The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-12-14

ment should be provided for the onehse OF
any person In charge OF the mails,
or OF retardIng or otherwise obstructing them
by threats OF personal injury.
Report Of Secretary OF the Navy.
The report of the Secretary of the Navy
shows that there are belonging to the navy
l46 vessels of $50, 157 tons measurement, ex.
elusive of howitzers and Gatlings. They
carry ,142 guns; of these 1913, carrying 9l3
guns, with a measurement Of 0,89S tons,
have steam POWER; 20 are in actual service
and A are preparing for sea; Is may he con.
sidered entirely unit for future service, and
the remainder ut various Navy.yards. Some
require slight and others extensive repairs,
but most of them could be made ready for
any special service in a short time. There
is also on hand stored at the various Navy
yards live-eak timber sufficient for thirty.
five new ships OF war, besides large guam.
titles of other valuable timber and naval
material Of every kind.
Our navy is now far more powerful for
warlike purposes than it has ever before
been in time OF peace. 1t does not compare,
either in number or the character of the
vessels, with the expensive establishments
of those European nations whose mutual
relations keep them always in armed array,
whose contiguous coasts and deep herbors
at home and scattered colonies all over the
world seem to require that they should con-
stantly rival each other, at whatever ex.
pense, in size and power Of their naval
vessels and ornaments; but for the defensive
purposes of a peaceful people without col
Onies, with a dangerous coast and shallow
warlike naval powers, our navy is not with
out strength; and when it's irOn-clad fleet
shall be completely repaired-a work re-
curing now but little time and expense
and its force, supplemented by the
comparatively cheap addition recommended,
will be found sufficient to resist any force
which could be brought across the ocean to
attack us, and powerful also for offensive
operations upon the seas and among the it,
lands which are contiguous, to our own
shores. In view of the fact that apprOpria-
lions for two of the principal working
Bureaus of the Department average but
little over five million dollars annually, and
considering the cost of merely maintaining
a navy consisting largely of ships hurriedly
built OF perishable material, which, after
requiring for few years constant repair,
finally drop out of the service from utter
wortblessness, the question constantly re.
ours, brought up by conflicting interests and
opinions, shall we enter upon the expensive
and unsatisfactory construction of armor-
plated gun-bearing vessels, involving mill
ions of dollars in the cost of each one, or
shall We be content with providing ourselves,
at minimum cost, with the means OF de.
stroying such vessels should they appear in
hostile attitude on our coasts or in our
bays and harbors? Fast, well. built
wooden cruisers, proper for the police OF the
seas, serving as schools of instruction in
time of peace, capable of destroying the en-.
emy's commerce in time of war, are under
all conditions serviceable. The monitor
class of vessels has for us special and valua'
BILE uses in con junction with other forces.
The torpedo schools give our officers the in.
struction necessary to utilize whatever there
is in his most efficient arm of attack and
defense, and would add to the force new
element, the marine ram, which promises,
when constructed upon scientific principles
in forms of special strength for its particular
and appropriate service, to be a weapon OF
most destructive warfMe. The construction
of this class of vessels has been carefully
considered for several years past by a naval
officer of high rank, assisted by able experts
and detailed plans are put at the service OIL
the Department without cost or charge Of
any kind.
The construction of such a vessel of the
best material and of special strength, would
involve an expense of about $35O,O00, anC
if successful as it promises to be, it would
add a new element tending to make oul
force complete in itself, at once economical
and efficient. The Department has lately
adopted the plan of retaining all ships OF
going into commission upon this coast anC
attached to the North Atlantic squadron fol
few months previous to ordering then
abroad. 1t believed that the effect has beer
beneficial, as any defects in ships or thei
machinery can be remedied at home, ant
the discipline OF the personnel can be per
fected in our own waters.
The Department has also commissioned a
receiving ships at the different Naval Sta
tons the frigates Wabash and Colorado, q
Boston and New York, and proposes Il
place the Franklin at Norfolk, instead o
the bulks formerly used for this purpose
These ships will form reserve ready to b.
used in any emergency, as remedy for tn
| reduction of the force of our fleet iron
$500 to $500 men, and for the purpose o
maintaining trained class of men, skille'
in their duties and devoted to their flag.
The Secretary repeats the recommends
| ton of last year, that Congress give the ne
cessary authority to enlist annually $50 boy
| for the navy, under the existing laws, but il
addition to the number of men now allowed
Also urges that enlisted men of the nav
may be allowed an outfit of clothing, and
banking system for the navy such as nov
prevails in the army.
The Naval Academy has kept pace wit
changes which have taken place, and tn
branches there taught are those adapted
the naval profession of to-day. The Secr'
tary refers to the report of Bureaus in tn
Astronomical Observations, Ordinance, tn
Naval Signal Service, the Tornado Station
the Nautical Almanac Surveys of the Int
Oceanic Canal, and other subjects connecte
with The navy, and speaks in commendatio
of those who have obtained impof tant r,
| c,Ito l., ybaoa hrapohao Tho tor y.
news the recommendations in successive al
nual reports in reference to our navy.yard
and stations, and urges that their resource
may be increased, and that sufficient apprt
priatiOns be made to keep them in th0roug
repair and ready for any emergency.
The report of the five commissioned officer
ordered by Congress to examine fully an
determine whether any of the hayward
can be dispensed with, etc, will be forwarde
when received.
On the LIST of July, 1876, the amount @
appropriations applicable to the fiscal yea
ending June 80, 1876, was $lS,30l, 731.2i
The actual expenditure of these appropri,
| tons during that period-.-namely, from ul
| 1, 1875, to June 80, 1S76---was $i7,937, 1854 z;
The appropriations for the present yea
commencing July 1, 1876, are in the aggre
gate $l2, 96l 10000. The whole amount O
these appropriations drawn up to the first o
the current month was $7,079, 757l9. Fr0T
this may be deducted the amount in tn
hands of paymasters and agents of tn
| Government and amounts refunded durin
the period above mentioned, which viii
reduce the amount of these APPROPRIATION
actually expended since the commencement
of this fiscal year to less than seven millions
The estimates for general maintenance o
the navy for the next year are $l8, SAG, OH.
The amount estimated for new building
and repairs and improvements necessary a
our various navy-yards, stations, and hos
pitfalls is $2,908,596. There is also submitte,
| by the Bureau of Ordnance an estimate TO
| $775,500 deemed necessary to have a prope
armament for our large ironclads and othe
ships now being fitted for sea. This show
an aggregate sum of about 100000 less thar
the amount asked for last year for like pur
poses. In regard to pay OF officers of tn
Navy, the Secretary says, after careful con
sideration of the subjects he has, besides tn
ordinary estimates Tor the next fiscal year
submitted an additional one for 81, $50, 600 u
supply the inevitable deficiency in the pa,
appropriation, and to enable the Depart
mems to rescind its order placing all unem
ployed officers on furlough pay, and to max
mn 20 thoao who hava haan mr. NAV an ba va