Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-14
BUSY At NAVY YARD
Call for Laborers Made by
Commander Bowyer.
SEVERAL BUILDINGS
UNDER CONTEMPLATION FOR
CONSTRUCTION DURING SPRING.
Fire and Telephone Station = Building
for Prisoners-Completion of
Electric Power Plant.

The spring and summer work at the
| Washington navy yard has just been IN
| augurated Commander John M. Bowyer
| u. s. NJ in charge of the yards and docks
| division, yesterday made a call for the first
installment of workingnen to begin the OPP
| erations which will be carried on through
out the coming season. The call was for
| fifty Iaborers. Commander Bowyer in
formed a Star reporter that it would be
| followed within the next ten days by other
calls for approximately twenty-five brick
laye twenty hod carriers and from 300
| to 500 more laborers, besides PAYERS, skaters
| and possibly some carpenters.
| The prospective Improvement program at
| the Washington navy yard for the spring
and summer of 1905 contemplated several
| new buildings. But it proved to be case
! of imam proposing and Congress disposing'
/ for of the thirteen buildings for the yard
| that Congress was asked to PROVIDE lof,
! provision was made for but single stfuc-
| ture. An appropriation of S140o0 was mace
| for the construction of fire and telephone
| station and naval prison building. rms
| edifice in combina ton will include telc-
| phone and time station, small prison Win
| cells for the confinement of small onendefS'
| apartments for the navy yard watch force
| and a detachment of marines, while on the
| first floor the fire department of the naval
| establishment will be installed.
This combination building will replace the
small wooden telephone station and Watcn
box near the main or Sth street entrance to
the yard and Commander Bowyer said the
proposed structure has been crying ne
cessity for a long time.
Electric Power Plant.
The work in the yard that will be car
ried actively forward during the ensuing
season will include the completion of the
| electric power plant, for which Congress
appropriated $4,000; extension of the paw
| ing work, for which $1,000 was provided;
| the extension of the underground conduit
system, for which 5000 is available the eX-
| tension of the fire protection and railway
| systems, for which 100000 was approprl-
| ated, and the extension of the heating ana
water systems with available amounts or
| So coo for the former and $4,000 to give
| the navy yard better water facilities for
| the shops and the fire eXtinguishlng syS-
| TEN.
| far as the available funds will permit on
| the quay wall extending the sewers out into
| the river, also on the brick wall TO enclose
| the newly acquired land on the west SIDE OF
| the yard.
The seamen gunners' building has been
completed and is occupied by the men who
are in training the future sea marks
men for Uncle Sans big guns on his bat
tie ships and cruisers.
Another appropriation made by the last
Congress was $4,000 for q locomotive to sup
plement those now employed in the yard.
The railroad system connected with the
naval gun factory is an interesting one.
| There are cars for the transportation to and
| fro of the newly made guns, with tracks
| and switches connecting with the several
| great shops and extending outside of the
yard to the main tracks of the Pennsylvania
railroad near the navy yard tunnel.
Still other appropriations made at the last
session of Congress were 100000 for new
and improved machinery for existing shops
and $4,000 for the third-fourth boilers and
their installation.
Crowded Conditions.
| Owing to the cramped condition of the
navy yard on account of the congestion of
men and machinery, and the necessary
buildings to carry on the vast and impor
| tant work of the naval service, it is pro-
posed to extend the yard eastward, and
| Commander Bowyer believes the time is not
far distant when the naval gun factory in
| closure will be extended as far as 18th street
southeast. The proposition is to employ the
| acquired territory largely for a parade and
| recreation ground for the marines and sail
! orS and the erection of a barrack building
flor use of the marine detail at the navy yard.
| For this purpose Congress was asked TO APP
prOpriate $643 1S1, but failed to do so. The
! officers of the yard believe the next Con-
! gress will the necessity and wisdom of
!
| necessary amount to bring it about
In the marine barracks on Sth street
| southeast the sound of hammer and saw
| will soon be heard, it is said, as Congress
| appropriated $4,000 for the completion of
| the guard room, prison and amusement
room for enlisted men.
Other Improvements.
The improvements contemplated by the
authorities of the navy yard and naval gun
! factory and which TIE next Congress will
be asked to appropriate funds for, embrace
| the following:
| Locomotive crane house, $62, 900; sheet
| piled quay wall in front of old part of
| yard, $4,000 dredging, to continue $1,000;
storage BINS for pershable material. $4,000;
one fifteen-ton platform scale, LOO; paw
| ing, to extend, $4,000; tools and machinery
for yards and docks department. $1,000;
latrines additional, $4,000; new floors in
north and south gun shops, east gun car
riage shop and north gun and mount store,
SO coo; purchase of land for extension of
yard $6i3,7S7; building for new sighting
| shop, $S7,0J0; gun shop, No. 3, for medium
! and small caliber guns, S19O,S00: extension
| OF east and west gun carriage shop for
ordnance, 1874, AS; new brass, iron and
| steel foundry and foundry yard, $500, 10;
| new forge shop, $l34,931; extension of gas
| plant for ordnance department S9,961; steel
| timber shed for ordnance department, S40,-
| 800; storage bins for foundry materials,
| $50, 412; muster house and closets for ord
nance department, $500; freproof model
| storage building for G. q R, $4,000; fire
proof power house for &. * r.. $4,000; fire
| proof general store house for supplies and
accounts. $3.50 $50; firepToof pattern store
| house for ordnance department, Sl56,000;
| pattern shop for ordnance department,
| $;:0U, 100.
In stating the necessity for these i'm
provements Commander Bowyer said today
! that the Washington navy yard protects the
government.
"It cost millions of dollars to establish
| it," he said. land it has saved this coun-
| try millions of dollars, and will continue to
| do SO if it is given adequate facilities"
Naval Orders.
| Rear Admiral j. II. Sands has been de-