New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-05-29
WASHINGTON.


NAVY DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT.
HISTORY OF An APPROPRIATION or ONE MILLION
DoIIAR@rr5 USE IN CoSCEAIJNG GREAT LA
BurTTRs.
tyRon THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE rRTBuss.I
WASHINGTON. May 2s.-In his animal report for
1870 the Secretary Of the Navy called attention to
the pressing need Of the improvement OF the Navy
Yar's of the United States aud the Chief Of tho
Bureau Of Yards and Docks recommended Large
increass in the capacity Of workshops and dry
docks. In response to these recommendations, Con-
gress on the Sd Of March, 1871, made an appropra-
ton of 81 600 900 for the construction Of floating
iron dock for the repair of naval vessels on their
stations. The act required that the contract for
building this dock should be given to the lowest re
sponsible bidder, after proposals had been invited
by advertisement in the daily newspapers of Boston,
New-York. and Philadelphia. The amount which
the Navy Department was allowed to expend for
plans, &C., was 5000.
A careful search of all subsequent reports OF the
Secretary of the Navy and of the Bureau of Yards
and Docks does not result in the discovery OF any
further reference TO this appropriation aud as far as
any official reports emanating from the Navy De
partment go. they give information whether this
dock was built not or whether any OF the money
was expended II has been asccrtaincd, however,
that the dock was never built and that the reason
given by the Secretary for not building it was that
81 900 900 was not considered sufficient while the
act making the appropriation limited the cost or II
TO that SUN. The only account TO be found IN any
public document after most careful search OF any
expenditure under this appropriation Is on page 1856
of the Finance Report of 1874 where the following
item occurs among the expenditures of the Bureau
of Yards and Docks of the previous year Float
ing iron dock Sl5O,Oi6." As no dock was built
nd 4 nj IN, IN - ~
interesting question arises what WAS this money
spent fort
When Congress met on the lst of December, 1873.
the county was in the midst OF the excitement
caused by the capture Of the Nirginius and Secre-
tary Robson was buslly engaged in putting the
Navy on war footing" One Of the first acts OF
Congress was to make an extraordinary appropria-
ton for the Navy of 81 900 OOO and the subsequent
appropriation made in the annual Navy bill for the
support of the Naval Establishment was $2OSl3
0iG 20. At the time this latter appropriation was
voted the exigcncy had passed. but even this sum
was not sufficient TO meet the enormous liabilities
which the Secretary had incurred. and 50 provlso
was Slipped into the Sundry Civil Appropriation bill
authorizing the Secretary of the Navy TO use, dur
ing the ensuing fiscal year. the balance OF appro-
praton heretofore made to the Navy department.
for the construction Of floating dock remain
ing unexpended, for the purpose OF completing tire
repairs on such double turreted monitors rs the
Secretary Of tho Navy may deem necessary for the
public service" The amount thus transferred is
probably about So5O,0OO. and the proyiso in ques-
ton was passed just in time June %. 1874 to
rescue this large balance from being covered back
into the Treasury under the law In one week more
the orr yina appropriation would have lapsed, and
Rcheson would have had great difficulty. on account
Of the decreasing revenues Of the country, IN
obtaining such large sum directly. The words
"heretofore made to the Navy Department. were
calculated TO remove suspicion. and prevent too
careful inquiry as to the amount Of money thus
added 10 the available funds Of the Navy Depart
ment.