The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-04-15
THE AMERICAN NAVY.
Remarkable Report Of the "Chief Constructor
Of the United States Navy.
DENSE IGNORANCE OR WHAT ?
Why the Ships Of Our Navy Are Behnd
the Age.
Comparative Cost OF the American,
British ard French Navies.
SMOOTH BORE vs.. RIFLE GUNS.
Pertinent Facts for the Consider
alton of the Government.

Some months since Board OF Naval Constructors
made extended examination OF all the navy yards
Atlantic seaboard and submitted report Of the
result OF their labor the "Chef Constructor" who
laid IL before the Navy Department. but for some rea
son not stated II has not been deemed advisable TO
publish this document II has leaked out, however,
through tho ubiqui,ous-or the bureau would style
It, .inquitousrcporter OF 'thc ibolous daily press,
that the principal point In the report OF the nine con-
structors composing tho Board was a recommendation
10 tho effect that the present navy yard management
the whole being bad would be better IN order to
have efficient administration. to transfer tho
actual control Of the yards to tho naval construc
tors with. OF course nominal commandanta as 'hgure-
head" the responsibility that better results
I'm political point Of view doubtless) may be secured
Though We cannot give our readers the contents OF
this doubtless admirable report of the nine WISE men
of the navy we can furnish thcm with abstract Of
that OF their Chief just published in the annual
report Of the Secretary ofthc Navy with accompanying
documents for the year 1875 and to be found PIP
40 TO 20l inclusive
The exact value OF "Chicf Constructors" report,
which the government printing press issues and the
American people pay for, may, therefore be OF some
Interest the readers OF newspaper like the HER
AID, whose crcntage includes, one may say, almost
our entire seafarng population and whose circulation,
as most sailors aware, is not limited to any one
land under the sun.
To this end il has been deemed advisable to give
readers carefully prepared digest OF the principal
points IN the ocal report of Mr. Isaiah Hans
CON- "Chior Constructor OF tho United States Navy,
together with some comments thereupon, which may
serve TO show what exceedingly valuable document
II is TO emanatc from the head OF bureau charged
with the annual expenditure OF about 81 000 600; fur
ther how and wholly excellent the system OF ad-
ministration must be which employs so intelligent
capable truthful ocer at the head OF the most
important OF the eight bureaus OF tho Navy Depart
ment
The report opens by stating that the estimates sub
mted exceed those for the previous year by $780, oo0
and that st will require all the amount recommended
TO keep those vessels that worthy Of being retained
in the navy in proper condition for service"
This IL not very definite all events Interesting,
net only to our political economists and statesmen,
but all other citizens who, entertaining an affection
their country wishing well TO that OF the
national serv that defends It's ag afoat would like
to know exactly how many vessels there are In tho
United States navy ''worthy OF being retained, but
sooth say this important point the worthy Chief
Constructor docs enlehten us and we arc left to
dim conjecture 10 the exact number tof shps)
which is TO act as dIvisor TO Tho
Hanscom next observes, 1T it well known that wooden
vessels W II rapidly dctcrorate, and much rapidly
since steam has become tho princp pal motive power
&c. After thus stating this indisputabe fact, our
readers will naturally expect to hear OF some recon-
ncndations from the "Chcf Constructor OF the United
States Navy in reference to remedy for this un-
fortunate condition OF things. Here it Isl
Having virtually stated that wooden ships do rot,
will rot and canno, be kept evcn by carboc acid from
rotting the "Chef Constructor goes lin the latter
part his rcpor to remark, 'The government, to be
prepared for any emergency which may arise, must
have on hand enough OF well seasoned timber to build
seventy vessels at least with despatch all Of which
could be built in six months II the materials were
ready"
That is ms ''wooden vessels dcteriorate rapidly II
will be Of course extremely desirable TO have hand
at all times in addition to the 100000 cubic feet Of live
oak timber already partly exposed and rottng at the
several navy yards, ample further supply Of rotten
or rotting wooden shipping for emergencies such as
that referred to by this worthy Chicf Constructor in
his letter OF october %, 1874, to Commodore Nichols
Of the Boston Navy Yard, where this bureau chief
nominay requests but virtually orders the protesting
Commodore 10 employ before el con day suil-
GENTLY large number Of voting mechanics and aborers
10 insure the election OF hessrs Goosh and Frost
whom 'the administration Is desirousn OF seeing re-
tarncd to Congress!
The idea OF framed ships, composite ships, or,
In fact modern ships OF any kind suited to tho de-
mands Of modern warfare, seems never TO
have occurred to the mind OF this OK
ccllcnt 'Chicf Constructor" who however,
next allrdes 10 the increased cost OF building and
repairing wooden vessels in the United States; but
prudcntIy perhaps ignores me which lead 10
the necessity Of these frequent repairs as well as
the for the especially high cost in this country
OF vessels OF built IN government az well as private
backwards He states the average wages paid in 1854
aud 1874 TO American mechanics which Is doubtless
correct but does not give comparative table OF tho
cost OF American and foreign ships war. so that
arc left the dark TO how VIC stind as regards
relative expense and relative results and efficiency
compared with foreign governments Let us supply
this omission for our worthy "Cbicf Constructor
at least limited extent assuming the cost OF ships
81 per the basis OF load line dspaccmcnts Of
the vessels which for purpose OF comparison
good RUE as any other
Comparative cost OF American, English and French
vessels OF war which tho Chicf Constructor OF tho
United states Navy does not give his Official