnointed to the place. is that man! oI 'i'e "e
fects in tlr dr. dock system OF the OoNe'I'ii'9i
would MOI have existed had it not oeeh Oi"'
.na sugretions made by the technical e"Pe' -
~ .toe ,ff were overrued by the non-techhlcal
head % ne bureau the big docks at for' f'oY al
and the home yard being instances IN poih''
Those d4ects are causing the GoFeIililie"' ~
~ trouble and expense and annoyance - -
true thf they came about IN great l'eas'' Z
,hr,,cI an attempt - save money for the Gov
- nv avoiding features IN construction
whchNere covered BY expensive patents owned
Nv otter builders. but the point has been maze
that economy should have been guided hy me
intelligent understanding OF the difficulties ana
nets Of the UNDERTAKINGS instead OF by the
sipte idea of saving the dollar IN slghI resaIu-
les Of the thousands risked py the Hlc@9"- &c
sopted
SOME PERTINENT QUESTIONS
II is hard r. see why. when England and
other countries find that it pays to have an eN-
pert At the head Of a technical bureau. this
country ebeuld 20 on in a laundering way
which. while Il does not disturb naval traditions
makes II necessary to send one Of our finest
battle-sbips to q foreign drydoc or eise.let hei
n idle and rust herself TO pieces. Ana 'h'
question IS a so asked why the eva eASiNeei'
should he under the control OF MAN ~
knows nothing Of the business except d. al ~
cident while the other technical dep4r 'rlen's "
the service are in the hands Of men VINO DIM
anfe,irne Of training in their particular lines L
The service OF the Nation.
The appointment Of Rear-Adm!ral Jonh -
Walker (retireG) to the chairmanshiP oi q"
Nicaragua Canal Commission, has s'if'eu al
sma-sized hornets nest. Just WY 'he nv d
s,, =, =. ha ,en~esented on til