The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-01-24
THE INDIANA STATE SENTINEL MONDAY. JANUARY a. 1876

clude all the braucheA of the treasury de-
| partment, including Ia internal history of
the famous syndicate.
ROBESON'S CHOICE.
THE NEW NAVAL srATIoN-PoRT ROYAL
REASONS FOR sELE<ITING 1T.
correspondent of the Charleston News
and Courier supplies some information con-
corning the lately selected naval station:
Port Royal is located four miles below
Beaufort, at the confluence of Port Royal
river and Battery creek. II has sprung into
existence since the war, and in appearance
and design differs form Beaufort. The build
lngs are new and erected with an eye TO
business. The most important feature OF
the place ia the wharf and depot of Il 20 Port
Royal railroad. The road extends sIo ng the
waters edge, and terminates directly upon
the wharf, thus affording facilities for "a ans
ferring freight. The depth of the wate at
the whar1is twenty-five feet. Along the
wharf are lying several barks and schoon ers
waiting to be loaded. But the
chief interest attending Port Rovaal
now is the probability that she will becon
naval and coaling station. The presence
OF the vessels already there has sdded to her
income. 1t is estimated that several thou
sand dollars month have been disbursed
by the navy for some time past, and if the
whole squadron be ordered to report here
there will oe about hundred officers, be-
sides several hundred men, all OF them with
money TO spend. and the revenue of Port
Royal will be largely increased. There are
now In the harbOr several vessels. OF these
the Ossipee is anchored about two miles be-
low the wharf. The Ossipee is a corvette,
carrying six nine-inch DahlgCens, two
eleven-inch pivot guns, two underground
howiize1s and two Calling guns, is COM
msnded by Commander Livingston Breese,
and has within the past two months
returned from Barbados. Next comes
the Swatara, slso corvette, one |
OF the swiflest and neatest in the
service carrying six nine-inch guns and |
one eleven-ipch pivot Dahleren, a sixty
pound Psrrott on her top gallant forecastle, |
two twelve pound howilzsrs on her poop |
deck, two Calling guns and tvso twelve |
pound howitzers on carriages. She is com
manded by Commander A. B. Cook, and has |
laely returned from Para, Brazil, whittier
she was sent to bring home American emf |
giants who went there after the war, and of
whom it was reported that they were in
pitiable condition and desired to re-
turn home to the United States. She
found only one family that expressed
desire to return, and even this
family declined to leave at the last moment.
It seems that the colony is not prospecting.
But fruits are abundant, and lie can be
prefer want without labor to want despite
labor. Lower down the harbor is the store
ship Pawnee, used simply as a receiving and
storeship and hospital. By the way, it is
stated that the health of
THE FLEET
has been very good since reaching Port
Royal. Next comes the Pints, tender and
dispatch beat, in charge of Lieutenant Com
msnder Dryer. Last but decidedly not
least, is the monitor Dictator, the most
formidable ironclad in the navy. She lies
just above tie water like some sluggish
leviathan, and can be submerged during
action until the turTet can alone be seen at
any distance. She is plated with thirteen
inches of iron over ten inches of tesking, |
and carries two fiiteen-inch guns. Being |
submerged over twenty feet in the water, |
she is necessarily ventilated by machinery.
The interior resembles the DEVILS |
Worship. Near half a hundred fur
L aces roar and blaze and emit smoke
out of a stack IS large as an ordinary room. |
She is formidable monster. But the inge
unity of man has devised guns whose
charge of powder alone is one hundred aud
twenty Eve pounds, and whose immense
projectiles, weighing near half ton, are ca
pabie of crushing through even the solid
armor of the Dictator. Fortunately these
guns have not been generally introduced,
ana the DlcLaLOr can SIlil deSuulo 10 oDJOy
invulDerabilisy. The Dictst II is the dag
snip of Commander A. w. Weaver. Several
other vessels are on their way. The Con-
gress, one of the finest in the navy, and the
Juniata have been ordered from the Euro
pean squadron, and, it is said, will report at
Port Royal. 1t is also said that the Hartford
Will soon reach Beaufort, and will become
the flagship of the North Atlantic squad
ron. Rear Admiral Delaney Is at present
in c mmand, but he will soon be retired and
q new commander will be appointed. The
officers of the fleet are in ignorance OF the
cause of these movements, and some are in
doubt even whether Port Royal will be
made the naval station of the home squad
ron. Others think that in time 1t will super
sede KEY West. The assertion of the New
York Sun that lands in Port Royal are
owned by Secretary Robeson's friends, If
true, may serve to explain the sudden con-
version of the department. to the doctrine
that Port Royal is to be the coming city OF
the South. The situation of Port Royal may |
be- summed up thus: Nature has bean lavish |
TO IL. But it needs tor development capital, |
Increased prosperity in the state aud some
melting cause that will give il an impetus.
Its fortunes for the present are in the hands
of the navy department.