The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-06-03
Our Navy.
From the Baltimore American.


WHAT BECOMES OF TIE VESSELS.
When the appropriation bills were be-
fore Congress last winter. and the naval
Of discussion, the question of what becomes
of all the money that is annually voted to
the naval establishment was pressed with
pertinency and force. If it has ever been
satisfactorily answered we are not aware
of the fact Not even the members of the
Committee on the Navy could explain the
mysterious disappearance and the lack of
visible results from the millions that are
appropriated each year All that they
could tell was that the Department asked
for a certain amount; Congress reduced it
somewhat, and granted the reduced sum
and then there was a blank About that
time there was published an elaborate
statement, bristling at every point with
facts and figures taken from official reports
showing that man for man and ship for
ship, the American Navy costs proportion
ately twice as much as the magnificent
and expensive fleets of England More
over it was demonstrated that the entire
naval appropriations since the war ended
had been sufficient to provide a well equip
ped and efficient seagolng force instead
of our present sparse and shabby navy, a
large portion of the vessels of which are
unseaworthy. Nothing could be clearer
than that there must be either waste, cor
ruption, OF misapplication of funds.
A transaction occurred in San Francisco
few days since which throws some light
upon the administration of the navy. The
United States steam trigate California,
vessel registered at 24SU tons and sent to
sea four years age for the first time, at a
cost of 81 800, 600, was sold at auction for
S23 900. That was about all the ship was
worth, and it is said the purchaser will
have to break her up and turn her over to
the Junk dealers to save himself Launched
from Portsmouth, N. H., in 1871. the Cal
ifornia was at once sent to San Francisco,
and in July, 1873, having been not more
than twelve months at sea altogether, and
only two years in service, she was put out
of commission as worthless The history
of this vessel is almost substantially the
same as that of some seven others, which
have been known as sister ships The
Java, New York, and Pennsylvania, and
Antietam have been on the stocks in 1864,
and the Illinois disappeared mystcrouslv
in 1873 The Guerrero ran aground on
the Italian coast on her first trip to the
Mediterranean, was taken off, repaired at
a cost of 800, 900, brought to New York
and sold for $24 900 Her original cost
| was 81, l54 ,325, and her age seven years,
not so long as the period for which the
Lloyds will give the highest rate to well
| built ship. The Delaware. after n trip to
| the East Indies, has been returned home
| unfit for further service.
Here was $4,000, 900 invested in steam
frigates meant to be Of the first class, the
whole eight Of which have hardly stood
| as much service as one sound and staunch
merchantmen This brief relation OF their
several fates affords clue to the manner
of using the naval appropriations. We
are not urging that the United States
should have powerful navy-that is an
entirely different question-but we have
been and are spending enough of money
for at least a respectable naval armament,
and getting comparatively nothing in re-