Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1875-12-11

receiving ships, at all times ready
for service, aud the remainder are
in commission on several stations
or at various navy yards ready for
use. Besides such Of the new ships
~ are in commission, thirty.twO
others, including the largest and
most efficient ships of the navy, act
as cruisers or training ships, and
twelve of the remainder, though re.
quiring more Or less repairs to boil.
ers and machinery, could, if need
ed, DO put in condition for service
as soon ~ sailors could be enlisted
to man them.
The iron clad feet consists of 26
vessels, three of which are useless.
The remaining twenty-three, con.
sisting Of twenty-one vessels of the
monitor type, aud two iron torpedo
ships, are all efficient vessels of their
class, and very powerful for both de.
fensive ana offensive operations
near our shores. Five, namely dou.
BILE .turreted monitors, Amphitrite,
Monadnock, MiantonOmah, Puritan
and Terror, are in process of COM
plete repair, requiring from four to
six months to finish, if pushed |;
while the remaining eighteen, con.
sisting of the Roanoke, the two tor.
pedo sloops, Alarm and Intrepid,
and fifteen single.turreted monitors,
namely, the Ajax, Canonicus, Co.
manche, Catskill, Dictator, Jason,
Lehigh, Nantucket, Passaic, Saugus
and Wyandotte, are all in good con-
dition and ready for service at any
time. This makes eighty available
ships, including sixteen iron clads
and two torpedo boats. The Sec
rotary says that a fleet of forty
cruisers, carrying 500 guns, besides
fifteen iron -clads and two iron tor
pedo ships, could be concentrated
on our shores within month.
On the subject of Navy Yards,
the report states, for the past few
years, no appropriations for new
buildings or other works of improve.
ment have been made for several of
them, and the small amount appro-
priated for repairs and preservation
has proved insufficient to keep the
buildings, stock and wharves in that
thorough state of repair and effici.
ency which should characterize all
public works. An appropriation is
asked for building boundary wall
on the west side Of the Boston Ma
Wy Yard, and appropriations to sup
ply new buildings for several in the
yard now unfit for the purpose for
which they are used, are asked.
The Secretary renews the recon-
mendations made in his last annual
report of the valuable New York
Navy Yard in it's site and territory.
In this yard nothing has been done
beyond the current repairs. Dur
ing the past year a new building for
equipment purposes at the New
London yard has been completed,
and the wharf Accommodations much
enlarged. An additional appropri-
alton for the continuance of perma-
nent improvements at New London
is recommended.
One of the first recommendations
of the Secretary of War, III his an
nual report, is for an increase of
the Engineer Corps from 200 to 500,
for torpedo service He speaks
confidently of the efficiency Of our
sea-coast defences, the torpedoes
having more than met the expecta-
tons of the department. He asks
for an appropriation of $4,000 for
next years surveys and examination
at the mouth of the Mississippi.
He also asks for the following ap.
preparations Notifications and
other works of defence, S2,O44 900
public buildings and grounds and
Washington aqueduct, $714,474; |
surveys, $4,000; engineer depot |
at Willett's Point, N. Y, S35, 1000;
office expenses, 1874, 300; improve !
ments of rivers and harbors, $14,-
3O1, 100; total, S17,29S, 740. He
says the army was reduced to 25,-
600 men, and they are more content.
ed than heretofore, there being less
desertion, while the class of recruits
now being received is superior to
those formerly in the army. He de-
sires legislation authorizing him to
enlist music boys under twelve
years of age, and urges the estab
lishment of a military band iof
twenty pieces for each regiment.
were successful
last year eighty seven times out of
100; the service is gradually grow
ing more perfect.
The actual expenses of the War
Department for the year ending
June 80, 1874, including river and
harbor Improvements, were S42,
26,314. The same for the last fiscal
year ending June 3, 1875, we're SAL
277, 1915, showing reduction of 3d.
04S,939. The estimates for the
military establishment for the en-
suing fiscal year, ending June 80,
1877, are 1888, 452, 1896; those for the
current fiscal year, ending June 80,
1876, were $32, 4SS, 1853, being an
increase of $685. 27. The appro-
priations for that purpose for the
current fiscal year were $2S, 727,.
4O4. The excess Of the amount of
estimates for the ensuing fiscal
year over the appropriations for the
fiscal war aricaS from tho |