The evening times., 1899-10-25

must not hope to become simply oyerSeers,
but must continue as workmen.
The bureau now has permanent inspec-
tion headquarters under commissioned
officers at the following places: Home
stead Steel Works, Munhall, Pa; Midvale
Steel Works, Philadelphia, Pa; South
Bethlehem, Pa; Thurlow Pa; Steelton,
Pa; Brooklyn, N. Y: Hartford. Conn.
and Chicago Ill. Nearly all of the officers
in charge of these headquarters have from
one to a half dozen plants at towns near
their headquarters under their supervision
total of 10,5S7, 175 pounds of material
were inspected last year. The inspection
has resulted in great improvement in
the manufacture of high-grade material.
After thorough tests the bureau has de-
ci6ed that electric motors for driving aux
iiiary engines on board vessels are not as
satisfactory or economical as the steam
drivers. Exhaustive tests Of boilers which
will be used in vessels were made and
proved satisfactory. also tests of various
| kinds of coal. Valuable information was
CLEANED regarding mechanical stokers by
experiments on a steamer of private
company; the stokers were found to do
good work. Experiments with liquid fuel
are still in progress but not far enough
| advanced for a full report
Pleased With DistiIIing Ship.
The report says Of tests OF the evapor-
ating plant of the ship Iris:
THE bureau is well pleased with the
| efficiency of this distilling ship, and be-
| lieyes such a type of vessel to be a most
| essential addition to any squadron Large
| tank vessels, while able 10 carry a large
| quantity of fresh water, must for the re-
plenishment of their stock rely upon shore
| streams, which may not be readily avail
able. On the contrary, distilling ship
| supply is the ocean itself, and the water
distilled therefrom free from the impuri-
| ties. which in even the best of natural
| waters have scale-forming properties.
THE Iris left New York on October IA,
| 1898. bound for Manila. The first stop
was made at Bahia, Brazil. and there the
ship delivered approximately 1920 tons CT
| fresh water to the other ships, Some of
| this water (about 400 tons) had been
| brought from New York. The remainder
was distilled on board. On the trip from
Bahia to Sandy Point Chile, the evapor-
ating plant was in operation only long
| enough to supply the drinking tanks and
make about twenty tens OF fresh water for
makeup feed for the ship itself. On No
vember q, on arrival at Sandy Point, the
plant was put in full operation and all
| tanks and double bottoms were filled. AT
! Sandy Point the ship delivered 1,090 tons
| of fresh water to other ships. At Callao,
| Peru, after slight repairs to boilers had
| been made. the plant was again put In
| operation, and before leaving Callao the
| ship delivered go tons of fresh water to
other ships, making in all 1850 tons since
| leaving the United States, of which $3.50
| tons had been made on board"
| Much repair work was done during the
past year at the various navy yards. The
Boston, Mass, yard is in good shape, and
work was done to the amount of $685.
e3S.41, including expenses Of plant; the
yard at Portsmouth. n. H.. had an expense
account of s115. .S1769; the New York yard
suffered from fire, but repaired SO vessels
| during the year, with an expense account
| of 81 ,012, 1856; League Island, Pa, yard
did work amounting to s244.5 $3.50; the
Washington, d. c., yard, s34.53S.S2; the
Norfolk Va, did work to the amount
of 1886, ,63S.59; the plant at Port Royal. S.
c., will be ready for work next February;
| the Pensacola. Fla, yard did work to the
| amount of s9,701.9S; Mare Island, Cal,
yards work amounted to 1896, ,532 06;
| $50 900 is asked for a machinery plant at
| Algiers, La; for plants at Porto Rico and
Honolulu $4,000 each is asked; distill-
| ing and refrigerating plant is asked for the
station at Guam; the machine shops at
Cavite, though very crude, had done fair
amount of work, Filipino and Chinese
workmen having been used. The Chinese
were superior to the Filipinos. Trial trips
of the battleship Kearsearge and torpedo
| boats Davis, Farragut, Fox, Mackenzie,
Rodgers, and Rowan were successfully
made.
Concerning vessels under contract at pri-
vate ship yards, the report says:
THE state of the iron and steel markets
has been such that it has been almost i'm
possible for the contractors for naval ves-
sells to obtain materials for the prosecu-
tion of work. The requirements of the
bureau are high and somewhat exacting
in so far as regards the quality of materials
used in work under its inspection, and
| the mills have had such ready call for
ordinary and merchantable qualities of out
put that, in not few cases. they have re-
| fused to undertake deliveries except on
such long time as to make serious delay
| to the contractors.
I'm spite of these delays and the dis
| couraging prices now prevailing in the
| metal market as compared with the prices
quoted at the time contracts were awarded
/ and estimates made, the contractors have
shown, in nearly every instance, laud-
able determination to complete the various
vessels within the contract time, or as
| nearly within it as possible.
Work has been pushed to completion
with much energy, and it has been the
| bureaus pleasure to note a courteous will
| ingness to accede to the demands made by
| the bureau in furthering the interests of
| the department. On the other hand, the
| bureau has endeavored to grant such re-
quests of the contractors as would cause
no serious decrease in the efficiency and
| durability of vessels, even if the bureaus
consistent policy of advance in quality of
materials and completeness of detail was
| not Immediately furthered by such conces-
sions.
1.-The bureau has the great satisfaction
of noting that there is every Indication
| that the vessels now in process of con-
struction will be noticeably above their re-
| quirements in speed and efficiency, and
| that there is a decided tendency on the
part of contractors to follow well-defned
| lines of best practice which will result
in much-needed uniformity of design and
execution"