National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-02-11
FlIa ARGUMENT ron CONFEDERATION.

70 fay Editor Of n, EativnaI RsuuBHcan:
SIN: The Committee on Naval Affairs In the
SeuSto, in its report 70 that body, IGunary %,
IS7t, advises that the navy yards at Philadelphia,
New London and Washington be dispensed with,
Dispensing with the yard at Philadelphia 10 sim
oily occupying a new location for that yard In or
Immediately adjoining che oityi It lie merely
changing the name from philadelphia navy yard
to League Island navy yard. League Island is q
very short distance below the present site Of the
navy yard, and is practically IN the same city.
The New London yard may be dispensed with
without detTimont TO the navy. 1t never has been
navy yard in the Proper sense OF the term. The
natural obstacles Of the location, which must DO
removed IN order to make it a convenient place
for building. eQUipping and repairing sRips-Of-
war, seem TO be so great that no serious attempt
has over been made to remove them.
The committee assign a reasons why the navy
yard at Washington should be dispensed with
''that the yard has too small area for extern
siVe establishment, and has of late been used
rather for repairing aud manufacturing than for
building. the approach to It is by a crooked aud
difficult channel. Il is far from the is remote
from supplies Ct timber, iron and coal the num-
Der Of skilled artisans is limited and there is ne
work done at it that cannot be more cbeGply done
ard the materials more cheaply detained at
League Island when that yard Is put in proper
condition to do it,
The committee say, in this connection, that the
good buildings, teOls and machinery, which, in q
better Locality Tor its purposes, would be OF great
value
It's true that the area of the W aghington navy
yard IL snail, but upon that small area some Of
the best ships Of
THE OLD NAVY
were constructed, and there is room now to build
two ShipS Of the tirSt-ClaSs at the same time.
There has teen erected, and now ia existence,
rolling mills, machine shops, fouRdries, boiler
sboIs, saw mills, &c, buildings of a substantial
~ ont oh Lad
chinGTy sufficient to manufacture all the ap-
planes and articles Except cOrdagel necessary
10 the construction and equipment OF both sailing
and steam vessels OF war In short, in the Wash
ington navy yard ships Of war can be constructed
and equipped, ready for service, with as much
dispatch, and with as little aid from private es-
Adjustments as any other navy yard in the coun-
try.
small To be compared with the magnitude of the
mechanical appliances within its area, and
should and can be extended on the east and on
the west 10 more than double its present 'front.'
age al a smaller cost than would be incurred in
moving the machinery attached to 1t TO another
location.
The river Potomac, it is true is not straight,
but ii is not more 'crOoked" in the course OF its
channel than most Of the important rivers on the
Atlantic slope, including the Delaware. 1t may
have been Oitncult TO navigate in the early his
tory OF the country, hut the difficulties have dis
appeared long ago heiOTethe skill and experience
OF its pilots. The only really crooked and diff
cult approach to the Washington navy-yard lies
in the Anacusiia river, upon which the yard is
located. From the mouth of that river to the
naYy-yaTd is less than two miles in distance and
its channel has become, by the neglect OF many
years. a narrow crooked and shallow stream.
The Potomac river is navigable for ships drawing
twenty-five feet Of water, from its mouth TO the
mouth Of the AnacOstia, and $4,000 expended in
dredging out the short channel of that river
would enable those ships to ascend without diff
Guilty TO the naYy-y2rd-an expenditure which
justice TO the citizens Of the District doing bust
ness on the AnacOstia alone demands, and CON-
pared with the great results to the Washington
hayward, bringing its mechanical resources into
active emplO! ment, the expenditure OF such a sum
sinks into insignihcauce.
