The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1864-11-24
Defense Of the Navy Department.

Donald Mckay, the ship builder, whose
opinion is worth more than that of almost
any other man in such matters, has written
a defense of the Navy Department against
the charges of mistake and inefficiency SC
freely made during the war. He saws that
while in England he had free access to the
private and Government ship-yards, and al
SO IN France, and that our own do not suffer
Ill comparison At the opening of the war
we had fleet of twenty-five steamers. of
speed varying from nine to twelve knots an
hour:
'Such was the steam navy with which
the Administration began the task of rigor-
ously blockading 5000 miles of the most
difficult coast in the world, against the
fastest and best steamers that the shops Of
England could produce, built exclusively
for speed and blockade-ruuning at the par
ticular localities in addition to which the
oceans of the world were to be kept free of
the steamers called Confederate cruisers.
but which were in reality English pirates,
being built in England, equipped with Eng
lish guns, and manned by English crews,
whose purpose was not to fight our cruisers
as war vessels, but to plumber eur sailing
merchant ships, and to keep out of the paths
OF our war steamers. The means at the
command of the Administration for buiId-
ing steam navy to achieve the herculean
task just indicated, We're about two dozen
machine shops, great and small, distributed
from Maine to Maryland, many of them
very small and without the tools, workmen
or skill requisite for the production of ma
rine machinery The first class shops did
not exceed eight in number.
Neither was there sufficient raw material
IN the country for the large and sudden de-
mand; the iron, copper, tin and coal had
to be mined and manufactured Hundreds
of steamers, hundreds of locomotives sbons
full of tools, tens of thousands of metal were
called for instantly, and there was nothing
on hand to answer the call. In this press.
ing emergency the Department did ali that
could possibly be done. 1t purchased every
merchant steamer that could be converted
INTO blockadlng vessel or war cruiser,
and the navy at this moment contains every
merchant steamer Of any size or excellence
that has been built in the country. 1t set
at work every steam engine factory in the
land that could produce marine machinery.
1t considered all plans offered for armoring
vessels, and tried many. 1t instituted ex-
periments IN machinery, in ordnance, and
in armor-plating. 1t rapidly covered the
Mississippi and its tributary waters with an
immense inland feet, many of which were
armored, ard which, sweeping the rebels
from these waters, have been an indispensa-
bic element to our holding the whole inte.
nor OF the country, as it gives us the exclu-
slye command Of its water highways. It
lined the Atlanta coast with such a block.
adeing fleet as the world never witnessed be-
fore and has practically closed the rebeltious
district to the world, the few vessels which
succeed in running the blockade being too
small to carry cargo sufficient to give aid
OF any consequence. The rebels have not
been able to import even drugs enough to
SIMPLY the medical department of its army
1nere are now in the navy, in active SER
vice. oSo steamers, with an aggregate ton
mage Oh 4oo'uoO tons, against the original
20 steamers and 49, 700 tons with which the
war commenced OF this number 200 steam
ers, with an aggregate of 241, 600 tons. have
Deen pullt oy the department.. In no coun-
try, and with such limited means. and nm.
der such dlfncult circumstances, has there
ever been put atioat in the same time s,ah
immense naval ornaments In no place bas
there been any failure, but whenever the
naval force moved victory followed. The
rebel coast has been held with a grasp of
IRON and nearly Theoretically sealed. The
pirates OF the enemy have been followed
around the world, and captured wherever
they could be found, and the internal nayi-
CATION and command of this vast country
has been kept open and in the hands of the
government The naval administration
has done all which any naval administra.
ton could do in such war. and Il will sill
have to be relied on for large portion Of
what has been conquered. Let any one ash
himself the question how the contest would
stand with the navy withdrawn if he wonId
understand its necessity and the yaIne Of
he service it has rendered"