The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-05

HAYES SpcTtldIy VI tl' NV iHuN'N
report which justiies everything we lave
said concerning the wrctchcd coalition
into which the proiligacy and corruption
of SEcoR RoBEsoN got that service.
There are in the navy. ON paper, sixty
seven steamers, twcnty-three sailing YES
sells, twcpty-thrcc ironclads, two torpedo
bonts, one ferry boat, and twenty-six tug
boa<. II would not be easy to pick out
from the whole number, the little tugs ex-
ccptcd, any vessels really adapted to mod
ern naval necessities. Not one OF the iron
clads has any actual value, unless 1t he the
Dictator, and she needs new solid armor in
place Of her old laminatcd plates, and her
guns are behind the age.
Several of these vessels, Mr.. THOMPSON
acknowledges, are rotten and utterly WORTH
less. The Colossus. now ON the stocks at
New York, the Massachusetts at Kittcry,
and the Oregon at Boston, are all decayed.
their hulls having been built of white oak.
and they are not worth completing. Yet
vast sums Of money have been spent
on these useless structures, and SEcoR
Robson in 1873 and 1874 distributed among
his confederatcs hundreds Of thousands of
dollars to repair" the remainder of the
lIOn'luuS. llt IUlStu lll'ii nuns l'hA INV
decks on them. in some cases substituted
iron for wooden hulls, and in one case, that
Of the Monadnock, actually constructed IA
new ship. He omitted, however, the vital
point, il they were to bc made really more
efficient for he left the laminatcd arnor.
which modern naval experience has proved
affords no protection at all against the
guns which are ailOat by the hundred In
foreign navics. When he had got rid of all
the money the roncads were no better than
thew were bcfore-that is. they were worth
about what their old iron would fetch. 1t
was most shameless piece OF plumber, and
was kept up by robson, GRANT, and the
Republican party, in spite Of the protests Of
The SUN and the most competent authori-
ties in naval construction.
OF the other vessels, the Connecticut, Iowa,
and Pennsylvania at Boston, the Java and
Susqu6hanna ut New York, the Congress,
Sabine, and Kansas at Kttcry, the Worcester
and Shawmut at Norfolk, the Saco, Nvack,
and Cyanc at Mare Island, tho Frolic at
Washington, and the New Orleans at Sack
ett's Harbor, are pronounced worthless, and
united for repairs or completion. That is
twelve OF the steam vessels are reported as OF
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they woulu DE "l no r'ai scI''oo " Us,
Inc laet Is we nave sot Vn' poorest INV
OF any power % re7p'e''oie picVch9' MS II
the woilu' ana II cos'7 US pro ..ortionately
lar more 70 maintain 1t SIR. THoMpso>
cohleSsrs that' ate ali SEcoR RoBEsoN'
expenditures as fifty millions for repair
alone lad his ss,2OO, 900 laid out on the new
Scam sloops the navy, in its present con
dition, as compared with that OF any uthe
power, has less aggressive force than at an,