The times., 1898-01-17
BROOKLYN DRY DOCK SCANDAL.

The report that some of the active
promoters and friends of the Mica
ragua canal are trying to delay the re-
turn of Engineer Menocal to the United
States to meet the charges against him
on account of the faulty construction
OF Drydock No. at the Brooklyn navy
yard and his recommendation in favor
or its acceptance from the contractors,
has excited some unfavorable comment
among members of the House of Rep
resentatlYes who have read the recent
exposures of the sham work and ras-
cailty by means of which hundreds of
thousands of dollars were drawn from
the national Treasury to pay for dock
which is not only worthless in it's pres
ent condition, but which, perhaps, can
never be made'to answer the purposes
for which it was designed.
Judging by remarks made by promi-
nent and influential Republican Repre-
sentatlVeS, the House is In no mood to
encourage or copntenance the slightest
unnecessary delay in setting on foot
ana prosecuting a thorough and search
ing investigation, and furnishing to the
Iuli extent any and all officers of the
navy who We're guilty of neglect of
outy or any graverl offense by which
the contractors We're enabled to saddle
inns worthless and expensive structure
upon the Government. No .investiga-
tion which is not rigid and thorough, no
WhltewashinS. no failure of justice as
result of official Or personal or pro-
tessional sympathy will be tolerated
The first indication of q failure in any
OF these respects will be the signal for
an investigation by a committee of
Congress The Introduction and pas
sage oi resolution authorizing and re-
quirins this action has been withheld
'naS Tar III difference to the anxious de-
sire OF the Secretary of the NAVY and
ms pledge to the members of the Ap-
preparation Committee and other Rep
resentatlves that prompt and effective
steps would be taken by him thoroughly
10 investigate the whole matter and
pring to trial all officers of the Navy
against whom accusations might be
Drought or justified
one consequence of the scandal which
mas heretofore been foreshadowed is
me obstacle IL raises against appropri-
ationS which have been urgently rec
commended by the Secretary Of the
navy for the building of several new
ufydocks and the enlargement of sew
erai OF the old ones. Within the last
" Two or three days more than thirty
Representatives. have declared that nm
oeeh properly dealt with. and the per
sons responsible for it punished >" and
until they had become convinced that
an proper and necessary safeguards
mad been established against a repeti-
ton OF 1t, they would vote and work
against the appropriation of a single
dollar for the building or enlargement
of drydocks
Some of these Representatives more
over. expressed with much emphasis
strong doubts as to whether there are
any officers in the naval service who
are competent TO deal successfully with
the engineering and construction prob
lefns involved in the building of dry
COCKS suitable for the larger vessels of
the new navy. There were others who
TOOK even more serious view of the
caSe-on which expressed doubts re-
specting the official integrity. as we'll
as the professional ability. of some OF
those officers
That more and stronger and larger
drydocks are needed most of these men
admitted. which fact makes their pres
ent attitude seem all the more unfortu-
nate. Under the circumstances-the
condition of the national revenues and
the demands on the national Treasury
Tor various other necessary objects-it
would not have been an easy task TO
persuade Congress at this session to
authorize the building or enlargement
of even three drydocks, if no doubts
had been raised respecting the ability
and integrity of the officers who might
have charge of the work and no facts
had been disclosed which apparently
show the virtual worthlessness OF the
expensive Brooklyn structure.
Efforts to obtain from Congress nee
essary authority and appropriations for
new docks will therefore be heavily. if
not fatally. handicapped at the outset