The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-06-12

ssho I suppoee should he awarded at least the
credit OF disinterested patriotism upon TINS SUP,
Lect. He is not citizen of Philadeiphla, OF 1 oi
Pennsylvania; he is not in amy, way SO sltuateo
rs to be likely TO be Influenced by PennsylVania
interests. He has acted in this manner not only
disinterestedly, but, as We all know, 10 some
extent to his own disadvantage, lnasmuch as
the course which he has pursued has brought
upon him the wrath of some OF his own people.
But he has had, have no doubt, perfectly
clear and disnterested judgment throughout
thia whole inquiry, And the advantages of
| Lpapue Island which so loudly call upon the
| Government for the adoption OF this measure,
are very tersely and satisfactorily summed up
| by him as follows;-
~. II contains the requisite amount of land.
There are on the is and four hundred and nine acres
of what is called fast land beng high, dry, ana
tillable susceptible OF without embankment OF
other preparation; one hundred ana tVeny-ou
acres OF mar,h land east OF Broad street and seventy
aggregate an area of six hundred acres or mere
tan five times the of The largest OF our present
navy Yards and twice the size OF the largest Saru
a. The island possesses the necessary amount Of
frontage upon the water wnicn s L,h y o, 81 the
great detects of all our present Yards Ihe W WaleI
i1ont Of the island VIII extend SIX 1nlles
room for mooriDg IN safety all the vessels ln our
present navy and all we shall DO likely 10 nave IoI
n any years to come. The sum OF money to be saved
in werpii vesse in and out OF slips Wnen cnange
IN their position may be necessary and in wharfage
and rent Of docks where private property is used,
will lie very in the course OF single year and,
OF course greater the lapse Of time and the nece-
sary addition to our navy. BY possessing an expan-
tiye frontage, wOrkmen, Materials and stores can
be placed on board at the wharf OF beng put
be ara of eDoers and transported into the stream
is REQUIRED 20 he cone az an 0d our bere S ,n
peculiar degree at the Philadelphia yard az lhe pre-
"8 There is an abundant depth of water for all OF
the purposes OF Government Along the outer shore
OF the island, near to its edge, and for more than
three miles in length there Il sufficient depth OF
water to float the largest class OF war vessels
"a The greatest advantage OF this location, and
that which, taken in connection with the frontage
and depth of water places IL far beyond any rival,
Is the fact that the yard would be in water wholly
fresh. 1t is q wel.kBown fact that iron corrodes
and decomposes IN salt much more rapidly than in
fresh water and hence that the endurance OF an IRON
vessel when either IN service or lad up in ordinary,
this ALL Iron vessels when exposed to the action OF
salt water for a considerable period OF time, and
especially in warm climates become fou by the accu-
mutation of marine cr,Lstdced thus not only lessen
their speed and DjuTng the vessels but requiring
them to be taken INTO dry -dock 10 be scraped. As
illustration of this fact, the iron bockadinR vessel
South Carolina after service OF nine months IN the
Cuff of Mexico, had her seed reduced by the accu
mutation OF barnacies, ses weed and other marine
| nusances, from twelve TO six knots an hour, re-
curing her to be sent n Noth 10 De cleaned Had the
Philadelphia ard been in condition to receive
her, and complete her other necessary repairs,
| passage through the fresh water OF the Delaware
river from New Castle, which Is practically the limit
| OF the salt water, would of itse have cleaned her
bottom of those mpedments perfectly as 1t could
] have been done by mechanical mears.
ut is hardly dOubed by one that iron vessels
are hereafter to constitute our principal reliance for
harbOl defense, 1t will unQuestOnaOly be the pOCy
of the Government to keep these vessels when not
required ior active service, in some secure place,
where they will b' as little halle to decay as may be,
and where the largest possible number can be put in
repair, and dispatched to the threatened points at
the shortest DOre: Experience may show the neces-
in hich case the capacity Of this island will by no
means exec ed the necessities OF the Government
| Should it be otherwise and should 1t be deemed
advisable 10 dsmantle and moor them IN wet docks
| in time OF peace the value of League Island or
naval STATION may be mere corr, c,ly estimated when
That the opinion OF naval officers, and of
scen ltic experts, that iron Will last
than ten times longer In fresh than in salt water
The United States iron steamer Michigan was built
IN le44 has been IN continuous service in the fresh
water lakes Of the North eighteen years. and has had
repairs to her hull which is parenty perfect
as 1t ever was In salt water her bottom would pro-
baby have been destroyed ten yeas ago..
"5 (1he proximity OF the island to O large mari
time ana manufacturing city is one OF Its greatest
advantages for navai satlOn,l Whenever an extra
extra supply OF naval stores needed they be pro-
cured at short notice and at no extra expense. 1t
qured at the Southern yaIos, neither of which was
| near large industrial population accustomed to
| men was much greater than at Charlesto Hn, Brook
| lyn, or Philadelphia The men had to be trans
ported at Government expense extra wages we're
d. manded and the laborers in almost every instance
were eamorous 10 be retained permanently because
sailors be procured st those yards emergency,
except by expensive process, anu generally cOnsum
ing weeks of time, the value of which could not be
computed in money, The great advantages OF a
Government establishment OF this kind IN proximity
| to a large Mechanical population whose leading
pursuit is the fabrication OF iron its forms
AND Tor its numerous purposes, cannot be over esti
mated"
"6. Another consideration of the highest import
ance is the susceptibility of League Island for per-
feet defense against foreign invasion domestic
lnsuIrecto The channel OF the Delaware al hough
afOrdlDg q sufficient depth of water at all imes Is
so narrow and tortuous for distance Of one hun
dIed lies atove It's mouth, that ship IN the hands
| of any otL er than an experienced plot, especially
| with the buoys removed woud have the greatest
difficulty in reaching Phlladelphia at all: II the
present detenses should be considered insufficient
single martelio tower on the edge of The channel,
mounted with an iron turret like that of the mOni-
tor would command the approach to the island from
the sea more completely than Fortress Monroe COM
mands Hampton Roads, or Fort Sumter the harbOr
| of Charleston. succession of such towers would
cost leks than any OF large coast fortifca.
tons. So lar as stationary defenses may be IT he'd
on, there can hardly be any system more efficient
than this The Island Is even more susceptible of
defense AGAINST a domestic nsurrection being cut
on hom the Penn sylvanIs shore by deep natural
upon it except by vessels, in which, of course the
| Government would have such superiority that no
attempt 10 capture the yard would ever be hazarded
even five suppose tLat the materials for an insur-
rection of that kind would ever be found IN the
| vicinity OF Philadelphia.
| "7. The accessibility of coal and iron c0mmends
League Island very strongly to favor. Situated
at the junction of the Delaware and Schuylklll
rivers 1t is the natural enrepOt of the whole anthra
power necessary to the maintenance of mode rn
navy is here obtanable at toe smallest cost Penn
syyanla II not possessing the largest iron resources
TO be found in the country certainly has those re.
sources ia by far the highest state OF development
and IN close proximity to the seaboard. Philadel-
phia IS the great ir0n-mongering metropolis OF the
country. Her furnaces and shops are mum bered by
hunoreds her arhfcers by thousands, and her capi.
49, The island i. below the bend on the Delaware,
| ana herce malnlv out OF danger from ice gorpes
| mom which the present yard suffers to consider
aple extent; and ct II should be remarked that the
| river Delaware is seldom closed by ice the only
polhI on ne Atlantic where fresh water can be OBJ.