Show 00 idle ships in 1 11 james river problem of disposal probably will reach congress early in the session HAVE VALUABLE MACHINERY marine men say engines could be taken out and installed in other vessels skeleton crews have little to do norfolk va what to do with bout about wooden and steel ships lying idle in james river is a question that will probably reach tile the flour floor of congress within a short time the wooden ships tire are mostly anchored in the vicinity of claremont there tire are lis as many as six moored together side by sido so close that it Is possible to step from the fleck of one still ship to another without any 11 y danger of falling overboard skeleton crews are employed and the only work they are required to do is to keep tile the decks arid and fixtures clean and stand watches they are called upon sometimes to daub a little paint on the sides of the ihl chips but five hours flours out of the day they hey have nothing nettling to do but play checkers cards or indulge in any other pastime they see fit there is valuable machinery in the ships that marine men inen say could lie be taken out ou arid and put to use in other vessels most ot of the ships arc equipped with the best ut of engines and the government ern ersi ment niest it Is claimed could realize considerable money out of their sale shipbuilder shipbuilders Ship builders s say the engines could bo be installed in 1 barges that flint could be c used to transport freight between B baltimore albl and philadelphia and norfolk via the inland waterway or in ili carriers operating between new york providence boston and norfolk constructive plan offered one shipbuilder makes this suggestion strip the machinery from the wooden ships then organize a corporation po ration or several corporations to build steel hulls or barges on a comparatively ively inexpensive plan and install the engines in them these barges would mould be invaluable for coastwise trade or even for trade with cuba and could be operated at a cost much less than the present steamships of course it will take money to put such a plan in operation but it does not require a large financial outlay the steel hulls bulls can call be built in any one of a halt half dozen shipyards on If hampton ampton roads and with the prospective reduction in the cost of labor and tile the decrease in the cost of material competition would mould be keen for the building of these craft there Is little chance of tiny any of tile the wooden ships ever being of any material service again because only a few of them would be worth the expense of repairing rIng of sea trade A good many of the ships are already beginning to show decay and it would not be surprising if several of them were abandoned altogether within n year or so it Is the opinion of marine men that hat when tile the government i be begins ins to discard the wooden hips completely they will be blown blom up with dynamite as if they were a menace to navigation the people of claremont Cla romont are divided on oil the benefit the town lias has derived by tile the location of the fleet near that town the anchorage occupied by the lie ships is referred to as the boneyard bone yard allany go jn but none come out i Is tile the way robert jiter a ve veteran terrin river man who has flits resided near claremont since a few days after the civil war refers to the boneford bone boney yord arol last days or the monitors opinion 1 Is 14 4 shared by others lecause nil all the old inhabitants af claremont city point all and other oilier arrues flier landings remember the fate of se en monitors tha that t tile the government decided loci doU to discard 25 years a ago go among these monitors wore were the catskill kill Maho mahopac pac ajax mill and in their jay day they nere eru too looked ked upon with the same saine respect its as tile the pies nt t lv ill they evre tin tile linck bo bone ie of 0 the lie americast Americ ait navy alire cahnt a liy day hoie vr bell tile the govern government filet t it 11 at a burden to l eap these ships hill in active serece serl sen ice ce so BO they were sent lit up to the james river for seen eairs they lay at anchor olt city point then they were sent seat further vp up the hie james river to a point about the lie miles below richmond there they almol A rotted to pieces und and lian they began to leak the government ordered them to norfolk to be thrown on tile the junk pile the place for laying up idle ships Is the york river tills this his stream like the james jamea empties I 1 into inta roads and the last six weeks at least vessels I 1 flat came into IIa roton ft oada did mi no g go 0 out again instead they sto steamed aud sl slowly ly up york river nod find anchored at a point a few miles beyond 11 ampton like their lister bister ships in the james they will remain until old father time lie file tides fishes and crabs puncture holes in their bottoms |