The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-04-15
THE NATION HAS NO NAVY.
WHAT WE HITE no SHOW ron IN EN-
PENDITURE or SDff, 900, 900.
Thirty Wood vessei. that nrc Absolutely
Worthless, and the Troncind Fleet No Bet
ter-A Plan for Rebuilding the Navy.


WASHINGTON. April l4.-Thc Committee on |
Naval Affairs has had for some time under
consideration plan for reducing the cost OF the
pay and maintenance OF tn" navy to about
$4,000 000 leaving about s3OOOO00 as II stand
ing appropriation to- bc used from year to- year
in the construction of navy. Communications
addressed to Secretary Thompson upon the
subject have been answered with Detailed
statement of the present condition of the navy
and tho cost and best method NJ building one.
To-day these returns show that the country is
without navy. After an expenditure since the
war of 1905 100000, these reports show that tlc
Government has to-day but twcnty-nine cruis-
ing vessels. four Of which are despatch bouts
one. the Wyoming. recently found unsca-
worthy. another needing repairs TO tho
amount OF n quarter Of n million. and 9TH
ers needing repairs aggrcgating rs much more.
whilc not one is an ironclnd. and the largest
isa second rate. Out of eleven ships awaiting
repairs ut n cost Of nearly II million and Il half,
four are pronounced too rotten to be service
able and of five receiving repairs. one has just
been condemned after an expenditure variously
estimated at from twenty to forty thousand dol
lars. The Bureau Of Construction and Repairs
reports twenty 1.-TWO vessels ms absolutely worth
less, which subsequent surveys have increased
TO nearly thirty. and at the progress which the
navy has made in the last three months. sur
vcvs to come viii make the list Include ihG
MINOR portion Of the navy list. tn" ironrlad
nn't Is no better. One ~ the thirteen monitors
Of tn" AJAX pattern Is found to r' worthless the
machinery being tho only srrvicrahl' portion
lett. There are ten vessels under cunsiruilnn'
work upOn five of them bring suspended. Five
OF the ten are doublc-turrctcd monitors. r"sard-
cd with more favor In ih"sr reports
thnn any other Of our vessels. and one NJ tn"-",
the Puritan. a Board If Survey has iounl
It's weight sinking her deck undcr water All
this has been charged over md OYER again. II
appears now Ter the FIRST tine in official re-
| ports nitrr official surveys. The eNrcn 'liurc OF
| three hundred millions has brought nothing.
| Now. in time ot unparalleled depression, I'M,
| Navy Department and the Committee on Naval
| Affairs take counsel together how TO- construct
| navy from the beginning. certain TINT the few
| cruisers now anont will have PASSED away be-
| been rsJnccd. This absence of n navy adds
| especial interest to Secretary Thompsun's sug-
gestions for rebuilding one. He says:
In nv annual report of Nov ~ 1877. took occHsion
to remark mat II our commerce shall remain al ii",
Tor transportation To i"r'isn marAot, ~ in IN ship
To- he so developed ia future ~ To answer or own want,
aud necessities ~ producing and commercial pcnp" i
Io HAT t !. the dn, OF The io,crnm,ni to see III, i6c
S SnS' aST to syc ' p SS " pro,ea"n III al the
seaso ne world Unless thi' .done We ,nali rspain
IN condition Of dcrnience ur"n other nati"u' Mh",'
merrHniil" marine viii cnluV all the profits % our ar
H" ~, MAIN ,n !" " w nov and wo mn, A..
SINE hat il viii continue to ncrca., in proporuon to
The ucrrasi oi our production. Therefore IT seem, 90
1uirrs hat some ,hv shoud he done w,ih q. c DELAY
A. possible 10 nac the navy In condition To si,r 1t
The coi.iicranon that the navy should be fully come
the following thirteen rouc ads suitable cuul Tor
N,G NSS msiia Goaas Na liant S
tnckc, fa,.aic and w,9ndolie The sausa' !. npN gn
tor sinele urrced monitor !. IN need OF thorough {,
~ sNnro Thu Anphinuc. Mmnonomah, Puritan,
al -ln lp To-
IA. Dictator repaired The whole NUMBER 81 iton.ad'
wo,-cn vessel. de signed inr iron nrnor colossus Ma
.echusstts aud oregon They ARE dceayst and worth
She is rotten, ami should b. brokrnup
The Secretary thinks that the twenty iron.