The Washington navy-yard
AVS PAR PROM THE SEA"
This argument in favor Of its removal nigh, have
been tenable one hundred years ago, but now the
steam-eDgine has nnnihilBted distance. An ordl-
nary steamer can make the distance FROM the At
iantic ocean to Washington city In twenty four
hours. Being "lGr from the sea-" is at the present
day rather an argument in favor Of the location
feet. y al H'0'ii'
The committee have fallen into great mistake
when they say that the Washington yard ais re-
mote from supplies Of timber, iron and coal"
IneXhausTible quantities OF all those essentials to
the construction and equipment Of a navy are
within easy distance Of the Washington navy
yard. The most important timber, and that Of
which the largest quantity is used in the con-
stTuction Of ships, is white oak. The forests Of
Maryland and Virginia, bordering on the Chesa-
peHke bay and its tributaries, have furnished and
are now furnishing large supplies not only to the
navy yard at Washington, nut 10 the navy yards
in Boston, New York and PHILADELPHIA. The
railroads opened within the last Jew years into
TIE interior Of Maryland and Virginia and West
virginia now have their teTmini at Washington,
and the products Of the millions OF acres Of white
oak forest, which the construction OF these roads
l mas mace available for ship building, can be
brought directly to the Washington yard The
contract prices on file at the Navy Department
chow that white oak timber has been almost in
Variably delivered at the Washington navy yard
at lower price than at any other estabIiskment
except Norfolk, and generally about the same as |
mat yard. but now that the Immense interior
loTtsts OF a-yland and lrginia, and especially !
tbOse Of West Virginia, have been brought into
service Washington Will be able 20 DEFY cOnDeti-
ton in the furnishing and price of that timber
To the supplies OF live OAK ami yellow pine, the
products OF the SOuthen forests, the Washington |
navy y ard is nearer than any other yard on the |
Atlantic coast. except Norfolk, and consequently !
those materials can be delivered at Washington |
AZ as low price RS al any yard north or east of |
Washington, and in as large quantities and with |
equal dispatch.
The navy yards to the north aud east are nearer
10 the supplies VI white, spruce and Norway pine |
and have about the same relative advantage in |
distance as to ASH, walnut and other timber Of !
that species, bUC the quantities used are compar-
Rtlyely so insignificant that it is worth taking
into consideration.
The Washington navy yard has now the adyan.
lage OF an almost
DIRECT COMMUNICATION
by railway with the principal iron manufactures
0i the country; the dlstaLce from the Jorge and
rolling mill i'll the iron regions is not greater II so
great, it Is 10 the navy yards north and east OF
Washington. And even before the facilities OF
railroad communication were available, the price
Of iron delivered a. the Washington navy yard |
compared iavorab!y with the cost Of the same ar
lcIe delivered at other yards and now that direct
is established, we may reasonably
expect SIM lower prices; and as to quantity, any
amount can be furnished that may be required
The bItumiDous coal OF the Alleghany-inex-
haustible in quantity, and in quality equal or su
DeriOr to any other coal for mechanical or manu-
acturDg purposes and for steam Davigation-cau
be brought to the Washington navy yard by the
Chesapeake and Ohio canal, and by the BaIti.
more and Ohio railroad, in connection with the
Point Of Rocks railroad in any desired quantities
IND at a cost lower than coal OF any quantity can
De furnished to any other navy yard in the coun-
~. The schedules Of contract prices on file at
ne navy department show that this coal is de-
ivered at the " GslingtOn navy yard at q price
rom twenty -lOur 10 seventy two per cent. less
han IL is delivered at the other wards on the At
antic. The same schedules also show that an
hractte coal is delivered at the Washington
Tard at price from seven to twenty-five per cent
ess than the same article Is delivered at ;he
layy yards at Norfolk, Charleston aRd Ports
mouth, N. H. The cost Of anthracite delivered
Il New York is eight per cent, and at PhiIadel-
lhia nineteen per cent. less than at Washington |
This difference In the price Of anthracite in favor
u Philadelphia and New York, however, will be
] utTalized when the connection between the
Northern Central and Potomac roads is perfected;
When coal direct from
THE ANTHRACITE REGION
an he delivered n the navy yard at Washing
on in the same ca. in which it was shipped at
be mines.
In view of these facts, and which are patent to
very man IN this city who has given any atten-
ion TO the subject, It cannot be said that the
y asblngt0n navy yard is remote from supplies
4 timber, iron and coal, " but il will be admitted
hat IL is practically within the centre OF these
II is true that the number Of ''skiIled artisans
lEIied' in the District Of Columbia as COM
aTed with the great cities OF Boston, New York
M Philadelphia but il is equally trEe that this
District has produced skilled artisans large |