The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-07-05

most wholly destroyed, and whether rebuilt or
not, should be left out Of the account of our
available resources in the way of docks. Sins.
machinery, supplies, and means for maritime de.
tense. But let them stand with Mare Island,
against Havre, Dunkirk, and Bayonne, and ia
France, and Keyham, Deal, Yarmouth, Gibrsl.
ter, Malta, Bermuda, &c., of Great Britain, and
the comparison will be as follows:
England has an area within the several prin-
cipal navy yards on the British Isles, of five
hundred and thirty acres, and including the Is-
land of st. Aarys, eight hundred and fourteen
acres, with wharf frontage, not including ca.
mails, slips, and artificial basins, of twenty.four
thousand one hundred and ninety.six feet, or
nearly FIVE miles; forty one building slips,
twenty nine dry docks, and seven immense vet
basins. France has an area within her five
principal navy yards, Of eleven hundred and
twenty-nine acres, between ten and twelve miles
of wharf front, seventy Ave building slips, and
twenty six dry docks. We have in our remain
ing navy yards an area Of two hundred and
eighteen end one eighth acres, an available wa.
ter frontage of only four thousand three hun
dred feet, twelve building slips, and four dry
docks, two of which are comparatively worth
less.
Such are our meager facilities for building
and repairing wooden ships; and for building
or repairing iron ships we have no facilities
whatever anywhere.
The contrast between the United States and
Great Britain or France, in the number of shops,
foundries, store houses, and amount of materi.
ais on band, adapted to naval construction. ia
even greater than in the extent of yards, from.
tage, slips, docks, and basins.
+ 1t needs no argument to convince the most
skeptical, who will examine these figures, that
our preparations for war are not such az thew
should he, and that the Secretary Of the NAVY
acted wisely when he reminded US of the neces
sity of ''making the necessary provision for
ourselves. by providing the means and conve
niencies for building and repairing Navy such
as the strength and character of our Govern
ment and country require, in order to maintain
its true position among maritime Powers"
The bill under consideration authorizes the
selection of League Island, in the Delaware riv.
er, for the purpose Of a navy yard, and looks to
the abandonment and sale of the present ward
in Philadelphia. 1t is proposed to erect on this
islond the necessary works for rolling plates
and building iron vessels. The whole argu.
ment in favor Of this proposition is thus sum
med up by the Secretary, and to which can add
nothing:
"The Government has several large navy Yards
for building ships; and the introduction of
steam-which is necessary for, and made appli.
cable to, all noval vessels now eonstructed-has
compelled it to erect extensive shops for making
steam machinery. But these shops are made
quate to the wants of the Navy, and for some
years it will be necessary under any circum.
stances to contract for much the larger portion
of the wore that will be required
at is now generally conceded that vessels for
fighting purposes must be heavily plated with
iron, if they are not built entirely of that ma
teria. In this, as in most costly fabrics, econo.
my is reached through durability. Iron ship.
building is new in this country; but few persons
are engaged in it, and it is novelty in our navy
yards Heavy iron beams, shatting and thick
iron plates, can be procured from only two or
three parties, and then in limited Quantities and
subject to great delay. Individuals have little
use for iron of such magnitude as the Navy must |
have, and there must unavoidably be great out.
lay to prepare for the execution of such work, |
With only the Navy for purchaser, there can
be no competition, and the Government will be
compelled under such circumstances, to pay al
most any price the mills and FORCES may de-
mand. No iDcorsiderabIe portions of an iron
ship can be made and procured at the ordinary
mills, and, so far as it can be done, it may be
The best policy to be so supplied; but the heavy
md extensive portions cannot be so procured,
md unless the Government is prepared to exc
,vte the work, it will be subject to imposition,
md its vessels to marked inferiority"
The capacity Of our present yards is wholly
inadequate to the erection of the contemplated
works, unless one of the largest shall be entire.
y abandoned for the purpose for which it is
low used, and that will be unadvisable. No
me believes that iron vessels will entirely gu
,ersede wooden ones. Our cruisers will con.
inue to be principally built of wood, and their
'orts of departure will be New Yerk, Boston,
md Portsmouth. At those ports they will be
,uilt and repaired. 1t has been the policy of
Nj Governments, and it ought to be our policy,
o make different yards its principal manufacto
les and depots of certain articles, as of cord.
zee at one, anchors and chains at another, ord
lance at anothe', wooden ships at another, and
ron vessels at another. For the manufacture
Of the latter class of vessels, League Island
possesses peculiar advantages, and of these I
propose now r. speak. The advantages of this
'oslton for tie purposes for which it is particu.
arly desired, are, in my opinion, unsurpassed by
ny other on the Atlantic or Gulf coasts. .
l. 1t contains the requisite amount of land.-I
here are on the Island four hundred and nine
ores OF what is called east land" being high.
Try and tillable, susceptible of use without EN-.
'ankment or other preparation; one hundred
nd twenty-four acres of marsh land east of {
sroad street. and sixty.seven acres west of {
'road street, embracing In the aggregate an
res Of SIX hundred acres, or more than five {
ines the area of the largest of our present ma. {
'y.yards, and twice the size of the largest yard
q Europe.
2. The Island possesses the necessary amount
II frontage upon the water, which is a most i'm
'ortant consideration, and the want of which is
me OF the great defects of oil our present yards.
The water front of the island will extend six
niles, furnishing room for mooring in safety all
he vessels in our present Navy, and all we shall
'e likely to have for many years to come. The
ums of money to be saved in varying vessels
o and out OF slips when change in their posi-
ions may be necessary, and in wharfage and , ,
ent of docke, where private property is used, !
VII De very great in the course of single year,
nd, of course, greater in the lapse of time and
he necessary additions to our Navy. By DOS
essng an expansive frontage workmen, mate g
ials and stores, can be placed on board at the
wharf, instead of being put on board of tenders l
nd transported into the stream, as ia required q