The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1852-03-25

gin OF 100000 he says "from - 000,0 10 x7,-
will be near ssces or three millions lwhelher ii
will be SIX millions or four mionsi Or does he intend
to split the difference, and say five millions is TO be the
hope the senator mr. BRoDHEApl did not intend 10
take any unfair advantage OF this measure, by exciting
the alarm OF the members Of this body who the
jealous guardians OF the public treasury when he as
sers that this bill will enormous an expendi-
ture. undertake TO say that the lowest amount named
Inc h senator w o aeyef Dc s inquired red 70 S
Will mol deter any one iron giving The bill fair and i'm
partial consideration To show that the senator's est
be relied on will refer TO other psons OF
his speech. He says "a railway and basin will cost
I'll 100000, and perhaps ~ 10000 and will require
from i've 10 ten years Tor lis construction (The con-
tract heretofore made required the completion OF the
work in four years As he advances IN his argument
he reduces his estimate to sl 900 900 or 81 500 900 4"
and he repeats this assertion two other occasions in
his speech Now. we know exactly what this basin and
railway svi cost II is Just $4,000, and no more The
Secretary Of the Navy proposed TO give this for lis
construction and the paeniees accepted the proposition
The senator could easily have ascertaned this in the
Navy Department, when he was getting the facts he
brought 10 the notice OF the Senate and regret that he
did not do for, said before, nothing is detr
mental TO the passage OF bills for California the
NOUS amount il is supposed works OF this description
will cost in that country II the senator had stated that
his pncpall opposition to The bill was because i cos,
would have had its lair and legitimate weight upon the
Senate But he does injustice to the measure when be
swslls this item Of $50 e " Soo. 900
NhbAi"s 'S ee~S, 49, VI "S isovJ
has recommended this basin and railway in
ion with dry dock" The senator is not borne out in
from report from The NAVY Department, dated February
IL, 1884, made by the Hon. David Henshaw, then Sece-
ary Of the Navy, and one Of the abest that have
presided over that department:
San excavated stone dock can accommodates ordinarily
afford the facilities that would be needed The navy
il might require Twelve thousand days labor 70 repair the
bottom OF seventy iour-workng in the longest days of
must eapse before such vessel could be taken rom
the dock, owing 10 the comparatively small number of
persons who could work upon her at once in so confined
"The sectional foangdock with raLtracks, could ac-
placed with ample room light, and air around them, and
giving every facility Tor working with despatch
sage before quo,ed,hat vessels may be laid up dry,
and under fom the sum and which he hoped 10 OBJ
much better and much more cheaPy obtained by the sec
tion.l-dock and railway
cares no attentions can preserve vessels from rapid de-
cay, which lie in water, exposed 10 the and that
Some Of the mos, costly ships of our navy have ro,ted
and been broken up, seeing little than lying
the wharves while Others built about periods,
remain comparatively unnjared in the houses in which
It /. believed that the sectional dock and railways will
ys he
building ways; and that instead of letting ships,
nary, they win water and placed under
cover protected from the weather, upon the railracks
= The plan OF the sectional dock and railway commends
itself favor by its chea pness and simplicity and it, on
trial. II realizes what has been promised from its
will enable the government moderate cost
dock each the navy-yards capable OF accommoda-
ting number Of ships once.
After carefully considering the facts statements, and
opinions which have been presented to the department.
different periods by the officers and others who have had
the subject Of dry dock al the Brooklyn yard under in
vesgation, the undersigned is fully persuaded the
plan OF dock oMr Dakin here spoken Of worthy of trial
on scale sufficiently large for raising the largest ships
Th,,o % h. - al.
Navy has recommended and strongly recommended the
mode OF docking vessels proposed by this bill Nor is the
senator borne out in his assertion by the reports OF the
present Secretary who has evidently changed his opin-
ion on the subject In his report at the last session. be
said that sectional dock alone, with pier to secure
it, would every demand OF the navy the coast
OF California for many years TO come" In his last report
he says will be necessary to provide pier basin
to render this dock capable OF y and be pospones
an opinion between the basin and railway and pier until
further examination is made OF The waters OF the bay
at San Francisco by board OF officers appointed for the
purpose II is here evident that the Secretary himself
doubts the propeiy oil his former opinion, which, upon
full examination have doabt he will find to have
been incorrect.
The senator awaited himself OF statement OF the Sec
rotary OF the Navy IN his first report this subject thai
is calculated TO mislead the Senate. Ii is that pier
which Will cost only $4,000 is all that will be necessary
Tor the noang dock now building for California. He
sumes thus as liked fac and proceeds TO argue that "a
per IS all that is necessary and that merchants
think OF making OF the basin and ailway-ihey use
pier which costs $50 00o instead OF basin and railway
sir, proceed TO show that pier be built in Cali
forna for $4,000 IL must be built of stone; for it is
we'll known TACT that piers made OF timber the bay OF
San Francisco are soon destroyed by Such
work would soon become useless, and constantly liable
10 casualties. On examination il will be found that no
officer OF the government who has any respect for his
reputation will recommend the building OF pier in
these waters OF any other material than stone.
Well, sir, what will stone pier COST find that the
permanent wharf now being constructed at Pensacola,
has already cost Sii4,503 80 and IL is but little more
than half completed | may safely assume that il will
not cost less than 100000 when completed This is the
kind OF pier wharf that will have 10 be built in Cali
fornla, ii we do not construct basin and railway. As
Stunning that the cost OF materials and labor in California
will be double what II Is 40 Pensacola, (and this is low
estimate pier alone will cost the government, 81 2Oo
0Oo-nearly third more than the pateniees OF the
basin and railway have agreed complete them for in Cali
lorna This floating dock is useless without pier or
basin; and II you build pier, such the government
should construct on that coast involves much larger
expenditure than is proposed in this BILL II should be
borne in mind that the basin be also used as pier
length. and answer all the purposes OF pier as well as
basin.
The senator says that this basin and away il who'll
y unnecessary and useless" have Just shown thai the
basin will answer all the purposes OF pier and there.
fore the senator's argument falls the ground for M
be useful But suppose, Tor arguments sake that he is
correct then this bill accompshes the very object that
ne 10 aiming at Tor, an event, entirely dispenses
with the basin and railway. The bill provides g that
when The site shall have been secued and there
after as II shall have been ascerained TO the
OF the President OF the United States that the basin and
railway at Philadelphia Kiiiery are in full and sue