Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-11-26
condition aud Needs Of Our Navy.

hErghT NF TIE
important recommendations concerning the
efficiency Of the navy will be ma in the forth
cor ing report Of Secretary Robson, it Is said,
pred!catod Ia part upon the reports OF chiefs OF
bureaus Of that department. X has been FOUND
that more money has often been spent IN the
repair OF old vessels, as authorized b. Congress,
than NoUlG serve IN the construction OF new
ones Of greater stTtI stA an UI ian proved mn lei
sUI arpuT'CI 4ncCs. As Al instance, ihe Pen.
sscola cost $685. 2), ans the repairs more than
u &c a. much, viz. 500 COO. As TO . her ye>-
scls CT the navy, including the GasTriere, Ne
yaIa. Iowa Sud Vanderbilt, 10 put them ia
thoroughly good condition wOs,d require an
amount OF money fsT exceeding their OTis jnsl
COST. Their timbeTs are much oecayed, the
SINUS having been built .. Uneason.d white
Cak.
Congress. at The late session, Authorized the
secretary o! the Navy % sell w0Tn-OGt vessels,
anu also useless material at the sever Al navy
yards. IL is known that there are such accu-
mu lens which originally cost millions of dol
lars. Several of the worn out vessels are soon
20 he sold az auction, and others of ike charac-
teJ Will be afterwards offered to highest bidders
The opinion OF naval officers is that there should
be at least twenty good, active steam vessels
always In condition to be Immediately used.
About year ago, when there was such an eX-
citGme mt AT Havana as induced the consul gem
To send vessel thuheT for the protection of
American citizens, it WAS difficult to immedi.
Stey md the vessels suitable for such an emer-
g.ncy, and the SECRETARY was therefore Obliged
TO dispatch an iron-clsd from Key West. to-
getber with four other vessels not OF formidable
proportions, TO that locality. Spain, at the time
to which reference is made, had twenty three
vessels in the guilt and vicinity of the island of
Cuba. Our vessels, owing TO disparity of force
would have been unable 90 contend with thos
OF Spain in case OF hostile movements IN her
part.
The chief of the bureau of construction and
repairs viii, Il is understood, recommend that
compound engines be placed in all our vessels.
II has been aseertsined from naval officers that
not more than ten OF the fifty iron-clad vessels
can lie rendered useful for naval purposes,
therefore the government will dispose of the
remainder OF them. The twenty iight-fraft
steamers built during the war at a cost of six
teen millions of dollars, never fired A gun, not
having been called into active service. A bill
Is row pending before the House of Representa-
yves hppropristing S3,Oo0,O00 for building ten
slooIs of WAT. In view of the facts concerning
the inc efficiency of the navy, efforts will be ma ie
at the approaching session of Congress to COM
pletely reOrganize it. A pant of Secretary Ro-
bt SON report will be devoted to this subject,
and he will repeat the recommendations in his
last al nua report to supply the places Of vessels
which have become useless with those of good
ana SOUND construction, and urge tina unless
something is done in this direction our cruising
navy, now by 10 means powerful, indeed
scarcely respectable for a nation OF our rank
and responsibilities, will soon wholly pass out
OF existence a. an arm of our national power.
RAILROAD COMPANIES MUST PROTECT PAS
sENGFRs-lt has been announced that Mrs.
Avery ID. Putnam recovered a judgement from
street railway company in New York for n, 900
damages for failing to protect her husband, who
was killed on one Of tho cars OF the COMPANY
The instruction 70 the jury given by Judge Cur
tin upon which the verdict was found will be of
general interest. He said: 1.-The defendants
undertook TO transport the deceased for hire
and were bound to secure him a safe passage 50
far as that could be done by the exercise of due
care on their part. They were bound to exer-
else the utmost diligence aud care in maintain
ing order and guarding their passengers against
violence which might reasonably and naturally
he expected TO occur, in view of the CT aracter
and condition of other persons whom they vol
unfairly permitted TO come or TO remain on
board the car. If defendants failed to exercise
such utmost diligence, and the death of Mr.
Putnam was the result, the defendants are
liable"