The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-02-15
ADMIRAL FARRAGUT AND THE BOARD
OF SURVEY.
From the NJ Y. Times.


a OF SURVEY.
From the NJ 2. Times
The naval opinions of SO distinguished a
sailor as Admiral Farragut cannot fail TO
have great weight with Congress and the
country; and it is, therefore, with much
pleasure that we refer to that portion of the
sAdmirals late letter to Mr.. Robeson which
pleads for a Board Of Survey.
Two years ago a cry went up from the
navy for the appointment of such board
one year ago bill was brought into Con-
gress for its establishment; and yet to-day
we find the Navy Department has apparently
discarded the project-the House bill which
is well understood to have emanated from
the Naval Bureau, entirely ignoring it. This
action, or rather this omission, Admiral
Farragut regrets He declares himself in
favor of Board of Survey which he would
rather designate Board of Admiralty" as
more precisely describing the rank of the
officers of whom he would desire to see it
composed. The name, however, is perhaps
trifing matter, especially as the well-de-
served odium into which the group of fossils
that ordinarily compose q British s'Board of
Admiralty" have brought the latter phrase
would make it desirable perhaps, to prefer
the term Survey"
But it was not, after all, an Admiralty Board
proper that the country originally had in
6Hs
What it desired was simply board intelligent
and skillful enough to avoid the repetition of
the blunders in construction that have dis
graced the service if not ruined it. The
errors and losses of eight years are past pray
ing for, but at least Board of Survey, pro-
perly constituted and properly advised, might
avoid similar losses and errors in the eight
years to come. 1t may be replied that no
such board is now necessary, because the
,Nao,,liar tbao,iao nf Tol.a
Welles no longer model our navies for us.
But it is impossible to tell what may happen,
and the necessity for the board in the past
was apparent.
is it credible, for example, that such an un-
broken series of blunders as the construction
of the twenty light-draughts would be per-
mitted by Board of Survey? In the first
place their planning was atrocious, and sufi-
cient alone to make them worthless. Yet the
Navy Department was repeatedly remon-
strated with by high professional authorities
and practical shipbuilders on this very point,
in ample season for alterations. In the second
place, while these vessels were never designed
to be ea-boats, three-fourths of them were
built on the Atlantic coast, and many in the
northerly yards on that coast Not more than
one-fourth could be used to advantage on the
seaboard, and yet they were constructed in
these localities, and without sea-going quail
tleS. NOW we ali KNOW LnaC InoS0 'VeSSelS
after being built had to be rebuilt and while
the whole twenty originally were not to cost
eight millions, they have now cost eleven mil
lions, and would cost fourteen millions to
complete them-when they would probably
be worthless.
Why need we however, make so much of
one minor instance of prodigality and igno-
rance or reeklessness, when our entire war
wooden screw feet is full of engineering
blunders? MIR. Kelley stated last winter to
Congress, we think, in the course of an argu-
ment for this very measure of establishing a
| Board Of Survey, that scores of millions had
been thrown away in malconstruction during
| the eight years preceding Ships were
| finished for cruising purposes, without sail
| power, requiring a constant expenditure of
| coal, even when on station duty in time OF
| peace. Machinery was constructed on plans
discarded by general consent of intelligent
| shipbuilders, requiring preposterous weight
| bulk, and cost in proportion to the develop
ment of power. No less than fourteen sets
of such engines were storedup, with no ships
| to put them in, while their total cost was be.
tween five and six million dollars. These
and many similar facts reused public atten.
ton last year to the need of Board of Sur
vey, and they certainly have some weight
| now.