defence. Ms they can have brought TO their aid
the vessels OF the Atlantic and Pacinc
squadron. For aggressive ana defensive war
fare on the high seas we have the twenty n NJ
cruisers. carrying In MI 252 guns. virying IRON,
Ave 10 eleven inches in cnllhrr. This is limit
ed aggressive force rs compared with ANY
other leading nation. From the Developments
q the torpedo system in lr Black Sea during the
Turkp- Russian war the Secretary thinks that We
should further perfect our system. America L.
entitled t. credit for the present change IN
naval warfare brought about hy the use of tor
pcdoeS. but we should not lose our pre- mirenct
In this mode " warinr"; torpedo lmprov"
ment- should b" rn'uuraged tn" Secretary
thrn calls the attention oi IN" committee l.
Rear Admiral Amnrn'r opinion IN ilFor o.
constructing An, an eXnrlme4lai marin rIlr
Of constructing rams that Will be able Ia sinh
the largest ships. The steam ram and torpod,
combined could make the navy irresistible
European opinion il referred to. England IL
building n large number Of torpedo VrsS is
She has contracted for eight thousand tOrped,
sinkcrs of the average weight Of eleven hun
. dred pounds. Russia Is not behind Sh" i
! building one hundred torpedo boats uuon Eng
lish models. Although they arc stimulated b'
possible war. their example is instructive
DEMONSTRATING the necessity of ayailins our
selves Of all the late improvements. Tho nnvA
: battles of the future will differ from those 81 IN
pnst. They Will depend largely upon the spre'
Of tho vessels, that will allow. thcm To csrap
from rams ana torpedos. The capacity an
range OF the guns will thus como mt
: question, SO as To cover long rang
and good running capacity. tho Wabash sailo
thinks. II To determine all naval battles Of IN
!: future. Large vessels are not rrsommend"t
sm" SWIM yesSs,I arr 1 " rminS Mr dinor my
y rounded by few fast straniug vessels, with
: torpedo boat and ram in reserve. could NOV
Y against an enemy AS effectively ~ the Genera
l OF an army NJ the head Of n diyision." Bur hoy
= far should We 20 in adding, to our navy
0 asked. and with two incidental questions
Have we the money to Spcnd. and can on
naval affairs and the construction OF vessels b
M,n nc9 gcoa
He says some ~ our vessels have cost NOR
c than they ought to have done. He blames n
one for this. but credits it up to Il comhlnatio
- circumstances. and then points out the necc.
u sity Of avoiding like mistakes in the future. I
i further this no had concentrated labor m
. machinery so rs To make euch bureau ind,
pendent, but all working ms one To- ne a6Nnntag
= Of the whole navy ESGamne: All c"Gp,r, f.
. Washington Navy Yard and then distribute
whore needed. Concentrating work upon sperll
;. things ut one yard secures the best results an
s Is economical. He recommends that the mon"
n from the sale Of rejected ships should b
. used for tho construction Of new shr
u and not covered into the Treasury.
n Besides presentng l.is own views 70 the con
h mttec. Mr.. Thompson presents the report
II made 10y the heads of the bureaus in the NAY
o Department. md II review Of THESE reports pr,
= pared by four Of them Easily. Ammen. Shocl
"A and Shufrdt. The conclusions OF the officer
! last named sum up the suggestions Of the r.
r ports made individually substantially as fo
;, lows:
Frst-That with cur extended coast limo on
e nrst duty is to provide efficient coast trienc
o This can be best done by completing douhl'
. turreted monitors, Arming the single turrete
y. monitors with rined ordnance. building Oh
r. ram Of 900 tons anl ght-dralt Gunloals wit
= one heavy gun. and developing the appc,ai in
Il 81. torpcdocs TO tugs. special appropriate
4 should be made for this purpose.
h Srcond-( commerce. should Ice protected by n
l. active cruising navy of fifty ship, with con
II pctcnt reserve. After the REJECTION of unfit Vr
- sells three millions would he barely sufllrci
~ to provide the necessary annual increase to IN
n force. If this sum WAS fortwo years devoted
10 these purposes the board is OF opinion that II
= double iurrctcl monitors and TIA" rrulsrrs y"
-" York and Lancaster could he made ready f.
" nctive service. after which guuhoats could