New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-07
ARMY AND NAVY NOTES
Detention Camp for Naval
Prisoners.
From The Tribune Bureau
We shlprtOn August

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DETENTION CAMP FOR NAVAL PRlo-
ONERs innovations In the
treatment Of naval prisoners VIII prooaply
ba undertaken, very soon. IN accordance
with III. recommendations Of special
board Of officers detailed 10 investigate tha'
subject. The board has suggested that
prisoners be divided into several classes-a''
Of which arc now sent without distinction
10 the naval prisons at Mare Island 'ah'
fornia: Portsmouth. n. H.. and Boston-tne
idea being that prisoners convicted OF minor
offences should not be confined with con-
flrmed criminals
To this end detention camp, WIN ar
Communications for six hundred men, VIII
probably be established on the old naNdl
reservation at Port Royal. s .. Here the
mon will be employed at useful labor WIN
ont tho disgrace which attaches 10 SERVING
a term In prison. II IS believed tha' VI
these conditions men can be encouraged
rather than discouraged in the way 81 re-
form After serving tNo-thlrds OF then
farms thew WILL be restored TO fun duty II
their conduct tustihes II. Another class o.
prisoners less deserving Of leniency VIII DC
sent to the naval prisons, and third class
such as those guilty OF murder and the
most serious crimes. will Re turned over n
the state prisons
The problem was considered by board
consisting of Captain Henry r. wilson
C'sptain Robert L. Russell and Captain
Charles b Hatch, Of the marine corps, VINO
Is in command Of the naval prison at Bos-
ton. II was largely due to the work done
at Boston by Captain Hatch that the Navy
Department went into the new phase Of
the subject Of taking care of naval prison
ers.
NAVY YARD MACHINISTS' PAY HE'LL
UP.-Much interest has been aroused IN
recent decision by the Controller OF thF
Treasury, who ruled that 225 machinists o.
the New York Navy Yard who quit wori
without permission on July are not en-
titled to pay for July 1. while 14s men wht
were absent with leave are entitled TO pa
for the holiday.
The case attracted much attention II
Brooklyn, and Rear Admiral Leutze. corr
nandant Of the yard, was severely crit
cised for holding up the pay of the men
The machinists, through their recording sec
rotary, filed a protest declaring II to b.
lowed by the commandant. however who
being bound about with red tape. has no
the discretionary authority Of the genera
manager of the ordinary industrial plant
has been INDICATED by the subsequent de
cision Of the Controller of the Treasury
. , There were 373 men absent from the var
during a part of the day OF July 3. OF thes
only liS had permission. The rest, becaus
Of the excessive heat, quit work withou
leave. Because of the extraordinary con
ditions this might have been overlooked b.
Rear Admiral Leutze, had he the authorit.
to do So Being bound 10 observe the law
and realizing that II would be a serious
matter for any officer to have the amour
the men claimed checked against him Il
case the payment were declared illegal, h
held up the pay and referred the case Z
the authorities In Washington.
| The Controller decided that the 14S mel
absent with permission are entirely en-
titled 10 pay for July 4, on the presumption
that they would have worked on that da.
IL II had been a working day. In the cas-
OF the 225 men who left without permission
he decided that there is no such presump
ton, and that, having removed themselve
| from the rolls. they were not reinstatet
until they reported for duty on July
Consequently. they are TO receive no pa!
for July L. The action of Rear Adnlira
Leutze, therefore. instead of being "un
fair" is shown to have been prudent, mas
much as he was merely observing the Law
| in the case and protecting the dsbursinl
officer, who would have been obliged to re
fund any Illegal payment.
| COLLIER TO HAVE NEW TRIAL.
| is probable that another trial will be &C
| corded the naval collier Neptune, which
! failed TO come up to her contract speed OF
| fourteen knots by more than a knot in the
recent trial run over the standard course
| off Rockland, Me. The contractors have
| been In consultation with the nava
| authorities and will be given an oppor.
| tunty to install new propeers. 1t is in
this respect that the design OF the shir
seems 10 be defective. The trial OF the
| Neptune was of more than ordinary in
terest The vessel is driven by turbines and
| equipped with A new reduction gear, in
| stalled by the Westinghouse company, one
| OF the designers of which was former En-
| gineer I'm Chief George w. Melville. OF the
navy. This gear permits the use of the
turbine at cruising or economical speed
and the reports indicate that the test was
success. There was also tried on board
the boat new coalng gear, by which an
average Of lO5 tons of coal an hour for two
hours were discharged from hatch into a
| barge twenty feet from the side of the
ship. The record was considered extraor-
binary because IL was done with one oper-
ator. A third feature tested was new
method of steering the vessel. This is
done by a device which applies the West
inghouse air brake principle TO the control
Of the engines directly, from the bridge. In
the manGuvres through which the slip
was taken by the officers Of the inspecting
board the system proved eminently success
full The officer on the bridge signals to
the engine room when he desires to con-
troll the engines, and the necessary connec-
tlons are made. after which the people in
the engine room stand by to see that the
mechanism works properly. IL was desired
TO see whether this method of steering
could be adopted for baitleships, but. while
il has It's advantages. there Is the posi-
blity that u might lead 10 csrclessness of
observation In the engine room and fail
urc Of the device 10 operate would cause
disastrous results.