The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-07
OUR NAVY.

Shall We Have a Fleet OF Worthless
Vcsselss
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
have read with much interest all OF your COM
ments on the navy OF this country, and see what
interest you have manifested toward the am-
portant question, which should interest every
American citizen who respects our American flag
and wishes TO have 1t respected on every sea. We
must have navy Without first class navy we
will never be respected either al home or abroad.
Our navy now consists of ITS vessels Of all classes
including rs tugs and they carry 1878 guns. Two
thirds of all these are now foreign stations ana
are required there; many of them are quite worn
out ana require large amount of REPAIRS which
will cost as much If not more, than it
would to build o first class ship to take
their places, and be much better fitted for the
vice than the ships built ten or fifteen years ago.
1t would be cheaper now for the government't to
throw away quite all the old engines and put in
the new compound style. They occupy much less
space and consume much less COAL which Is q
large and important item for man-Of-war on a
station where she cannot procure coal unless sent
from the United States. 1t is throwing away
money Tor the government to make appropriations
to repair these ships. know in many cases the
government has spent more money to repair an
old ship than a new one would cost, all because
Congress would not appropriate to build a new
ship. 1t Is the most costly way our navy can be
kept up to repair these Old ships. They should be
condemned and sold for what they would bring,
and ships built suited to the style Of
naval architecture and engineering OF this age.
Congress, with all its eyes on the money
bags, appropriates yearly from $15,OOoOoo to
s17,OOO,OOO to support the navy. great part OF
that amount is spent In repairing old vessels, 1
have been In Washington great part OF the time
for several sessions Of Congress- and 1t is almost
impossible to get member TO vote dollar to
build new ship. When the ten new sloops' bill
was up last winter IL was thought by the friends
of the bill 1t would not pass, but after the efforts OF
some OF Its supporters the bill was cut down to
eight sloops. These eight sloops are limited to
5000 tons and no more. Now see what sloop
would be Of 1000 TONS They will be when COM
pleted small gunb0ats which we require; but
there are not enough The navy depreciates
yearly more than the production or the allowance
nation and respected abroad building, now and
at once, ten sloops-ol from fifteen to
$500 tons, built OF wood, and OF the most modern
style OF architecture and engineering. Besides
this we want six first class ir0n-cad vessels,
built on the most approved style, that Will equal
We have now on hand, stored, all completed, tur-
rets and armor iron enough to complete these
vessels, and the government should make the ap-
mock class-wOOden hulls, two turrets, iron-clads-
matters not what they cost; the money does not
our mechanics and 1aDorers and helps the poor
Unless the government makes some additional
approximations to keep the navy up. our navy WIN
egn Powers. We will be plotted out OF both navy
ana commerce.
OUR IRoN.cLAD FLEET
We have In all fity.One tron-clad vessels, built
during the war on the Ericsson land Error) plan,
vessels are worthless, and are rotten and not
the war; many Of them would not float when they
proved Tor eight years. We have some Of the Pas
sale and river and harbor class that will do good
service when they get their new decks IN, but
the earnest and faithful zeal OF Secretary Robe-
son, who mas conducted the navy since he was in
to repair four OF these vessels out OF appropria.
lions Tor the navy. We're 1t not for him we would
have sent outside OF the Delaware Breakwater.
He foresaw this threatened war Tor two years.
Congress would l,,n not Appropriate 81 to repair
to the country and not spend 81, only keep 1t In
notion am satisfied II Congress Will make suit
will be an honor to us at home. Out OF the fifty
one irOn-clads-lz7 guns-there Is not more than
fifteen OF them OF any use, even If they were
repaired.
OUR NAVY. COMPARED WITH THAT OF SPAIN.
The Spanish navy has many OF the best iron:
them are broadside sloOps, and their speed is
much superior to our old, diapidated iron-cad
VeSsels III war buOulO come, those VcSScis ROlIlx
fourteen Knots. will pass any OF our forts in the
harbor and burn and destroy our cities and we
can't help ourselves. 1t would be impossible TO
stop them with the faculties now at nand. You
may rest assured that New York HarDor must be
filed up with old schooners loaded with ballast to
stop them. Those spanish IRON -cao ships OF the
largest class and well manned, and their armor Is
OF the most approved kind. and will pierce any
vessel we nave and do more damage than any one
cOulu imagine.
1871 vs. 1861.
We are not In the condition we were In
1861. Many OF the first ca>s estabishnents
have gone out OF existence; five OF the
largest in New York nave been sold out, all on
account OF our commerce; they could not ind
work for them, the commerce having been carried
on with English ships entirely, and they getting
all their ships built abroad, which caused the
destruction OF our ship yards and machine sh' ps,
and great many In New England, PENNSYLVANIA
and MARYLAND are closed up, and II the navy
now keeps IN this dilapidated state In lew years
we Will not have but two or three estab
lisnments where can be built engines OF
| ships. l am confident that the work car
| be done much cheaper in private yards thar
It can be In the navy. To build new snip IN the