The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-10-24
r The Last Navy Report. !,
NEARLY FOUR HUNDRED YES
k { 4 erSELS$IN OUR NAVY ~
A FLEET OF FIFTY:TWO IRON CLADS.

81" = 81 SELLS IN JUN NAVAs
A FLEET OF FIFTY.TWO IRON CLADS.
Under ordinary circumstances the sta
tistical pages of the thin blue covered gov
eminent pamphlet which is known as the
"Navy Register" are not to be regarded
as entertaining reading; yet, as circum-
stances always alter cases, the last issue of
that periodical is notable exception to
the rule. Bearing date but six weeks ago
(September y, it brings us the fullest and
best record that it is possible to get of the
actual strength of our navy, and suggests
a variety of reflections.
Commencing the war with a naval force
every way inadequate to the work re-
qnired of it, we have added vessel after
vessel to the list, with rapidity which is
entirely unprecedented in the history of
any nation. Even England, with her mar
thine advantages, has not done as much in
any eighteen months Of her history as the
United States have accomplished since the
outbreak of the rebellion. England has
neither our wonderful wealth of resource
nor our pushing spirit Of enterprise, and
although her necessities have often been
as great as those into which this country
was suddenly plunged, she has been COM
PEELED to work more slowly than we, and
to-day is actually behind us in the race
for new improvements in naval warfare
The spirit of our people, their inventive
genius, the native riches of the country,
and the extraordinary vigor of our naval
administration, are the causes which have
combined to produce the gratifying results
set forth in the figures of the last I" Reg
ister."
In long article recently published in
these columns, we showed how, at the
commencement of the war, our navy, then
feeble, was rendered still less effective by
it's wide dispersion, and how quickly its
component parts were reunited and made
the nucleus of new organization, which
has since grown to remarkable dimensions.
Looking back over the history of the past
year and half, it is difficult to see in what
better manner our naval government could
have been administered. To Secretary
Welles and his assistants there must be
awarded the nations vote of thanks for
skill and energy in creating a powerful
navy out of raw materials, outstanding re-
sources in such a way as to make every
item tell, and infusing vitality into all
branches of the service. Our shipyards
have been stimulated to degree of activity
which the exigencies of the mercantile SER
vice, pressing though they have been, never
called out; our mechanics have been
driven with work for many months, and
are still working night and day under the
call for new labors our foundries are all
busy; and thousands Of men, now building
the vessels of our iron-clad fleet, still find
it difficult to keep pace with the driving
energy of the department.
The navy has had it's share of the victo-
ries of this war, but the disadvantage I'M
der which it labored were serious. There
was lack of proper material, and there was
faint of treason at the start; so that the
one had to be provided and the other ex-
PEELED before any effective steps could be
taken. Yet, under adverse circumstances
like these, the secretary and his loyal Off
GERS went steadily about their work and
performed it. If, in extremity, a few
worthless vessels were added to the navy,
or a grasping speculator swindled the
government out of price two or three
times the value of the ship he sold, the
temporary misfortune or embarrassment
was remedied, and the work still went on.
If a rotten vessel foundered, the department
bought no more of the shipowner who had
sold it, but straightway began to build
OF.
chance, got badly damaged in fight, the
keel of another was put down to take it's
place, and no blank was left in the navy
list.
Thus, by degrees, we have built up a
great navy. According to the official re-
cord, the aggregate number of vessels now
in the naval service of the United States is
three hundred and eighty-six. OF this
number no less than fifty-twO are iron clad,
fourteen of which are afoat, and thirty
eight building at New York, Jersey City,
Boston, Philadelphia, Portsmouth, St.
Louis, Cincinnati, Pittsburg, Brownsville,
Chester and Wilmington. t'.--
We have eleven rams, five steam trigates,
twenty-four screw sloops, eighty -four screw
steamers, and ninety five side-wheel steam
ers; not to mention multitude of small
steamers, ferry-boats ships-of-the-line and
old sailing frigates.
The most remarkable feature of the cata-
logue is the rapid increase of our iron-clad
fleet. The duel between the Monitor and
Merrimac, while it startled the naval
powers of Europe into sudden activity,
gave a vigorous impulse to American enter
prise in the same direction; so that in less
than one years time we are able to show
this long and formidable roll of
OUR IRON-SLADS.
Names Guns. Tons. Station.
j. Agamenticus. 1524 B'd'ing at Portsmouth.
2. Benton. 900. .16 1000 Western fiotila.
2, Baron DeKalb. 10 a12 g Is t.s
i. Chicothe.. 2 303 Bldg at Cincinnati.
p. Chckasaw. ....4 go Do. at st. Louis
CafSki1 S44 Do at RrOOklvn